September 29, 2008
In the Tank, and Not Even Trying
As if there was any doubt about the media being nothing more than an extension of the Obama campaign:
A READER AT A MAJOR NEWSROOM EMAILS: "Off the record, every suspicion you have about MSM being in the tank for O is true. We have a team of 4 people going thru dumpsters in Alaska and 4 in arizona. Not a single one looking into Acorn, Ayers or Freddiemae. Editor refuses to publish anything that would jeopardize election for O, and betting you dollars to donuts same is true at NYT, others. People cheer when CNN or NBC run another Palin-mocking but raising any reasonable inquiry into obama is derided or flat out ignored. The fix is in, and its working." I asked permission to reprint without attribution and it was granted.
The Anchoress hears it also to no one's surprise.
If you recall, several weeks ago Charlie Gibson used a doctored quote when interviewing Sarah Palin.
Gene Johnson of the Associated Press was the person (I hesitate to use the term journalist at this point) who purposefully truncated the quote to make it mean something entirely different, and so I contacted his superior, and noted he had clearly violated APs code of ethics by doctoring the quote.
After a period of silence, I asked the AP "In what way is altering a subject's quote to change the entire context of the quote, and present an entirely false interpretation of what the subject clearly said, not at odds with the Associated Press' ethics policy?"
The response?
"the remark could be interpreted in different ways"
Yes, when you allow persons to slice and dice quotes until they sound like what the media wants the victim to sound like, it certainly can.
Life gets so much easier when you get past those obsolete ideas about right and wrong, true and false, good and evil.
Posted by: Aubrey at September 29, 2008 10:42 PMAnd yet the McCain campaign continues to try and curry favor with the MSM, letting Palin - who is unfailingly patriotic, decent, and brave - get ambushed and edited into some kind of absurdity. The MSM are threatened by Palin, because she stands for everything that is vital in America, and exposes them for the small and empty creatures they are. Polls show Americans neither trust nor respect the MSM. McCain and Palin should stop trying to play nice, and attack them, and make this election all about them, their lies, and their unAmerican Leftist values.
Posted by: Willmoore Kendall at September 30, 2008 12:18 AMCome on you guys. Although the media is a little too hard on Palin, we have to acknowledge that she is way over her head. She makes W the governor look well prepared. We loose credibility when we try to blame the media for Palin's substantial problems. We need to lock her up and keep her quiet.
Posted by: Brian at September 30, 2008 12:53 AMWho do you mean by "we", Brian?
I've had it. The media will likely never recover in my eyes. It would take a full fledged revisionary effort on the part of the media, and it ain't gonna happen.
I've been getting to the point of frustration with it somewhat akin to when the US and global media refused to pay attention to what was going on in South Korea in 2002. (They waited until hundreds of thousands of people were pouring into the streets nightly in an anti-US orgy - then got the story wrong at the start). Back then, I and several other people independently set up websites and forums and eventually blogs in a desperate attempt to get the message out.
That is the only hope for the nation now.
The media is a key institution in our society, and it has turned to yellow journalism. It is dead as a viable institution - as far as its stated principles go.
It is now a political institution - aligned primarily to one side.
Talk radio and blogs will not return us to objectivity - but at least it offers a counter-balance.
Posted by: usinkorea at September 30, 2008 02:03 AM"the remark could be interpreted in different ways"
Oh sure. There are people in many countries who do nothing all day but think up remarks which can be "interpreted in different ways."
These people are called "political propagandists."
Bad news: the MSM may well find a way to drag Obama's fetid carcass first over the finish line.
Good news: Given current industry trends, Obama's election will likely be the MSM's last hurrah. With its circulation numbers and ad revenue entering a death spiral, I wouldn't bet a plugged nickel that the New York Slimes will still be around at the end of The Light Being's first (and maybe only) term.
Posted by: MarkJ at September 30, 2008 06:02 AMAlthough the media is a little too hard on Palin, we have to acknowledge that she is way over her head.
That reminds me of something George Washington said on the radio during the Civil War...
Posted by: Jim Treacher at September 30, 2008 06:51 AMThat reminds me of something George Washington said on the radio during the Civil War...
After Patton stormed the Bastille, right?
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at September 30, 2008 07:03 AMAfter Patton stormed the Bastille, right?
No - that was Tripoli. It was was Jackson who took Bastille.
Posted by: Dan Irving at September 30, 2008 08:59 AMYeah Confederate Yankee, Jim and Dan are right. It is ALL the MSM fault for making Palin look bad. She is smart, articulate and well versed on ALL of the issues. I think she is a smoother speaker off-the-cuff then Obama, McCain, or even W.
Posted by: Jon W at September 30, 2008 10:16 AMYeah Confederate Yankee, Jim and Dan are right. It is ALL the MSM fault for making Palin look bad. She is smart, articulate and well versed on ALL of the issues. I think she is a smoother speaker off-the-cuff then Obama, McCain, or even W.
Who said she was well versed on all the issues? Please, flog your strawman all you want, but do so in the privacy of your own home.
None of the Presidential or Vice Presidential candidates this time around speak well off the cuff once they hit an issue they haven't answered a variation of 100 times.
McCain just bites as a speaker period, Obama "uh, ah, uhs" us when he doesnt' have a memorized response to trot out and encounters something new, and often doesn't offer a substantive answer the question, while Palin does pretty much the same as Obama, just with far more criticism because she's had even less practice.
In comparison with the previous three, Biden is an extremely entertaining speaker and the best of the four when it comes to extemporaneous speaking, it's just that his mind and mouth often seem to be going in opposite directions, so his choice of words is sometimes laughably counter-productive.
The media, Jon, has actively taken a side, and has tossed objectivity out the window. Perhaps that is fine with you now, when happen to agree with who they are targeting.
We'll see how much you like it,and how loudly you'll howl, once that that focus is turned against you.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at September 30, 2008 10:31 AM"Palin does pretty much the same as Obama, just with far more criticism because she's had even less practice."
So Confederate, Palin is criticized more because of her lack of practice, not because she is a poorer public speaker? Really? I like how you're continuing to try to put the blame on anyone besides Palin for her own shortcomings. It is an anemic attempt.
I also like how you assume that I am pro-Obama just because I no longer think that Palin was a good VP choice. In fact, I am Republican; I am a Republican who wants to win this election.
In fact, other conservatives, including Kathleen Parker of the Nation Review, are also coming out against Palin and asking her to drop out.
Should I assume that you will attack Parker (or imply that she is a liberal) because she thinks Palin is over her head?
Great Points Jon. I am with you and Kathleen Parker. Palin has got to go!
Posted by: Mike S at October 1, 2008 03:56 PMThe amount of astroturfing and sock puppetry on this topic ("Palin has got to go!") is the best proof available that the Democrats are afraid of what Gov. Palin represents.
Posted by: Eli at October 3, 2008 09:24 AM
