Posted on 09/06/2009 12:38:48 PM PDT by rvoitier
For some reason the usual link isn't working so Mark Steyn's post is below.
Speaking of The New York Times, Jonah, in my weekend column I noted my rare appearance in its august pages (well, okay, September pages):
Mark Steyn, a Canadian author and political commentator, speaking on the Rush Limbaugh show on Wednesday, accused Mr. Obama of trying to create a cult of personality, comparing him to Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader.
Tim Blair, the great Australian wag, has a round-up of those hardworking types at other publications whose concept of journalism begins and ends with seeing what's in The New York Times and passing it on. Tim missed a few, like The Sacramento Bee:
On Wednesday, Canadian-born writer Mark Steyn said on Rush Limbaugh's nationally broadcast radio show that Obama's ambitions to create a "cult of personality" were similar to those of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il or former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein.
And The Las Vegas Sun:
The New York Times quoted Mark Steyn, filling in for conservative radio demagogue Rush Limbaugh, as saying Obama was trying to create a cult of personality like Saddam Hussein or North Korea’s Kim Jong Il.
"Quoted", eh? Actually, if you read the Times piece - by two reporters, no less - the striking feature is that there's no direct quote, is there? Not to worry. It's even been picked up overseas. Lara Marlowe in Ireland's newspaper of record, The Irish Times:
First prize for lunacy goes to Canadian commentator Mark Steyn, who accuses Obama of trying to establish a “personality cult” like Saddam Hussein or North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
And first prize for laziness goes to Irish commentator Lara Marlowe. For the record, here's the only thing I actually said about Kim and Saddam on Wednesday's Rush show:
Obviously we’re not talking about the cult of personality on the kind of Saddam Hussein/Kim Jong-Il scale.
It shouldn't be that difficult for Ms Marlowe and the stenographers of The Las Vegas Sun, Chicago Tibune et al. The Times helpfully enclosed a link to George Soros' website and the relevant bit of audio lasts all of 54 seconds, so it wouldn't cut unduly into Ms Marlowe's and Tim Wiegand's valuable time for original research.
As I understand it, what we're supposed to miss about US newspapers will be the "layers of fact-checking" and rigorous editing. In reality, a significant percentage of American newspapering is little more than provincial wannabes doing New York Times karaoke - which might have made more sense before young Sulzberger drove his paper to junk stock and into the arms of its unlikely Mexican benefactor. Meanwhile, tens of millions of real people hear Rush's show, but any similarity between the audio and the version that appears in the "newspaper of record" is entirely coincidental.
As for my former colleague in Dublin, too many overseas "bureaus" in Washington boil down to paying someone to relocate halfway round the world, sit in an office at the National Press Building and transcribe The New York Times and Wolf Blitzer's "Situation Room" all day long. An expensive business model.
Still, look on the bright side: My non-quote got more MSM coverage than Van Jones! Gotta know your priorities.
repeat but it’s still good.
Good for Mark Steyn. The msm deserves all the bashing it can get.
That's the MSM for you...miss the big story while inaccurately covering the small. And they wonder why they are losing business in droves. I guess the societal vampires don't have any mirrors about.
I loved the coverage gave to the “week long controversy” about Van Jones. Not one of them touched it until he quit. People who rely on MSM didn’t even know there was a controversy. Of course the MSM still didn’t report the real reasons he had to go.
Gee wonder why their losing viewers and readers
I am honored and privileged to have heard Mark this week on the radio.
You've got to love the Washington Post's coverage. The first story they ran on the Van Jones controversy was yesterday, with the chutzpah-rich headline "White House Says Little About Embattled Jones." Ah yes, that mute-mouthed White House has said so little about a story we at the Post haven't bothered to cover until this story about how close-lipped the White House is.
Today the Post reports in its lede:
White House environmental adviser Van Jones resigned late Saturday after weeks of pressure from the right over his past activism.
Weeks of pressure that you, dear Post readers, never heard about in weeks of reading this newspaper.
Mickey's getting closer to his dream: "I've been waiting for the day when a prominent pol resigns and for print MSM readers it appears to be out-of-the-blue...."
I wonder...Do you suppose Crap Matthews or Creep OlberButtmunch has ever seen this:
‘Obama-Cult of Personality’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITRPsCtqB9o
>Bo)
"Obama is trying to create a cult of personality like Saddam Hussein or North Korea’s Kim Jong Il."
The saddest part of this business is that Mark is right, zero is trying to create a personality cult, has even begun one in fact. That is precisely what this address to children is all about. What’s worse is that all these impressionable young minds are already pre-disposed to believe this crap, thanks to 40 yrs. of tireless effort from the NEA. Brainwashing on a scale that almost defies belief. So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that a bunch of these msm types were indoctrinated in pretty much exactly the same way. In their collective minds, they are doing their job properly when they ignore facts, distort research and make things up out of thin air if it fits the political climate they wish to facilitate. And, if trends with zeros’ popularity continue the way they are, they will do what they can to distract attention away from any real scandals by ignoring them, changing the context or commenting on the commenting on them. I don’t think it will be too long into september before some nitwit from the cbc or the msm start screaming the words revolution and rebellion. I can’t wait to read the first “exclusive report from behind enemy lines”, (from the wilds of western N.C.), that details rape, mass murder and incidents of canniblism. After several days of media angst and bloviated hyperbole, some details will trickle out of the combat zone, namely, that the rape was a 13 year old babette doing the nasty with her 16 year old boyfriend, the alledged mass murder was a four car pileup on the interstate, and the purported canniblism was a very rare steak. Just use the same standard with the msms’ as you would with pols, don’t believe a word.
Obama won an election on the cult of personality created by the media. Now he is trying to keep it alive and it is fading fast. Americans are not so into cults and dear leaders.
LOL! If Obama is qualified to be President of the USA ...
then so is Mark Steyn! Run Mark Run!
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