Over the weekend, I was confronted by a regular reader on the grounds that, despite my occasional protestations to being a political junkie, I hardly ever write about politics or the news of the world. Why not, he asked. Well, here’s why. I could never write that, but it expresses everything I wish I could say. And that happens every morning – I come to the computer, full of thoughts about all the important events of the day, and I find that someone has already covered it, with much more insight and clarity than I could ever hope for.
I know that the overwhelming majority of my readership doesn’t really spend a lot of time scouring blogs every day, so maybe I do have some degree of responsibility to you, but I would like to point out that list of websites along the right side of the page. They’re not just there for decoration. Most of those bloggers are some combination of smarter, more insightful, or just plain better writers than me, some all three.
Having said that, I will start focusing in a little bit more on newsblogging, beginning with this week’s Alito hearings. No prognostications – we all know what questions he’s going to get, and how he’s going to answer – but I will update as events warrant.
Also, it appears that Ariel Sharon is only mostly dead.
One last shout-out to the not-overwhelming-but-still-a-majority of my readers in the Medill School of Journalism: as you are all certainly aware, John Lavine’s appointment as Dean begins today. As not all of you might be aware, I have worked under John for the last 19 months, and have had some chance to absorb his philosophies, and I feel that I have a pretty good handle on what he wants to bring to the school. Frankly, I think you’re much more frightened than you should be: this isn’t like Barbara O’Keefe trying to nuke the School of Communications. Lavine’s position is that being the best writer you can be isn’t worth a damn if nobody reads you either way, and his goal is to equip Medill grads with the tools necessary to reach a wide audience. For anyone who believes this means sacrificing journalistic quality and integrity, I have two words: Star Tribune.