How the Wolf killed the Mainstream Media
The death of the so-called mainstream media can now be marked in time with Wolf Blitzer’s feeble, mealy-mouthed declaration of support for Vice President Cheney’s daughters.
“Believe me, we like your daughters,“ will go down in CNN history as it’s “jump the shark” moment, when instead of pushing back at Cheney’s dismissal of a question as “you’re out of line,” Blitzer melted into a puddle of appeasement, with the absolute fear in his eyes being the un-invited passenger on his trip to irrelevance.
As the networks scramble to understand why the Internet, and bloggers specifically, have been eroding their viewer base steadily for the past few years, having a major news anchor abandon his line of questioning in mid-stream because Cheney found it “out of line, “ stands out as a shining example of what is wrong with the current state of journalism.
While the conventional wisdom is that the voters of the recent elections sent a crystal clear message that this administration has worn out its welcome, and its policies are not in step with the majority of the citizens, what message did it say about the people charged with bringing us the news?
As voters ousted the political cheerleaders of this war by an almost universal rejection of the Republican party, why doesn’t the media see any implied responsibility for those enabling the delivery of misinformation on behalf of the Bush-Rove machine?
Instead of challenging every assertion of “the decider,” the networks continue to give Bush the benefit of the doubt, even in the “double-down” escalation incorrectly labeled “the surge.”
While we have several bloggers providing full-time, play-by play of the Libby trial, the major networks have little in the way of in-depth coverage of what could be a defining moment of the Bush presidency.
The same media outlets reporting that two-thirds of Americans have given up on Iraq and this President, don’t seem to realize that those same Americans want every policy by those who brought us this war challenged on every detail.
Instead, we get the breaking news of Wolf Blitzer's creepy affection for the Cheney girls.
I agree, Wolf thinks more of himself than he should.
Did you notice how he gloated, how he put such pressure on Cheney, and how Cheney, got testy.
This is what passes off as newsworthy?
Lately I've been so dissatisfied, with CNN, I sure don't need Hannity's spin.
CNN cuts off the breaking news, when Sen.Warner brings up his resolution, calling a news conference, We get a little information, then BAM, lets hear,some mealy mouth newscaster, break in, and give their unsolictited comments, then CNN goes back to repeating the 24 hours, repeat, repeat, repeat.
Instead of staying with the Warner group, I get filtered news, Biased news, spin.
Even our news has become highjacked and corrupted.
Even CSPAN, fails to deliver real time, breaking news.
Where is the Unfiltered News?
Americans should be able to see all the feeds, or open more airwave, The Public is not served with this propaganda, sold as news.
February 4, 2007 4:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
The MSM lost it's independence a long time ago, if most of it ever had any. Go back to the coverage of the USS Maine in Havana in 1898.
Tom
February 4, 2007 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree Buckley.
Blitzer's pandering to Cheney when his approval ratings are even lower than GW Bush is absolutely absurd and a total abdication of his responsibility to provide unfiltered and unbiased news reporting not his own personally biased analysis.
The best interview I saw which highlighted Blitzers total slanting of the news was his interview with David Duke. I am no fan of David Duke but Duke skewered Blitzer by firing back about all of Wolf's political associations and made him looklike a complete ass with the inferences which could be drawn from those associations, it was a wonderful reparte which demonstred how biased Blitzer was in his framing the issues/questions negatively to paint Duke as an extremist. Duke may have some extreme views but it was clear that Blitzer was far from impartial when his own political partisianhsip was put on the table.
I find myself watching more BBC and NBC along with MSNBC news lately.
Otherwise, it is nothing but GOP talking point propaganda, or questions framed from their policy positions.
February 5, 2007 10:29 AM | Reply | Permalink