Public Eye
May 22, 2007 3:11 PM

Across the Media Universe: Swing and a Miss Edition

(AP Photo/Rick Silva)
Left-field Bias? : Newbusters – which purports to expose and combat liberal bias in the media — found a new bugaboo last month: Liberal Bias Of Home Run Calls! Newsbusters contributor Mark Finkelstein is none too pleased that ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne has begun spouting “Obama!” during highlight reels and gets all “Won’t someone think of the children?!” on the Worldwide Leader in Sports:
[D]oes he need to inject his personal politics into his sports work? For that matter, would ESPN let a Republican host [if there are any at the network] shout "Ch-Ch-Ch-Cheney!" to mark an outstanding feat?
The guys at Deadspin decided to make a few more suggestions:
For our part we would love a "Ch-Ch-Ch-Cheney!" call on SportsCenter, although we can't quite figure on when it would be appropriate. Maybe the next time someone gets hit in the face with a ball? But instead of eliminating the Obama call, we think ESPN should go the other way and add several more.

  • Weak flare falls into short right field for a single: "Kucinich!"
  • Diving catch: "Another vote for MITT!"
  • Ball caught on warning track: "It could be ... no, its a Ron Paul."
  • (That Mitt one could catch on …)

    Worst. Backtrack. Ever.: Earlier this week, an Arkansas reporter quoted Jimmy Carter as saying that the Bush administration is “the worst in history” when it comes to international relations. And that’s not all::
    The ex-president also accused Bush of erasing the line between church and state and sharply criticized Bush’s war policies, his arms-control stances and his environmental record during the interview.
    Carter later went on the “Today” show, crying foul and saying he was possibly “misinterpreted.” But the audio – posted online – backs up the reporter. The Chicago Tribune, meanwhile, lists a few of the worst presidential insults in history – including Truman calling Nixon “a shifty-eyed [expletive] liar.”

    The Blog of War : Dante Chinni at the Christian Science Monitor Christian Science Monitor shoots some e-mails back and forth with Iraq war blogger Bill Roggio, who sees good news going unreported and accuses the media of being played by the terrorists:
    After a big operation in Tal Afar, the situation improved dramatically in the northern city. Tal Afar was declared a model of success by President Bush. Al Qaeda decided to pull off an occasional suicide attack in the city, so it could hang Tal Afar around the president's neck like an albatross. When attacks occur, you read, "A suicide attack killed X and wounded Y in Tal Afar, a city President Bush declared a model of success in Iraq....” … But progress there has been dramatic, and there are only reports if something goes wrong. That is exactly what Al Qaeda in Iraq wishes to achieve.
    Roggio might have a point, but there's an old saying in journalism: If the plane don't crash, it's not news. And there are enough crashes right now in Iraq that an on time flight isn't going to get much play.
    Tags:
    Deadspin ,
    Newsbusters ,
    Jimmy Carter ,
    journalism ,
    Iraq
    Topics:
    Across The Media Universe
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    by brianbwb-2009 May 23, 2007 5:12 AM EDT
    Oh yeah, I forgot to include Bush's rousing cheer for America? "The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire (I trust you know the rest)...
    Reply to this comment
    by brianbwb-2009 May 23, 2007 5:09 AM EDT
    Carter was on watch when events converged beyond his willingness to control, inflation was the result of the expiration of Nixon's wage and price freeze, and manipulation of gas prices by the oil industry. This tendency to avoid confrontation is again evident, as he backs off from what are legitimate thoughts shared be a very large number of Americans.

    How about this, A basketballer fakes a foul and starts a fight about it? "Bushed".
    A woodpecker taken out by an errant skeet shot? "Cheney-ed"
    A footballer playing for one team while wearing the jersey of another; chant "Con-Dee! Con-Dee..."
    A kegler whose shot jumps into another bowler's lane and hits a strike? "Powell!"
    David Beckham's salary for LA? a "wolfie deal"
    Reply to this comment
    by ronmwanga May 23, 2007 2:25 AM EDT
    At this point I don't see what Carter has to lose by just going into the fray full tilt. He has been relegated to the remainder bin of history as far as his Presidency is concerned. Later in life, Carter has come off as a thorougly decent Christian progressive (Habitat for Humanity; Carter Center for International elections)and a bestselling author, and -- we kid you not! -- Post-Presidential Poet (surely a first)!! There's an ancient saw, "In for a penny, In for a pound." When Carter -- overzealously, in my opinion -- equated Iserael's treatment of the Palestinians as being tantamount to Apartheid in South Africa, he essentially cemented his Progressive post-Presidential legacy and ended any chance of History remembering him as a "tactful centrist." I just don't see strategically what following Presidential etiquitte does for him at this point. Those days are behind him. Whether or not I agree with Carter 100-percent (I really, really don't), it is *** refreshing --and, quite possibly, enlarging of the American conversation-- to have an Elder Statesman break decorum and exercise free-speech and not the "(Presidential) Golf-Club Rules." In for a penny, in for a pound, Jimmy.
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