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Friday, October 26, 2007

Bobby Calvan Scores in Baghdad ... After a Stint at the Virginian Pilot

Docweasel saved the entire thread. Its' about a jerk of a reporter, (but I repeat myself) getting in the face of an American soldier at a checkpoint and pulling the "don't you know who I am" routine.

And a defense from a co-worker.

Dan Riehl covers the story and digs into Calvan's bio. Turns out this asshat worked for the Virginian Pilot. Sigh! It figures. That only leaves us with a few dozen jerks on staff.

Here's our intrepid reporter reporting on the environment:
I spoke with Mr. Calvan at length this morning representing the Prius Club of San Diego. What he is specifically looking for is someone who bought their Prius largely because of the HOV lane bill so as to alleviate their commute problems. IF that person is very unhappy now and lives in the Bay Area they would be ideal. LA is ok too.
and a comment:
This is SOP for reporters. (Seriously. Hang out with enough of them and you understand clearly that the normal way to write a story is to decide first on the POV and go looking for quotes that will support it. It is not considered unethical among them; it's the norm.)

So "bias" is a fair call, but this doesn't mean he's any worse than the average reporter.


Exactly. Write your story then find people who you can quote who will support your point of view. It's the drive-by-media way.

From Little Green Footballs:
So much great stuff in this guy’s blog! Here’s more, about a U.S.-led raid on Sadr City, targeting a Shiite insurgent leader who was hiding there. The Army said that the only casualties were insurgents, but Iraqi police said that a woman and three children had been killed! Our brave, impartial hero set out to tell the story:

...the story that was already being composed in my mind. I was after vivid descriptions that could, if warranted, paint a scene of chaos, anger and grief.

You can't make this stuff up!


Uh, sorry, you can, if you are a journalist.

More from Blackfive.

3 comments:

Andy B said...

As plausible as Calvan's story is, and knowing the self aggrandizement of so many reporters in the media, wouldn't it be wise if we didn't take this guy's musings at face value?

I get the whole, "arrogance" thing and think he deserves what he gets even if he's not being honest in what he writes. But don't you think we should just let him wallow in his own overbearing, hurt, pride? In other words, ignore him?

docweasel said...

Thanks for the link. I have corresponded with Mr. Calvan for several days now via emails and he seems like a decent enough guy, just a little in over his head.

I have some more followup stuff on the blog. Thanks again for the link.
-d

Moneyrunner said...

I was not surprised that Calvan once worked for the Virginian Pilot, my local paper. It is reliably Liberal, anti-military, pro-taxes and all the rest. Taken as individuals, people like Calvan may be "decent enough" but allow them to congregate and you have a hive of like-minded bigots who reinforce each other's worst prejudices. That's why Calvan - as part of the MSM - is hopless.