COMM 337, 386: Let's go off on a tangent (but it may not be a tangent when we get there if you like surprises)

While I was looking for stories to discuss for our class in advanced journalistic writing, I came across a piece of political reporting by Judith Warner, a freelancer who lives in Washington, D.C., and writes a blog for The New York Times. Last month, soon after Sarah Palin was nominated for vice president, Warner went to GOP rally in suburban Virgina to scope out Palin's appeal to the party faithful. Her report went against the grain, and the people who posted comments didn't know what to make of it. I'd be tempted to say they misunderstood it, if I thought I understood it myself.

For COMM 337, it's worth reading just for Warner's voice. She's reporting, she's doing commentary ... and she's doing it with a voice that isn't quite like anything else I've been reading lately. And she has some insights into class resentments and GOP attacks on the "liberal media" that are worth looking in COMM 386. She also links to a piece by Jonathan Haidt, associate professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, on the politics of class resentment and moral values across cultures.

So let's read it.