But we are talking about the most serious Presidential Crisis since Watergate. This is, in sum, considerably more serious than the President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky Affair and that one ended in an Impeachment Trial.
But my point this afternoon is that several of the traditional news media leaders are pretending like this isn't even happening. This afternoon neither National Public Radio (NPR) nor NBC/MSNBC even mention any of the scandals on their website homepages. Not even a link! And today is the day IRS official Lois Lerner took the 5th and refused to testify before Congress and Press Secretary Jay Carney faced a revolt from the White House Press Corps.
Ratings indicate viewers are abandoning MSNBC is droves. The network is a virtual ghost town. And all the major network news broadcasts are failing in the ratings, trying to regain their footing. Yet they continue to try to ignore the current Presidents troubles, I assume believing that if they don't report them, they don't exist.
Meanwhile the new media gets it right. The Drudge Report dominates on-line news and The Huffington Post works hard at genuine journalism and is willing to let the chips fall where they may. Other smaller news organizations and even bloggers, some leaning left, some right, all are on the case and gaining viewers and followers in droves.
Here's Huffington's Home Page minutes ago:
The problem at NBC and NPR this afternoon is that they insult their viewers and readers intelligence. People know there is a crisis and they want the latest facts. When they can't find them on NBC News or NPR, they go elsewhere.
Old fashioned journalism works. America was, quite literally, built on it. By deciding to ignore journalistic principle and simply become a "Progressive" or Democratic Party advocate, you quickly lose all credibility.
Viewers can handle the truth. And they want the truth. They demand a robust press not a babysitter.
4 comments:
You can't make this stuff up. I went back to NBC News seconds ago (7:13 pm EDT) and the only link, buried deep on the page is Public relations gone bad for White House on IRS
They invested a lot of time and credibility getting this putz elected and they're doubling down on their investment.
Really, what have they got to lose?
That Obama’s popularity lies in his remaining in campaign mode, instead of getting down to the business of governance.
BTW Clinton's impeachment was asinine.
Never has the prevailing bias of the media been so closely aligned with the ideological aims and political interests of the party in power. The American media remain free and independent, or you would not be reading this column. But to a large extent they have functioned for the past few years as if they were under state control.
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