Letters to the Editor
commandax
Published Letters: 17 Editor's Choice: 5
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Audiofile's decline
[Read the article: Goodbye to Audiofile]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Audiofile under Thomas Bartlett was excellent, one of Salon's best features, and in fact introduced me for the first time to the artist who's been my favorite for the past two years. Bartlett offered a discerning ear for the new, unusual, and cutting-edge music floating around on the web. Since then, however, Audiofile has been utterly useless to me. Perhaps Audiofile's declining success has just been due David Marchese's taste for bland, mass-market sounds?
I agree that Video Dog is garbage, with the occasional exception of some Daily Show or Colbert Report gem. And what is with the Rabbit Poop features? Has Salon teamed up with Animal Planet?
Oh, and while we're on the subject of improvements, Paglia is a wanker. After sampling her drivel a few times, I wouldn't read one of her articles if you paid me.
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Audiofile's lack of "popularity"
[Read the article: Goodbye to Audiofile]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If Audiofile wasn't one of Salon's most popular departments, there are two reasons:
One, David Marchese doesn't hold a candle to Thomas Bartlett. Bartlett's eclectic, exploratory and informed musical taste and the wit and insight he brought to describing music have been sadly missed. Surely Salon – a site titularly devoted to the discussion of the arts as well as society and politics – can afford to hire someone to write intelligently about interesting music. Honestly, these folks don't cost much – you could probably find a few who'd work for free.
The second reason is that you almost never feature any new Audiofile pieces on the front page anymore. Movie reviews are regularly given headline status on the main page, so people read them. If the eyesore of Video Dog wasn't taking up a huge chunk of the top of the main page, nobody would be hunting around on the sidebar to find it, believe me. Would it hurt to occasionally draw attention to a music feature so people remember Audiofile exists?
Joan Walsh's glib excuses for Salon's failure to manage Audiofile properly are infuriating, and her proposed substitutes are laughable. (Staff-driven video??? PLEASE spare us. And if there's something interesting to write about on TV daily, I'll eat my hat. Wouldn't it be nice if Salon was still trend-setting rather than trend-chasing?)
I blame Walsh for Salon's global move toward replacing insightful, well-written commentary and reporting with trite blogging trending toward sensationalism, gossip and personal opinion. It's supposed to be a "salon," not a high school debate club.
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Two 46 year old "kids," still wet behind the ears...
[Read the article: No matter what happens, the story line changes]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I love the fact that Bill Clinton's been calling Obama a "kid." Obama is 46. How old was Clinton when he became President? 46! Hmmm.
In fact, Obama will be slightly older than Clinton was when he attains the Presidency later this year - his 47th birthday is August 4th.
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About that Canadian NAFTA rumor...
[Read the article: Exit polling suggests Texan voters are anti-trade]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I was suspicious of it immediately because the articles about it gave no sources whatsoever for the allegations – "highly placed officials?" Give me a break. How can one prove or disprove a rumor? Well, some investigative reporting might be a start.
Today, this came out from CBC News:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/4/232724/6357
Here's the gist of it – a Canadian diplomat approached that Obama advisor 11 weeks ago and asked him to discuss Obama's NAFTA position. Obama's people did not contact the Canadian government to reassure them of anything whatsoever. And there's more.
Salon should be working on proving or disproving campaign slurs and rumors, rather than merely perpetuating them. That would be some real journalism. We are, after all, choosing the leader of the free world. Some accurate information would be helpful.