Monday Musings -- From Elian To Harriet

By: Vaughn Ververs
Topics: Stuff We Like

While it's an interesting exercise to try and make a psychological diagnosis of an 11-year old boy speaking Spanish (try to top that, Dr. Frist), it didn't stop a bunch of bloggers from trying in the wake of yesterday's "60 Minutes" interview with Elian Gonzalez. You're free to assign whatever motives you want to Gonzalez or "60 Minutes" correspondent Bob Simon. But you can't really say the interview isn't newsworthy.

MSNBC's David Shuster has some tough words to level at former employer Fox News (Tip: Romenesko).

You know the White House is getting nervous about conservative support when Vice President Cheney shows up on Rush. They may have reason for more jitters after Limbaugh asked questions like this: "The question is: Why do we need to wait ten years? There are people that he could have nominated that we would know about now. Is there is a desire in this White House because of current poll numbers or this Katrina response that just doesn't want the fight with the Senate Democrats at this time?" (Transcript).

Did anyone really "break" the Harriet Miers news today? Does anyone really care who breaks what is essentially a press release?

Blogger (and frequent PE commenter) Ron Mwangaguhunga (humorously) deconstructs Miers' beauty secrets.

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by babaluval October 6, 2005 2:10 PM EDT: If the interview is \"newsworthy\" it is only because you chose to consider it so. Newsworthy would have been Simon acting like a true journalist and asking question that werent scripted or pre-approved by the Cuban government. Now, asking a few questions like \"Why do you think your mother left Cuba risking her life and yours?\" would have been newsworthy. Or pehaps \"Have they taught you in school what a democracy is?\" Those, among so many other questions could have been asked, should have been asked actually, but werent. thus, this \"interview\" is nothing more and nothing less than 60 Minutes allowing itself to be a mouthpiece for fidel castro and his government. The \"newsworthy\" stuff is there, Simon just didnt get any of it.; Reply to this comment


by babaluval October 6, 2005 12:58 PM EDT: If the interview is \"newsworthy\" it is only because you chose to consider it so. Newsworthy would have been Simon acting like a true journalist and asking question that werent scripted or pre-approved by the Cuban government. Now, asking a few questions like \"Why do you think your mother left Cuba risking her life and yours?\" would have been newsworthy. Or pehaps \"Have they taught you in school what a democracy is?\" Those, among so many other questions could have been asked, should have been asked actually, but werent. thus, this \"interview\" is nothing more and nothing less than 60 Minutes allowing itself to be a mouthpiece for fidel castro and his government. The \"newsworthy\" stuff is there, Simon just didnt get any of it.; Reply to this comment


by mailpro56 October 4, 2005 11:36 AM EDT: 1. Why was the interview newsworthy? 2. Now David Shuster is on a milk carton over at MSNBC. 3. If Mr. Shuster felt his ethics were being compromised...shouldn\'t he have left the network...before he got another job....or was it about the money. What does that say about Mr Shuster. Maybe he can post here.; Reply to this comment