Donald Rumsfeld’s press, then and now

On Tuesday, Donald Rumsfeld—who, as defense secretary under George W. Bush, was a driving force behind the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq—died. Major outlets wheeled out pre-written obituaries. The AP’s, by Robert Burns, bordered on hagiography. Its headline initially declared Rumsfeld “a cunning leader undermined by Iraq war”; that language was later changed to “cunning leader who oversaw a ruinous Iraq war,” but the opening paragraph still says that “try as he might,” Rumsfeld “could not outmaneuver the ruinous politics of the Iraq war,” as if he had been forced to play chess against a supercomputer. The Iraqi death toll from the war is not noted; the American death toll is—but not before Rumsfeld’s charitable work on behalf of veterans, his “accomplished” college wrestling career, and colleagues’ recollections of his smarts and patriotism. The first words of the article’s URL are “Chicago Bears,” a reference to the football team Rumsfeld supported as a kid. Because the AP is a wire service, the obituary was republished widely. Other prominent efforts were better, but did not adequately foreground the human cost of Rumsfeld’s military aggression: The New York Times addressed Iraq only after mentioning the records he broke as defense secretary (he was the youngest person in that post, under Gerald Ford, then the oldest, under Bush) and his reputation as a “combative infighter” who challenged “military orthodoxies.” The Washington Post described him as “controversial,” but... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-07-02 12:32:38 UTC ]

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A hip-hop syllabus—for fans, by fans.

Questlove, best known as one of the more famous drummers to ever live and co-founder of The Roots, released a memoir this month called Hip-Hop is History. Co-written with his regular collaborator, Ben Greenman, this personal narrative builds on a growing canon of hip-hop lit. Fans will be... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

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Lit Hub Daily: September 5, 2024

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ABC chair quotes JD Vance memoir as he sounds alarm on media future

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After a 10-year Hiatus, Englewood Review of Books Relaunches its Book Publishing Arm

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Darrel J. McLeod, acclaimed Cree memoirist and novelist, dead at 67

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Book Deals: Week of September 2, 2024

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Exclusive Cover Reveal of “Better” by Arianna Rebolini

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Lit Hub Daily: August 28, 2024

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