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OT - I was secretly hoping ...

... that Paul Harvey could somehow defy the odds and be immortal.

RIP.

Reply to
Swingman
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Reply to
Doug Miller

90 years old, I remember listening to him in ummmm, 1968, in Jr. High. It's a shame that more "journalists" have not taken the same methods of reporting.
Reply to
Leon

Given that Harvey was known to sometimes report things that turned out to be total hogwash and was also adept at sliding from reporting supposed news to persuading us to buy his sponsors' products, I'd like to see fewer journalists following his example.

Reply to
DGDevin

Yep, Paul Harvey was indeed human ... and a pretty decent one at that by all counts. Not much sense in attempting to hold him to higher standards than rest of us are capable of.

Reply to
Swingman

I think the key word you mention her is "sometimes" reports things that turn out to be total hogwash. There are darn few now, if any, that don't always report hogwash. Last week the local NBC affiliate morning news team was running a clip about a reporter in Fredericksburg VA. She was covering the Chic'fil A cow being mugged. The local news team just laughed and laughed and stated more than once that you can't make news like that up. Then suddenly one of the morning anchors just blurted it out, "not this time but usually we are pretty good at making stuff up". That was not news to me but I was rather shocked that he actually admitted that they make up the news.

Reply to
Leon

His "rest of the story" was a good example of that.

Reply to
CW

You might say the same of a surgeon who botched your operation, he was only human and we all make mistakes, until you find out it wasn't the first time he'd done so. Surely the point is that Harvey made a lot of similar mistakes over the years, in that he put stories on the air as factual because they would amuse his listeners but without bothering to check too closely (if at all) to find out if they were true. The broadcaster Harvey lifted his act from, a fellow named Bill Stern, used to warn his listeners some of the stories he would amuse them with might be made up; Harvey didn't bother to copy that part of Stern's show.

I remember reading about one story good ol' Harv put on the air, some woman had taken her car in to have the oil checked and the mechanic found a whole bunch of marijuana hidden in the engine comparment and called the Sherrif. When arrested the woman complained bitterly that the mechanic was just asked to check the oil, not go poking around--yuk yuk, a knee-slapper of a tale. Of course some killjoy reporter called the Sheriff and the newspaper in the town where Harvey said this happened, they never heard of it, somebody somewhere had just made it up and Mr. Harvey's organization wasn't in the business of fact-checking.

Is "infotainment" a crime? No, but it would be nice if everyone who offers it for sale would make it clear not to take their product too seriously, and Harvey didn't do that.

And now you know the rest of the story.

Reply to
DGDevin

Well that's it then, proof positive that the entire profession of journalism is rotten to the core, thanks for sharing that. Who could predicted your local NBC affiliate's morning news team would be the smoking gun to bring down an industry?

BTW, do you know where Harvey got much of the content of his show? Straight off the wire, the same source your NBC affiliate gets much of its news from. Harvey also got material from "stringers," freelance reporters who get paid by the piece, in other words people without the resources or perhaps the inclination to put a lot of time into exhaustive research and confirmation. But then exhaustive research and confirmation wasn't what Harvey was buying, he wanted stories--sometimes funny, sometimes outrageous--that he could deliver with his folksy charm for his huge radio audience. The problem is that a lot of folks apparently thought they could believe what Harvey said, that they were listening to a journalist rather than an entertainer, and that just wasn't the case.

Reply to
DGDevin

"DGDevin" wrote

Two questions ... when did he piss in your wheaties, and what is it that don't you understand about the word "Commentary"?

Reply to
Swingman

Two questions: How did Paul Harvey become one of your holy icons? And what part of relating a story as factual that in reality is either made-up or mangled out of recognition from the original facts doesn't qualify as bullshit in your universe?

If the issue was Michael Moore's legendary willingness to take liberties with the facts would we be having this conversation?

Reply to
DGDevin

On my last job I demand my lunch hour to start a 11:30 so I could sit in my car and hear him on the radio.I did that for many years. After I retired three years ago ,I didn't take the time to listen anymore ,now it's to late . Some times you just loose out on the good stuff. Jr

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Reply to
Jerry - OHIO

Vilify him as much as you want, but the times I listened to him, he was entertaining if not as factual as you're claiming. And, he dedicated himself to doing it for a long, long time, something that is lost on many of the current generation. For that, I can't fault him at all.

I don't consider myself all that old, (almost 55), but it sure appears that people close to me and people I know of that weren't close to me are dying and dropping like flies all over the place. I guess that's a part of getting older, but it sure sucks!

Reply to
Upscale

"Upscale" wrote

I hear ya.

Everybody who had a significant POSITIVE impact in my life while young is now dead. That totally sucks.

Reply to
Lee Michaels

Funny, I never really thought of him as a journalist or a hard core news guy. I always understood his stuff was for entertainment purposes.

I remember about 1,000 years ago going to the shop I worked at during those years, and loading material and getting a big mug of coffee before getting in the truck to drive to a job with the lead carpenter.

I remember... no talking while PH was on the air. He was like having a neighbor lean over the fence to talk to you about something he had heard lately, just a friendly voice to chew the fat with for a little bit before getting to work.

And how many times did we sit in dead silence, waiting for "the rest of the story"?

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

I remember... no talking while PH was on the air. He was like having a neighbor lean over the fence to talk to you about something he had heard lately, just a friendly voice to chew the fat with for a little bit before getting to work.

And how many times did we sit in dead silence, waiting for "the rest of the story"?

Robert

********************************************************************

I first heard Paul when I was on the road in sales back in the early 80's. I'd make it a point to be in the car at lunchtime so I could listen. There were times I'd be going shopping with my wife and pull up to the store but sit in the car until he was over. Her certainly had some good things to say. Good Day!

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Absolutely more and more and long before I knew who Michael Moore was I noticed a lack of need to repeat the story correctly or embellish it so much that is no longer factual. Just this morning on the CBS morning news the reporter stated US markets are expect to open below 7000. The chart on the screen indicated, Dow opening, some number above 7000.

And we wonder why we have problems understanding other people, we always get conflicting information. It is only a matter of time before the media takes complete control over the country. Already they are probably responsible for half the drop in the markets. I think the Bible talks about this.

Reply to
Leon

Well over 50 years ago ... and way before TV made it on the scene. Too bad you're too tight assed to have enjoyed the experience.

And what

Now, once again ,,, what part of COMMENTARY don't you understand?

Michael who?

Reply to
Swingman

Good grief, I'm not vilifying him, I'm just pointing out the material he used in his broadcasts was sometimes fictional. That he was highly successful is both impressive and a little scary in that it points out how many people don't question what the various media tell them.

Getting old ain't for sissies, that's for damn sure.

Reply to
DGDevin

Journalists are like most of us, some are better at their jobs than others, and some work for companies that are less scrupulous than others. That's why I think it's important to get news from a wide range of sources, that way you have at least a chance of figuring out what might have happened, maybe. But for sure you shouldn't put any faith at all in somebody who doesn't mind using urban myths in his broadcasts for their amusement value without bothering to admit it.

Say what?

Reply to
DGDevin

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