Posted on 04/22/2012 2:36:22 PM PDT by presidio9
One of the unfortunate realities of writing about television news is a wholesale dependence on anonymous sources. In conflict with their stated mission of bringing daylight to opaque American institutions, news networks generally dont let their folks speak freely about their workplaces.
And so we dont know much about the people who helped Michael Hastings construct a delicious little hit piece on Chelsea Clinton for BuzzFeed. Network executives lamented her wan presence in interviews. One senior staffer predicted shed be terrible on the small screen. One NBC news staffer signaled that theres resentment over Clintons hiring and the privileges that Hastings documents, again via nameless sources.
All juicy, crunchy, salty morsels. The Clinton-NBC team-up furnishes just so much stuff to play with, and Hastings in this piece delivers details about town cars, live shots and other 30 Rock titillatia. Good on Hastings for rounding up some outraged NBCers.
Yet too bad all these anonymous sources are also shallow and mean creatures. Thats the revelation that hits us when we arrive at this particular passage of the Hastings piece:
Almost everyone I spoke to for this storyfrom within NBC and at other networks as wellagree that that problem is that she wont talk about the one thing that makes her undeniably compelling. How did it feel to be Chelsea Clinton during the Monica years?
Spoken like true TV newspeople: Theres nothing that a little invasion of privacy wont remedy!
To be fair to an unfair argument, Hastings and his sources are saying that Clintons puff pieces on do-gooders dont make for great TV; shes not a real reporter, ,
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Thanks for posting both articles - I enjoyed reading them.
The original piece was kinda dumb because the author assumed that Chelsea would be fascinating talking about Monica Lewinsky. And yet it’s clear from the entire article that she’s the most boring person in the world; something we here at FR knew for years. Why would she suddenly become interesting on this subject?
Like Caroline Kennedy, she’s been a sheltered little pet her whole life. That doesn’t make for strong, interesting personalities.
monica lewinsky is someone’s daughter, too. was she about chelsea’s age when her fame began?
And a disgusting specimen of a father, Dr. Bernard Lewinsky, was angry at Ken Starr, not the man who defiled his daughter and created the noun “Lewinsky.”
Unlike Kennedy, however, the msm has been complicit in groooming Clinton for bigger things since she was a teenager. As we speak, my atrocious Congresswoman (Nita Lowey) has made it one of the worst-kept secrets that her retiremant plans are on hold while she keeps the seat warm. The TV gig is necessary for seasoning, but Chelsea will be in the House by the end of the decade. After that she will replace one of NYs two Democrat Senators. Here in NY, she can probably accomplish both by reading a dozen or so speeches (someone else wrote) off a teleprompter.
I have an apartment in NYC so I know what you’re talking about! I moved my main residence to NJ primarily because Hillary barged into NY. Then I had to put up with Jon Corzine.
Nita Lowey is a complete moron! She deserves whatever is coming to her. I hope she has to put her retirement plans on hold until Chelsea gets her first facelift.
My point about Caroline is that she, too, is an enormously dull individual. For some reason the MSM decided to throw her under the bus when she demanded to be appointed a NY senator.
I’m also not a fan of that Bush girl (Jenna?) who has a tv gig.
I'd think the most compelling question would be, "Who's yer daddy?"
you know what? I'm probably the only American alive at that time who refuses to be instructed in the sick details of that episode from hell.
BTW: the article you've linked to seems to have been removed from being categorized under the 'blogging' label.
Initially, the msms LIKED the idea of another useless Senator Kennedy. The closed ranks and defended her enthusiastically. They were forced to give up on their own stupidity when it came out that Kennedy hadn't even bothered to VOTE in over half the elections of her adult lifetime. You can bet your house that Chelsea hasn't missed a voting booth since she got home from Oxford.
Hah! I couldn’t remember all the details of Little Miss Kennedy’s major flop in US politics. Thanks for reminding me!
In my 13 years here on FR, that would be the first time I've ever witnessed a mod admitting it had made a mistake.
That’s the whole reason behind Chelsea’s TV gig at NBC. Caroline Kennedy’s Senate bid fell apart when she couldn’t muster a single coherent response to softball questions from a friendly interviewer. Sorta like Uncle Teddy’s infamous 1980 meltdown with Roger Mudd. And at least Teddy had an excuse—he was probably loaded at the time.
Chelsea’s stint with NBC News is aimed at giving her the “media skills” required to run for public office. But she’s as dull as dishwater and about as bright as a broken lightbulb. Unfortunately, she’ll win election in New York; in a competitive state, she’d get creamed.
One more note: after Chelsea’s stint at NBC, she will quietly divorce her layabout husband. Not exactly the kind of spouse she needs in politics, and he’s bound to get caught in a sex or drinking scandal in the near future. Hell. the Clintons will probably engineer the episode just to get rid of him.
There is a possibility she was relieved that her daddy had his eye on some other young girl. We know big daddy Bill was a big sleazy pervert but we don’t know how big and sleazy.
It's a verb.
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