Going Rogue: The Strange Chronicles of Sarah Palin

She slammed onto the political scene in summer of 2008, at the time obscure but now the world cannot get enough. The presidential election ended but she was not ready to give up the spotlight. Thus, a few months later she handed over the reins of Alaska to Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell. But, no worries, this was not to relinquish the spotlight just take it in a new direction- her own book. From the end of the election when rumors of the book first got started, to the official book tour, and her reaction to critics, the conservative darling is keeping her news story cycling for as long as she can. She’s Sarah Palin and she’s going rogue.
MSNBC first reported rumors of a book deal on November 17, 2008, less than two weeks days after the election. The world began to speculate what Palin’s rogue side of the story was going to mean. From the beginning there were rumors that the McCain-Palin campaign was not a happy relationship and she was ready to tell her opinion of exactly what happened on the road and how mean the campaign staff was to her. In light of the recent election, most attention was on Obama but the seed for the ongoing story was planted and continued to grow.
Once the book was an acknowledged reality but before it was ready for the open public, many sites predicted it to be the best seller of the year. Reuters reported that the book made top lists on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble a month and a half before it was available (http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed7/idUSTRE5905X220091001). The Associated Press got their hands on a copy about a week before its real debut and the quotes leaked instantly. Stories were devoted to picking apart every quote and trying to get a taste of what this book was about.
The book is now available; Going Rogue and Palin’s book tour are garnering all sorts of interesting attention. Pictures of her tour bus, featuring a big smiling Sarah and the title across the side are splashing across newspapers and websites across the world. Each time the bus pulls into town it makes headlines. Recently, Palin “quit on the job” again, leaving a book signing early (http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/20/palin-angry-book). Now that the actual book has been ready by way too many people across the country, everyone is ready to share their opinion. It seems that the voice of the critics are easiest to find. Andrew Sullivan entitled a recent post Sarah Palin: Not A Liar, A Bullshitter (http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/11/palin-not-a-liar-a-bullshitter.html#more). This piece delves into the style of lying Sullivan believes Palin employs. He writes, “Having now read the book, I have to say I feel, yes, sadness. The same sadness I felt in a huge wave at the beginning of September 2008. For the innocent people dragged into this whole farce. And the damage yet to come..” Also, Sullivan published Sarah Palin- The Fumes of Culture War Hell (http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/11/palin-the-fumes-of-culture-war-hell.html#more). Here, Sullivan uses a good example of forwarding to discuss the story. Most of the post is entirely made up of a block quote that he copied and pasted from another blog he also follows, Taiblog. Taiblog is taking an approach on Sarah Palin’s choice to write a book by mostly countering everything she does. Matt Taibbi, the author of Taiblog, writes
“Most of the rest of the book just catalogs her Gump-esque rise to national stardom (not having enough self-awareness to detect the monstrous narcissistic ambition that in reality was impelling her forward all along, she labors in the book to describe her various career leaps as lucky accidents or mystical acts of Providence) and the seemingly endless parade of meanies bent on tripping her up along the way.”

Is this taking a unique approach to the literary masterpiece of Sarah Palin? Probably not, but it’s an approach half of the political sphere is happy to take. Is this half of the political sphere part of “the endless parade of meanies” Taibbi describes? Probably, but, this is the only way to keep the story going. The opposition gives the fans something to work with and further dispute. The liberal blogs are more than happy to counter many of her quotes and forward on those that make her look less intelligent. Those of the left spectrum and other sorts of Palin critics feed off each other, researching each statement she makes and comparing it to her previous words. Stories cycle onwards about every detail, especially the debate about whether or not she asked her kids for their opinion on her accepting the Vice Presidential nomination. One of the leaked quotes from Going Rogue suggests that she did not but earlier she adamantly insisted that she did. As Sullivan chronicled in his The Odd Lies of Sarah Palin (http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/11/the-odd-lies--6.html), “Palin lied when she recalled asking her daughters to vote on whether she should accept the VP offer; in fact, her story contradicts details given by her husband, the McCain campaign, and even Palin herself.” There are now three different answers to this question, all stemming from Palin herself. Hopefully, the book will clear things up. In the scheme of things, who cares? But this is headline news, a story stemming from an earlier story and so on. Her critics will give her no break. Red State, a conservative blog, explained that the Associated Press had to dig to find these quotes to make fun of and even had to stretch the truth their selves (http://www.redstate.com/bk/2009/11/14/ap-tries-to-assault-sarah-palin/).
Never worry, there are still two sides to every story. Now that the book is in stores, there are many more news story praising Sarah and her fans are louder than ever. Many news stories have arisen simply to show the masses of people that are showing up for book signings and waiting in line for hours just to get that famous autograph in the front page of their book. Fox News has Sarah’s back (as well as the fact they helped produce the book). Fox News reports that the book shows Palin is a “complicated person” and “isn’t as dumb” as the opponents would say (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/03/new-book-seeks-debunk-myths-palin).
Fox News has happily been playing footage covering thePalin book tour showing piles of screaming fans. But wait, does that look familiar? Media Matters, a website that tries to hold the media accountable, shows proof that the video footage shown on Fox is really video from a Palin campaign rally last year. Fox is just re-streaming footage to make the crowds look better than they really are (http://mediamatters.org/blog/200911180052). This footage was originally caught by the left wing blog, Think Progress, which found it from John Stewart on The Daily Show (http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/18/fox-crowd-shot-palin/).
Sarah’s already fighting back at her critics: the bloggers, the newspapers, the videos. The story is a never ending cycle of debate, Palin verses the media. While the book review from New York Times was less than positive, the right wing blog, Powerline, stands up in her defense. The blog defends her by picking apart the Times book review...and then bringing it all back to blame Obama (http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/11/024952.php). In this way, this never ending story is able to connect the dots to two almost non-related stories, draw in fans and criticism, and keep the ball rolling.
The story continues as Palin and two of her daughters appeared on Oprah last week. Sarah discussed her new book and book tour and whether or not a presidential bid in 2012 is something she was after. Though she continues to deny it, her foot is still in the door and her smile still all over tabloids. She continues to talk, America watches captivated, and the story lives on. Of course, the story did not end with the Oprah appearance. Palin interview with Oprah was satirized and turned into YouTube videos almost instantaneously for dodging questions and promoting the book more than giving straightanswers(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXI4Pc6VeMI&feature=pyv&ad=3947106265&kw=book) .
Will this story ever stop? It seems every comment that is written sparks at least ten more. Sarah Palin is alert to anyone trying to take the spotlight from her and plays back to critics as well. Though news of her book will hopefully die down soon, the 2012 elections lay just around the corner and the story has just begun.

Hand in Hand (Post 6-ish)

In many regards, different sectors of the press sphere feed off one another. They don’t work together but simultaneously- often reporting the same story in different ways. In the scheme of press spheres, I think of the New York Times being a big bubble, almost an authority. The Times reports a multitude of subjects and stories in a (mostly) unbiased way. And, call me old fashioned, but the fact that it passed through editors and is printed on paper, raises the credibility above that of other sources. Then come the blogs. Many blogs I don’t see as part of the press ecology. They are rambling thoughts and aren’t relaying much important. However, the blogs I follow are quite credible and are relaying their opinion of news stories. The Daily Dish doesn’t really share much of a connection with the Times. Sullivan seems to mostly snag random quotes from other blogs and then share is feelings about the quote. Blogs are more commentary, less news. Think Progress takes stories from newspapers and C-Span and pushes the information to the extreme left.
Blogs especially are an important part of the new press sphere. Blogs keep major news corporations (ahem, Fox) and government in check. Since most bloggers have no editors or sponsors to appease, they could quickly become the back bone of a democratic press sphere. Any one of the nations citizens can tap in and share information. This seems like complete freedom in relationship to the Times who has more restrictions of what they can write. Blogs could not exist without sources such as the Times. They need stories to feed off and an informed public to respond. In the coming years, the press sphere must keep a fair balance between the actual reporting and straight facts from places like the New York Times, Associated Press, and Reuters but, must also allow room for the opinions and unedited information from a variety of sources.

Sullivan v. Jarvis (Post 5)

Blogging is about the author, about their view, and about their opinions. Jarvis complains that the press sphere focuses on the press as though it were the center of the world and maybe that is what blogging does. Blogging has grown to encompass many individuals, companies, and groups; in some sense it allows that author to pretend they are the center of the press world. The world of blogging is constantly expanding and has indeed expanded the sphere of press. Sullivan writes thats the borders of blogging are “extremely porous and its truth inherently transitory.” I believe Sullivan and Jarvis would concur about the the world of blogging and the press being porous; the walls constantly grow to allow in more sources and information. However, I don’t believe Sullivan dislikes the growth of media. I don’t believe Sullivan misses the old filter from news to news reader. Jarvis is skeptic about the expanding press while Sullivan sees it as a way to let everyone take part in the news and to let audiences have an unfiltered news source.
I agree what Jarvis writes about a story never ending. Thanks to the new press sphere, if I want to follow up on a story I read last week I can search the current edition of the Times and have the conclusion or continued action at my fingertips. With the press everywhere, the public has access to results and breaking news the moment it happens. The same goes for blogs. They never end and are updated constantly as the follow information develops. We are no longer required to wait as a story is published and edited enough to make it through news gatekeepers. The filters are gone and it shows in news sources today. In the blogs I follow, I see the growing influence of press. Thinkprogress.org is able to call on other sources (such as Fox News) to emphasize (or ridicule) a point. I suppose the Me-Sphere is close to my experience with news. The growing press influence allows me to surround myself only with stories that interest me or opinions that are in line with mine.

The press is on the loose. (post 4)

The press is no longer neatly contained. The press no longer fits into a cookie cutter definition. It is expanding and growing with technology. Jarvis defines the press sphere through showing the changes that have taken place in the way America receives news. The press is no longer just news filtered through the press but instead an entire realm of information in multitudes of forms. Whether information is coming from the government, companies, or any number of sources, it is not longer contained as a direct filter.
His entire set up of the article is confusing. The drawings randomly dispersed make the writing seem choppy and sporadic. His explanation is not very clear in his writing and thus he relies to heavily on his drawings, which do not help clear things up. Maybe this is what Jarvis is getting at. There is so much going on in the world of press, in the world of news, in the world of information gathering, that the average person has trouble keeping up or interpreting what is important. I was also confused as to why he viewed this revolution of the press as a bad thing. It seems that Jarvis views this new press sphere in a negative light, writing that we must recognize the press sphere exists in order to “create successful new models for news.” However, looking at his drawings in which the press rules the world of news, it seems good for a healthy democracy. This new press sphere includes witnesses and multiple sources that allow for the most accurate and complete conveying of the news. Having such an involved press requires the government to be transparent in things they are do and remain accountable to their citizens. It also enables readers to have more of a chance to be easily informed (easy is important to our society). The article may have been easier to comprehend if Jarvis could have laid out his original definition of press, what he believes the press should be/used to be. It was hard to follow his entire article going off an abstract idea of original press and press sphere.

I love The Times (Post 3)

Reading The New York Times isn't quite a new addition to my morning routine. In my experience, the Times allows me to be much more informed than other newspapers. My parents subscribe to the Courier Journal and for a while, I thought that was the best news to read. Then, I discovered the times. They not only focus on big issues facing America but also make sure their readers are informed on international affairs that would be overlooked in a local paper. While the Courier only has part of the back page dedicated to international happenings, the New York Times has the stories interspersed through the main pages. The Times stories go much more in depth and provide valuable background information to readers who have not been previously following the issue.
It is safe to say I have indeed been following the health care debate through The New York Times. It would be hard to click to the home page of the news every morning and ignore one of the biggest problems facing our nation today. Before the past few months, I would have most likely brushed past an article discussing health care. Though the issue is not one that I am extremely passionate about, it is important to stay informed on legislation that will eventually affect every one of us. I have also been following the elections in Afghanistan and any attacks that happen in Pakistan. Other articles that tend to grab my attention are ones concerning health and psychological discoveries. These attract me because health and psychological issues are things that could easily affect my life, whether through possible health threats or new discoveries in the field.
Through my reading process, I may have missed articles discussing technology or business. Technology isn't something I care much for, so I am unfortunately being passive and leaving that section to someone else. I try to skim the business section (my dad always told me it was the most important section to read) but stock numbers and company sale rates are something I have trouble retaining.
My days reading the New York Times have changed some of my reading habits. Instead of just relying on the Courier Journal, I found out there was much more happening in the world and set out to find the rest. The Times articles are generally longer and have trained me to be able concentrate on sections that last more than a paragraph or two. Now that I have to read the Times for class, it will hold be accountable to being civically literate; I can't wait for my horizons to expand even further.

I'm thinking progress. (Blog Analysis)

I can already tell that I will enjoy Think Progress. I spent much too much time last night laughing at the things the gentlefolk of the right wing say and do. There are four or five different bloggers who write for Think Progress, most of them are associated with the Center for American Progress. Between them, they share degrees from Maryland to Harvard to King's College in London. The authors have worked for CNN, The Drudge Report, and many other reputable news sources to build credibility with readers for their blog. They write for a left wing audience. Their work leans strongly towards a liberal view point; these aren't posts written to change the opinions of the opposite side but rather confirm and strengthen the views of the left. Instead of just writing their own opinions, they back up their posts with direct quotes and many video clips The video clips are a strong point of the website; the reader can see that the quotes (often pegged towards Sean Hannity..) and stories are legitimate news. To clear up the goal of the website, there is a section on the side of the page that lists things Think Progress stands for (social and economic justice, media accountability, healthy communities..) and things they are against (public corruption, radical right wing agendas..). They also have a section mapping the progress of these goals, allowing the readers to understand what has been done and what will be done in the future.
Ever since our first blog, I have started to check out The Atlantic a few times a week. I enjoy the way Sullivan writes; it is never dull and occasionally humorous. As an author of a political blog, he is not terribly tied to any one party and thus, his posts are as interesting as his conglomeration of political views. Writing for a well known periodical, such as The Atlantic, gives him almost instant credibility and a slew of readers. His audience is varied, from supporters of gay rights to the economically conservative, his views have room for everyone. I am interested to see how his thoughts will play out in comparison to the unabashedly left Think Progress.

We Are Passive.

Upon our class research, it seems sad to say that our generation may be taking a passive approach to staying informed. It seems that most in our class rely on other people to get their news. From parents to friends to significant others we are sitting back and hoping the right information finds us. It seems like a waste of all the resources and technology we have constantly at our fingertips. We are addicted to Facebook to a point that we rationalize it as a news source to justify that fact we can't take the time to click on to a valuable website. What are we going to do when parents are no longer with us everyday to give us their news or opinions on current events? When will we realize we have a vast amount of resources that we are choosing to ignore because stalking our friends on social networking sites is more comfortable for us?
When it comes to civic literacy, we find ourselves falling behind. We have often been called an ignorant generation. Though some in our class take the time to read a news website, it seems as most people are passing on the duty of civic literacy to others. Sadly this seems to confirm the fear of Hedges. We are not so much as illiterate as indifferent to the events taking place around us. It confirms his thoughts that political candidates could easily take advantage of us since we choose to be uninformed. In his article, Is Google Making Us Stupid?, Carr discusses the idea we no longer retain information, simply search it out when we need to. This relates strongly to our class' passive approach to news gathering. When we need the information, for an assignment or paper, we simply type in a few keywords, skim an article, jot down a few notes, and click back over to Facebook. Sullivan’s article deals mostly with opportunities blogging and the internet are bringing the world. With millions of bloggers out there, writing their thoughts and uncensored information in an unprecedented way, it is a shame that we choose not participate. We must be forced to follow blogs and forced to spend a fraction of time skimming the New York Times.
Maybe I am being a bit harsh- I feel as though I channeled my inner Hedges in this post. I don’t feel that our class is truly ignorant and a few of us do choose to keep informed. As a whole though, we need to step up. It is right in front of us. We could do much better.

Where I Get My News (Post 1, Unit 2)

For about three weeks every time I turned on CNN or clicked on a news website, Michael Jackson’s face would greet me; pictures of him, pictures of his children, pictures of his doctor. Everywhere. Meanwhile, soldiers died at war, governments debated, and bills in the Senate were authored. Where were these headlines? Why were these pictures on the back page; ignored? What counts as “news” in American society is a very broad definition. But where can we go to find news that really matters? That is my mission. To find the news that matters.
Every morning, I click the Safari logo on my computer and it immediately opens up the BBC news homepage. I get a lot of my news from the BBC because it is internationally minded and gives a view of America as seen by others in the world. It gives you a chance to view the news continent by continent and also look at the subjects of Business and Science as happening around the world.
I read the New York Times whenever I can. Their articles are always in depth and the cover a very wide variety of topics in their front page. While at home, I spend an hour scouring through the front page and business section. However, since newspapers are not delivered to my dorm room, I’ve had to start reading the New York Times website. I look to see what the most emailed articles because this is a general consensus of the American public of the news that matters most today.
I am also an NPR junkie. While NPR gives traditional news and often partners with the BBC; it is also where I find the news that most people wouldn’t find important enough to write about or random news that would not quite fit anywhere else. Through NPR, I am informed about things from Chinese education standards to saving leopards in the rainforest. NPR also gives me a dash of local news and the weather; plus I can listen to it while I drive. Public radio is often overlooked in a society that wants instant gratification after one click; public radio makes you think too much.
For local news, I try and take time to read the Metro section of the Courier Journal and also flip through the Velocity and the Leo. The latter two often have quirky news about the world, specifically Louisville, that wouldn’t be published in the Courier.
Popular culture praises those who are informed and know what is happening in the news. Often this news regards what celebrity kissed who and what Britney Spear’s kids wore to the park. It is important during the internet revolution that society remembers there is more than pop culture; that real journalism and reporting is not left behind. Real pressing issues and genuine news stories are out there waiting to be found.

Extended Essay

Here is the link to Google Docs to read my extended essay.

essay.

Journal Article

Internet Access across an entire city- is this necessary? One city in California is discussing wether or not wifi everywhere in the city would be a good idea. The article highlights our cultures new dependency on the internet.

We Blog. (Post 9)

When I first heard we would be blogging for class, I was hesitant.  Blogging was for people that wanted to whine and groan over their problems.  Blogging was for people who had no one else to talk to.  Blogging was unreliable.  Blogging was ruining newspapers. Blogging was a waste of time.  I’m ready to admit these preconceived notions were wrong.  I was surprised  how much reading articles by people such as Sullivan  changed my view of blogging.  This experience allowed me to see that blogs are more than groaning and political theories gone wrong, but actually a place to find novel opinions and information that would not be shared if it were not for the world wide web at the fingertips of authors.

For me, the most interesting posts were the ones that were responding to articles written about things such as internet use, civic literacy, and well, blogging.  I felt myself wanting to defend my generation; to prove that even though we use the internet we are just as smart and capable of writing a decent essay.  The biggest challenge was remaining open minded through the entire essay (ahem Carrs, cough Hedges) and picking out points that may shine a bit of truth.  The writings have made me aware that civic literacy is changing and it is up to us to direct its path.  With blogging there are opportunities for everyone to be engaged and share thoughts without any restrictions.   Instead of passing off the internet as something that is detracting from our traditional society, specifically news and writing, I see it now as a new opportunity that is opening doors around the world.  

America Continues Downhill (Post 7)

I believe Hedges views literacy as more than just being able to read words off a page, but as taking the time to engage oneself in literature besides when forced.  He wants America to dig deeper and get past petty entertainment.  Hedges uses the term "post-literate" to describe our society; a society of a group of people that may or may not be able to read, yet are unconcerned with making use of books or articles around them.  This generation has found easier, less strenuous, ways to constantly stimulate the mind.

I find Hedges commentary on politicians and the way they can manipulate the American public to be a bit concerning.  If his points are true, than we the people could be electing idiots. By putting the reins of democracy into the hands of such an unengaged society, we are risking the future. In this society, entertainment outweighs truth and looks outweigh leadership ability. Hedge’s article is a strong case in promoting civic engagement- one must be more than just a citizen, but actually take an active role in promoting the future of our country.  

Both Carr and Hedges recognize the shifts in America's thinking.  It may be because of easier entertainment and easier access to information.  In this way, the articles complement each other on noting the possible decline of American intellect in the future.  When people have access to such escapes a click away, they forget to embrace the reality around them and instead “retreat even further into irrational fantasy.” 

Is Google Making Us Stupid? (post 6)

Is Google making us stupid? Carr is not the first person to raise this question about what effects the internet is having on us as individuals and as a society.   Carr is able to recognize that our thinking patterns and writing patterns are changing, but is this for the better or the worse?  Instead of sitting and indulging in pages of a great work of literature, people now can click from web page to web page skimming for the main idea of the text and rarely bothering to move on to the second page.  We no longer absorb the information and transmit it into long term memory, but why would we? Finding the answer to any question is only a click away. After all, in Carr’s opinon, “The human brain is just an outdated computer that needs a faster processor and a bigger hard drive.”

Mark Baurlein, in his book The Dumbest Generation, examines teenage internet and reading habits. Discussing things such as Twitter or Facebook, he writes, “that is the genuine significance of the Web to the 17-year-old mind, not the universe of knowledge brought to their fingertips, but an instrument of nonstop peer contact.” (Baurlein 134)  I believe this quote more accurately describes our class’ online web use.  We are not using the web to substitute learning or knowledge, but more as a way to be constantly stimulated and in contact with peers. We are a generation, and class, of young adults the world has yet to experience. Wether the web and our new, fluid way of thinking and short attention span for words will make us dumb, only time can tell.

Bibliography:

Bauerlein, Mark, . The Dumbest Generation. New York: Penguin Group, 2009. Print

Rewriting for Civic Literacy (P5)

“A writing course needs a subject, to be centered on some substantive issue or question.”  Joseph Harris writes these words in his introduction to Rewriting and they relate perfectly to a class that is based on a substantive issue- civic literacy.  How does Harris’ definition of reading and writing relate to a class based on civic literacy?

Reading is more than taking words off pages, it is figuring out why the author wrote that text, figuring out what they were trying to accomplish in that writing. Harris mentions marking key quotes and taking the time to fully read into the authors perspective to truly understand. Reading this way can create readers that attempt to understand an authors words in a way that affects them and applies to their life; ultimately helping to inform them about the ideas around them.   

Harris sees writing as a very complex action.  He explains that writing in a college course requires “re-presenting the work of others in ways that are both fair to them and useful to your own aims in writing.” (Harris 5) Writing must be more than just replicating the authors ideas, but actually adding something of your own.  Writing should show your perspective and morals; a novel way of understanding and explaining a reading.

Harris mentions many aspects in Rewriting that mirror Sullivan’s view of blogging as writing.  Harris mentions writing as a social process (using certain tools in a well-defined context to achieve a certain end or make a particular product” Harris 3), and I believe Sullivan would agree with this statement.  Both writing for a college courses and writing on a blog are social processes, hopefully achieving a more informed reader in the end.  The way Rewriting is organized, with “Intertext” boxes to share other works Harris used when writing, closely relates to the blogging world’s use of links.  Intertext boxes and links both “illustrate how academic writers reuse and respond to other texts.” (Harris 8) Writing, on paper or for a blog, lead our generation closer to understanding civic literacy.