Cranky Yank 2018 Year In Review

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. In a year when the Russia scandal felled many cretins in Trump’s inner circle, we’re looking to 2019 as the Year of Legitimate Checks & Balances—where adults are back in charge in the House of Representatives and subpoenas start to fly.

Here’s a look back—as well as some updates—on Cranky Yank posts that have held up well this year.

1. “Manafort is Money” series

Paulie Walnuts is an admitted felon who can’t help himself. Even when he’s agreed to “cooperate” with Mueller was he *really* helping? Spoiler: no, he wasn’t. I wrote three in a series of reports on this shady character, and I’ll be due for No. 4 in 2019 when new stuff comes out and he’s sentenced to priz.

2. The year journalism rules flew out the window

Back in May I wrote “Burn the rule book” wherein I urged pundits, writers and journalists to stop framing Donald Trump’s white house* and presidency* as a traditional operation. None of it is normal. WaPo’s great reporter Greg Sargent threw up a post today about that very topic and I made sure to humbly point out my post from earlier in the year.

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3. My interview with Park Cannon (D-Ga)

“Porch gatherings and sweet tea” is not a lede sentence I thought I’d ever write. Although Stacey Abrams will not be sworn in as Georgia’s next governor (like so many elections around the country GOP successfully suppressed enough votes), my visit with Cannon has some great moments.

4. Urban Dictionary published ‘Taint Team‘

For a writer this was a bucket-list occurrence: Urban Dictionary crowned my ‘Taint Team‘ as definition of the day. When I saw it come in I nearly fell out of my chair; I liken it to seeing my letters published in Sports Illustrated.

5. Senate Majority Leader is a huge tool

Mitch McConnell may look like a decrepit lizard with late-stage diabetes but the reality is far worse: he single-handedly wrecked the nation. For most folks shit that happens in the U.S. Senate is too “inside baseball” to really matter. But make no mistake: Underwater Turtle’s still at the center of the nation’s woes.

6. Apartheid 2.0

It had been bugging me for months. Why did I have Jimmy Carter’s “Peace Not Apartheid” book title bouncing around my head? Well, it’s because today’s republican party is engaging in the same practices of Apartheid in South Africa. In some cases overt, and in others subtle. But make no mistake their ultimate goal is permanent minority rule, which is exactly what South Africa fought to eradicate. Read the post here.

7. Facebook *still* a crime scene

He’s the whistleblower who blew the lid off a scandal that’s still unfolding as I type. Chris Wylie came forward to disclose dodgy methods of Cambridge Analytica and how the Bannon-founded company schemed behind the scenes to install Trump as POTUS* in 2016. Military-grade intel operations should be left to, ya know, governments—not developed for billionaires as social-experiment playthings. Really proud of my “Scheming Democracy” post and it’s yet another I’ll have to update in 2019.

 

Having a baby is a humbling experience. Having a baby as a single father is either supremely dumb or a stroke of genius—maybe both? Anyways, Cam Pollock is here as of 11 December 2018 in the wee hours of the morning, and I was, instantly, both scared shitless and in awe of this amazing little person in my life. Cam turns 3 weeks on Tuesday and I’ll be forever grateful to see him reach his many coming milestones like a Fing champ.

Writer’s note: Cranky Yank will be on hiatus until 1 March 2019; I’ll break in with big news depending on what’s happening. I recently told Instagram to F off so I’m gonna go be a non-social-media dad and be there for Cam’s all-important early days. 🔵

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Will Pollock is a perpetually crabby New York City escapee based in Midtown Atlanta. He’s a freelance multimedia journalist, media analyst and author of two books (the award-wining Pizza for Good & Leaving Triscuit), with more on the way.

In 2001, Will earned his Masters from The Medill School of Journalism, graduating with highest honors from the magazine sequence. As permanent member of Journalism’s National Honors Society, he’s been active in monitoring, writing and blogging about media and journalism ever since he graduated.

Obsessed with good storytelling and journalistic excellence, Will uses snark, humor and reason to distill dumb shit and make it fun. He is a seeker/maker of non-consensus news, and cures his crankies by finding the nut in every story.

As for-profit media continues to fail us, it’s more important than ever to find reliable sources. Authentic storytelling exists—you just have to look for it. On this blog you’ll get ideas, not ideology. Sass with class. Reporting with rapport. Evidence with a touch of evil. You get the idea.

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