Ken Burns, PBS and credibility (Barnicle, Goodwin)

Boston Globe ^ | 10/12/10 | Mark Leccese

[raccoonradio]

Two weeks ago, a handful of bloggers wrote scathingly about Ken Burns’ use of former Boston Globe columnist Mike Barnicle and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin — two prominent writers who have faced credible plagiarism and fabrication charges that you can read about here, here and here — as prominent interview subjects in Burns’ most recent documentary about baseball, “The Tenth Inning.”

Tom Scocca, a blogger for Slate, headlined his September 30 post “Mike Barnicle, Fraud and Plagiarist, Helps Guide America Through Baseball’s Era of Shame.” Scocca, to put it mildly, writes in anger.

Speaking of baseball and its scandals, the other big question I keep hearing from people who did watch Ken Burns’ “Tenth Inning” is: why did Burns give so much screen time to the cheaters? Not the baseball players — the baseball experts.

[raccoonradio]

Howie Carr list ping; Barnicle the plagiarist and Ken “Beatle Haircut” Burns. VB has filled in for Howie in the past and once or twice mentioned Howie
jumping up and down in delight exclaiming “Barnicle resigns! Barnicle resigns!” during that scandal.

[Dr. Ursus]

I love when writers or talking heads get all”wet” over sports. Like they can explain a passion for a particular
team to the rubes!

[SMARTY]

“...why did Burns give so much screen time to the cheaters?”

To rehabilitate them, I think!

It is a mutual admiration society where the media is concerned. And of course, nothing like the same rigorous standard for credibility and honesty is used for them as would be used to, say... hire a dog catcher!!

[ClearCase_guy]

Liberals don't see it as wrong when Liberals do wrong things. The Liberals know that the Liberals mean well.
But Liberals do see it as wrong when Conservatives speak plainly, tell the truth, and put voice to common American viewpoints. Liberals refer to that as "hate".

[Flash Bazbeaux]

Something about Doris Kearns Goodwin just rubs me the wrong way. And you can’t watch much of anything Ken Burns does without her popping up every five minutes or so. I remember when Burns was doing his “Jazz” series (which I have never seen) asking someone “Is Doris Kearns Goodwin a jazz fan?”

Barnicle is, and always has been, a hack.

[kittymyrib]

Lefties stick together because they are incapable of smelling their mutual stench. They think everyone thinks and stinks like they do.

[Paladin2]

kEITH oVERBITE was on display too. EEwwww, yuck.

[matginzac]

She is not in the Civil War series (thank God!) which I think is the best one and was before he jumped on the lib train full time.
Can’t STAND “The West” - total disappointment and pure slanted history...shame...

[raccoonradio]

http://www.boston-online.com/barnicle/broke.html

>>A Howie Carr fan tipped off bostonherald.com Monday early-morning (8/3) about similarities between Barnicle’s 8/2 column and the Carlin book.

http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archive/features/98/08/20/MIKE_BARNICLE_STEALS.html

>> (1998, was it that long ago? below by Dan Kennedy)
Never mind that Mike Royko accused Barnicle of stealing his ideas on at least three occasions. Never mind that the Phoenix once caught Barnicle loosely rewriting a classic Jimmy Cannon column...At first I accepted Barnicle’s explanation that he wouldn’t have been stupid enough actually to copy lines out of the book. But since that’s exactly what he appears to have done on other occasions, why should the Carlin affair be any different?

[raccoonradio]

Yes I made it through the show despite presence of Barnicle,
Goodwin, and Olbermann. On Sun when at Canterbury Shaker
Village up in NH, I watched part of a DVD, a film Burns had made about the Shakers in ‘84. Thankfully no appearances by Mike
or Doris, at least from what I saw!

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I tuned out The Tenth Inning when the first talking head out of the box was Keith Olberman. Not because of his politics, but because he was such a crushing bore. I loved the original Ken Burns' Baseball even when it was hokey and sentimental and thoroughly enjoyed his Civil War series. This one is a total bust. IMHO.

[Pharmboy]

I saw Burns on Morning Joe a few weeks ago. Until it became clear who he was I thought it was Gay Pride Day or something similar. He’s a strange ranger...

[ssaftler]

Barnicle is, and always has been, a hack.

Much as I detest Barnicle and his ilk, he brought out the inter-generational points of the game. Talking about his boyhood baseball glove with his sons was pretty cool.

Compare his musings about baseball in general to the recent "30 for 30" show on the Sox/Yanks 2004 ALCS, where you have Bill Simmons and Lenny Clarke talking about how wasted they were getting watching the games. Really added to the memory of the event!

I will agree with you about Goodwin and Olbermann. She's a pseudo-intellectual hack who is the epitome of the Johnny-come-lately Sox fan, and he's a legend in his own mind who lost an ego contest to Chris Vermin over at Mickey Mouse Sports.

[Reo]

"The ombudsman for PBS nonchalantly classifies plagiarism as a “mistake” most of us are ready to forgive."

When your lead reporter on Justice is the plagerist Nina Totenberg, certain compromises of standards are required.