Wednesday, February 21, 2007

The fourth estate sale


As if you need more of a reason to think that the MSM, and especially the White House correspondents, are overfed, vain little lapdogs. (Not you Helen. I love you.) Listen to one of them whine about political bloggers:
They want us to play a role that isn’t really our role. Our role is to ask questions and get information. … It’s not a chance for the opposition to take on the government and grill them to a point where they throw their hands up and surrender. … It’s not a political exercise, it’s a journalistic exercise. And I think often the blogs are looking for us to be political advocates more than journalistic ones.” - Richard Wolffe, WH correspondent for Newsweek.
Your role is to ask questions and get information? Who told you that, the fucking White House correspondent fairy? Are you fucking kidding me? You work for News-fucking-week, and you don't think that it's your job to grill politicians who are refusing to give out honest and complete information? What the fuck kind of piece of shit reporter are you?

It's just amazing to me that, for once in the history of journalism, the corporations that produce what passes for news in this country have a chance to find out directly, and rather instantly, what the people who consume their product think of the product - and their reaction is to tell the consumer that they are just plain wrong? And mean? And if the consumer weren't so busy being "hateful," they'd thank their lucky fucking stars that those WHC bitches even bother to lob those big stinking soft balls of cheese they call "questions" at all?

Fuck them all. I'm so mad right now I could just spit.


(Think Progress via Eschaton)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sam Donaldson
Dan Rather
Mike Wallace

Come back!

Moderator said...

Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears were on the cover of Newsweek last week.

Unknown said...

I lost interest in the wake of all that horrifically insane mind-bending Great Communicator bullshit of the 80's? If Ronald Reagan is your zenith...

SkylersDad said...

You are so right Vikki, Helen rocks:
http://www.she-net.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=45&PHPSESSID=d51ae8265c860beae3fb61e025431664

RandyLuvsPaiste said...

Warning: shameless name-dropping ahead.

I got to hang out with Arianna Huffington at the Barak Obama rally in L.A. on tuesday. She's a journalist who isn't afraid to ask the nasty but important questions. I'm not sure if she's considered MSM or not.

BTW- she's very cool in person and that Greek accent is foxy.

Johnny Yen said...

I miss the way Sam Donaldsen would call bullshit on various Presidents.

Mark Hertsgaard wrote a book about how the press just bent over for Reagan entitled "On Bended Knee." It's out of print, but used copies can be found on www.half.com.

vikkitikkitavi said...

Dad: I know. Maybe if the WHC weren't all so intent on becoming anchors, they'd do some real reporting, instead of trying to outdo themselves by who can quote the most anonymous senior administration sources.

Grant: Yeah, I still think Newsweek might be too good for him.

Michael: Didn't they call him the Teflon President, because nothing stuck to him?

SkyDad: Blogger doesn't like long URLs. I always break mine up manually so the don't overrun the comments margin.

Randy: Not only is she not MSM, I'm not sure she's a journalist. But I like her.
You were at the Obama rally? You little minx.

Johnny: Yeah, Sam didn't care if anyone liked him. And, just like Helen, he kind of dared people to try to snub him.