Posted on 07/09/2007 7:12:32 AM PDT by hardback
To those of you who roll your eyes and groan when you hear people go on and on about the biased news media that injects its personal opinions into news stories and peppers them with assumptions that the writer more than “critics say” seems to hold, roll your eyes no longer.
The New York Times has a piece that makes you conclude: somewhere at that (once stellar) newspaper, an editor was asleep at the switch:
AS the election of 2008 approaches with its cast of contenders who bring unprecedented diversity to the quest for the White House, the voting public has been called on to ponder several questions: Is America ready for a woman to be president? What about a black man? A Mormon?
Now, with the possible candidacy of Fred D. Thompson, the grandfatherly actor and former Republican senator from Tennessee, whose second wife is almost a quarter-century his junior, comes a less palatable inquiry that is spurring debate in Internet chat rooms, on cable television and on talk radio: Is America ready for a president with a trophy wife?
So the writer of the piece knows for A FACT that when Thompson married his present wife, she was picked as a “trophy?” There was no love involved? No relationship? No friendship? She didn’t share some of his values and dreams?
She KNOWS that he just simply pointed to her and said: “TROPHY! I’ve GOT to have HER to show people! See this younger woman! Stand up, honey! See this guys? OK, honey, you can sit down now!” MORE:
The question may seem sexist, even crass, but serious people — as well as Mr. Thompson’s supporters — have been wrestling with the public reaction to Jeri Kehn Thompson, whose youthfulness, permanent tan and bleached blond hair present a contrast to the 64-year-old man who hopes to win the hearts of the conservative core of the Republican party. Will the so-called values voters accept this union?
You can read more of this piece — and this article IS indeed a piece - yourself. We apologize for even linking to it.
But it’s an incredible example of a manufactured story that should be shown by journalism professors to students about lazy, assumption-filled journalism. If it had not appeared in the New York Times, it would not be an issue — and do you want to BET it won’t be a factor in the campaign?
The lead of this story about her being a 40-year old “trophy wife” is filled with such an insulting assumption that you wonder how it got into the newspaper, if it has editors who are doing their jobs and care about the Times’ once-legendary journalistic standards.
But then journalistic standards are being relaxed in these days of competition from tabloids, talk radio, blogs (where anything goes and goes quickly), Oprah — and a general relaxation and degradation of what Americans allow politicians and at times the press to inject into elections as “issues.”
We were getting sewage; now we’re getting sewage and sludge.
Nope. We’re not campaigning for Fred Thompson for President (or another candidate) on this site (we can just see the comments coming now about how we MUST be getting checks from Karl Rove). Thompson will get the same coverage on this site as any other candidate — there will be nice and not nice conclusions drawn about him, links to articles that like him and don’t like him.
But this Times story has a basic assumption that neither the writer or the editor could prove — one that should have been edited out from the lead of the story.
But if that had happened, then the story wouldn’t have GRABBED THE READER. And that’s what’s more important than showing accuracy and fairness, isn’t it?
UPDATE: Be sure to read Ed Morrissey (in full) who also notices this story, looks at it journalistically then adds:
Is this the level to which the New York Times will stoop for the rest of the political campaign? All it indicates to me is that Pinch Sulzberger and his staff seem very worried about a Thompson campaign, so worried that they have already started attacking Fred’s family rather than discuss his policy stands, contained in essays that he has published for months at Townhall and ABC. The caliber of these attacks show the quality of the opposition to Fred, and also give Fred some indirect credibility, as his opponents don’t appear to have confidence that they can beat him on the issues.
As we suggested above: this story would NEVER have made it into the Times 20, 10 or even 5 years ago.
COMING NEXT AT THE TIMES: The pain Fred Thompson’s dog suffered when he had him neutered (and Thompson picked a pedigree to impress voters..)
Follow The Rules, please...
NO problem with a horn dog as President. That’s been done already.
Nice find. Well said.
/S
Of course we are “wrong” to question if there is any love (of anything but power) in the Clinton relationship.
Hillary’s talk of not being “some little woman standing by my man” was false. She has stood by him for decades knowing he cheats on their marriage. But it isn’t cheating if both adults consider it an open marriage of convenience.
Hillary would not be a serious contender for President if she wasn’t Mrs. Bill Clinton.
jealousy sure looks ugly on the Libs
Georgette Mosbacher, a leading Republican fundraiser who dated Thompson after Morgan and remains a good friend, said he would defeat Clinton because of his appeal to “traditional women who will like the Southern gentleman in him”.
SNIP
Mosbacher is a friend of Jeri Kehn, Thompson’s second wife, whom he married in 2002. At 24 years his junior, Kehn has been described as a “trophy wife” but the former Republican consultant is as clever as she is vivacious, according to Mosbacher.
“Just because Jeri is fun and beautiful, one should not make the mistake of stereotyping her. She is not someone who seeks the limelight and will not be out front, but will be very supportive,” she said.
Joe Scarborough, a television presenter, was recently pilloried for wondering on air whether Thompson’s wife “works the pole”, although he later claimed that he had been referring jokily to the pole fitness craze rather than to stripping.
When she was dating Thompson, Kehn complained that she had to chase other women away. “They just won’t leave him alone,” she told a gossip columnist. “I can’t get up to get a cocktail at a party without coming back and finding some girl sitting in my chair.”
One of her rivals for his affection was Margaret Carlson, now a columnist for Bloomberg News, but she has also joined in the praise for Thompson. “He’s handsome, he’s charming, he sounds like a president,” Carlson gushed recently. “He’s smart, he’s articulate, he knows his line, he can hit his mark.”
Morgan blames herself rather than Thompson for the break-up of their “serious” relationship. Although she is a Republican, the country singer believes that she was too politically incorrect to suit the role of senator’s wife. “Country music is all about glamour and shine and politics is a little more reserved,” she said. “I felt I had to change my whole wardrobe.”
Thompson not only charmed her but also the women in her family. At the time, she had two young daughters who are now in their twenties. “My children thought the world of Fred and my mother thinks he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread,” Morgan said. “He has such charisma. He can go to a down-home Southern-fried chicken dinner and later that evening eat the best caviar and drink wine with an ambassador.”
She laughs at the thought that she could have become the first lady. “You know what?” she said. “The White House would never have been the same.”
Excerpt http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1977478.ece
The Slims must have seen that Rasmussen poll with Fred tied with Hillary at 45%.
LOL, the NYT bathhouse boys and their NAG Dim hack editors are jealous, obviously.
Unlike the Hillbilly Hoe Hopper, FDT's wife is worth looking at and listening to.
just curious... what does Scarborough’s wife look like?
What’s with the obsession with Fred Thompson’s wife?
Someone should take the time to thank (sarcasm) Joe Scarborough, also, for this smut. He has definitely gone to the dark side. Is he still on the air?
Plus Fred’s already had two small children with his 2nd wife, hardly something a man who needs a ‘trophy’ wife would do.
I want all of the crap on all of the candidates to include all of their family. Remember Teh-Ray-sa Heinz Kerry? She hurt Kerry nearly as much as he hurt himself.
Get it all out during the primaries so we can select the best candidate for the general. One part of that selection equation is the baggage than could drag a candidate down, skeletons in the closet, that kind of thing.
Lorrie Morgan has two daughters in their twenties????? She must have had them very young.
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