THREE CHEERS for DISESTABLISHMENT

By Chris Daly

Now that the religious police have cracked down on John McCain, can we pause for a moment and give thanks for the disestablishment clause in the First Amendment? (That's the part that says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...)
In accepting Madison's majestic proposal, the founding generation of Americans recognized a great truth: that politics and religion are both better off if they are separated. The founders knew what it was like to live in a society with an official -- or "established" -- church, and they did not like it. Thus, we are blessed with no official religion and no religious tests for holding public office.
So, whether it's Obama's minister or McCain's minister, they have no place in electoral politics. No one wins if we engage in an endless round of demanding religious orthodoxy of our public servants.
Garry Wills made the point last night on Charlie Rose that the disestablishment of religion was the only original contribution to political theory made by the Founders. That may overstate the point, but it was certainly original and central, and it has been a source of multiple blessings to all Americans.

IT PAYS TO SPEND MONEY

By Chris Daly

Here is a fine piece in The Washington Post praising the amazing performance of two NPR reporters in China during the recent quake. Melissa Block and Robert Siegel deserve the praise -- their reports have been outstanding.

I would make one additional point: Reading between the lines of the Post piece, you can see that long before the quake, NPR had sent the two reporters as part of a team of nine (9!) to just go to China for a broader story. That's why they were in the vicinity -- because a serious news operation was spending the money to send them there in the first place.

It was that investment in news coverage that paid these dividends.

SHAME ON COMCAST

By Chris Daly

According to this story, the company didn't even wait to get a complaint from Fox about Barry Nolan's critique of Bill O'Reilly. Comcast just went ahead and fired this guy IN CASE Fox might get upset.

This is a clear case of non-governmental censorship, and it's just as bad as the other kind, except that there's no First Amendment to protect people from their bosses. It's just naked economic power.

But, did it ever occur to Comcast that their customers might not like this kind of censorship? Come to think of it, I'm a customer of Comcast... for now.

READ ALL ABOUT IT !

By Chris Daly

I am happy to point out that Chapter 10 of my upcoming book Covering America is now ready. The draft of the chapter, which covers the period 1945-1963, is available by going to the sidebar on the right side of this page and clicking on Covering America.

There is a lot of new stuff in there about Murrow, A.J. Liebling, and others.

As always, any questions, suggestions, corrections are welcome.

YOUTH VOTE '08

By Chris Daly

Here is a link to a terrific video about the old problem of mobilizing young people to vote in the presidential campaign. It was made by my nephew, Will Houghteling, and some of his friends at Harvard.

Check it out.

Then go register to vote!

MEDIA FUTURES?

By Chris Daly

The ferment continues. More and more people are thinking in new ways about the crucial issues involved in the future of the news business.

Here is a piece from the Chronicle of Higher Ed (by a former Fortune staffer) about new forms of ownership of the media that are most committed to original reporting, beginning with the NY Times.

Here's the lead:
The time has come for the nation's wealthiest colleges and universities to rescue its leading newspapers — resources almost as vital to higher education's purpose as libraries, laboratories, classrooms, and concert halls. The plan I have in mind would call upon the richest institutions to set aside 3 percent of their endowments to buy The New York Times. That's for a start. Additional purchases of other newspapers by other endowments should follow.




Here is a piece from the Times itself today, touting the virtues of paperless publishing. It tells the story of the very successful IDG group, which is going on-line-only.

Any more ideas?