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Heavy-Handed Cult of Journalism
August 13, 2004
BOB GARFIELD:
Conspiracy theories about the press abound. It's a mouthpiece for the left; it's cowed by the right. It's under pressure from the administration; it's under the thumb of corporate interests. It's controlled by the Jews.
But there is one insidious media conspiracy that has actually been documented --journalists from all over the country secretly in league as if guided by an occult hand to corrupt daily reporting with certain code words meaningful to the conspirators and to the conspirators alone. And one of them joins me now. He is Paul Greenberg, editorial page editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Paul, welcome to OTM.
PAUL GREENBERG:
Well, thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.
BOB GARFIELD:
You are a member of a secret society, are you not?
PAUL GREENBERG:
Yes, and I suppose you are too, now that you have used the magic words.
BOB GARFIELD:
Well, is that how you get into the society? You don't have to drink anybody's blood or anything like that?
PAUL GREENBERG:
I think one of the technical requirements is that the phrase "It was as if an occult hand" appears in your copy. Technically, it should appear in your printed copy, rather than on air, but in your case, I am sure that I can move to make an exception.
BOB GARFIELD:
Well, you'll have to speak to the membership committee. The phrase, "as if moved by an occult hand." First of all, how often have you used that phrase in your copy, and, for heaven's sake, why?
PAUL GREENBERG:
Well, it just comes upon me now and then. It originated when a group of rather bored reporters wondered how they could get some sort of telltale phrase past the copy editors, and they settled on, "as if by an occult hand."
BOB GARFIELD:
It has been in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, it's been in the Boston Globe nine times from 1987 to the year 2000. Is it that funny a gag that reporters from coast to coast are getting involved in this little conspiracy?
PAUL GREENBERG:
I'm not sure if it's a gag, but it's more like a signal, and what it signals to those in the know, such as we are, is that one of our fellows has struck again. And it's also interesting to see with what artistry he has managed to slip in the phrase, because if it's done amateurishly, the phrase will stand out. It will indeed stop the reader or the copy desk.
BOB GARFIELD:
In December of 1975, a copy editor at the Boston Globe blew the order's cover in a page one story that brought some attention to this private society of yours, and the editors of that paper and evidently of others forbade the use of the phrase. Do you think they'll ever kill it off?
PAUL GREENBERG:
I don't know. It might go into hiding for a while, but it's much easier to keep up with the use of the phrase, now that we have these search engines. But, even so, I would think that some uses of the phrase would escape even our modern technology. In a way, it's a kind of assertion of individualism.
BOB GARFIELD:
Like being in the Hell's Angels, only a better wardrobe.
PAUL GREENBERG:
[LAUGHS] If you had seen some of the newspaper reporters I have, I'm not sure about that last assertion,
[LAUGHTER]
but yes.
BOB GARFIELD:
Now, I don't want to be accused of making too much of this, but to the extent that people believe that there are sinister forces out there that are guiding the American press as if by an occult hand, doesn't the presence of the Order of the Occult Hand just feed their paranoia?
PAUL GREENBERG:
[LAUGHS] Mr. Garfield, I think you are making too much of this.
[LAUGHTER]
BOB GARFIELD:
So now that you've been publicly identified, and in fact confessed in a column in your own newspaper, are you going to have to, by terms of your membership in the society, do something desperate -- resignation? Suicide?
PAUL GREENBERG:
Maybe a general declaration of pointlessness and a re-organization. I, myself, think we are in sad need of another phrase.
BOB GARFIELD:
Well, then let's open it up to our listeners for suggestions. If you think you have a phrase that can replace "as if guided by an occult hand," let us know. You can reach us at onthemedia@wnyc.org. Paul Greenberg, thanks very much.
PAUL GREENBERG:
Oh, you're welcome.
BOB GARFIELD:
Paul Greenberg is editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, where, as if guided by an occult hand, he-- Nah, nah, nah -- I'm not going to do that. Where...
[THEME MUSIC]
BOB GARFIELD:
That's it for this week's show. On the Media was directed by Katya Rogers and produced by Megan Ryan, Tony Field and Derek John, and edited as if by an occult hand. And... by Brooke. Dylan Keefe is our technical director and Jennifer Munson our engineer. We had help from Anne Kosseff and Mike Vuolo. Our webmaster is Amy Pearl.
BROOKE GLADSTONE:
Arun Rath is our senior producer and Dean Cappello our executive producer. Bassist/composer Ben Allison wrote our theme. You can listen to the program and get free transcripts and MP3 downloads at onthemedia.org, and email us at onthemedia@wnyc.org. This is On the Media, from NPR. I'm Brooke Gladstone.
BOB GARFIELD:
And I'm Bob Garfield.
[MUSIC TAG]
copyright 2004 WNYC Radio
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