Sloth

As I mentioned earlier, I saw no visible anger reflected in President Obama’s speech in Copenhagen and I doubt that anybody else did, either. However, I don’t think there was anything malicious about the report, just laziness.

That’s something I’ve commented on before. Not everybody is cut out to be a reporter, a scientist, or an historian. Not even everybody with degrees and certifications that say they can do it is cut out for any of those jobs. All involve observing, recording, and reporting facts, making them interesting enough to capture the attention of the target audience. That requires subtle differences of emphasis. These are gifts.

Clapping together stock or pat phrases that describe what you think you should have seen or what your audience would have wanted to see may be something and it may be saleable but it isn’t journalism, science, or history. It’s a lot easier.