Dissection: Pete Seeger As Media Maker and Critic
By Danny Schechter
New York, New York: Pete Seeger, my American idol, was a great singer, songsmith. Troubadour and progressive voice. His death was celebrated with tributes in leading newspapers the world over.
What's less well known is that Seeger originally wanted to be a newspaperman, but thanks to his unique skills, deep talent and incredible artistry, he actually "covered" the world in ways that went above and beyond what appeared in much of the media.
He was ahead of the News with the Times never quite able to catch up. He touched hearts as well as heads.
At the same time, he sang about the media with an edge that didn't win him many friends in outlets that treated him as an eccentric, not a major cultural voice.
Here's a song he liked to sing, written by Vern Partlow, and reported on by the Guardian, safely outside the USA.
"Oh, a newspaperman meets such interesting people
He knows the lowdown (now it can be told);
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