wrap-up charles meyerson 29 july 1976 journ 291 THE YRAP-UP, consisting of an overview of What I've Read: Royko's Boss (224 vv) Wise's Politics of Lying (614 pn) Broder's The Farty"s Ove fe Party's Over (280 pp) Hapgood's Serewimg 0: e_ Average Mam (323 pp) Noodwara'a & Berastein's At the Pres: ‘Ss All the President's Mem (383 pp) Wolfe's Sleetrie Kool-Aid Acie Test (372 pp. and Wolfe's work in The New Journalism th pp + miscellany) --for a total of 2267+ pages, 133 or so short of 2400, But what's half a book between friends? The Moral of the story is "Call it as you see it. But make sure you look at it good and hara." | The Nixon administration aeeused the news media of eoloring the news. (Slightly akin to the pot telling off the kettle, it turned out.) That criticism, however, was off the mark, If the f anythin media were guilty it was not so much “coloring the news" as refusing to(even|nention Jthat any colors existed. js all but the most simple observations, objectivity is fa ayth. . .and maybe = nightmare, Although the Merry Pranksters might disagree, a consensus can generally be reached on the b, dimensions of a\Wiek, the color of a ear— sty piea even what hanpened' at a SeutiKe city coumeil meeting. mWrap-up neyerson page 2 (put tne more eomplex am issue, the more data available to deseribe a phenomenon, the nore difficult that conseusus and the underlying truths are to reaeh, l When journalists deal with osyehosocial iaummm things like eities, bureaueraeies, political parties and evem a single human mind, the available information grows astronomieally. Given traditional aealw’restrietions of time and spaee, the reporter ean inelude in @ given story just the tiniest fraction of that data. l Each decision=-whom to interview, whieh tares to hear, what books to read——leads to 2 suibelmetam— eoloration of the story that finally emerges. The journalist who best serves his audienee is one vho interviews as many persons as possible, listens to and reads as mueh as he cam, organizing Sust aa important, thegh 13 that he make it all coherent 1) sasimumnnenaeaneusbumt Sunline 188 his own axwieerkims biases and his judguents. Only Mm after YwOwing where the journalist is "coming from" ec it will go can the audience aecilW ere Wele-eeimOn the basis of his story.frav-up meyerson page 3 [ certaimy David Wise comes close to fulfilling this ideal-journalist role. His use of detail and researeh make The Polities of Lying outstanding. Woodward and Bernstein deserve credit for their similar work mein a narrower range of the same subjeet matter, The distinetion that makes Wise's work the more eomplete viece of journalicm, however, is that he develops and supports his owm juagnents throughout the book. Beeause he makes no seeret he leaves the readers fneembe choice but of his motives Mrujammtmminsicers his honesty, if not his beliefs. a factual wemet 3 (fo be fair, the Woodstein is more a about journalism than journalism itself; as such, it ean be excused from =ekmecjmtwmambs ——— this inadequacy.) a lao yaryine degrees, eaeh of the other authors eS tne same criteria. 4seeeweiwendniepice— David Hapgood ané Mike iceman without Wise's penchant for detail but with satirie hatehets sharpened by exverienee; those blades jroder, are exposed from the start. David Rete takes & more sedate view of the nation's political parties, but he Joes devote a full chapter to his owm views and evaluations.wrap-up meyerson page 4 [15 $oe-t08 Wolfe's Eleetrie Kool-Aia@ Acid Test, the reader knows from the first sentemee that, yeah, this mau may wear tailor-made clothing im real life: but for the duration of this book, he's tossing his eookies im with this Weeeeeiiird bunch of hippies. \ Surely, the nation faces the greater threat dishing aot from this buneh of revorterm studie@ biases up front but from those who he concealed weapons of half-truth, earry decention and lies. eS caper, with reward fax of fame and fortume for its intrenid heroes, oblivion amd exile for its villains, demonstrates that clearly. Now, if only the people will remenbere= cre