Like rubbernecking past a car wreck, I can't resist octogenarian retired CEO Al Neuharth's weekly column every Friday in USA Today.In today's installment, Big Al offers his predicted sports headlines for 2008. Wow! It's the Summer Olympics in Bejing! Neuharth says that all those mean things people said when China was awarded the 2008 Summer Olympics were just a bunch of hooey. "Fact is," Neuharth writes breezily, "no host country has ever done more to ensure hospitality, comfort and safety for visiting athletes and fans. Also, to prepare its own athletes to go after the medals."
Also, to suppress any efforts to establish real press freedom! For a country that tortures dissident journalists before throwing them into dank prisons, China sounds like a neat place!
Al's sold out years ago. If he really cared about journalism he'd call the Chinese out on their treatment of journalists and dissident. He's more concerned about credentials than he is the truth. It's easy to guarantee safety and hospitality in a police state.
ReplyDeleteAnd if he really, really, really cared about journalism, he'd schedule a meeting with the board of directors, tell them he was wrong about corporate journalism, then urge them to tell Wall Street to get lost!
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