[Iron Munro]

This is a good read exposing the dirty truth about the attitudes of the gutless American media. The hapless Tucker Carlson displays why they are not so much a watchdog for the people as a free ad agency for the powerful political and government figures they fawn over. If they don't collude with the rich and powerful they are cut off from future interviews so they let themselves be used to promote and spin the party line. Investigative journalism for the most part has been reduced to the discussion and printing of self serving press handouts. It seems the only time the media veer from this subservient role is when trying to destroy a conservative or reveal secrets to our enemies.

[rfp1234]

Protecting, rather than exposing, the secrets of the powerful is the fuel of American journalism. That's how they maintain their access to and good relations with those in power.

Exactly. CNN covered up for Saddam Hussein's atrocities in the 1990s, to keep their Baghdad bureau open.

[ari-freedom]

Do not underestimate the POWER of the media!

[Beckwith]

Protecting, rather than exposing, the secrets of the powerful is the fuel of American journalism.

Unless it is the president's war-fighting secrets.

[1rudeboy]

This is a fascinating read. I’ll have to finish it later.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

I disagree totally with this article, unsurprisingly. It’s from Salon.

Take this line:

========whose role in theory is to expose the secrets of the powerful=======

BZZZT, wrong answer. The media’s job is not to be activist, their job is to be wholly accurate.

If the media are busy “taking on the powerful” or “taking on the rich” or “taking on x”, then they aren’t doing their job. That is by definition activist media.

Let me put this another way. Let’s ask SCOTUS judge John Roberts:

=======“If the Constitution says that the little guy should win, the little guy’s going to win in court before me, ... But if the Constitution says that the big guy should win, well, then the big guy’s going to win.”=====

Now, granted he was talking about judges, and court cases, and etc. But a journalist is(like it or not) very much like a judge. And there are times, very often actually, where the little guy is in the wrong.

The BBC talked about this when they admitted to their bias.

http://www.newsbusters.org/node/13530

[Glenn]

Every time I see Carlson, I want to slap him and swipe his lunch money.

[G.Love]

American journalism has deteriorated into nothing more than anonymous sources and off the record comments. Politicians and their operatives should expect to be on the record all the time.

Nevertheless, Ms Powers’ comment was not newsworthy and shouldn’t have been published, IMO. Such tabloid sensationalism adds nothing to the public’s knowledge about either candidate.

[paudio]

Britain's Gerri Peev of The Scotsman, printed the comment anyway -- as she should have, because Peev had never agreed that any parts of the interview would be "off the record," and nobody has the right to demand unilaterally, and after the fact, that journalists keep their embarrassing remarks a secret.

I hate the American MSM, but I don't think the British journalist is in a better position to boast. The case with Prince Harry in Afghanistan is an example of how they in fact also consider the request of 'important people'.

[hosepipe]

Its all about money and cocktail party lists..
The commies know about blacklisting.. they do it all the time

[JohnLongIsland]

This lady lost her job for saying out loud one time, what goes through every member of the drive by media’s head a hundred times a day: Hillary is, was and will be a monster.

[sig226]

Please keep in mind that the author of this Salon piece, Mr. Glenn Greenwald, is at best a useful idiot.

Mr. Greenwald's bio from the page at the link:
I was previously a constitutional law and civil rights litigator in New York. I am the author of two New York Times Bestselling books: "How Would a Patriot Act?" (May, 2006), a critique of the Bush administration's use of executive power, and "A Tragic Legacy" (June, 2007), which examines the Bush legacy. My third book, "Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics", examines the manipulative electoral tactics used by the GOP and propagated by the establishment press, and will be released April 15, 2008, by Random House/Crown.

[misterrob]

I disagree here. There has to be room for information exchange between people and media or media will be reduced to digging through cans. This journalist will find that no one will talk to her going forward because everything is fair game. She will find her source of leads drying up and in the end will be rendered ineffective. It’s one thing to approach someone with a set of facts and confront them with it and it’s another when someone asks for a lack of attribution.

[Crawdad]

The American news media are like a bunch of 6th grade girls. They derive their “power” from secrets they learn and promise not to reveal. After the secrets are learned, they wield them rapaciously to destroy or save whoever they choose.

[DeaconRed]

She Told The Truth

[EternalVigilance]

The actual role of the media is the one the GOP has stupidly given them: to choose our candidates for us, and to set the terms of the debate.

[billhilly]

Everyone credits “The Clintons” with being so brilliant about their every move, while not realizing that others can play their games as well. My thesis is that Powers intentionally told the truth about Hillary since that was the only way to highlight the truth about her. The fact that she would resign later was a given, and well worth it to call it like they see it.

[PGalt]

Great post! Thanks Glenn Greenwald. Telling.

Ping

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Samantha Power lost her job for the PC crime of “Lese Majeste”.

Simple as that.

[sageb1]

And people wonder why the Bush Administration seemed to have a “bunker mentality.”

[JoanVarga]

Nice catch. It’s why they fawn over evil dictators and other spicy news-generators. It’s good money. They have more blood on their hands from Saddam Hussein’s reign of terror than any action taken by the U.S. military to stop it.