Well, being a Journalism major myself, the next chapter that I found particularly interesting as the one entitled, “Waking Up the Media Watchdogs”. This chapter was a call to arms. It started with the phrase, “It is no accident that freedom of the press was guaranteed in Amendment number one.” (p. 237) And hammers home the point that the media is not doing their job throughout its entirety. While Huffington does cite several journalistic marvels of the twentieth century (p.238-Ida Tarbell’s Standard Oil expose, Charles Moore’s photos of the civil rights movement, Seymour Hersh’s story about Mai Lai, and of coarse, Woodward and Bernstein’s uncovering of the truth in the Watergate scandal) she is quick to ring out the point that the media is more into “smutracking than “muckracking” and that they completely ignored the Archer Daniels Midland scandal. What Huffington fails to mention—[probably because she was too busy complaining—was that the media, until recently has struggled to overcome some of the idiots that have sneaked their way into our midst’s, Heraldo Rivera being enemy number 1. Yes, the media loves to cover a good sex scandal—but why? Because the people love a good sex scandal. More people in America would turn their televisions off that would turn them up if we started in on a story about the nations economic downturn. So, who is to blame for the medias wayward movement to smutracking? Not the media! Place the blame on Gannet and other “entertainment driven conglomerates as well as the people. It is also phenomenal to me how Huffingoton can separate private indiscretions with public ones. (p. 242-244) Sure, Mr. Clintons affairs may have had nothing to do with his presidency, but, at the same time, if a character of a man is that small that a promise made to his wife before God means that little, how is the public to know that he won’t take his oath to the American people with the same laxness? Here, is where my least favorite part of the book hits (p.243-244). If you are really trying to drive home a point, don’t quote a bunch of liberal left wing comedians as your sources. Seriously--Roseanne? Come on!
Finally, the last point I wanted to make about this book comes in the second to last chapter entitled, “New Voters Rights”. I love the fact that Huffington finds at home polling calls an invasion upon our privacy. I love the quote she uses on page 264, “ Today, Civil Disobedience can even take place from your favorite easy chair in the comfort of your living Room. All you have to do is hang up on pollsters.” This reiterated her point from earlier in the book about haw it is unconscionable that the no call list doesn’t include these annoying invaders of dinnertime. Seriously, I would rather someone call me to interrupt my dinner to buy aluminum siding that to get a call from the Democratic Party. Talk about an appetite killer. The rules fro the no call list should apply universally.