"All The President's Men" (2 DISC) is a classic film about an important period in American Political History. The Director and his Actors should feel proud. Two intrepid reports expose the rampant corruption within the Whitehouse and bring down a criminal president.
What is shocking on seeing this film again is that in the present political climate in America the actions of these iconic reporters would not be possible.
Under this present administration these reporters would be subpoenaed and made to reveal their sources. So quite possibly if Woodward and Bernstein revealed nothing as would be expected, they could, before the night is out, be stuck in some flea infested jail without the basic right of seeing their lawyer AND before the story had a chance to make any political waves.
What is happening in America is the rapid corrosion of Civil Liberties and a grand exercise in consolidation of power. No reporters today could do what those reporters did.
The American media as a whole has been eroding it's own power by following the party line and cowering to it's public. On the DVD extras there is a very interesting documentary about the American Media and it tells us that only six papers can invest in Investigative Journalism today.
People want traditional propaganda news like the O'Rielly Factor, which is basically irresponsible journalism in a nutshell. Watching shows like these you can see, only too clearly, the backward strides American Journalism is constantly taking and in the possess harming itself irrevocably.
Bush Jr. it seems has bigger balls than Nixon by signing his own get-out clauses. (See the provisions to the "Terrorist Tribunal" Act). The press never ask why?
I would like to ask why you can't speak?
The Media calmly follow and spout the shallow rhetoric. The press wouldn't have a chance at bringing this baby down. Not even Robert Redford could do it.
Hip-Hop is not dead. I would hate to think the media is. |