I Take It Back
Yeah, I know I've just spent three days fisking Cap'n Mike Caldwell's latest tirade in the Newport Daily News, but I've changed my mind. As Eileen has pointed out below, Cap'n Mike, although allegedly a fifteen-year resident of Middletown, is not on any of the recent tax rolls, is not listed in the phone book, has no voting record, and is not a current pilot listed as residing in M-town. What's going on here?
I think Eileen and I have just made an oopsie. I think we may have just accidentally exposed a bit of subterfuge on the part of the NDN staff. I suspect that Cap'n Mike might have been invented by Executive Editor Sheila Mullowney and the rest of the liberal media types at the NDN as a wingnut spoof.
Every month or so, someone at the NDN (I suspect City Editor Frank Carini, who has exhibited advanced symptoms of Bush Derangement Syndrome) pens a piece by this alleged former Navy pilot for the specific purpose of discrediting conservative ideas. I mean, come on, there's no way an actual flesh-and-blood human being could hold as many odious opinions, expressed in such repugnant language, as "Cap'n Mike", right? It's got to be a put-on, right?
If you want further proof that there is no actual Cap'n Mike, just check out the photo accompanying Tuesday's rant in the NDN. You know who that is? That's Don S. Davis, a recently-deceased actor who specialized in playing military characters (he played General Hammond in Stargate SG-1 and Major Briggs in Twin Peaks). Someone at the NDN probably downloaded a photo of Davis off the internet and ran it with the piece to give a face to "Cap'n Mike".
Well, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to the editorial staff of the Daily News for having exposed their well-intentioned (and, I now realize, rather amusing) attempt at covert political satire. Sorry.
(this post is cross-posted to The Spirit of 75)
I think Eileen and I have just made an oopsie. I think we may have just accidentally exposed a bit of subterfuge on the part of the NDN staff. I suspect that Cap'n Mike might have been invented by Executive Editor Sheila Mullowney and the rest of the liberal media types at the NDN as a wingnut spoof.
Every month or so, someone at the NDN (I suspect City Editor Frank Carini, who has exhibited advanced symptoms of Bush Derangement Syndrome) pens a piece by this alleged former Navy pilot for the specific purpose of discrediting conservative ideas. I mean, come on, there's no way an actual flesh-and-blood human being could hold as many odious opinions, expressed in such repugnant language, as "Cap'n Mike", right? It's got to be a put-on, right?
If you want further proof that there is no actual Cap'n Mike, just check out the photo accompanying Tuesday's rant in the NDN. You know who that is? That's Don S. Davis, a recently-deceased actor who specialized in playing military characters (he played General Hammond in Stargate SG-1 and Major Briggs in Twin Peaks). Someone at the NDN probably downloaded a photo of Davis off the internet and ran it with the piece to give a face to "Cap'n Mike".
Well, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to the editorial staff of the Daily News for having exposed their well-intentioned (and, I now realize, rather amusing) attempt at covert political satire. Sorry.
(this post is cross-posted to The Spirit of 75)
7 comments:
Hi...
Now I have to wonder if your retraction is a clever rhetorical device. Because if the NDN editorial staff really did fabricate Captain Mike, did they also send the letter to the ProJo?
Because, man, that would cross a bizarre journalistic line in the sand, no?
Cheers.
-j
I see your point. OTOH, having one of the guy's letters turn up in another newspaper would add an extra touch of verisimilitude.
Even if you're right, and the NDN staff are too ethical to do something like this, it still leaves open the possibility that "Cap'n Mike" is a spoof. Maybe there's some joker in M-town who created the "Cap'n Mike" character to satirize conservatism. The staff at the NDN would still look bad for being taken in, but not as bad as they would look if they were behind the spoof themselves.
Hi, Tom...
Getting taken in by a right-wing Sidd Finch would certainly be embarrasing, given that the NDN, at least in my experience, requires contact information. When I've had letters published, someone actually called me. So I'm very curious, and I think someone -- maybe you, since you have standing? -- might want to give them a call, as a reporter, and ask them point blank: did they verify Caldwell's identity.
Cheers.
-j
Hmmm. Calling someone up on the phone isn't exactly confirming their identity, is it? After all, I could email a letter to the NDN claiming to be Art Vandelay of Vandelay Industries, and if they call and ask for Art Vandelay I can just say, "Speaking".
As for contacting the Snooze, I hereby pass the buck: Eileen is the Blogmistress, she has way more standing than me, and she started this whole "maybe Cap'n Mike's not real" business in the first place. How about it, Eileen?
I'm still doubled up with laughter & why on earth would I want to settle this? It's more fun than a Newport Comedy show. Believe, the NDN knows what goes on here.
I would think that confirming for a Guest Editorial would take a bit more than calling you to confirm that you wrote a letter to the editor. But the wonderful world of newspaper journalism is rapidly changing. Newspapers used to employ fact checkers & librarians. I've learned to question not only what is written, but the "sources."
I think that it's an alias myself. I'll ask. They already love me there mucho.
Eileen
I found this quote from a reader interesting "NDN staff are too ethical to do something like this" Do you remember the front page articles about the famous developer Brian O’Neill who happened to go so far as to erect a fence on his property?
None of us would think of such thing! Anyway the silly not in my back yard stories raised my curiosity, guess who lives next door? None other than the NDN editor/owner Bucky Sherman. Now can you still say NDN staff are too ethical to do something like this? I think not.
I know the previous commenters & think they are having a bit of a hee-haw. I had one with the O'Neill fence myself in a previous posting.
My hat is off, though, to NDN owner Bucky Sherman. He could likely make a lot more money putting his money elsewhere. It ain't easy owning a small business nowadays (been there, done that). Is there room for improvement? Definitely, but they do keep on trying. Do we always agree? Nah, but we are of like mind more often than not.
All-in-all, we're a lot better off with them than without.
I think that all the media-print, radio, & television could certainly offer up a lot more than we're curently receiving from them.
A free press is an important plank supporting democracy. Without them we're all on shaky ground. And we're all in the midst of an earthquake right now that's increasing in intensity.
Ah, to be able to buy ink by the truckload...
Thanks for writing!
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