Saturday, December 30, 2006

Put it here, LB

LB is Locomotive Breath, a JiC Regular and one of those commenters and citizen journalists who so upsets Melanie Sill, the executive editor for news at the liberal/leftist Raleigh News & Observer.

At The McClatchy Company sponsored Editors' Blog where Sill and four other N&O editors do what they call "blogging," Sill often scolds LB and other commenters who don't fully identify themselves.

For months now, Sill's been upset with such commenters because they've raised questions about the N&O's infamous and discredited Mar. 25 interview story with the anonymous false accuser the N&O told everyone was really "the victim."

Sill gets even more upset when readers ask why the N&O published anonymously the notorious "Vigilante" poster.

Sill gets so upset at the mention of the "Vigilante" poster that she even claims the N&O actually didn't publish it anonymously.

We'll get back to all of that in 2007.

What I want to say here is: Remember "Roasting Nifong?"

LB's written another parody, this time to the tune of Auld Lang Syne.

LB needs a "drop" for the lyrics. This post is LB's drop. I'll take his comment from the thread and put it on the main page.

I'll be back in the morning with a Talking with Regulars and Readers post.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This excellent bit of analysis by Bob Wilson, former News & Observer reporter and Herald-Sun editorial page editor, appeared in an answer to questions by a reader on this blog. Many may have missed it:

Bob Wilson said...
Anon 12:55, I read the Precious interview story again a few minutes ago. In my opinion, that dreadful little text is destined to become a textbook example of how not to write a story.

The story is remarkably biased toward Precious and against the lacrosse players. The reporters made no attempt to go beyond the spin they were getting from Precious and others.

The reporters empathized with Precious because they work in, and are products of, an ideological environment that elevates real or alleged victimization, particularly among minorities, to the status of sainthood.

In the modern media, most reporters have little lasting contact with victims of crime; in fact, most reporters have little contact with common folks, period. Thus, the N&O is not unlike The New York Times in its newsroom culture; both papers have isolated themselves to a remarkable extent from the real world. What has grown up in the newsroom culture since the 1960s is a left-leaning group-think, nurtured by a virulent feminism and the usual suspects of race and class.

The N&O's March 25 tear-jerker was the spawn of this "new journalism," which at its worst embraces subjectivity -- emotion -- over even the appearance of objectivity -- facts.

Should we be surprised that the Duke lacrosse players got such a raw deal early on from the N&O? No. The newsroom culture was programmed to behave as it did in those first few weeks. The same is true of Duke's notorious Gang of 88.

Fortunately, the N&O still had a couple of reporters, Joe Neff and Ben Niolet, who hewed to the old standards. Sometimes it seemed there were two N&Os, Melanie Sill's and another one that published Neff and Niolet's work. Brave souls, those two. They swam against a strong tide.

Anonymous said...

John-

How could I resist the challenge of my first lyrical commission?

From constant repetition, “Auld Lang Syne” has an instantly recognizable tune and first three lines. The remaining lines are incomprehensible to and unpronounceable by most speakers of English, and are therefore largely forgotten. I cannot hope to rise to that standard. I offer my deepest apologies to my Scotts forebears for this desecration of the holy writ of Robert Burns. I’m introducing it early in the day to give plenty of time for it to be forgotten by midnight.

This is a song of commiseration, unity and eventual triumph for the Duke lacrosse team and is intended, like the original, to be sung at an annual celebration of the hoped-for and ever-more-likely complete exoneration of the entire Duke lax team and the disbarment of Mike Nifong.

I’m sorry to add to their misfortune, but this song is dedicated to Dave Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann.
-----------
Nifong Bind
-----------
When equal justice is forgot, and never brought to mind.
When equal justice is forgot; you get the Nifong bind.

You get the Nifong bind, my friend.
You get the Nifong bind.
When equal justice is forgot.
You get the Nifong bind
-----------
Fantastic liar finger points, DA indicts in time.
He’s won election on our backs; he used the Nifong bind.

He used the Nifong bind, my friend.
He used the Nifong bind.
He’s won election on our backs.
He used the Nifong bind.
-----------
Once we stood astride the field, we scored and won and shined.
He’s stolen all that’s dear to us, while in the Nifong bind.

While in the Nifong bind, my friend.
While in the Nifong bind.
He’s stolen all that’s dear to us.
While in the Nifong bind.
-----------
You know that I am by your side, and I know you’re by mine.
We’ll stick together to the end; we’ll break the Nifong bind.

We’ll break the Nifong bind, my friend.
We’ll break the Nifong bind.
We’ll stick together to the end.
We’ll break the Nifong bind.
-----------
The DA should have thought it through; the bar will find his crimes.
He’ll never practice law again; he’s in the Nifong bind.

He’s in the Nifong bind, my friend.
He’s in the Nifong bind.
He’ll never practice law again.
He’s in the Nifong bind.

-----------
I’m lucky that Nifong is just two syllables. Were it to be something like Schicklegruber, I don't know what I would have done.

A year from now, I hope we can change some of the future tense to past tense. “We’ll break the Nifong bind.” becomes “We broke the Nifong bind.” and “…the bar will find his crimes.” becomes “…the bar has found his crimes”, etc. And FWIW I wrote the lines about the bar before the recent announcement. Anyone could see that coming sooner or later.

Do I really think that I’m going to find the Duke lacrosse team singing this song next year? Naaah – that doggerel won’t hunt.

JinC – keep up the good work.
Happy New Year everyone!

Palanivel Raja said...

covers everything related to Entertainment and Nightlife,

such as Nightclubs, Event Photos, Restaurants,Special

Events, Event Tickets, Maps, Photos, Dating, Hotels, Hot

Spots, Event Promoters, Fashion Shows and More! On Hype1

you can plan your night by viewing thousands of

nightclubs, events and restaurants across many cities in

the world. Remember , going out is easy, knowing where, is

not.