All Blog Posts from Public Eye
McCain Reacts to Report of CIA Destroyed Tapes
(CBS)
HAMPSTEAD, N.H. -- John McCain responded today to the reports that the CIA destroyed interrogation tapes.
"I don't think they should have destroyed those tapes," McCain said at a news conference here. "It will harm the credibility of the CIA, in my view. And I wish they had listened to members of Congress who said they should not do so."
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Campaign 2008? It's Showtime
(ELVIS BARUKCIC/AFP/Getty )
You didn't see it. But don't feel bad – not that you would – but nobody saw it. It was on National Public Radio.
And the reviews have been positive, save for the little "it put me to sleep" factor. But all the plaudits got this writer thinking how you could repackage the debate, draw a crowd and inform a potentially large size of the electorate.
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Lookism and the Law
(AP)
Okay, wait. That's a no-brainer. Let's make that question: How much do looks matter in story selection? And does that effect the criminal justice system?
That's at the heart of Eric Deggans' post today down in St. Petersburg, detailing how two teachers who confessed to having sex with teenage students got different sentences, with the "beauteous Debra Lafave [getting] a lighter sentence than the less pin-up-ready Jaymee Lane Wallace."
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Elusive "Electability"
(CBS)
There's a lot of terms that the media use to describe presidential candidates, but by far the most elusive – if not downright contrived – term is "electability."
What makes somebody electable? If they're up in the polls today? If they're taller than the opponent? If they're enjoying political momentum? If so, why not just say that?
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Helen Thomas Bah-Humbugs Bloggers
(CBS)
More important than labeling, in the author's mind, was the thought that these 'genuine-seeming journalists' should be afforded the legal protections granted to accredited media members.
Well, not that it should come as too much of a surprise, but old school White House scribe Helen Thomas isn't drinking that "everybody's a journalist!" kool-aid.
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After Omaha, Media Questions:
In light of the Omaha mall shootings, the questions resurface:
How can or should the media cover shootings to avoid the copycat possibility?
Or:
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How can or should the media cover shootings to avoid the copycat possibility?
Or:
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After Omaha, Media Questions:
(Papillion-La Vista High School/AP)
How can or should the media cover shootings to avoid the copycat possibility?
Or:
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Battling Bloggers
(AP Photo)
Former White House aide Dan Bartlett has drawn a MediaLand of attention for an interview he did with Texas Monthly, disputing the notion that the media wasn't aggressive enough with pre-war reporting.
White House correspondents have been tagged, unfairly, with not being tough enough on the administration and President Bush in the run-up to the war. If you go back and look, they asked all the right questions. The problem is, they're acting now like they have to be five times more critical, and I think they've gone overboard.But what really caught this writer's eye was Bartlett's characterization of conservative bloggers:
I mean, talk about a direct IV into the vein of your support. It's a very efficient way to communicate. They regurgitate exactly and put up on their blogs what you said to them. It is something that we've cultivated and have really tried to put quite a bit of focus on."Regurgitate?" Really? Coming from a former Bush aide? Oh no he din't. That's basically the equivalent of calling White House reporters 'stenographers.' (And we've learned you don't go there.)
I figured that this wouldn't sit well with right-wing bloggers. But I wasn't quite sure. So I pulled a Captain Renault and e-mailed some "usual suspects."
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Them's Fightin' Words!
(NBC Photo/Sara Jaye Weiss)
Balanced in that it managed to stir up political groups on both sides.
First out of the box on Thursday came the liberal activists, who were none too pleased to see MoveOn.org labeled as "American Insurgents." According to the left-leaning media watchdog Media Matters:
During the November 28 CNN special Campaign Killers: Why Do Negative Ads Work?, CNN anchor Campbell Brown said: "General David Petraeus made his reputation taking on insurgents in Iraq. But when he came to Capitol Hill in September, he was confronted by American insurgents, a liberal anti-war group called MoveOn.org."Then came the right, with a conservative-leaning group called Citizen United threatening legal action against CNN for characterizing them as a "fringe militia."
I write to register strenuous objections to your highly unprofessional hit piece last night (Broken Government -- "Campaign Killers," hosted by Campbell Brown ) against David Bossie and Citizens United, and to demand an on-air retraction of part of it, along with corrections made in any future showings. In particular, if a retraction of the defamatory words "fringe militia" is not offered publicly by CNN, and soon, I will advise Mr. Bossie to consider legal action.(Tip of the hat to FishbowlDC.)
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Front Page Falsehoods
(AP)
(Yes, those of you playing "Holiday News Bingo," feel free to block off the center top square.)
And one of the minor little media flurries we're mucking through? A dubious Washington Post front page story last week entitled "Foes Use Obama's Muslim Ties to Fuel Rumors About Him."
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