Wow! A paper that actually responds directly to its readers. Must say I'm impressed! Thanks all! I did not see this article, so thank you for the link.

Now, you've asked for a call back, so here it goes. Hope you'll read it.

After reading this article, I have an interesting response. First I agree with nearly everything you've said. But, I still cannot see how that addresses the issues I raised.

Now, I agree, some of the casting wasn't too stellar, some acting sub-par, at least for The Wire's standards, and, whether it is because of the cut back to a shorter season or perhaps Simon being overwhelmed by his anger at The Sun issue, this season and the newspaper story arc in particular seem rushed.

But, here's what I think is missing from your article. You address some of the problems with the way Simon presents the news industry ("one-dimensional stick figures", "simplistic critique of media and their effects on mass consciousness.", etc.), but I still don't see any effort to address his major points.

The press is supposed to be sacred, the guardians of free nations and communities, and one of the most important if not THE most important of all the institutions Simon has covered in terms of their role in bringing crime, education, working class, and political corruption issues to light. I think you guys in your critiquing got a little too hung up on the presentation of his ideas (which obviously should be the focus for the TV critic section). What I was hoping the Sun would respond to, if it is so concerned about what Simon says, is not the slightly flawed presentation of the ideas, but the ideas themselves.

Case in point: I am now in my twenties. I sit here knowing that approximately 1 million Iraqis are dead, millions more displaced, a culture and country have been destroyed, many of my rights have been threatened or taken away by my own government, my economy is falling apart, my schools, roads, and healthcare system are in shambles and will not be fixed anytime soon, my country is now partly owned by China to pay for unnecessary wars, my president and Congress are hated by the majority of the US population, and my kids and grand kids are less safe and will paying the rest of their lives because of the actions taken by our leaders.

All of this, to a MAJOR degree, was allowed to happen because the press failed to do its job, and continues to fail to do its job. And yes, some reporters, in one dimensional fashion, simply lied. Many were lazy. Many couldn't do much because they didn't have the resources, or the support from their bosses. Many wanted to write certain things, or interview certain people to object to where things were heading, but they could not. Newspapers and TV went along, ignoring those who tried to speak up, taking the easy way out, going for the ratings and the viewers instead of serving their true purpose of speaking truth to power.

Every day I see papers and tv news stations fail us all. You completely avoid many important people and issues. You refuse to ask the truly hard questions of our local and national leaders that need to be asked to keep their power in check and to make them accountable. (lest you ask those questions and be denied future access, which could get you fired) And I know there are so many great people working there, at the Sun, and at the NY Times and CNN and everywhere else. But the system of which the media is now a part of is failing, has failed and will continue to fail until something changes.

In his little TV world, David Simon is highlighting how, even with ideal people like Gus, the system by which newspapers now function do not allow hardworking reporters to "go deep" into the real stories that affect this country, our cities, and its people. Even the important and complicated matters on the The Wire's Sun are covered in a simplified fashion, much like the Presidential election today receives surface level, bs coverage of meaningless issues that are not really important to the people.

I mean c'mon, every day I see one-dimensional stick figure pundits and the same 5 biased think tank commentators in the news over and over again. These people are a joke. So many of them have proven to be wrong over and over again, yet mainstream papers and networks continue to seek their advice.

There are good guys and bad guys at The Sun on The Wire. There are people who wind up not doing good work, but it's not by choice, it's due to circumstances beyond their control. But the message is clear. All this time, all these issues, from the drug game and the destruction of America's working class, to political corruption and the failing education system. All of this should be explored, in depth, every damn day by our media. We as a nation are dying here, and what do we find on the front pages: Britney Spears, Anne Nicole, Obama and Hillary dressed up...

HA! Just this very second...CNN breaking news...that's right...I said BREAKING NEWS with a GIANT HEADLINE:

"The FBI is investigating whether baseball pitcher Roger Clemens committed perjury in testimony before Congress, officials say."

Other CNN front page articles right now are:
"House full of feces, filth may be leveled", and, "Bees attack pair as TV station tapes it"

WHO CARES? What is this? How many people died today in Iraq? How many billions were wasted there? How many scandals have gone unpunished in the US while Congress investigates baseball. Where is the local and national media to cover these issues?

Well, I could go on and on, so let me just finish with this for now. You say Simon's critique is "simplistic." Well, for all that you might want to say about how the current state of the news industry is presented, the problem, as Simon highlights, is quite simple. The profit/fame motive and a free, effective press do not mix. The people now taking over one paper after another are making corporate (which includes political) interests the priority, not real news, not in-depth reporting, not holding our leaders accountable, not giving a voice to the voiceless and the exploited. It has become a money and ratings and fame game. The winners are largely a few shareholders and executives. The losers are tens if not hundreds of millions of US and world citizens, cities, families, children, real reporters who want to do more but can't, and everyone who should be protected by a vigilant, probing, and relentless free press. And there is no doubt that we are losing...badly. This is what Simon is saying, and this is what I was hoping the Sun would address.

The question is, is this assessment is wrong, tell us why? If, as most evidence suggests, this is right, what do the people like you who are there in the trenches have to say about it, and how do we fix things?

Random points:

Having read the 12/30 article I would agree that the characters featured in the newspaper are flat and the points made about the way media is changing the face of journalism are somewhat sparse and flat at best. Perhaps if it were the case that this were not the final season of The Wire these characters would have had an opportunity to be fleshed out more considerably, with ample screen time that didn't have to be dedicated to wrapping up the whirlwind of plotlines that have accumulated since the first season. I guess that's the major drawback to a show that has dedicated itself to weaving such a rich tapestry of characters, in that from season to season the cumulative depth of each story increases.

However, even with the season dedicated to the school system this was sort of the case, the majority of the school-related administrators had little depth to them and really only served to deliver lines about how the system is broken in one way or another. Prezbo benefits from the depth of having been in the series for much longer.

Scenes from the city classrooms are much easier to film in terms of gripping content, because the state of affairs (fighting, extreme apathy etc) is at the end of the day more interesting and dramatic than the inner workings of a newspaper (sorry). While I think it's important to discuss the struggle of newspapers in the face of new media, it doesn't necessarily make for the most gripping television considering the rest of the material they work with.

With regard to mixing history with current day events, Simon has done this previously with the implosion of high-rise projects in season 3, as well as references to O'Malley this current season and the development of Harbor Point (off the top of my head). I can see why the material concerning The Sun featured in this season with respect to the paper's history is concerning to the author but I feel like the show's device of using previous historical events in current timelines to further the show's direction isn't new, and is justified.

I guess those are all of the random points I can think of!

Killing off Omar too the fellows is like the killing of Stringer Bell was too the women. Bad move.

Hey John Harper -
Nice post; you've really thought about many things. David Zuriwak's last visit on YPR's Marc Steiner Show went into this territory, some of the larger questions behind The Wire, although didn't touch specifically on the media angle IIRC. If there is a way to check it out, it may be worth your time.

All i can say is KUDOS...Johy on the 2/28/08, 3:19pm piece. you've managed to say all that i've been thinking for years. without answers to the very questions you've asked, swarms of people (good people, of all races, ethnicities and religions) have chosen to now live life within their minds.

Regards,
M. Slade

1 million Iraqi's dead, rights taken away and threatened? What are you talking about? Your whole rant on the state of our country is absurd, must be an Obama supporter. Vote Democrat - it's easier than working.

brilliant response Mark. in case you're interested, no, I don't like Obama. he is and will be no different than the rest of the spineless democrats who are just as responsible for the crumbling of this country and our illegal occupation as the republicans are.

speaking of which, you seem to not like dealing with facts that interfere with the beer goggle view that all is well in the US and we had nothing to do with the approximately one million dead iraqis who have suffered because of our illegal occupation. you must be a republican.

Mark must have his head in the sand. "It's strange when you exist in a cloudy mist" right Mark?

I agree with the assertion that "The press" dropped the ball in the reporting since 911. I believe they were sensitive with the "Limbaugh heads" "liberal media! liberal media" screeching that they started believing it to the point that they stopped being objective. There are so many ways the major news papers could be more responsible and respectable. Lowest common denominator Anna Nicole reports are harmful to our "Well Informed democracy."
How else would someone like Mark be so clueless? Perhaps the paper should've placed mention of the Lancet report in a more prominent position.