I keep crying. It's as though a close friend has died. Eric's blog was the first one I ever signed up for, and it was because I got so frustrated from reading biased and poorly written journalism. There he was, reading my mind, who can resist that? What will we do without him, all of us loyal readers and commenters (and the comments were what made it all so special). Eric was a truth teller, a man with a keen lens through which he could see bias and dishonesty with 20/20 vision, yet he also treated us to his favorite music with every post.
Mr. Fallows, thank you for "framing" Eric in this kind, respectful post. We will always remember Eric Boehlert with love.
Heartbroken over Eric’s death, for his family, friends, and for those of us in a community that followed him and PressRun regularly (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays won’t ever be the same) has allowed us to keep our sanity and morale up, an honest to goodness patriot. Eric was a courageous, unrelenting truth teller, one of a kind. His loss is a tragedy for media mores,(ab -) norms. Thank you Jim Fallows, for your memoriam and for your important voice.
Thank you for this article. I am devastated by Eric’s death. I have been reading him since the early 2000s and he has helped me keep my sanity. I will greatly miss his frequent columns.
Along the same lines as the Portnoy exchange, toward the beginning of March, a heart-wrenching clip was played on TV over and over of four civilians, including a family of three, killed by mortar fire while trying to escape Kyiv. On CNN, Anderson Cooper asked Senator Chris Murphy whether the attack justified imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine. When Murphy said it didn't, Cooper pressed him. Murphy didn't minimize the atrocities being committed. But he was crystal clear in his defense of Biden Administration policy. I thought Cooper was above this kind of baiting, and felt disappointed in him.
Thank you for noting Boehlert's death. So very tragic for his family - and for all who cared about keeping journalists accountable. In time, I'd be most appreciative if you, Jim, would share thoughts on journalists who embrace Boehlert's fearlessness and dedication to honest journalism.
Excellent post, even better than usual, and thank you for dedicating it to Eric Boehlert. I am a huge Press Run fan, never miss one and share them, and am shocked and deeply saddened by his sudden passing. May his memory be a blessing.
Hi Jim - I read Breaking the News when you published it. It's good to be reminded of these failures of the media, which seem to only have become worse since your book came out. I'd be very interested in your critique of media coverage of the climate emergency. Why has the media failed to convey the urgency and enormity of the problem? Why do we still have hundreds of stories about gas prices and the energy market disruptions of the Russian invasion that don't also discuss the imperative of a rapid end to the fossil fuel era? Why do even seemingly progressive outfits like MSNBC give this existential challenge so little air time? Perhaps you will tackle these questions in a future column--or if you have already written on this and I missed it, please point me to it! Thanks
Thank you for honoring Eric Boehlert today. I am (was?) a subscriber to his Press Run and appreciated his critical thinking and insights, as well as his "good stuff." I will miss him. Thank you.
I keep crying. It's as though a close friend has died. Eric's blog was the first one I ever signed up for, and it was because I got so frustrated from reading biased and poorly written journalism. There he was, reading my mind, who can resist that? What will we do without him, all of us loyal readers and commenters (and the comments were what made it all so special). Eric was a truth teller, a man with a keen lens through which he could see bias and dishonesty with 20/20 vision, yet he also treated us to his favorite music with every post.
Mr. Fallows, thank you for "framing" Eric in this kind, respectful post. We will always remember Eric Boehlert with love.
Heartbroken over Eric’s death, for his family, friends, and for those of us in a community that followed him and PressRun regularly (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays won’t ever be the same) has allowed us to keep our sanity and morale up, an honest to goodness patriot. Eric was a courageous, unrelenting truth teller, one of a kind. His loss is a tragedy for media mores,(ab -) norms. Thank you Jim Fallows, for your memoriam and for your important voice.
Thank you for this article. I am devastated by Eric’s death. I have been reading him since the early 2000s and he has helped me keep my sanity. I will greatly miss his frequent columns.
Along the same lines as the Portnoy exchange, toward the beginning of March, a heart-wrenching clip was played on TV over and over of four civilians, including a family of three, killed by mortar fire while trying to escape Kyiv. On CNN, Anderson Cooper asked Senator Chris Murphy whether the attack justified imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine. When Murphy said it didn't, Cooper pressed him. Murphy didn't minimize the atrocities being committed. But he was crystal clear in his defense of Biden Administration policy. I thought Cooper was above this kind of baiting, and felt disappointed in him.
Thank you for noting Boehlert's death. So very tragic for his family - and for all who cared about keeping journalists accountable. In time, I'd be most appreciative if you, Jim, would share thoughts on journalists who embrace Boehlert's fearlessness and dedication to honest journalism.
Excellent post, even better than usual, and thank you for dedicating it to Eric Boehlert. I am a huge Press Run fan, never miss one and share them, and am shocked and deeply saddened by his sudden passing. May his memory be a blessing.
Hi Jim - I read Breaking the News when you published it. It's good to be reminded of these failures of the media, which seem to only have become worse since your book came out. I'd be very interested in your critique of media coverage of the climate emergency. Why has the media failed to convey the urgency and enormity of the problem? Why do we still have hundreds of stories about gas prices and the energy market disruptions of the Russian invasion that don't also discuss the imperative of a rapid end to the fossil fuel era? Why do even seemingly progressive outfits like MSNBC give this existential challenge so little air time? Perhaps you will tackle these questions in a future column--or if you have already written on this and I missed it, please point me to it! Thanks
Regarding #1: The best simple description of the economy is the good old "misery index"--the sum of the inflation and unemployment rates--which has been a surprisingly accurate indicator since the 1960s. It's currently above 10, i.e., uncomfortable, but well short of past peaks. See https://inflationdata.com/articles/misery-index/ and https://wraltechwire.com/2022/02/08/revisiting-the-misery-index/ for more on this topic.
Thank you for honoring Eric Boehlert today. I am (was?) a subscriber to his Press Run and appreciated his critical thinking and insights, as well as his "good stuff." I will miss him. Thank you.