Yves Smith takes aim at Malcolm Gladwell
Yves Smith has a very long post on Malcolm Gladwell:
Yves here. Yasha Levine and Mark Ames have launched the S.H.A.M.E. Project, which stands for “Shame the Hacks who Abuse Media Ethics.” Its approach is to provide information about the background and funding sources of well-recognized journalists and pundits so that the public will be in a better position to recognize bias and hidden agendas in their reporting and analysis. You can find a S.H.A.M.E dossier on Gladwell here.
By Yasha Levine, President of S.H.A.M.E., an investigative journalist and a founding editor ofThe eXiled. His work has been published by Wired, The Nation, Slate, The New York Observer and many others. He has made several guest appearances on MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan Show.
…
Malcolm Gladwell is the New Yorker’s leading essayist and bestselling author. Time magazine named Gladwell one of the world’s 100 most influential people. His books sell copies in the millions, and he is in hot demand as one of the nation’s top public intellectual and pop gurus. Gladwell plays his role as a disinterested public intellectual like few others, right down to the frizzy hairdo and smock-y getups. His political aloofness, high-brow contrarianism and constant challenges to “popular wisdom” are all part of his shtick.
But beneath Malcolm Gladwell’s cleverly-crafted ambiguity, beneath the branded facade, one finds, with surprising ease, a common huckster on the take. I say “surprising ease” because it’s all out there on the public record.
“Yasha Levine and Mark Ames have launched the S.H.A.M.E. Project, which stands for “Shame the Hacks who Abuse Media Ethics.””
Now that is amusing. I wonder what Yves (or any other even vaguely feminist American woman) would make of one of Ames articles that ran in The Exile (it was certainly one of their two Russian newspapers). I can’t remember whether he tried to have 12 prostitutes in 12 hours or 12 in 24. But Viagra and condoms and the tour around the ladies of the night it was.
I actually like both Ames and Taibbi, used to read their newspaper in Moscow all the time, heck, even interviewed for a business section they never did actually start.
But media ethocs? No, I really don’t think so somehow.
http://www.exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=8027&IBLOCK_ID=35
Maybe Yves commentators can take some time off from their ruminations on the Jew Bankers, the Masons, Obama’s Perfidy, and other such topics to contribute their thoughts on this important, um, issue.
rootless:
Why?
Richard Simmons gives up aerobics and does shilling?
My that is a lengthy sort of accusation. Any time it takes that many words, complete with an actual Joe Camel graphic…
It’s fascinating commentary that illuminates the reality of post-Soviet Russia in a format that is frank, sympathetic respectful and fair.
Are all economy wonks prudes and virgins? Not the French ones, at least, D.S. Kahn has gone quite another direction with his adventures.
Is a shill for tobacco companies the type of contrarian you want to read?
Hang in there Tim they may get around to you. Anything’s possible.
I suppose I’m forced to choose? Then yes, I prefer people who don’t toe anybody’s party line.
A welcome contribution to The Art of The Smear: When you have nothing to say about the post, attack the comments. Well played indeed!