A tsunami of opinion, guesswork

Foreign reporting offers an unlimited, unrestricted playing field for speculation, opinion, crystal ball gazing, guesswork, conjecture — all offered in the guise of straight news. The New York Times, because of its extensive correspondent network, is a master at this. One story, datelined Beirut, Feb 2, 2017, in an example of a flood, a tidal wave, an avalanche of this type of reporting, featuring such journalese as might, may, seem, apparently, suggest, could, many and other vague generalizations and unsourced speculation. The story (as published in the Boston Globe) is headlined “Trump presidency could offer opportunity to autocrats.”

Here’s the lede: “Kim Jong Un might seem to be an unlikely player in the global jockeying…”

But wait, that’s just the start of the flood:

” But Kim apparently…,”
“The strong apparent relationship between…Putin .. and Trump,”
“A trend that has swept the world…”
“In many other places…”
“Many appear to see…”
“Others may hope for…”
“Some, including Kim and Putin…”
“Some cracks appeared to show… ”
“Some of the enthusiasm by foreign authoritarian leaders [ed. note: only five are identified in the story, yet the “trend has swept the world”] for Trump’s presidency seems to be linked to his stated inclination to overturn the world order. That may include rethinking alliances….”
“However, Trump did suggest last year, if elected, he might meet with Kim. The offer left the foreign policy establishment shuddering at what many would see as a serious breach of protocol…”

Remember, this is a story out of Beirut, where NY Times reporters know all about world-wide nationalists, and that the Washington establishment is shuddering, and what many would see and hope. Read with hip-boots on.