CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – APRIL 06: Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks scores an empty net goal past Joe Pavelski #16 of the Dallas Stars at the United Center on April 06, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks defeated the Stars 4-2 (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The Chicago Blackhawks were in a tough spot going into Tuesday night’s game with the Dallas Stars. They have been a cold hockey team for the past few weeks and need to get out of it. A good game against a good team is good for starting a hot streak and that is what they did. They defeated the Dallas Stars by a final score of 4-2. Of course, for the Blackhawks to win, they need a couple of notable performances from key guys and that is what they got.
The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Dallas Stars and can now get hot.
Things start and end with goaltending in hockey. Kevin Lankinen has been great for the Blackhawks this season and that is no different here. He made 25 saves on 27 shots. It wasn’t quite like his 41 shutout game but he was good enough for the Blackhawks to win.
On offense, it all goes through Patrick Kane. He had an assist on Kirby Dach’s first of the season which put the Hawks up 1-0. Getting off to a solid start like that was great for the Chicago Blackhawks and Dach being the one to do it was really nice.
They need him to succeed almost as much as any other forward on the squad going forward. Patrick Kane also scored the empty-net goal which put the game away after Dallas tried to tie it late with the net empty. It was another very good performance for Kane. He had a very pretty goal waved off for offsides when the game was 0-0 but he didn’t let it affect him.
This was the first game back in a Hawks uniform for Vinnie Hinostroza. They traded him to the Arizona Coyotes a long time ago and he started this season with the Florida Panthers. Things didn’t work out well for him playing under Coach Q down there as he had no points in nine games. In this game, he made a very pretty pass to set up Dominik Kubalik’s 13th goal of the season. The acquisition of Hinostroza could prove to be a nice one down the stretch.
Last but not least is Alex DeBrincat. He scored a huge goal to put the Hawks up 3-0 late (19:05) in the second period. It was his 20th of the season so you know he is having a magnificent campaign after a lackluster 2019-20. He also made a phenomenal play to get Kane the puck for that empty-net goal that sealed the win.
The Hawks now have an 18-17-5 record for 41 standing points through the first 40 of the year. They trail the Nashville Predators by two so they must keep winning to stay in the race. With 16 games left to go, it will surely be interesting to see how they play and how they manage their assets.
The Chicago Bulls secured their second straight win in the last two games after beating the Indiana Pacers on the road, 113-97.
The Bulls are on a two-game winning streak after defeating the short-handed Brooklyn Nets last Sunday night and the Pacers on Tuesday night.
Here are 15 observations from the Bulls’ win.
The Bulls got Coby White back in the lineup after he missed Sunday’s game versus the Nets due to health and safety protocols. Daniel Theis and Garrett Temple did not suit up tonight due to injury.
Characteristic of the Bulls, they got off to a hot start, leading by two after the first quarter. Uncharacteristic to the Bulls, they dominated the second quarter, going up on the Pacers by 13 going into halftime.
Rebounding was a huge factor for the Bulls’ win. They outrebounded the Pacers 57-33 and added 14 offensive boards to their night. They took advantage of the loss of Demantas Sabonis and gave themselves plenty of second-chance opportunities.
The Bulls lit up from distance. They shot 42.4 percent from three-point land, putting down 14 of their 33 attempts. The Bulls struggled to shoot from three during their six-game losing streak, shooting < 30 percent during that stretch.
Because the Bulls were lighting up from deep, their paint action was minimized compared to past games. They did outscore the Pacers in the paint, 48-44, but they have had more points in the paint, like the 68 points they put up against the Utah Jazz three games ago.
The Vucevic effect is starting to wear off on offense. He recorded 32 points, 17 rebounds (six offensive), and five assists. See #7 for the holes he filled in the offense.
Vucevic has opened up a new variety of offenses for the Bulls. Post-up and pick-and-pop are the two new and vital factors to the Bulls offense. He has created a lot more shots for guys just by making the defense pay attention to him in the paint, given his second-most assists for the Bulls in this game. Head coach Billy Donovan talked about the importance of his mid-range shooting from pick-and-pop situations post-game.
Another helpful aspect of Vucevic’s offensive ability comes as insurance. Take tonight, for example, LaVine had a poor shooting night from the field — he shot 6/18 from the field and 4/12 from deep. Any night before the trade deadline and this game might end up in the loss column without Vucevic.
The pace of the offense was slowed tremendously in this one. Once the Bulls were up a solid margin in the second half, Donovan forced the Bulls to relax on offense — a solid coaching move for a team that struggles to close games.
Lauri Markkanen and White were terrific role players off the bench. They combined for 28 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, shooting a combined 62.5 percent from the field. This is the type of play the Bulls need from the second rotation. More to discuss on that topic soon.
The Bulls’ perimeter defense was made a point of urgency in this game. The Pacers only put down nine threes as a team, shooting 30 percent from downtown. They seem to be making an effort to carefully contest shots from deep. I say carefully because the Bulls have an issue with fouling from downtown.
Caris LeVert was maintained well from Patrick Williams’s effort on defense. He scored 20 points on 50 percent shooting, but the Bulls expected more from him without Sabonis nor Brogdan in the starting lineup.
The mystery of bench rotations continues. Donovan only had nine players total in the game after three quarters. The four off the bench were Markkanen, White, Troy Brown Jr., and Denzel Valentine. Ryan Arciadiacono, JaVonte Green, and Cristiano Felicio saw small fourth-quarter minutes.
The Bulls seem to be finding their groove and they still secure the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
The Bulls will play the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, who holds the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference, two games behind the Bulls. A win against the Raptors would be big for the Bulls moving forward.
Three people were wounded in a drive-by Wednesday morning in West Garfield Park on the West Side.
About 12:05 a.m., they were driving west on Congress Parkway when someone in a dark-colored sedan pulled up to them at a red light in the 4300 block of West Congress Parkway, and fired shots, Chicago police said.
A 27-year-old man from the vehicle was struck in the left leg and driven to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park in good condition, police said. A 24-year-old woman was struck in the right arm and brought to the same hospital also in good condition.
A 22-year-old woman was struck in the back, the right shoulder, and brought to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, police said. She was transferred to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.
Nineteen people were shot, five fatally, Tuesday in Chicago including two men who were shot, one fatally, in Chatham, according to Chicago police.
About 11:55 p.m., the men, 38 and 33, were standing on the sidewalk in the 7900 block of South Eberhart Avenue, when someone approached and fired shots, Chicago police said. The 33-year-old was struck in the back and brought to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The older man was struck in the right leg and brought to Jackson Park Hospital in good condition.
A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed in Lawndale on the West Side, according to police. The boy was standing in the front yard of a home about 9:10 p.m. in the 3100 block of West Douglas Boulevard, when someone in a vehicle fired shots, police said. He suffered gunshot wounds to the head and arms and was transported to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Hours prior a 16-year-old boy was killed and a man was wounded in a shooting in South Shore. Someone in a vehicle pulled up and fired shots at the pair about 2:10 p.m. as they stood outside in the 7800 block of South Escanaba Avenue, police said. The boy was struck in the back and head. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. A 25-year-old man was shot in the arm but refused medical attention.
Tuesday morning a man was shot dead and another arrested after the pair were allegedly drinking in an Austin neighborhood basement. About 3:30 a.m., two men, 39 and 38, were drinking in a basement apartment in the 5400 block of West Flournoy Street, when shots were fired, police said. The 39-year-old was shot in the head and chest, and was pronounced dead at the scene. The Cook County medical examiner’s office hasn’t released his name. The other, 38, was placed into custody and a weapon was recovered.
A man was fatally shot in Roseland on the Far South Side. The 24-year-old was standing on the sidewalk about 1:15 a.m. in the 10500 block of South Maryland Avenue, when someone fired shots at him, police said. Richard Cade was struck in the back and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, according to police said and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
In non-fatal shootings, a woman was hurt in a shooting in Lawndale on the West Side. The 38-year-old was sitting on a front porch about 10:05 p.m. in the 3400 block of West Grenshaw Street when someone in a white Jeep fired shots, police said. The woman suffered a graze wound to the abdomen and was transported to Stroger Hospital in good condition.
Minutes prior, a man was wounded in a shooting in South Shore on the South Side. He was on the sidewalk about 10 p.m. in the 2400 block of East 79th Street when someone opened fire, police said. The 20-year-old was shot in the shoulders and torso, and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition.
A man was shot in Marquette Park on the Southwest Side. About 9:15 p.m., the 25-year-old was sitting in a parked vehicle in a gas station parking lot in the 2800 block of West 71st Street, when someone in a passing blue sedan fired shots, police said. He was struck in the buttocks and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in fair condition.
Minutes prior on the South Side, a man was shot in South Shore.
Someone fired five shots at the man about 9:05 p.m. as he stepped out of a home in the 7200 block of South Bennett Avenue, police said. The man was struck in the knee and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
About 9 p.m., a 32-year-old man was on the sidewalk in the 100 block of South Springfield Avenue, with a group of people when shots rang out, police said. The man was struck in the legs and driven to Stroger Hospital, where he was in fair condition.
Two teenagers were shot Tuesday in Chatham on the South Side.
A 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were walking on a sidewalk about 6:15 p.m. in the first block of West 79th Street, when someone shot them, police said. Both teens were struck in the right leg. The girl was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where her condition was stabilized. The man brought himself to St. Bernard Hospital where his condition was also stabilized.
Five other people were wounded in shootings across Chicago.
Two men were shot, one fatally, Tuesday in Chatham, according to Chicago police.
About 11:55 p.m., the men, 38 and 33, were standing on the sidewalk in the 7900 block of South Eberhart Avenue, when someone approached and fired shots, Chicago police said.
The 33-year-old was struck in the back and brought to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The older man was struck in the right leg and brought to Jackson Park Hospital in good condition.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not yet identified the man.
Caution: Avoid shopping or making important decisions from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Chicago time. After that, the moon moves from Aquarius into Pisces.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
A tricky day! Even though you have lots of energy to socialize, check the moon alert. Avoid shopping and important decisions during this “forbidden window of time” for your own good. Look but don’t spend. Forewarned is forearmed.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Although you’re busy behind the scenes, you’ll enjoy interacting because you feel like letting your hair down. Frank conversations might take place, which is fine. Don’t volunteer for anything during the moon alert.
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
People notice you today. Make sure you avoid important decisions or volunteering for anything during the moon alert. You’ll be glad you did. With Mars in your sign, you have mucho energy to explore creative projects and socializing!
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
With three planets at the top of your chart, you look marvelous in the eyes of others, especially bosses, parents and VIPs. They will listen to what you say. While this is in your favor, because most of this day is a moon alert, avoid important decisions and shopping.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
You want freedom from your captive routine. You want to run away and join the circus. This is because you need the stimulation of a change of scenery and anything that gives you a sense of adventure! (Check the moon alert restrictions today.)
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Interactions with partners and close friends will be passionate. (Some of these interactions will be intimate and intense.) However, you might also be involved in some financial discussions about shared property. If so, wait until the moon alert is over.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Most of this day is a moon alert, which is generally a wonderful time to socialize because everyone is relaxed and maybe a bit too carefree. Enjoy good times with others but agree to nothing important. (Don’t volunteer for anything.) Indulge your playful, creative side. Kiss, kiss; hug, hug.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Although you might be keen to work today, quite often, during a moon alert, your efficiency suffers and you feel indecisive. Therefore, lower your expectations. Do what you can. Postpone important decisions and spending money (except for food) until after it’s over.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Today you are in touch with your muse, which is why you are so creative! This is an advantage for those in the arts, the entertainment world or the hospitality industry or working with children or sports. Trust your creative ideas. Write them down — but don’t act on them until the moon alert is over.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
This is the perfect day to cocoon at home and enjoy family discussions, especially with a parent or someone older. Nevertheless, just mull your ideas over. Agree to nothing important until after the moon alert is over. Enjoy entertaining.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Today you’re curious and eager to share your opinions with others, which is why short trips and interactions with siblings, relatives and neighbors will please you. Indeed, daily conversations will be stimulating. However, because most of this day is a moon alert, postpone important decisions and shopping. (Except for food.) Yum, yum.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Be careful because your focus on money is strong now. (Cash flow, earnings and spending money.) These are all things to avoid during the moon alert, which is in place for most of this day. Do your research and wait until it’s over.
If Your Birthday Is Today
Actor, martial artist Jackie Chan (1954) shares your birthday. You are a diplomatic, charming realist who believes in justice and fairness. As this new personal year begins, you’re entering a time of learning and teaching. This is why you will explore ways to increase your knowledge through reading, studying and travel. You might also train or teach others as well. Note: What you learn will boost your success for next year!
Police were questioning a person of interest Tuesday evening after a 1-year-old boy was shot in the head during an apparent road-rage incident late Tuesday morning on Lake Shore Drive near Grant Park, Chicago police said.
The boy suffered a brain injury and was at Lurie Children’s Hospital in critical condition, according to Dr. Marcelo Malakooti, medical director of the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit. He’s requiring full critical care support and is on a ventilator.
“It’s really hard to predict right now what will happen,” Dr. Malakooti said. “It’s a very tenuous situation, it can change hourly.”
Dr. Malakooti said his team will be “doing all we can do for this little boy and thank everyone for their concern.”
Clifton Marvel, the boy’s great-grandfather, told WGN late Tuesday night outside the hospital that “it looks to be like he’s gonna be OK.”
“The bullet went in and came out,” Marvel told WGN. “He’s been in surgery. … You hear all the violence, but this has hit home.”
Police said Tuesday evening that Area Three detectives were questioning a person in connection with the shooting.
A dispute over one car not letting another car into a lane of traffic about 11 a.m. on northbound Lake Shore Drive just south of Soldier Field apparently led to the shooting, Chicago Police Cmdr. Jake Alderden said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
Both cars continued north and shooting began on Lake Shore Drive just west of the Shedd Aquarium. Bullet casings were recovered over a two-block stretch as the cars proceeded north, he said.
The vehicle the child was in crashed at Monroe Street and Lake Shore Drive, near the Chicago Yacht Club and Maggie Daley Park.
A good Samaritan in a passing Tesla saw the crashed car and drove the boy and a male and female occupant to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The boy, who was shot in the temple, was later transferred to Lurie, police said.
Detectives “have witnesses and a suspect … and are actively pursuing the other car that was involved,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said later Tuesday.
There was early confusion over the child’s exact age; a hospital statement described him as “nearly 2” years old.
A handgun was recovered from an occupant of the crashed vehicle, though police couldn’t immediately say if it was used in the shooting or if it was possessed legally.
A bullet hole could be seen in the rear passenger window of a car in which a child was shot April 6, 2021, near at Monroe and Lake Shore drives near Grant Park.Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
A bullet hole could be seen in the rear passenger window of the crashed vehicle. Northbound Lake Shore Drive was closed until about 1:30 p.m. as police investigated.
Lightfoot called the shooting a case of “simple, stupid road rage.” She was incredulous that adults would unleash their anger and use a gun with a child so near.
“It’s mind boggling to me that people carry guns in the way that they do. That they use them in the way that they do. … It’s just a terrible tragedy,” she said at an unrelated news conference.
“These were not two rival gangs … shooting at each other. This was simple, stupid road rage,” the mayor said. “I just hope that we are smarter and more committed to making sure that we set the example for our children that we want them to follow. And getting upset about a traffic incident — in whether you can merge or not — that that would result in gunfire is an absurdity to me.”
Lightfoot said people in both cars in the incident were firing weapons.
“There was shooting going from that car and coming to that car. That doesn’t make any sense to me,” Lightfoot said.
Community activist Ja’Mal Green, father of a 2-year-old, is personally funding a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the gunman.
In a news conference near the hospital, Green called out community leaders, including Lightfoot, Gov. J.B Pritzker and Vice President Kamala Harris, who landed in Chicago two hours after the shooting to speak about COVID-19 vaccine equity.
“I understand how important it is to vaccinate people and talk about this cover pandemic but here in Chicago, folks every single day are walking around trying to dodge bullets in hopes they can survive a nice day like today,” Green said.
“This is the most I’ve ever seen them talk about our communities. This is the most I’ve ever seen them want to give something to our communities… but we’re asking for real health and real change, and the root problems to be solved in our communities. We need to invest in these communities, we need to make sure that we can have a safe summer.”
Green was joined by several other young Chicago residents — many of whom he mentors — including 18-year-old Madison Harvey.
“Every day when I go into the streets in the city, I fear for my own life,” Harvey said. “This situation is extremely sad, but it’s almost making us extremely angry because our anger stems from fear — fear that we could be next.”
With summer around the corner, Green demanded that officials invest more into the communities most impacted by gun violence. He also called for a “ceasefire” on young people.
“We can’t take this any longer,” he said.
CPD said it could not immediately say how many road-rage shootings happen in the city each year.
Illinois State Police said there have 56 expressway shootings in the Chicago area this year, a 167% increase compared to last year at this time. Between Jan. 1, 2020, through April 5, 2020, state police investigated 21 expressway shootings. State police couldn’t say how many of those shootings were road-rage incidents.
Police have responded to at least five other shootings this year in the Loop.
Police investigate after a child was shot April 6, 2021, near at Monroe and Lake Shore drives near Grant Park.Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Last weekend two men were wounded in separate shootings on Lower Wacker Drive. On Easter, an 18-year-old man was shot about 7:10 a.m. while driving with his girlfriend in the first block of North Lower Wacker, police said. Struck in the neck, he was hospitalized in critical condition. Before dawn Saturday, a 29-year-old man was shot in his knee as he traveled in a vehicle on Lower Wacker, police said.
On March 19, three people were arrested for allegedly firing gunshots shortly after midnight in the first block of East Lake Street, police said. A hotel security guard gave a vehicle description to police, who found the car on Wacker Drive.
In October 2020, prosecutors said Lake Shore Drive became a “shooting gallery” when someone shot out the eye of a 19-year-old woman in a vehicle at Jackson Boulevard, just south of where the child was shot Tuesday.
Chicago police’s 1st District, which covers the Loop and South Loop, has seen two other shootings this year through March 28, according to police statistics. Overall crime in the district has fallen 35% over the same period last year, according to the numbers. Meanwhile, reports of sex assault and vehicle thefts have increased over the last year.
Chicago police investigate in the northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive at East Monroe Street, where a 2-year-old boy was shot in the head while he was traveling inside a car near Grant Park, Tuesday, April 6, 2021.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Chicago police investigate in the northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive at East Monroe Street, where a 2-year-old boy was shot in the head while he was traveling inside a car near Grant Park, Tuesday, April 6, 2021.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Chicago police investigate in the northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive at East Monroe Street, where a 2-year-old boy was shot in the head while he was traveling inside a car near Grant Park, Tuesday, April 6, 2021.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Chicago police investigate in the northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive at East Monroe Street, where a 2-year-old boy was shot in the head while he was traveling inside a car near Grant Park, Tuesday, April 6, 2021.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Chicago police investigate in the northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive at East Monroe Street, where a 2-year-old boy was shot in the head while he was traveling inside a car near Grant Park, Tuesday, April 6, 2021.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Chicago police investigate in the northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive at East Monroe Street, where a 2-year-old boy was shot in the head while he was traveling inside a car near Grant Park, Tuesday, April 6, 2021.
A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed Tuesday night in Lawndale on the West Side, according to police.
The boy was standing in the front yard of a home about 9:10 p.m. in the 3100 block of West Douglas Boulevard when someone in a vehicle fired shots, Chicago police said.
He suffered gunshot wounds to the head and arms and was transported to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not yet released information on the fatality.
Billy Donovan isn’t looking to revolutionize the game of basketball.
There’s no middle finger being held up at analytics or some diabolical plan to turn back the clock to the days when big men methodically roamed the paint of NBA arenas.
“I’ve got to play, we’ve got to play, to the strengths of our team,” Donovan said very matter-of-factly when asked about the jumbo-sized lineups that he continued to throw on the floor in any given rotation.
And right now the strength of the team is Nikola Vucevic. All 6-foot-11 of him.
The Pacers found that out on Tuesday, when the key piece to come in the Mar. 25 trade deadline deal scored 32 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and handed out five assists. No word on if Vucevic also drove the team bus to the airport after the 113-97 win.
Bigger picture than the Bulls now having back-to-back wins at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the first time since it opened? How about what it meant in the standings?
The Bulls (21-28) have now pulled to within a game of the Pacers in the Eastern Conference, as the two teams are each looking to move up. The safe place to be is the No. 6 seed or higher.
The play-in scenario is the No. 7 seed will host the No. 8 seed, and the No. 9 will host the No. 10.
If Vucevic and Zach LaVine can do what they did against the Pacers – with LaVine adding 19 – the feeling is that the No. 10 seed should be in the rearview mirror sooner than later.
“Zach needs to be who he is and ‘Vuch’ needs to be who he is, and as long as we’re generating good shots and we’re efficient with what we’re doing offensively, I really don’t care who gets the shots,” Donovan said of how he wants his two alphas to co-exist. “And I think those guys would say the same thing. For as great of a scorer as Zach is and for as great of a scorer as ‘Vuch’ is, these guys are team guys, and want to win.”
That was evident through the first two stanzas, as the 13-point lead at halftime was not only earned it was taken.
Even without Daniel Theis (personal reasons), the length of, Vucevic, Thad Young, Lauri Markkanen and guard Tomas Satoransky helped the visiting team outrebound the Pacers 28-13, including 8-0 on the offensive glass. That’s why the Bulls went into the locker room with 14 second-chance points, while Indiana took the zero.
Obviously not having Domantas Sabonis (left ankle) hampered what the Pacers like to usually do around the basket, as point guard Malcolm Brogdon also missed the game, but considering there’s only 23 regular season games left, winning by any means necessary has to be the mindset for a team to take on when there’s a possible playoff spot on the line.
“Those lineups can be very good for us,” Vucevic said of the bigger lineups being used. “We’re also big men that can still move and can cover a lot of ground, so I think defensively we can take up a lot of space and control the boards. It also gives us an advantage on the offensive glass.
“A lot of teams like to play small nowadays and we have lineups that can do that, but I think with the big lineup so far we’ve been pretty efficient and if we continue to grow as a team it can be very successful for us for sure.”
“Truth” (his apparently) is more important than objectivity
The death of journalism IV–a continuing series
UPDATE AT END
NBC News anchor Lester Holt, while accepting the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award from Washington State University, kicked the corpse of what used to be called journalism to make sure it was dead.
Old school journalists–the few of them left–had to be shocked to hear Holt instruct the world that the sacred goals of balance, fairness, objectivity and the rest were less important than the “truth.” His, truth, I imagine.
“I think it’s become clearer that fairness is overrated,” he declared, adding:
Woah, before you run off and tweet that headline, let me explain a bit. The idea that we should always give two sides equal weight and merit does not reflect the world we find ourselves in. That the Sun sets in the west is a fact, any contrary view does not deserve our time or attention. And I know recent events assure that you won’t have to look far to find more current and relevant examples. I think you get my point.
Decisions to not give unsupported arguments equal time are not a dereliction of journalistic responsibility or some kind of agenda. In fact, just the opposite. Providing an open platform for misinformation, for anyone to come say whatever they want, especially when issues of public health and safety are at stake, can be quite dangerous.
Our duty is to be fair to the truth. Holding those in power accountable is at the core of our function and responsibility. We need to hear our leader’s views, their policies and reasoning. It’s really important, but we have to stand ready to push back and call-out falsehoods.”
Okay, let’s engage. Traditional journalism ethics have not required that every whacko gets to tell his story. Often they would show up at the our newspaper’s reception desk, and some reporter was assigned to go out to the “nut locker” to listen. Sometimes the “nut” was on to something, some real news. So, we listened.
But the president never showed up in the locker. It would have been unthinkable to shut down his voice, no matter how much we disagreed with him. Unlike those social media moguls.
To be clear: what we’re talking about here are different views of public policy issues. Some policies are good, some not so much. Some work, others don’t. We aren’t talking about truth in the philosophical sense, as in there is objective truth. Instead the subject is the debatable stuff, such as immigration, economic, pandemic and other policies.
Maybe God knows the “truth” of what public policy is best, but he’s not sharing it with reporters, anchors, editorial writers, op-ed columnists or commentators. Even though they sometimes think they’re acting like a god who knows the “truth.”
By the way, Holt is right when he says, “We need to hear our leader’s views, their policies and reasoning.” How odd that the media failed to adhere to that principle with President Joe Biden. His campaign was cloaked in darkness and his policies…well, can anyone persuasively say that Biden, the “moderate candidate” really believes all that far-left baloney that he says, or is he (over) scripted? What’s the truth?
In an effort to be objective, fair, etc., I’m linking to a Snopes factcheck, “Did Lester Holt ‘Urge Journalists to Ditch Objectivity’?’ It declared the headline, “Holt’s remarks about the dangers of misinformation on the internet were misconstrued in a misleading headline … on the internet” to be “misleading.”
I’m not sure that Snopes’ conclusion is my “truth.” Maybe I should delete the link.
UPDATE: This is rich. Poynter considers itself the self-appointed ethical and professional leader, I anxiously turned to its posting, “Holt’s Remarks” to see if it had the courage to step away from the gospel according to woke and take exception to his redefining journalism.
Silly me. The post was buried under, I guess, a more important on that proclaimed, “The bad news about COVID-19 and what the media can do about it: Perhaps were closer to the end of the pandemic than the beginning, but the media needs (sic) to mind its (sic) audiences that the end is not here.”
Here’s the rich part: Unless I missed it elsewhere, the post, “Holt’s Remarks,” completely ignored the anchor’s redefinition of professional journalism. Instead it quote at some length Holt’s taking an opportunity to take a swipe at “the past four years,” (Read: Donald Trump). He said:
Imagine, if you would, what the pandemic would look like without the media holding leaders to account for vaccine rollouts or countering harmful misinformation or why some communities are being left behind. Regard for truth must regain a foothold in our society so that we can weather the storms of tomorrow’s calamities, tomorrow’s pandemics.
Now the question becomes: Will the media hold the current administration responsible for “harmful misinformation.”
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