Hits and Misses
MISS: Out of the clear blue two weeks ago, the Hachette Publishing Group announced it was publishing an autobiography by Woody Allen, the once-beloved filmmaker who has been virtually blacklisted in the #MeToo era over allegations that he molested his young daughter almost three decades ago. Just as quickly, Hachette announced it was backing out of the deal, following protests by the company’s staffers and Ronan Farrow, Allen’s estranged son and an investigative journalist. Allen is also having a hard time finding distributors for his films in the United States. His best work may be in the past, but the aggressive ostracism of Allen is disturbing. The allegations against him were investigated and no charges were brought. No one else has come forward with similar accusations. Yes, victims of sexual abuse should be heard. But what about due process and the presumption of innocence? Since he’s never been charged or found guilty, Allen should be allowed to go about his life, and his voice should be heard.
MISS: Robert Caro, the author of acclaimed biographies of Lyndon Johnson and urban planner Robert Moses, once observed that “power always reveals,” and what the coronavirus has revealed about President Trump in recent days does not offer Americans and the world much reassurance. Rather than making his first concern the health and welfare of his fellow countrymen, Trump has seemed more preoccupied with how the virus will affect his approval ratings and re-election prospects. An example: Trump wanted to keep a cruise ship full of infected passengers from docking in California because the number of reported cases would go up. As conservative columnist Max Boot put it in The Washington Post, “Trump is like a homicide detective, obsessed with keeping his ‘clearance’ rate high, claiming that a murder victim with five gunshot wounds died by suicide.” Trump’s Wednesday night speech and Friday emergency declaration were not sufficient to shake the impression of a chief executive mired in solipsism.
HIT: Journalists have taken their share of criticism over the years, and certainly no one in the profession is perfect because we are human and making mistakes is part of being human. The media up and down the scale has taken hits in recent days over coronavirus coverage, with some arguing it has been hyperbolic. Tom Jones, a senior media writer for the Poynter Institute, had a different take: “The journalism on display this week during an ever-shifting and rapidly-moving story has been nothing short of spectacular. … Over the past week, we’ve seen responsible journalists turn to the experts to talk about things that only experts are qualified to talk about. Stories have been based on facts, not opinions; science, not speculation.”
HIT: An Olympic gold medal or a most-valuable-player trophy is something that most onetime professional athletes would cherish and hold onto until their dying days. However, former basketball great Charles Barkley is selling off these prizes. And it’s not because he’s fallen on hard times and wants a big payday. Instead, he wants to use the proceeds to build affordable housing in Leeds, Ala., his hometown. “That stuff’s not important to me,” Barkley said. “I’ve had an unbelievable life.” He added, “I want to work with the city of Leeds, I want them to give me the spaces, No. 1. I want them to give me the houses, and I’m going to use my own money, selling my memorabilia.”