Posted on 11/08/2004 3:38:21 AM PST by pjsbro
Mainstream journalists did a poor job of addressing issues that the electorate really cared about, like Social Security, and instead allowed President Bush's focus on "values" dominate their coverage, CNN anchor Lou Dobbs said at a journalism conference at the Kimmel Center Saturday.
"Most of us thought the campaign was about moral issues, but as journalists we failed to understand that it wasn't," he said, adding, "I've never seen the national media be more accepting of the word of politicians and the government. We allowed candidates and parties to set the agenda ... and failed to cover important issues."
Dobbs' critical tone reflected the general mood at the 12th-annual New York Press Club's Conference on Journalism, at which the "Lou Dobbs Tonight" host was the featured speaker. While the media luminaries who gathered in the Rosenthal Pavilion Saturday morning were supposed to discuss the overall state of the U.S. media, most couldn't help but dissect coverage of the 2004 campaign.
Newsweek's Jonathan Alter contended that "a fact-based media is in retreat from coverage that shows a distinct sense of right and wrong."
"You have to address media that puts political partisanship in front of facts," he said during a discussion titled "Assessing Presidential Election Coverage."
Yet James Pinkerton, a Newsday writer and contributor to the Fox News Channel, argued that the quality of news reporting is not always as important as the quantity. Addressing the role of blogs in covering the campaign, Pinkerton and Fox News Channel's Eric Burns argued that blogs served a "fact-checking function" for the mainstream media, whether or not they always posted accurate information.
The panel discussion was one of four at the conference, which began with a speech by NYU President John Sexton about the struggles of the modern-day media.
"The press will be a determining factor in the workability of civil society in a democratic system," Sexton said. "It is necessary for the media to work against the shrinking attention span of the American public."
During a discussion titled "Terror Threat: Preparedness and Intelligence in New York City," the New York Post's Murray Weiss questioned how Bush was able to rally citizens from relatively "safe" states like Ohio around the issue of terrorism.
"It may be that the result of media coverage makes people in Ohio more nervous," New York Times reporter Ben Weiser said.
Myron Kandel of CNN and Burns joined Daniel Okrent, public editor of The New York Times, for a discussion of media conglomeration just before Dobbs' speech.
Burns said he found the increasing corporate monopolization of the major media outlets troubling, but suggested that new technologies added new voices to the news.
"There are more independent voices than ever, in part due to the Internet," he said. "They do not have the power of established media, but they serve as checks and balances."
Okrent also praised smaller-scale media outlets.
"As you reach a larger audience," he said, "the refinement goes down."
Bump!
Aren't they pretty much tied up these days chasing some "Bush stole the election" mirage? I hope so - that may keep 'em busy for the next several years. And such busy work will distract them from re-grouping and/or moving forward from negativity.
This is the only profession that I know of that gives itself a periodic anal exam--declares itself perfectly healthy and continues what it is doing. The ailing media blames everyone and every thing other then themselves for losing their audience. I hope they keep going in the direction that they are going. The end is very near.
Translation: We allowed Bush to be reelected, now how can we keep this from happening next time.
I agree. I used to respect Lou Dobbs, and he used to be the one show on CNN I watched, but he's now going down the drain with the rest of that miserable little network.
"...and failed to cover important issues."
Now THAT'S the truth (important issues like like Kerry meeting with terrorists, like crazy Teresa wanting to be First Lady, like Breck Girl's millions being "earned" through lawsuits against doctors, like Kerry's dismal record for twenty years in the Senate, like the lies and flip-flops that came out of his mouth daily...). You failed to cover VERY important issues.
Thank you MSM...Keep up the good work. Nothing makes America more Pi$$ed of than knowing we are being lied to.
"It may be that the result of media coverage makes people in Ohio more nervous," New York Times reporter Ben Weiser said.
Or...it may be that folks in Ohio realize that terrorism in Manhattan/LA/DC is bad for everybody because they know how the country works, or are members of the investor class, or maybe just people who care about other people.
Oh, it's a circular something or other. :P
"We allowed candidates and parties to set the agenda"
Oh so it's the media's job to "make" the candidates campaign about what the media wants? What arrogance!
they like low taxes and dead terrorists!!!!
Well, at least one of the parties . . .The big lie is that journalism is or even should be objective. Journalism is politics, and anyone who thinks different is a sucker.
'Course that opens up the question of why CBS et al deserve to have FCC licenses while we-the-people deserve to be thrown in jail if we do what the broadcasters do. Sorry, that question I have no answer for. They just do, that's all. You wouldn't understand . . . just move on.
Why Broadcast Journalism is
Unnecessary and Illegitimate
You nailed it! They are praying...oops I mean hoping that they can spin this thing back in their direction.
Back when I was in the Persian Gulf for Desert Storm, we used to say CNN stands for: Communist News Network...'nuff said!
Mr. Dobbs and the Mainstream Media bought into the steaming pile of excrement from the Clinton administration that values and character don't matter. It was Mr. Clintons legacy and the ash heap that will collect many media careers.
Sorry, Lou. That dog won't hunt!
Hm. Your formulation does get to the point, doesn't it.
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