Posted on 10/31/2012 7:37:14 AM PDT by Kaslin
If you want to understand why conservatives have lost faith in the so-called mainstream media, you need to ponder the question: Where is the Benghazi feeding frenzy?
Unlike some of my colleagues on the right, I don't think there's a conspiracy at work. Rather, I think journalists tend to act on their instincts (some even brag about this; you could look it up). And, collectively, the mainstream media's instincts run liberal, making groupthink inevitable.
In 2000, a Democratic operative orchestrated an "October surprise" attack on George W. Bush, revealing that 24 years earlier, he'd been arrested for drunk driving. The media went into a feeding frenzy. "Is all the 24-hour coverage of Bush's 24-year-old DUI arrest the product of a liberal media almost drunk on the idea of sinking him, or is it a legitimate, indeed unavoidable news story?" asked Howard Kurtz in a segment for his CNN show "Reliable Sources." The consensus among the guests: It wasn't a legitimate news story. But the media kept going with it.
One could go on and on. In September 2004, former CBS titan Dan Rather gambled his entire career on a story about Bush's service in the National Guard. His instincts were so powerful, he didn't thoroughly check the documents he relied on, which were forgeries. In 2008, the media feeding frenzy over John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, was so ludicrous it belonged in a Tom Wolfe novel. Over the last couple of years, the mainstream media has generally treated Occupy Wall Street as idealistic, the "tea parties" as racist and terrifying.
To be sure, there have been conservative feeding frenzies: about Barack Obama's pastor, John Kerry's embellishments of his war record, etc. But the mainstream media usually has tasked itself with the duty of debunking and dispelling such "hysteria."
Last week, Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported that sources on the ground in Libya say they pleaded for support during the attack on the Benghazi consulate that led to the deaths of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. They were allegedly told twice to "stand down." Worse, there are suggestions that there were significant military resources available to counterattack, but requests for help were denied.
If true, the White House's concerted effort to blame the attack on a video crumbles, as do several other fraudulent claims. Yet, last Friday, the president boasted that "the minute I found out what was happening" in Benghazi, he ordered that everything possible be done to protect our personnel. That is either untrue, or he's being disobeyed on grave matters.
This isn't an "October surprise" foisted on the media by opposition research; it's news.
This story raises precisely the sort of "big issues" the media routinely claim elections should be about. For instance, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last week that the "basic principle is that you don't deploy forces into harm's way without knowing what's going on, without having some real-time information about what's taking place." If real-time video of the attack and communications with Americans on the ground begging for assistance doesn't constitute "real-time information," what does?
This is not to say that Fox News is alone in covering the story. But it is alone in treating it like it's a big deal. During the comparatively less significant Valerie Plame scandal, reporters camped out on the front lawns of Karl Rove and other Bush White House staff. Did Obama confiscate those journalists' sleeping bags?
On Oct. 28, of the five Sunday news shows, only "Fox News Sunday" treated this as a major story. On the other four, the issue came up only when Republicans mentioned it. Tellingly, on NBC's "Meet the Press," host David Gregory shushed a guest when she tried to bring up the subject, saying, "Let's get to Libya a little bit later."
Gregory never did get back to Benghazi. But he saved plenty of time to dive deep into the question of what Indiana U.S. Senate candidate Richard Mourdock's comments on abortion and rape mean for the Romney campaign. Typically, Gregory's instincts about the news routinely line up with Democratic talking points, in this case Obama's ridiculous "war on women" rhetoric.
I am willing to believe that journalists like Gregory are sincere in their desire to play it straight. But among those who don't share his instincts, it's hard to distinguish between conspiracy and groupthink. Indeed, it's hard to think why one should even bother trying to make that distinction at all.
Journolist.
I love you, Jonah, but you're wrong about this. Gregory and his ilk are far more invested in furthering the liberal agenda then they are in playing it straight.
Bump!
Hannity On White House Audio Tapes: “I’ve Heard They Are Damning” … Includes Audio Of SEALs Begging For Air Support…
Video:
Bump
I wished Fox News would get rid of Juan Williams
Journalism is in trouble because Americans are in trouble. The Christian foundations are all but dead. Look where these journos come from, who there influences are. They come from hugely populated regions with power because of that.
The education system has long been overrun with outright Marxists from grade school configurations through university and academia. School at all levels is now a Marxist farm team for “service” in every institution.
What does the Right do? They send their own kids through the same system.
“To be sure, there have been conservative feeding frenzies: about Barack Obama’s pastor, John Kerry’s embellishments of his war record, etc. But the mainstream media usually has tasked itself with the duty of debunking and dispelling such “hysteria.”
They may have been feeding frenzies...but unlike the left feeding frenzies, the substance of these were true.
Perfect
Fast forward to 2012 - the President of the United States allows an Ambassador to be murdered, raped and have his body dragged through a city - along with brave SEALS - and the MSM acts like it's an imposition. Would the MSM have quietly sat by if some police chief had heard Matthew Shepard screaming for help for 6 hours and was afraid his men might be in harms way if they went to help him? The New York Times is patiently waiting for the Obama Administration to feed them a lie they can fool their readers with...
Liberal elite 'journalists' have thrown away the trust and respect of conservatives - but everyday Americans - even Democrats with a sense of fairness - will start turning away from them soon.
No one like the teachers who has 'teacher's pets'
No one respects parents who excessively favor one child over the others...
The boys at the New York Times are short sighted and no where near as smart as they think they are...
Liberal elite 'journalists' have thrown away the trust and respect of conservatives - but everyday Americans - even Democrats with a sense of fairness - will start turning away from them soon.
No one like the teachers who has 'teacher's pets'
No one respects parents who excessivily favor one child over the others...
The boys at the New York Times are short sighted and no where near as smart as they think they are...
The old media is in a panic. They are finally coming to the realization that Obama is just a money-grubbing Democrat grifter who starts wars so that him and his buddies can profit off them. Obama’s “higher calling” was to put money in his pocket.
I am willing to believe in unicorns and fairy dust.
The LSM is giving Benghazi the same treatment that they are giving Fast & Furious - IT DOESN’T EXIST in their world.
WHAT??? Hysteria? The truth about Obama and his racist, anti-American, radical, pastor is still not widely known.
John Kerry is a TRAITOR to his country. A COWARD, who under fire turned and RAN defying standing orders to attack instead. After the war, he was helping the enemy by testifying to LIES about his fellow soldiers.
How a murderer like Ted Kennedy and a traitor like John Kerry could serve in the esteemed U.S. Senate is only because the Main Stream Media wants it that way.
George W Bush was almost derailed by an old DWI charge, but MURDER, TREASON, is just fine if it's one of THEIR guys.
Of course it's a conspiracy!!! The MSM is out to conspire to DESTROY the America we love. Anyone unable to see this is either uninformed or an idiot, which are you Jonah?
The difference between Benghazi, Fast and Furious and Watergate is, that no one died in Watergate. The left and the 0bama Media can not deny that as hard as they might try.
Journolist.
Goldberg has to be aware of the Journolist, it was a cause notorious among the Right three years ago after Tucker Carlson and others exposed the weaselling of Ezra Klein and the rest on story coverage, spinning and doctoring daily news coverage. Conservative Pajamarati spent weeks dumpster-diving the Journolist files, pulling out the names of scores and scores of high-profile, mostly B-List liberal journalists. (The A-Listers like Tom Brokaw were largely absent, which raises the question whether they have another haven of resort, where they needn't rub elbows with the likes of Dave Weigel.)
What has me puzzled is, why would Goldberg say this, and strike this pose, when he has to have better information?
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