SIGNAL TO NOISE: As I mentioned here yesterday, I was kind of unhappy with the way my interview played in a local TV spot on the antiwar protests. I was unhappy because the story juxtaposed me saying that International A.N.S.W.E.R. was an unsavory outfit that supports North Korea (as it is) with interviews featuring local protesters in a way that seemed to give the impression that I was accusing the local protesters of supporting North Korea — even though I had been at some pains with the TV people to make the distinction clear.

And, sure enough, some people who spoke to me today had seen the story and gotten that impression. Just about as many other folks, however, saw me on a program about antiwar protests, paid no attention at all to what I was saying, and assumed that I had organized the local contingent. I might as well have been reading from the phone book. So much for nuance.

Then, just now, I got a phone call from a pleasant older-sounding fellow from Powell, Tennessee who had seen the spot, drawn the same conclusion, and wanted me to sign him up as an antiwar protester for my next trip to Washington!

He seemed a bit disappointed when I told him that I wasn’t in the business of doing that. But he cheered up when I gave him my Dad’s number. “He’ll know who to put you in touch with,” I remarked.

The media coverage may be confusing, and people may not pay attention anyway, but my family has all bases covered. . . .