“Gotcha Journalism” Or A Double Standard?

(CBS)
(SEDONA, Ariz.) In an exclusive interview with CBS News’ Katie Couric, both members of the Republican ticket brushed aside Sarah Palin’s apparent contradiction on Saturday of John McCain’s policy on Pakistan.
Palin’s assertion that the U.S. should “absolutely” launch cross-border attacks from Afghanistan into Pakistan in the event that it becomes necessary to “stop the terrorists from coming any further in” came in response to a customer’s question at a Philadelphia restaurant.
McCain told Couric that although Palin’s comment was not something she should have said out loud, it was undeserving of extensive media coverage.
“But, look, I understand this day and age of ‘gotcha’ journalism,” McCain said. “Is that a pizza place? In a conversation with someone who you didn't hear the question very well, you don't know the context of the conversation, grab a phrase. Gov. Palin and I agree that you don't announce that you're going to attack another country.”
The video of Palin’s exchange appears to show that she heard the question about Pakistan perfectly well. In fact, she engaged in an extended dialogue with the customer on the subject.
When Couric asked Palin what she learned from the experience, the Alaska governor echoed McCain’s charge that the media was behaving in an unsavory fashion in its decision to publicize her comments.
“That this is all about "gotcha" journalism,” Palin said. “A lot of it is. But that's okay, too.”
But on the same day that both Republicans dismissed Palin’s off-the-cuff comment on Pakistan, Palin criticized Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden for a comment he made to a voter, under similarly unscripted circumstances.
Stumping in Ohio last week, Biden responded to a woman who shouted a question about clean coal from a rope line.
"We're not supporting clean coal,” Biden said. “Guess what—China is building two every week, two dirty coal plants, and it's polluting the United States. It's causing people to die."
Soon after the comment was made, McCain seized on Biden’s remarks, saying “[Obama’s] running mate here in Ohio recently said that they weren’t supporting clean coal either.” The McCain/Palin campaign also released a web video, which showed part of Biden’s comments on clean coal.
Biden spokesman David Wade issued a statement saying, "Senator McCain knows that Senator Obama and Senator Biden support clean coal technology. Senator Biden’s point is that China is building coal plants with outdated technology every day, and the United States needs to lead by developing clean coal technologies.”
Then on Monday—the same day she decried the “gotcha journalism” that showcased her unscripted comment to a voter on Pakistan—Palin followed McCain’s lead in seizing upon Biden’s remarks to the Ohio voter.
“Just recently, Sen. Biden made it perfectly clear that in an Obama-Biden administration, there would no use of clean coal at all,” she said.
Asked to clarify why Biden’s gaffe was worthy of ridicule, while Palin’s flub deserved a pass, a McCain/Palin spokesperson said, “It would seem Biden's remarks were very clear on the issue whereas Palin's response was only part of what she has previously said on this issue.”
- 1
- 2
- next
See all 66 CommentsHere''s an interesting example from CBS News:
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/09/29/politics/fromtheroad/entry4487978.shtml
Biden commits another gaffe, but the media sweeps it under the rug as Biden not hearing the question right. They would not have given a similar benefit of the doubt to Palin.
Poor Sarah! She''s toast.
And McClone is going down in flames!
Suck it up, Neocon scum!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by alt9747 at 10:00 PM : Sep 29, 2008
Rude and argumentative? Look Couric asked questions of Palin. Some of them were to just amplify what Palin had previously said. That is journalism. Don''t blame the questioner for the stupid answers your candidate provides.
Guess what, our enemies won''t be throwing softball questions at Palin if she becomes President. They will be serious and we need someone who can engage them.
Posted by alt9747
Rude and argumentative? Didn''t you read the transcript? Your candidate offers gibberish in response to intelligent questions. That''s your candidate''s problem, not the interviewer. Even the most right-wing of commentators are asking McCain to give Palin the boot.
Gov. Sarah Palin: "That''s why I say I, like every American I''m speaking with, we''re ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the -- it''s got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we''ve got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we''ve got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that."
Can anyone please translate for us what Palin is saying? And can someone explain how this is Katie being "rude" and "argumentative"?
Gibberish is gibberish.
If Palin or McCain make a "gaffe" the Media jumps all over it and reports it over and over again.
If Biden or Obama make a gaffe, you only hear about it from Republicans.
Read the article again with that in mind and it will jump out at you.
The Mainstream Media are ****** that live to service the Democrat party.
definitely a double standard.
If Palin or McCain make a "gaffe" the Media jumps all over it and reports it over and over again.
If Biden or Obama make a gaffe, you only hear about it from Republicans.
Read the article again with that in mind and it will jump out at you.
The Mainstream Media are ****** that live to service the Democrat party.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by HawkSprings at 11:56 PM : Sep 29, 2008
***********************************
Just because Rush says it is so, doesn''t make it so. If you want "unbiased" journalism, why don''t you just listen to FOX. LMAO
Posted by HawkSprings
*****************************************
They try to stick it to ya every time with those darned facts, truth and perspective.
It probably isn''t fair to those that don''t believe in truth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU6fuFrdCJY
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/
2008/09/19/opinion/main4460105.shtml?sou
rce=RSSattr=Opinion_4460105
Thanks to reporting from Amir Taheri, the gist of which the Obama campaign has confirmed, we now know that while Obama is telling the American people he wants an end to the war, he has secretly negotiated with the government in Iraq to extend the U.S. military mission there. That is a black-and-white violation of federal criminal law.
Yet, during Obama%u2019s heralded trip to Baghdad in July, he asked Iraqi leaders to ignore Bush and delay resolving the legal status of our forces until next year - by which time the Senator hopes no longer to need a phony presidential seal.
Under the %u201CLogan Act%u201D (now codified at Section 953 of the federal penal code) it has been against the law since the late 18th century for U.S. citizens to carry on %u201Cintercourse with any foreign government%u201D that is aimed either %u201Cto defeat the measures of the United States%u201D or to influence the foreign government%u2019s dealings with the United States. Being a senator is no immunity from this statute - as any Republican senator would find out in a hurry if he dared to pull a stunt like this during an Obama administration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s
W6lW8uD1ck&feature=related
So sick of the liars who keep pushing the ''treason'' smear of Obama in Iraq--all the US government officials were present and they said it NEVER happened.
Stop lying and smearing.
Now he wants to send more troops Afghanistan also. Next week he will want something else he cannot deliver.
If anyone points out all the flip flopping done by John McCain, it''s "media bias".
If someone asks Palin a simple question and she gives an answer in rehearsed gibberish, it''s "gotcha journalism".
Since when did the GOP turn into a bunch of whining crybabies anyway?
Your rumor was debunked weeks ago. Move on to your next false accusation.
The Democrats cannot pass a bill unless the Republicans agree not to filibuster and the President does not veto. It takes 60 votes to stop a filibuster and 67 to overcome a veto. Ex: The last 8 Democratic attempts to continue the production tax credits for renewable energy have failed because they did not have 60 votes. (The president also threatened to veto). Learn how Govt. works (or doesn''t).
Guess again the blood bath is coming in Novemeber for you and you will feel it with full force.
Al Maliki, the leader of Iraq, said Bush negotiated the extension for Political Reasons in the US. It appears the Republicans will subject the troops to danger in order to win an election.
Could you explain the reasoning behind your statement that --
Allowing the interviewee the choice of subject in an interview is a gotcha question -- please someone has to challenge this absurd assertion.
In the debate didn''t Obama say pretty much the same thing? Yet Im not seeing huge stories about his lack of world issue knowlege.... And I QUOTE directly from the debate transcript:
"And we cannot separate Afghanistan from Iraq, because what our commanders have said is we don''t have the troops right now to deal with Afghanistan.
So I would send two to three additional brigades to Afghanistan..."
Then a few disjointed thoughts later he says..."Number three, we''ve got to deal with Pakistan"
That is not taken out of context.. I hardly see where the two differ. Both are talking about military, and a specific country. Neither has much experience with this sort of thing and both are craming to learn it quickly, I guess the big difference is that one of them will hold the lesser office of vice-president. Hmmm reminds me of an old Who song.. Meet the new boss..
Again from the debate
Obama: "And if John wants to disagree with this, he can let me know, that, if the United States has Al Qaida, bin Laden, top-level
lieutenants in our sights, and Pakistan is unable or unwilling to act, then we should take them out.
Now, I think that''s the right strategy; I think that''s the right
policy."
So someone please tell me the difference between what the presidential candidate said and the vice presidential candidate said..
If it weren''t that she is running for the second highest office in the land, it would be funny. Instead, it is just plain pathetic!
Senator McCain is the presidential candidate associated with Governor Palin nit Senator Obama. You should be researching Senator McCain''s quirky opinion on Gov. Palin''s gaffe.
The real issue is not Palin. Its McCain.
We just went through eight years of a presidency where we the American people were lied to on a near daily basis. The Maverick McCain, seems to have learned something in those years. He seems to have learned how to lie himself. Over the last few weeks he has distorted Obama''s record and his own in attempt to make political gains. I ask you my fellow Americans, do we want four more years of lies?
The real issue is not Palin. Its McCain.
We just went through eight years of a presidency where we the American people were lied to on a near daily basis. The Maverick McCain, seems to have learned something in those years. He seems to have learned how to lie himself. Over the last few weeks he has distorted Obama''s record and his own in attempt to make political gains. I ask you my fellow Americans, do we want four more years of lies?
...
Posted by OneAmerican6 at 10:51 AM
Maybe if she was being interviewed as a beauty pageant winner, even some conservative pundits question her ability to be president.
Since when is allowing the person interviewed to control the subject of an interview by asking then to expand on their own statement a gotcha question?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by jsilver2th at 11:45 AM : Sep 30, 2008
LOL
what about all those ear marks? what about voting for the Iraq War? What about being in washington longer than John McCain? What about supporting organizations like ACORN?...and many more.
Palin makes an off-message remark in a pizza parlour and it''s all over the national news?
I don''t call it ''gotcha'' journalism. I call it a lynch mob.
I''m glad McCain and Palin have the courage to fight back.
what about all those ear marks? ...
Posted by apinchofsalt at 12:04 PM
Like how can Delaware survive with a little over 1/3 of the earmark dollars provided per person as a Alaska in 2007?
Ir how can Illinois survive with 1/30 of the earmarks dollars provided per person in Alaska in 2007?
- 1
- 2
- next
See all 66 Comments