I take it back…
That thing I said about the American media growing a spine; I take it back now. CNN this morning is covering two more missing white girls, and is now interviewing the doctor who operated on two American girls (also white) who were on the trains in London. This, in the midst of the Rove scandal. Good job guys!
At least the New York Times is giving the story more than a cursory glance.
Sorry for so much early morning rage; it’s just frustrating to see what the “mainstream media” decides to cover.
derek said,
July 13, 2005 @ 12:16 am
Jon Stewart gave it some decent (and funny) coverage tonight.
Ron said,
July 13, 2005 @ 7:19 am
I think a distinction needs to be made between the actual journalists that hunt down stories, and the brainless network hacks and anchor mimbos/bimbos that deliver the stories to the airwaves. For example, I doubt very much that the video clip you linked to yesterday was actually broadcast in its entirety on a major news network, if any of it was even broadcast at all. Maybe the first question was (before the reporters found their spine), but the rest would have been left on the cutting room floor for the 6 o’clock news. The general public, especially the american public, doesn’t have the attention span to sit through more than a 5-second clip from something like that.
It is really sad though, and quite anger-inducing, how the rich, pretty white girls get all the attention in the media, when hispanics, asians, arabs, blacks, etc, are left twisting in the proverbial (and maybe not-so-proverbial) breeze.
Luke said,
July 13, 2005 @ 9:04 am
Journalists sat up and started freaking out I think right about when Judith Miller (another journalist) went to jail for not revealing a source. The first amendment to the United States Constitution should prevent things like that from happening, but it’s been conveniently forgotton. When she got locked up, the journalists - at least the ones in the White House press room - actually began to ask hard questions again. And journalists have since asked Bush directly what he would do about Rove.
Previous to the arrest of Miller none of the journalists (it seemed to me) had a spine at all - none of them would ask Bush any hard questions, they wouldn’t even ask McClellan the tough ones. The only journalist I’ve seen take the current administration really to task straight on was Carole Coleman - who’s an Irish journalist!
So yeah, the distinction can be made between the news companies and the journalists, but they’re both really slacking on the job.
derek said,
July 13, 2005 @ 12:24 pm
Technically, Miller was not protected under the First Amendment. She did not write the story that leaked Plame’s name, Novak did. Also, the Supreme Court limited the use of the First Amendment in 1972 by deciding that it could not be used to escape a Grand Jury summons and testimony.
Miller is also a horrible, horrible journalist. It seems a bit strange that the press corps would run to her defence by questioning the very administration that held her deeply in their pocket. She was a Bush crony and I think it’s rather ironic that she’s been screwed over like this.
Luke said,
July 13, 2005 @ 12:44 pm
Good points. I can’t comment on Miller being a horrible journalist, but there’s something wrong with her going to jail over a story she didn’t write, and Novak walking around. Rove’s defense will probably be that he didn’t know Plame was an undercover operative - Novak, when writing the column, fully fucking well knew that and was guilty as all shit.
My prediction though is that Rove and Novak will completely walk free. Rove will still have his full access to the Whitehouse and the confidential information that he’s already leaked. The only one who’ll be probably fucked are Plame and her husband - the GOP already did a press release smearing him (surprise!).
derek said,
July 13, 2005 @ 2:48 pm
Technically, she’s going to jail for contempt of court. Based on the little I’ve read of constitutional law, I don’t think there really is any way of avoiding testimony before a Grand Jury if summoned. Even the Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination) has been over-ruled for Grand Jury testimony. Of course, I could (and most likely am) completely wrong about this.
As for Miller, her articles for the NYTimes were used as a “partial basis” for going to war in Iraq (from her Wikipedia entry). It was her that was primarily responsible for the idea that Saddam had supposed nuclear ambitions and capabilities (Rice and Rumsfeld even pointed at her articles in their press conferences).
All of which, obviously, has turned out to be absolute horse shit. That is pretty piss-poor agenda driven “journalism” (or, as I like to call it, storytelling).
She’s a hack, always been a hack, and I don’t feel sorry for her one bit. Now, if I had a choice between her and Novak/Rove on who I would rather see in jail, well, there’s no question of who is ultimately responsible for the Plame leak. Sadly, I have to agree, those two will come out smelling like roses and the laughs on her for ever believing that, for all her dutiful mis-reporting, she would ever be elevated to their demonic status.
derek said,
July 13, 2005 @ 2:53 pm
Just realized I started two posts off with the word “Technically..”.
I am an idiot. ;)
I guess I shouldn’t write this stuff at work, I never read it over well-enough prior to posting.
Luke said,
July 13, 2005 @ 3:09 pm
Nah, it just means you’re really technical!