The Guardians and the War on Truth: TIME's Person of the Year
December 11, 2018 5:39 AM   Subscribe

The Guardians and the War on Truth: For taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts, for speaking up and for speaking out, the Guardians — Jamal Khashoggi, the Capital Gazette, Maria Ressa, Wa Lone, and Kyaw Soe Oo — are TIME's Person of the Year.

TIME explains their choice. The short list for this year included U.S. President Donald Trump, Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Activists, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, director Ryan Coogler, and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle.
posted by XQUZYPHYR (17 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- Brandon Blatcher



 
One of the people who sought refuge in these freedoms was Khashoggi, the most visible representative of this harrowing year for truth. This marks the first year TIME has named someone who is no longer alive a Person of the Year.

I'm surprised that this is the first posthumous person of the year, I would have thought they had done it previously.
posted by Think_Long at 5:51 AM on December 11, 2018 [10 favorites]


"This is fine" dog robbed again...
posted by pompomtom at 6:03 AM on December 11, 2018 [21 favorites]


While Time is for sure imperfect, I'm really impressed by the way they wove together stories of journalists worldwide, giving a massive platform to journalists and issues that most Time readers are unlikely to have ever heard of. There is so much more here than our current US political nightmare - it is the story of journalists battling against authoritarianism on a dozen different fronts. Not only is the article explicitly critical of our President, but it also lays bare the current battle lines in the information war.
posted by anastasiav at 6:18 AM on December 11, 2018 [29 favorites]


I'm kinda looking forward to the big diaper baby tantrum the OompaLoompa in Chief will throw over being passed over for the guy whose death he's covering up.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 6:29 AM on December 11, 2018 [7 favorites]


I think it’s a great choice.
posted by shoesietart at 7:21 AM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]


I'm somewhat surprised that the didn't choose his polar opposite Big D.
posted by evilDoug at 7:42 AM on December 11, 2018


Had a moment of excitement when I thought that the Guardians of the Galaxy were named Person of the Year. But this is good, too.

I am groot
posted by SPrintF at 8:13 AM on December 11, 2018 [8 favorites]


After a year of the President...

1. telling the world that “the Press is the Enemy of the People”, and making nod-and-wink jokes at his rallies about violence against them,

2. giving accolades and honor to an elected official because he beat a journalist,

3. brazenly dismissing a journalist’s grisly murder by a foreign despot — explicitly to maintain an arms deal — as “who can say”, when his own intelligence agency says, and

4. having a national newspaper create a new category for his campaign of lies and disinformation because “Pants on Fire” is no longer descriptive enough...

...this seems like weak tea. But I’ll take it.
posted by darkstar at 9:11 AM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]


this seems like weak tea.

Sadly, the technology to designate as Time Person Of The Year "an anthropomorphic punch to the crotch of the sitting President of the United States" just isn't here yet.
posted by Etrigan at 10:01 AM on December 11, 2018 [9 favorites]


the technology to designate as Time Person Of The Year "an anthropomorphic punch to the crotch of the sitting President of the United States" just isn't here yet.
Haptics really needs to advance more quickly.
posted by doctornemo at 10:35 AM on December 11, 2018 [1 favorite]


"an anthropomorphic punch to the crotch of the sitting President of the United States"

He has a name, you know.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:53 AM on December 11, 2018 [13 favorites]


this seems like weak tea

I understand why they wanted to build a narrative, but so many people are going to skim the headline of this, and "The Guardians" just... like, it isn't a thing, Time. Too many people are gonna pause mid-scroll and wonder what this has to do with Marvel movies. I think going with Khashoggi and then bringing in the others might have been a stronger and more resonant choice.
posted by halation at 1:55 PM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]


For Time, it's a bold stand. I was kind of hoping the Parkland kids and other young folk asking for gun control, but, tweaking President Pants-On-Fire and encouraging journalism is a Good Thing.
posted by theora55 at 3:26 PM on December 11, 2018 [1 favorite]


He has a name, you know.
Clicked link, did not see Incontinentius Buttox, left disappointed.
posted by zaixfeep at 5:08 PM on December 11, 2018


Runner-ups should have included the guy who bought Time Magazine earlier this year, saving it from being shut down or turned into Better White House and Rose Gardens mag by Meredith.
posted by zaixfeep at 5:21 PM on December 11, 2018 [1 favorite]


I was kind of hoping the Parkland kids and other young folk asking for gun control

Time's People of the Year choices tend to be more internationally focused these days. They usually only nominate a single American if that American has had global impact. The Parkland kids aren't fighting for gun control worldwide.
posted by Merus at 1:06 AM on December 12, 2018


Clicked link, did not see Incontinentius Buttox, left disappointed.

Did you mean Incontinentia Buttocks, wife of Biggus Dickus?
posted by kirkaracha at 10:25 AM on December 12, 2018


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