Augusta National: More "Fair & Balanced," Today Show Style. Couric Interviews Two Critics of Club

The Today Show

[governsleastgovernsbest]

On the eve of the Masters Tournament, Katie Couric just finished a segment on the controversy surrounding the male-only membership of Augusta National, the host of the Masters.

Immediately preceding the interview, The Today Show cunningly positioned a segment focused on women in combat in Iraq, including an extended interview with a woman pilot of a Chinook helicopter.

The obvious message: "women are willing to fight and die for their country overseas, but back home are denied access to Augusta." Boo-hoo. How about all those men at war who couldn't have attended Hillary's alma mater, Wellesley, and similar institutions?

In any case, Katie had two guests. One of course was Martha Burk, the head of the women's organization that initiated the fight against Augusta.

Also present was Sports Illustrated golf writer Alan Shipnuck. You might have thought he was there to provide balance by defending Augusta. Silly you!

Burk led off. Her tactic was obvious. Try to shame and put pressure on as many members of Augusta as possible who are executives with large public corporations.

She ticked off the names of numerous executives, including one from GE (NBC's parent company); Westinghouse (CBS parent company); Sandy Weill of Citigroup; Bill Gates of Microsoft and others.

Katie then asked: why was this an important issue? Again, Burk stressed the corporate connection: "Augusta is a hall of power, it's the Fortune 500." Katie "helpfully" suggested: "so it's a place for wheeling and dealing, business deals, climbing the corporate ladder?"

Then it was Shipnuck's turn. Anyone expecting a spirited defense of Augusta would have been sorely disappointed.

He did briefly describe the club's view: Augusta wants to be able to choose its members and they have constitutionally protected rights.

But Shipnuck did not in any way endorse the club's position.

To the contrary, he said that "change is inevitable, and that Martha in some ways is fighting the good fight."

Then Shipnuck moved to some conservative bashing. Kaite asked "are you suprised Tiger hasn't come out against Augusta?"

Shipnuck's answer: "the PGA is very conservative. Recently the Ryder Cup team didn't want to visit Clinton because of his tax policies. Tiger played the race card when convenient but now he runs away. The Tour actually would be happy if Augusta changed its policy because this issue has given a black eye to golf."

[governsleastgovernsbest]

All in all, another disgraceful example of The Today's Show lack of fairness and balance. They could have invited a constitutional scholar to make an argument that would have left Martha Burk mumbling in her soup.

Instead, as "balance," The Today Show chose a callow reporter who wound up being more sympathetic with Martha Burk than with Augusta!

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[ktupper]

Katie "helpfully" suggested: "so it's a place for wheeling and dealing, business deals, climbing the corporate ladder?"

What a joke. At Augusta you're at the top of the corporate ladder. No climbing is necessary.

These people are clueless as to the history of golf, Augusta, and its constitutional rights.

[trebb]

Tiger played the race card when convenient but now he runs away.

When has Tiger ever played the race card? He has taken great pains to set an example, but not be exploited by those who would have him become a Black activist.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

the PGA is very conservative. Recently the Ryder Cup team didn't want to visit Clinton because of his tax policies.

I'd call this a blatant distortion by Shipnuck. In explaining why the Ryder Cup players didn't want to visit Clinton, Shipnuck chose an issue, tax policy, that would cast the players in the worst light, making them look like a bunch of greedy millionaires. I have no doubt that if you asked the players, their objections to Clinton were much more fundamental than that. The Ryder Cup captain was Ben Crenshaw, a close personal friend of Pres. Bush. The players chose to invite Pres. Bush (Gov. Bush at the time) to address them on the eve of play. I'm sure he didn't spend any time talking about tax policy!

[Hacksaw]

More balance reporting from the "affable Eva Braun", the Jerky Katie Couric.

[OpusatFR]

"To the contrary, he said that "change is inevitable, and that Martha in some ways is fighting the good fight."

Burk and Couric and the rest of the harpies have this notion that unless they are on the back nine they are shut out of corporate decisions and back-patting.

I don't know. People I know just wanna play and not shop talk. I still see this as some elitist woman's ploy who has too much time on her hands. Burk should go back to espousing her idea that all men must be sterilized at puberty. At least she wasn't covering her agenda then...

[governsleastgovernsbest]

ping

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Burk should go back to espousing her idea that all men must be sterilized at puberty.

For those who think OpusatFR might have been kidding, Burk did in fact advocate just that. Imagine if a man on the other side of the issue had made an analgous suggestion. He would have been discredited for all time, and every interview would have begun with a rehashing of his statement.

[daddypatriot]

Thankfully, I missed Couric's staged attack on Augusta National (I never watch anything but the Fox network). I live about 30 minutes from the National front gate and it has long been my policy to stay off that road during Masters week. Shipnuck, by the way, is an example of the poverty that exists in the American education system. He once wrote a piece on the National where he used the phrase "Me and the rest of the guys walked over to the 10th tee .... " My fourth grade English teacher would have made him go and stand in a corner (I had property rights to that part of the room during my early years) for using that kind of language. But what else can you expect from an educational system that is being eroded to the point where we now have the uneducated tutoring the illiterate. By the way, the few times I have seen Couric she looks like someone in bad need of an all-over bath, or she suffers from a skin condition that makeup cannot hide.

[sarasota]

Years on the tanning bed have taken their toll on this leftist cheerleader.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

As an avid golf fan and player, I've read much of Shipnuck's work. He is without doubt the most snide, puerile, not to say snot-nosed of golf writers. He was the object of significant criticism recently for his book "Bud, Sweat and Tees," which was a biography of Rich Beem, the very free-spirited guy who won last year's PGA Championship.

Beem claims that Shipnuck had promised him a share of the profits, but hadn't delivered. There's no doubt that Shipnuck is among the very least like reporters among the players, and it's telling that Today chose him ostensibly to represent Augusta's side of the story.

[Semper Paratus]

Today doesn't want to dwell on the embarassing "We love George Bush" scenes from the 'arab street'.

[gridlock]

I'm willing to make an accomodation with the Leftists.

We'll take over the World, and they can protest in front of Augusta National during Masters Week.

Fair enough?

[freekitty]

Harpies is right.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

It's a deal, so long as they agree to:

1. stay at their designated area, 1/2 mile from the main gate; and
2. maintain a minimum two-bag face cover at all times; three bags when small children are within a 250-yard radius.

[an amused spectator]

Exhibit A in my case that the left-leaning media gives millions of dollars in free advertising to their Leftist pals.

This is nothing more than a political donation to Martha Burk from Kute Katie Kommie and NBC.