By John Ballard
Lede is to journalism what freeze-dried is to coffee.
It's the concentrated essence, so strong that the consumer should add water for a balanced product. In the case of journalism a salt shaker comes in handy since reporting is sometimes contaminated with editorial spin.
This opening sentence of an AP story attributed to Hope Yen and Liz Zidoti illustrates the point.
The number of people in the U.S. who are in poverty is on track for a record increase on President Barack Obama's watch, with the ranks of working-age poor approaching 1960s levels that led to the national war on poverty.
Forty words, well organized and factually correct, as precise as a forensic report from a CSI laboratory documenting a toxic level of chemicals in a victim's blood sample. With this dire report happening "on President Barack Obama's watch" what conclusions are we to reach?
In the place of a screed I leave you with this old joke.
A farmer in the country noticed that a gentleman would fish at the lake (close to the farmer�s house) and would always leave with a stringer full of fish. The fellow had a boat but a fishing pole was not to be seen.
The farmer mentioned the situation to the lake ranger. The ranger then started watching this man and all that the farmer said was true! The man would arrive at the lake in the morning and by early afternoon, he had a stringer full of fish.
The ranger dressed like a fisherman one day and approached the man. They exchanged pleasantries and the stranger asked the ranger in disguise to come fish with him. They boated for 45 minutes and arrived at a secluded spot.
The stranger then pulled out a stick of dynamite.
Ranger: �I�m going to have to place you under arrest--I am a Ranger and you are fishing illegally!�
The stranger calmly lit the stick of dynamite and handed it to the ranger.
Stranger: �Are you gonna talk or fish?�
Had the writers correctly identified the president as Barack Hussein Obama their intent would have been more transparent.
It makes me wonder if nine years ago they might have written "The tragic loss of American lives in an attack on the World Trade Center, which happened on President George Bush's watch, etc."
Readers who may have been living in a cave for the last decade should check out this link.
Sheesh.
Let's move on to something else.
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