Lessons in Journalistic Shenanigans from Jordan Green
Posted in Greensboro City Council
Jan. 10, 2008 at 11:05
by BrendaBee
Teaching someone to read is fairly easy. Teaching someone to comprehend (understand, grasp, perceive) what they have read is a whole 'nother ball game. That being the case many adults have never learned to comprehend fully what they have read. It is this understanding of the average readers ability that gives a journalist or any writer who "practices to deceive" the advantage over the reader. The skilled writer knows that people read what they want to read in most cases and not often what is there. People bring to the written word rather than take from the written word. In other words, they fail to comprehend what is actually written. So with a few leading, or rather misleading, words the writer can make the truth appear to be the lie and vice versa. With enough subtle skill a writer can do this and never be accused of misleading.This is what Jordan Green of YES! WEEKLY did in his article supposedly refuting Jerry Bledsoe's "Cops in Black and White". Ben Holder on his site makes a point by point refutation of Jordan Green's smear. I want only to point out one of the most egregious journalistic shenanigans that Mr. Green employed.
In the segment on Officer Stacy Morton. Green uses two phases that sound correct and sincere and gives the impression of his trying very carefully to be exact in representing both sides of the story while refuting one side. He even uses direct quotes, even accurate quotes. The phrases are "Initial Account" and "Retraction".
The "Initial Account" is accurately labeled and quoted. It was indeed the Initial account written by Jerry Bledsoe which appeared in the Rhino Times.
But, this accurate paragraph is followed by the misleading and therefore inaccurate Paragraph. This paragraph begins with the seemingly correct but really misleading phrase of "Retraction". Followed again by an accurate quote. Any unaware reader would then assume that the "Initial Account" was therefore wrong and the account labeled "Retraction" is a correction and therefore the truth and made by the original author.
The truth in this case however is that the so called "retraction" is not, was not and never will be a retraction made by Jerry Bledsoe the original author! The so called "retraction" is a quoted accounting of the event made by Stacey Morton's own defense attorney Walt Jones.
LOL LOL Jordan Green is good. He is real good as can be seen in the comments concerning his article on Ed Cone's site. No one; not one person who commented had picked up on (comprehended) the one inaccuracy that changed truth to fiction. That one little word "retraction" that made all the difference.
And what makes this so frightening for the average reader is that all thru the quotes of the "Retraction" the reader is told that the speaker is Walt Jones. And yet because the quote is labeled "Retraction" the reader misreads "said Jones" and accepts what Jordan Green wants the reader to accept and that is that Jerry Bledsoe is speaking.
In truth, Jerry Bledsoe made only one retraction. He had stated in his account that the case was thrown out by the court when in fact Stacey Morton was acquitted. Bledsoe explains this in detail and apologizes for not double checking his sources by seeing the actual records himself but taking the word of a clerk.
The final assault on the truth is well understood by Jordan Green also, and that is that the average reader having failed to comprehend what was written will continue to believe the last version they read which is Mr. Green's. It won't matter that Ben Holder gives an accurate and point by point refutation of Jordan Green's article. It won't matter that I ( with a specialty in Reading Education by the way) am pointing out just what exactly was done to mislead the reader. The lie will stand as truth. And if Jordan Green is forced to admit his misleading journalistic endeavor he can simply apologize for mis-using one little word. No big deal to misuse one little word in the whole long article is there? BB
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Jan. 11, 2008 - Ben's website
Brenda, the link doesn't take you to Ben's website, but to a different "troublemaker." The correct URL is:http://thetroublemaker.blogspot.com/
Posted by Astro Boy
Jan. 11, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Thank you Astro Boy. I should have checked the link but was in too much of a hurry, and angry with Jordan Green and Brian Clarey. I hate liars more than anything and what they did was lying to the public. Of course today they are using the lame excuse saying it is just a matter of semantics. BS is what it is.. BBPosted by BrendaFayBowers
