Category: Media & Journalism

If Social Security Was a Private Corporation Then it Would Sue Tom Brokaw for Every Penny He Has

If a news reporter deliberately makes a false statement claiming that a private company like Boeing or Microsoft is going broke, the company has the right to sue the reporter and the news agency. That is why reporters rarely make statements like Microsoft or Boeing (or Lehman Brothers, AIG, or Goldman Sachs) are going broke.

However, reporters can freely impugn the financial health of a government program like Social Security because a government program cannot sue for libel. That is why Brokaw knew that he could imply that Social Security is going broke, even though it is not true. Social Security cannot sue Brokaw even if he deliberately tells explicit lies about its financial health.

Those who are interesting in learning about the true state of Social Security’s financial health can find out by looking at the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office’s website.

Dean Baker

But It’s not journalism, it’s infotainment

For several days, it was made increasingly apparent that the Republican Party has nominated for vice-president a person who is manifestly unqualified to teach middle-school history. (Hint: the default answer, always, is, “Dred Scott v. Sanford, Katie.” The Civil War was, like, a bad thing.) And yet, through the entire run-up to the debate, it was argued by serious people who analyze serious politics and make a serious living doing it that Sarah Palin could reveal herself to be non-dim by putting on the correct puppet show for the media in her debate against Joe Biden. Make no mistake. That’s what the punditocracy was arguing. Give us a reason, please, not to have to write what we all know to be true, what has been self-evidently true to the entire country since you walked off the podium in St. Paul. No rational person can possibly believe that she got smarter, or better informed, or more curious in the time that elapsed between when she talked with Ms. Couric and last night’s debate. What we were being asked to judge was purely how well she had refined her performance skills in the interim. . . . Journalists should not be in the business of perception-is-reality. It is our job to hammer the reality until the perception conforms to it.

Charles Pierce

Why can’t the mainstream media get this right?

The Daily Howler tells what happened in five sentences.

In the summer of 2005, Congress directed Alaska to build the bridge using federal funds. After Hurricane Katrina hit in September, this use of federal funds turned into a political firestorm. In November 2005, Congress rescinded its order—but Alaska was allowed to keep the federal money that had been earmarked for the bridge; the money could now be used for any purpose the state saw fit. One year later, in her campaign for governor, Palin said she still favored building the bridge. She finally dropped the idea in September 2007—specifically saying that Congress wouldn’t give the state any more money for the project.

BEFORE Palin became governor Congress had dropped the bridge, but not the money. During her 2006 campaign and at first in 2007 while governor, she SUPPORTED the bridge. Two years after Congress had abandoned the bridge, Governor Palin abandoned it because the state would have to pay for it.

She never told Congress “Thanks, but no thanks.” That’s a lie.

What does the lie say about the person telling the lie

Reporters don’t have to play along with this nonsense.  They can refuse to report the McCain camp’s false attacks.  Or they can use their coverage to make clear that this is the latest in a long line of false smears from McCain, and indicative of the kind of campaign he is running, rather than pretending there is some open question about whether Obama called Sarah Palin a pig, or behaving as though the important question is “will the attack work” rather than “what does the lie say about the person telling the lie.”

County Fair

Never been a Charles Barkley fan until now

WOLF BLITZER: If Obama has his way, you would spend another $701,885 in taxes. $700,000 above and beyond – you pay a lot of taxes right now if you’re making millions of dollars a year as you are. How do you feel about that?

CHARLES BARKLEY: Well, I think that if you’re rich — I thank God I’ve been very successful — if you’re rich, you’re always going to be rich. If we pay more in taxes, I got no problem with that. If you’re making that kind of money, a couple hundred thousand dollars here or there are not going to change your life.

Let’s be realistic. I’ve been very fortunate and blessed. I did a great job of saving my money. But I got no problem if I’m making that type of money, paying more in taxes to be honest with you.

No news would be good news

According to Altercation, yesterday CNN analyzed the tax changes proposed by McCain and Obama. Here’s the four wage brackets they used:

Over $2.9 million
$603,000 and up
$227,000-$603,000
$161,000-$227,000

Notice anything missing?

[Answer: The 95% of Americans who earn less than $161,000.]

Big Sky Governor

While the talking heads on TV were yammering on last night that the Democrats weren’t criticizing McCain enough, Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana was at the podium doing a pretty good job of just that. This should have been the keynote speech.

By the way, CSPAN carries the convention from gavel to gavel with the focus on the speakers, not the know-it-alls in the network booths. I even watched the closing prayer.

I can’t tell for sure, but I think Governor Schweitzer is wearing the mountain states dress up uniform — sports jacket and Levis.

Hillary Clinton speaks at convention. The press concocts a story

From a useful look at past conventions by Eric Boehlert:

Many in the press have portrayed Clinton’s planned convention address, as well as the fact that her name is being placed into nomination, as an unprecedented, heavy-handed power grab.

Fact: It’s not. In years past, Democratic candidates who won lots of primaries and accumulated hundreds of delegates (sorry, Howard Dean and Bill Bradley) have always been allowed to address the convention and very often place their name into nomination. It’s the norm. It’s expected. It’s a formality.

Forever clueless

Wolf Blitzer on CNN, Sunday: “You’re looking at live pictures of the Pepsi Center here in Denver, Colorado. Normally, the Denver Nuggets would be playing basketball here. Not this week. The Democrats — they have their convention inside. We’re inside.” [Note to Wolf: the NBA season begins October 28.]

Found at Altercation, where it is pointed out that the NHL Colorado Avalanche also plays in the Pepsi Center, but no one has mentioned them. The Avalanche has been the far more successful franchise (two Stanley Cups since 1995).

Live, Local, Meaningless

First posted here two years ago, but more true every day.

Some 40 years ago in Tucson NewMexiKen lived across the street from a small supermarket. At the rear of the store they parked a large, flatbed trailer with a wire cage on it. As they stocked the store’s shelves they’d toss the empty cardboard boxes into the cage. Once-in-awhile someone would come by, drop off a new trailer and haul the full one away.

One afternoon around three the boxes caught fire. It was a pretty spectacular bonfire for about five minutes and during that brief time a local news guy happened by (he must have had a scanner to hear the fire call). He took a few seconds of film. We laughed, but sure enough that night on the news there was film of cardboard boxes in flame. If I remember right, it was the lead story.

It wouldn’t happen that way anymore. Oh, TV news would still cover a cardboard box fire, but here’s what we’d see.

A news crew would show up, more than likely after the fire was out. They’d videotape a few seconds of fire engine lights flashing, a firehose leaking, and a soggy, charred mess of cardboard. They’d interview a guy in a tank top, who’d say it was the biggest box fire he’d ever seen.

Then, at 10PM, they wouldn’t just use the video like Channel 13 in Tucson did all those years ago. No, they’d send a reporter and van out to the now deserted store, hours after the fire. The reporter would stand in front of a now even soggier mess and introduce the seven hour old video.

Live, local, late breaking.

If you don’t believe me, I just saw a live shot of an empty trash container tipped over by flooding earlier today.

Cokie Roberts, so elite both of her parents were congress persons

… but still not afraid to suggest that Barack Obama go to some godawful resort to look more American, rather than to Hawaii TO VISIT HIS GRANDMOTHER and his sister and her family. As reported by digby:

“Cokie Roberts said today that Obama shouldn’t be going on vacation anywhere that has the ‘look of a foreign exotic place’ and should go to Myrtle Beach instead.”

Several other pundits have made this observation — some no doubt phoning it in from their vacation homes on Martha’s Vinyard or in The Hamptons. What a bunch of jerks.

First best line of the day

“When a Republican candidate makes a verbal gaffe, it’s a ‘misstatement’ and nothing to get upset about. When a Democratic candidate makes a verbal gaffe, it’s a ‘serious blunder that has jeopardized the campaign by alienating independents.'”

Cheers and Jeers

And this:

“John Edwards gets hammered for owning one expensive house and getting a $400 haircut. John McCain gets a free pass for owning eight-to-ten expensive houses and wearing $520 loafers.”

Best Pierce line of the day

“On stories like these, I am reminded of a friend from Belfast who once, while walking in Boston, was confronted by a man who said, ‘Give me your wallet. I have a gun.’ My friend replied, ‘Sir, where I come from, if you have a gun, you produce it,’ and then went on his way. It is insupportable as journalism to write as fact that which you merely suspect, regardless of how many other people suspect it, too.”

Altercation