MEDIA

Media

>> WURD GAMES

Eleanor Dezzi, former campaign advisor to District Attorney Lynne Abraham, has a new talk-radio show on WURD 900 AM. Dezzi's premiere show, which debuted on April 25, featured guest Frank Ford, a talk-radio veteran and Abraham's husband. But rather than discuss Ford's vaunted talk-radio career, conversation was more about Ford's marriage to Abraham. When describing the relationship, Ford said his wife always quips, "It's strange and wonderful: He's strange and I'm wonderful." He also said the District Attorney is a very private person who doesn't give him details about the cases she's working on. Then Ford lamented the recent death of Shadow, one of Abraham's beloved cats. Callers on Dezzi's first show were few, but were bolstered by friends and family. Dezzi's husband called first. Then her youngest son, Jamie, called--"We're very proud of him," Dezzi remarked. And then Joe Rauscher called to wish Dezzi good luck with the new show. Some listeners were motivated by Ford's comments in support of Israel, like a caller who ended his remarks with "Heil Hitler!" and then hung up. (Liz Spikol)

>> MOVING PICTURES

A picture paints a thousand words, as the saying goes, but a good newspaper photo editor can make an image speak volumes. On Monday of last week the Inquirer's front page blared the bombshell news that the police department had an unspoken hands-off policy when it came to allegations of sex abuse by area priests. Accompanying the headlines was a photo of Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua at the airport, en route to the Vatican. In the picture, Bevilacqua is riding up an escalator surrounded by TV news cameras. In the white-hot glare of the camera lights, Bevilacqua looks like a man receiving the third degree in some old noir detective thriller. There is nothing dishonest about this juxtaposition, as the caption and accompanying subheadline clearly marks this image for what it is--a man of the cloth on his way to the Vatican. But the subliminal message is clear: The Diocese is caught in the spotlight of public scrutiny. While Bevilacqua was in Rome, the District Attorney's Office announced it would begin investigating allegations of clergy sex abuse. On page A15 of the Friday edition, the Inquirer ran a photo of Bevilacqua returning from Rome, accompanied by a police officer. Although the police officer was there for Bevilacqua's protection, it looked like a "perp walk" in which high-profile arrests are paraded past the media in handcuffs. Again, the image was clearly captioned, but the message was clear: The law is closing in. These are examples of photo editing at its finest. (J.V.)