Overtime
If there was any doubt whether an established publication like Time magazine has changed its journalistic policies, it’s now gone. Writer Bryan Walsh told our AgriTalk audience that Time now allows its writers to give their opinions and choose their story angle rather than feel obliged to give even the appearance of balance in their reporting. Walsh acknowledged opposing views to those he expressed in his article, ” Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food”, but said he chose not to include them. That’s quite an admission for what has been considered a respected news media outlet for many years. Obviously the line between opinion and news has gone beyond blurred to obliterated! Everyone is entitled to their opinion but it should be labeled as such. Until now, I never considered the cover story of Time to be the place for an opinion piece. I seriously doubt if the writer’s opinion had been in support of conventional production agriculture that it would have even been printed let alone make the cover. Although Walsh claims he’s sorry if he comes off as anti farmer or anti food production his work will give many consumers an inaccurate perception of farmers and their work. There are two sides to every story unless the story is being written by Time magazine! (In case you missed the interview, you can hear it on our website, agritalk.com)
This week I’m in Decatur, Illinois covering my 33rd Farm Progress Show. I attended my first show in Greenfield, Indiana back in 1976 and my how things have changed. Permanent sites (Decatur and Boone, IA) with paved streets have taken much of the weather factor out of the show. Gone are the days of slipping in the mud or even being rained out and although this will probably be a very cool few days it is much warmer than when the show was held a month later. Back in the day, I would pack clothes for every season and would usually need them all during the 3 days of the show! Although the crops are behind normal, show organizers plan to have a limited harvest schedule to allow people to watch the combines work in the field. Show visitors will get to see how the machines handle wet corn! This is really a showcase for agriculture and crowds are expected to be large. Be sure to follow our coverage on AgriTalk and AgriTalk OnLine all three days.