Shoveling Coal for Satan

/ journalism / hypocrisy /
Matt Taibbi's article in the NY Press is not simply a rant against Hitchens and his latest screed against Michael Moore, but a wider polemic about journalism as power apologetics. Interestingly the only lamer piece about "Farenheit 9/11" was published in the NY Press' previous issue by Armond White, who displays a stunning ignorance of the meaning of the word "fascist".
The way all sorts of people have fallen on Michael Moore is amazing to behold. Already various attacks on F911's factuality have been published which seem to be regularly and predictably debunked. Moore himself has a section on his website to address the issues of factuality his detractors raise. Remember though that this is a political documentary not an academic treatise. He has a point to make and he makes it as forcefully as he can - on a pretty solid factual basis it seems. Moore is playing the role others have forfeited. Matt Taibbi hits the nail on the head in his conclusion:

"...Say what you want about Moore, but he picked himself up and did something, something approximating the role journalism is supposed to play..."

As for the movie itself, I await it eagerly, agreeing with the NY Press' better film critic (and Taibbi's onetime partner in Exile) Mark Ames, whose "Preview Review" of the film is brilliant, as usual.