Thanks for the info!
Posted on 10/14/2005 4:50:52 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
October 14, 2005 - 07:10.
In a deliciously ironic twist of fate, shortly before airing a segment aimed at embarrassing the Bush administration by suggesting that it had staged a video conversation between the president and soldiers in Iraq, the Today show was caught in staging . . . a video stunt.
In the Bush/Iraq segment, Today screened footage indicating that prior to engaging in a video conversation with President Bush, soldiers on the ground in Iraq were given tips by a Department of Defense official.
But the only advice that the official was shown as giving was a suggestion to one solider to "take a little breath" before speaking to the president so he would actually be speaking to him. It was also stated that some of the soldiers practiced their comments so as to appear as articulate as possible. But there was no indication, or even allegation, that the soldiers were coached as to the substance of their comments or in any way instructed what to say.
Today's timing couldn't have been worse. A preceding segment focused on the incessant rains and ensuing flooding in the northeast. For days now, beautiful, blonde - and one senses highly ambitious - young reporter Michelle Kosinski has been on the scene for Today in New Jersey, working the story. In an apparent effort to draw attention to herself, in yesterday's segment she turned up in hip waders, standing thigh-deep in the flood waters.
Taking her act one step further, this morning she appeared on a suburban street . . . paddling a canoe. There was one small problem. Just as the segment came on the air, two men waded in front of Kosinki . . . and the water barely covered their shoe tops! That's right, Kosinski's canoe was in no more than 4-6 inches of water!
An embarrassed Kosinski claimed the water was deeper down the street but that her producers didn't want to let her go there for fear she'd drift away. But Katie and Matt, perhaps peeved by her attempted scene-stealing, couldn't resist ribbing her.
Matt: "Are these holy men, perhaps walking on top of the water?"
"Gee, is your oar hitting ground, Michelle?" inquired Katie, as she and Matt dissolved into laughter.
Moral of the story: people in canoes in four inches of water shouldn't throw video-stunt stones.
Finkelstein has degrees from Cornell University and Harvard Law School.He lives in Ithaca, NY where he hosts "Right Angle," a local political talk show. Finkelstein specializes in exposing liberal bias at NBC's Today Show.
For whatever reason, the Today show continues to enjoy the largest audience among the morning network shows with an average of over 6 million daily viewers. For that reason I believe it's worthwhile keeping track of their doings.
Hey, it's tough to navigate a canoe ... when you face the chance of running aground!
I'll add Michelle to my list of goofballs that dont deserve my attention...
Thanks for the heads up.
"...Hilarious!
I hope someone snags a screen capture....Hilarious!..."
Did she crossed paths with Looter Guy.
crossed = cross
Sorry about that. Someone should, and probably will do a Photoshop job of her and Looter Guy.
KUDOS... and congrats on Rush reading your article on his show.
:)
Many thanks! Now, if only Rush had cited me or NewsBusters . . .
However, to compound matters, MK then turns the canoe and paddles through the frame while constantly yapping. The momentum carries her far OFFSCREEN -- which in network news is fubar. Kept blabbering the whole time. The whole episode won't go down well for MK with the powers-that-be at NBC.
I did catch that, and was astounded that after the fiasco of the first half hour, Today would again show her out there in the canoe. I have a feeling that she knew how badly her reputation had been damaged by the first segment, and lobbied hard to be allowed out again to "prove" how deep the water really was.
But as you pointed out, that guy walking in the background in water barely up to his ankles gave the game away again. Priceless!
Wondering how bad her career is hurt by this?
And as usual with a chronic bitch, she waited until the end. After Lauer had savaged MK, and they had dropped the remote feed, Couric said under her breath, "The best laid plans of mice and men...".
MEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
I was watching when it aired the first time. It looked dark and deep till the two guys showed up. The first thing I thought was dang, how tall are these guys?
Then my eyes travelled down to their feet which were barely ankle deep about the time they crossed the middle of the screen. By the time the were moving off to my right I was sputtering out loud because the water was not even covering the tops of their boots.
I was already half PO'ed from watching another of Couric's transparent slams on Bush, re: coached soldiers that didn't include any coaching video.
Well, needless to say this maroon now had my full attention (I keep a TV on while working on the PC in case AQ tries something new) and the next words out of her mouth were, 'What's really scary about this water is how fast it's moving".
This, as she stops paddling and grinds to a complete halt on the mirror smooth surface.
That was it for me, I hit the power button and let the terrorists have whatever they could take.
And as usual with a chronic bitch, she waited until the end. After Lauer had savaged MK, and they had dropped the remote feed, Couric said under her breath, "The best laid plans of mice and men...".
MEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
Maybe cutiepie has a chronic itch.
Here's the point. The soldiers sounded WAYYYYY TOO ARTICULATE to fit the charicature that the news media wants to portray them as. Where are the foul-mouthed gun-toting rock 'n rollers that we saw in the Michael Moore movies?
Could it just be that the soldiers on camera were actually intelligent warriors who were eager to sound polished in front of their Commander in Chief?
This reminds me of the stunt outside the Astrodome where person after person was grateful and thankful for the assistance, in spite of media chiding.
It really makes the media look stupid, when they try to portray everyone else as a drooling idiot. Guess what guys... your elitism is backfiring.
Can anyone in America think of a major news personality that's "just like me"? Is there any major news anchor (save Brit Hume) that you'd enjoy having dinner at your own dining room table with, without feeling uncomfortable?
The media is so out of touch with real people and reality in general. They're living in make believe and they're the ones that are making everything up. Most news these days is INVENTED by polls. Or its incited, by terrorist-sympathizing news organizations who broadcast Abu Graib to the tune of a dozen or so beheadings.
They are sick. All of their narciscistic BS is blowing up in their faces.
Imus even showed it!!! It was hillarious!! She wasn't even emarrassed when they walked right in front of her canoe...she didn't skip a beat!
I was struck by that too - her determination, that is, not the canoe ;-)
But seriously, it adds to my image of her as a super-ambitious ladder-climber determined not to be stopped by any little road bumps along the way, such as proof that she's an unethical fraud!
Water girl wasn't fazed at all by the men walking in front of her canoe!! That's what made it so hysterical! She was in a "Who ya gonna believe...me or your lyin' eyes"? kind of situation!!!
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