Johannah in the Spotlight

Weakness of the Times #3

Today I just want to point out what I see as one of the most embarrassing aspects of NY Times journalism - the politicized photo editing. As a part time events-photographer, and someone who has studied propaganda photography, this is a field with which I have some familiarity.

Before raising the issue I will just point out that there is never an accident. There are always better photos available – probably dozens of them.

Consider the juxtaposition of these two photos on the front page of the Times on 5/7/2008.

I am no Clinton supporter. However, this kind of disrespect of a presidential candidate is a disgrace. How can the times be taken seriously when they choose to express their political bias through humiliating photos?

This photo should have been consigned to the recycle bin for imminent deletion. As a photographer, I would not feel that I was acting in good conscience if I gave an image like this to my editor. It demonstrates a serious lack of respect for the subject and the profession of photojournalism.

This journalistic failure is enhanced by the fact that the Times has an incredible photography staff and its pages are often graced by incredibly compelling images.

I never thought I would see the day when this paper would turn on a Clinton so blatantly.

More to come...

Another Quartet

Another sloppy quartet attempt.

http://www.peterwaldvogel.com/OSH.mp3

One of these days, I will do a serious one.

Weakness of the Times #1

A NY Time's subscriber’s frustration with the bias and propaganda of New York's most respected "news" source.

I have been contemplating a regular feature on my blog along this line ever since I subscribed to the NY Times a few weeks ago. (I simultaneously subscribed to The Economist and I am sure there will be reasons to discuss that publication as well)

The realization that objectivity is not possible has, in many ways, been a boon to the intellectual world, ridding it of invalid confidences and allowing for constant reassessment of old and new arguments. However, many news organizations continue to maintain a semblance of objectivity, giving them an aura of added credibility. The more ideologically-affiliated publications, like National Review or The Nation are not expected to keep up appearances. They have a clear agenda and those who log on to their websites or still read their printed copy don't expect anything more or less.

The Times needs to be consigned to this latter category of "news-punditry." A significant percentage of its articles are written with a demonstrable political agendas. Unfortunately, in many cases the agenda is at odds with the interests of the United States. I am sure that the editors, writers and many readers don't see it this way, but they are aligning themselves with a political and cultural movement that is destructive to our economic, political and geopolitical interests (not to mention this nation's political discourse) and undermines the intellect and integrity of readers as individuals and citizens.

That said, there are few if any alternative news sources available for those who are interested in expanding their knowledge of international and domestic affairs. For this reason I am continuing my subscription and have decided to use this blog to vent some of my frustrations.

Today I will keep it short.

Consider the following article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/washington/18policy.html?ref=world

Here, Eric Schmitt informs us (in different terms) that the United States does not have a broad-based strategic plan for enforcing its will on the sovereign state of Pakistan. Instead the various agencies of the federal government are working with an a uncoordinated jumble of approaches.

He writes:

"The Bush administration has failed to develop a governmentwide (spelling error in original ;) ) plan to combat terrorism in Pakistan’s unruly tribal areas, even though top American officials concede that Al Qaeda has regenerated its ability to attack the United States and has established havens in that border region, government auditors said Thursday."

As one reads on, it becomes clear that a politically motivated congressional report that has more to do with Washington than Islamabad, is being interpreted as a fair assessment of the Bush administration's handling of Pakistan.

The blatant lack of respect for Pakistani sovereignty and the failure to acknowledge many of the ways in which it's government has attempted to deal with a very complex situation are all overlooked and the blame for "failings" is place squarely on the back of the administration.

In a very odd turn of logic, the Schmitt implies that employing a variety of strategies to address a single issue is problematic. (...the State Department, the Pentagon, the Agency for International Development and other agencies carrying out individual counterterrorism (again – spelling error maintained from the original) strategies for Pakistan, with little or no formal integration of the plans by the National Security Council and the National Counterterrorism Center. ) The implication here is that the National Security Council and the National Counter Terrorism Center have a mandate to direct the policies of various federal agencies.

Anyone who has been paying attention to Washington for any length of time is aware that this is not how the executive agencies function. There are a variety of political and ideological "cultures" fostered by these organizations, not to mention differing responsibilities and authorities. It is natural to assume that they would pursue the same policy goals through differing means and strategies - and this is in fact a sign that they are working toward the same goals.

Mr. Eric Schmitt needs to enhance his critical understanding and stop acting like an fawning operative in a democratic propaganda machine.

One Man Quartet

I have always wanted to try this and the other day I realized I could do it on my computer without any additional equipment.

I did this one rather quickly - its much harder than it sounds so please excuse the many mistakes.

Here is the link. Blogger is acting up so the link doesn't actually work for some reason. You will have to cut and paste.

http://www.peterwaldvogel.com/comehomedream.mp3

The Strangeness of the Times

(Far be it from me to criticize grammar, syntax or anything relating to proficiency in the use of the English language. I am aware of my own weaknesses in this area. My complaints below are more conceptual than grammatical)

As a recent subscriber to the NY Times, I continue to be amused and disturbed by the nature of the headlines and reports this paper generates. This evening on the NY Times website a prominent headline reads "Iraq Seems Calmer After Cleric Halts Fighting."

Although in recent years opinion polls and perception have come to dominate news headlines, one still yearns for some level of certitude from a publication with the prestige of the Times. Does Iraq "seem" calm or is it in fact calm. Has violence really subsided or has the killing just gone in doors or maybe the Times reporters happened to be in the wrong place at just the right time.

The problem with the use of the verb "seems" in relation to a word like "calm" is that there is a kind of logical contradiction here. Calmness is a matter of relativity and subjectivity - and therefore it must be impossible for something to seem calm without being so. One might get the impression from this article that there has been a lull in hostilities; that tomorrow morning fighting might again escalate. However, calmness would still be an apt description for this moment in time. Why is it necessary to say that the situation "seems" calm?

Consider the following headline - "New Thai Eatery Seems to Serve Mouth-watering Spring Rolls." Does this make logical sense? How about next weeks possible headline? - “Iraqi Streets Seem More Violent After Government Crack Down?”

This has more to do with the political and ideological orientation of the Times than the situation in Iraq. There are many ways that this positive news could have been reported. However, the Times, as usual chose to promote a sense of failure and uncertainty with the very first line of this article.

Post-wedding shoot with the Pakman

Once again I was out shooting with Pak. This time we were finishing up a wedding that we shot together a few months ago. The resuls weren't too thrilling, but we learned a lot.

Here are few of the shots.

Unfortunately, blogspot crushes the resolution and gives the images a blocky pixelized look :(.

Out shooting with the Pakster

Its been fun spending more time with my buddy Pak So from High School days. Here are two shots from a few months ago. I never got around to posting them. We had the chance to make some really nice images from a very cool vantage point.

But is it Real?

On the lawn at camp

I finally made it back to camp. It was a wonderful day and a half!

Buhahahahaha - Now I get it...

This guy is hysterical, in more ways than one!

From the pro photog at Tim's wedding

Here I am pretending to be a musician. Looks believable no? The sound is another matter.

V. Mullova

My favorite violinist plays some J.S. Bach. I have never heard a recording by Ms. Mullova that didn't impress.

Tim and Kia's Wedding

It was a joyous day, a unique wedding experience, and I was happy to be a part of it in some small way.

My favorite family photo

Peter at Kaaterskill Fallsf

To My Many Fans

I have not been posting to this blog for some time becuase blogspot has been giving me a hard time when in comes to posting photos. I have instead been using www.pbase.com - a photo gallery service that, although somewhat problematic, is much more user-friendly. My galleries can be viewed at http://www.pbase.com/wupeide/galleries
Thats all for now.

Peter

Into the trenches with the Pakman

Pak Ki So - aka PaxaP
We shot a wedding together the other night. Good times and room for improvement, at least on my part.

more samples

Here I have bumped up the saturation to make the problem obvious.

D80 For Events Photos?

Here is a sample of what my new D80 can do.
The levels look a bit low on my office monitor, but you get the idea. D80, ISO 800, 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR @ 1/80 & f/2.8

Some Snapshots from Andy's wedding

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