More-On Spragens
April 16th, 2006 at 8:16 am by Preston Taylor HolmesDan Riehl has an excellent summary on John Spragens, the Nashville Scene’s political hack writer who went after Bill Hobbs and possibly cost him his job. Puts the hit-piece in perspective.
April 16th, 2006 at 9:55 am
We should all be mindful not to start throwing around terms like “Jayson Blair” or “Stephen Glass” just yet. Like Riehl, I’ve noticed a certain literary license that Spragens takes in his pieces. In some cases, an almost, dare I say, fabulist quality.
He mentioned the coverage of a Republican convention. It’s always those some unnamed, unable to confirm fellow – Republicans who whip out the dildos on an unarmed man in the bathroom isn’t it? Happens all the time.
Oh, you’re a writer for a liberal rag? Let’s strike up a conversation about dildos in the can. I trust you’ll keep this conversation in confidence.
I can’t help but wonder if all this dildo talk is more than just a french-ticklered double entendred fallacy.
Or being reminded of the way the New York Post described Glass:
“Reporter Stephen Glass went after the conservative conference attendees in a way intended only to injure – by portraying moralists as not-so-secret degenerates. And that’s the key to understanding Glass’ role as a journalist – and the extraordinary degeneration of the New Republic in the past 10 years.”
That’s of course where Glass accused young Republican conventioneers of underage drinking, open drug use and other sexual indiscretions. Not bad for a bunch of guys who are all a lot of closet homos anyways, huh?
Similarly for another recent piece about the DEA based on information from another unnamed source.
To be sure, distinguishing fabulism against being accurate and in poor taste. Spragens is the one during Katrina who was complaining that our local Red Cross wasn’t black enough to effectively help the NOLAs who wound up on our doorstep. Or his more recent 4,000+ word incantation whose main point appears to be that the US gubmint only likes to kill brown people in Central America.
It happened at the New Republic. It happened at the New York Times. I realize none of those magazines have the prestige of The Nashville Scene’s shield protecting them or budgets – but maybe. Just Maybe. An editor would like to go back and take another look. Just to be safe. You know?
Make a few “phone calls”. Call a few “people”.