New York Times columnist Frank Rich will look at big picture in MJC talk

Nov 14, 2008 (The Modesto Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- NYT | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- In reviewing presidential campaign coverage, New York Times columnist Frank Rich is struck by just how wrong the media's predictions were.

Commentators said Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani would be the candidates, that John McCain's campaign was dead, that white people would never vote for a black candidate and that Sarah Palin was a brilliant choice for vice president.

"There was so much constant surprise that comes from a fundamental disconnect between reality and our media culture," he said in a recent phone interview.

Rich will give his thoughts on the election and trends in the media in his talk "Art, Culture & Politics" on Saturday night at Modesto Junior College.

Rich, 59, has worked at the New York Times since 1980, first as chief theater critic and then, beginning in 1994, as an op-ed columnist. He is the author of "Ghost Light," a childhood memoir; "The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth in Bush's America"; "Hot Seat: Theatre Criticism for the New York Times"; and "The Theatre Art of Boris Aronson."

His 1,500-word essays for the New York Times are published Sundays in the Week in Review section.

"I'm trying to stir up discussion and debate and trying to look at things through fresh eyes and see the news at any given moment through my own lens, my own distinctive lens, ideally," he said. "I always like to look at how news plays out in the culture."

As his readers know, Rich is a huge Obama supporter and has been very critical of McCain. In one column, he wrote of the Republican candidate: "Voters are looking for a leader who might help rescue them, not a reckless gambler whose lurching responses to the economic meltdown (a campaign 'suspension," a mortgage buyout stunt that changes daily) are as unhinged as his wanderings around the debate stage."

Rich believes voters responded to Obama's strength and confidence. "I think he had a message and he stuck to it," Rich said. "He had very specific policies. He also had a quality that I think is real of coolness under fire."

But the columnist said he won't go into partisan politics in his speech at MJC and will look more at the big picture. He wants to talk about the way we perceive politics and the way the news plays out in our lives. For example, he wants to talk about how "the media sold and bought the Iraq war and the American public with it."

He also will talk about the sea change happening in the media as newspapers and major networks decline and online news sources become more prominent.

"I think it requires the public to become more discerning consumers of news and information," he said.

Rich didn't mention what the "art" component of his speech will cover. He recently was hired as a creative consultant with HBO to help develop new programming. He said that means he will bring ideas for shows and critique existing shows.

He still frequently goes to the theater and movies but said he doesn't miss reviewing for the newspaper at all. When he left, he felt Broadway was in decline, with too many revivals and tourist-friendly puff shows.

"One of the reasons I got bored is I felt like I was reviewing the same five writers over and over again," he said.

Rich thinks Broadway is better now because it features more new plays and serious theater pieces. He hopes the economic downturn doesn't hurt the good work being done.

Switching to becoming an op-ed columnist was a huge change and has given him a bigger readership and more creative opportunities. But it took him a little time to get used to it. "Writing a column, the exciting thing is you can write about anything you want," he said. "The terrifying thing is you can write about anything you want and you have to make up your mind."

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