hegemony rules

I was saddened by the news that Peter Jennings passed away yesterday. He was an amazing journalist, who had a knack for explaining complex international issues in a measured, holistic and fair way. I found his presence on the airwaves a pleasant counterpoint to the ridiculous partisan bickering of shows like Crossfire. Jennings also had an admirable perspective on his role as a journalist:

There are a lot of people who think our job is to reassure the public every night that their home, their community and their nation is safe. I don't subscribe to that at all. I subscribe to leaving people with essentially -- sorry it's a cliche -- a rough draft of history. Some days it's reassuring, some days it's absolutely destructive.

Of course, my admiration of Peter Jennings is almost certainly a product of his indictment as being a rabid member of the so-called "liberal" media. Check out the Media Research Center's perspective on Jennings' coverage of Iraq.

More about Peter Jennings' death can be found at Media Bistro's TVNewser.