The Death of Edward R. Murrow
By Truthteller on April 14, 2009 at 11:00 PM in Current Affairs
The press’s mindless and sycophantic coverage of the First Family and the First Dog gamboling on the simulated verdure of the White House lawn as they each perform their respective roles in that foundational American fiction we call the heteronormative, patriarchal nuclear family located in “nature” prompted this incisive comment from ABC News’s Jake Tapper today:
Tapper weighs his words here. The press, according to him, is nothing more than a disorderly lot, a confused and noisy crowd, a group of drunken spectators; they are so much scrum who push and shove in order to consume the vacuous spectacle before them. For Tapper this heralds the death of investigative journalism, the end of the era of the intrepid reporter who risks credibility and career in order to pen the exposé that will once and for all uncover the power, corruption and lies surrounding the career politician. Duped by the choreographed pageantry, enamored with the glitter and the gleam secreted by David Axelrod’s cosmeticized politics, the press will not and cannot lift the hood and observe the arrangement and the operations of the greasy machinery hidden underneath. Surface sates these dolts’ curiosity.
They, their cameras and their microphones would rather fawn: they would rather passively record; they prefer not to interrogate; they desire to be idolators.
Indeed, they would rather disavow their constitutive role in the production of these insidious and utterly artificial tableaux. Besides, analyzing the dispositif, the elements comprising this elaborate political apparatus, apparently entails too much thought and effort. It also requires a bit of introspection.
Aloof and oblivious, transfixed by the theater on Axelrod’s stage, they have abdicated their erstwhile roles; they have allowed what was once the critical field of journalism to become so much textual and visual reification of a debased political ideology. Students of history members of the press are not.
Lest the press becomes yet another cog in the propagandistic machinery of the White House, let us hope the ghost of Edward R. Murrow will wake these drones from their politically induced slumber. Democracy depends on it.
And yes, Jake, I am embarrassed for you and your colleagues. Please ask them if they are satisfied with the prevailing wages for paid pamphleteers and political prostitutes in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Also ask if journalism school teaches reporters to treat political analysis as so much boilerplate fit for the tabloids.
But why relegate your criticism of the press corps to the margins of Twitter? Why not unpack these thoughts in an official news article? Or is Edward R. Murrow really dead?
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It looks like the First Family needs some lessons on managing the pooch. It is not just our politics; think of all the mindless moments with Britney, Angela Jolie, Madonna and the Hilton kid. Actually, the one good thing about the Obamas is that they are sucking up all the air in the media and there is not much left for the Hollywood types. I wonder if any of the movie, tv elite have thought about that fact—that they have been replaced.
jangles—great point!
That is a good point!
What is that thing on the leash – a polyester-covered Aibo?
Oh, come on. The pooch is adorable!
YECK!
ANything these creeps have is NOT adorable.
I know. I hit Google News and the headlines had words like “BO gets ROYAL welcome” and “BO has STAR QUALITY”
Way down the list of top stories was: (Bloomberg) — Oil fell for a third day as US crude stockpiles climbed amid signs of further economic weakness in the world’s biggest energy consumer.
I am so glad we have our priorities straight.
Since they have named the dog, BO, they will have to rewrite their headlines next time — we wouldn’t know if they are talking about the dog or..
This has been so much fun! Maybe next time we can elect a Korean or Filipino American (2nd generation, but still firmly attached to relatives from the old country), and we can do the “What kind of dog will the President get (eat)?” every week.
OMG Rob…LMAO.
Tapper’s comment about the vapidity of the White House press corps is on target, but his lack of self-awareness is tragically comical. He says this on TWITTER…the nadir of dumbing things down in order to participate in a meaningless fad.
What R U doing now, Jake? Not telling us where the stimulus money is ending up, or how much we’ll pay to borrow it, that’s for damn sure. But who cares? We can follow Tapper’s day minute-by-minute on Twitter, and be the first to know when he buys a coffee or goes to the bathroom. You want to know how mindless Tapper is? Gary Trudeau just finished a brilliant Doonesbury series eviscerating the navel-gazers in the press who spend their time Tweeting instead of reporting the news. Tapper has half a clue here, but he just doesn’t get how it might apply to him.
“Tweeting instead of reporting the news.”
All in plain sight.
I follow Jake on Twitter. His tweets are just random observations, and he reports very robustly on his blog and in his reports. He is one of the last standing who actually challenges the Gibbs-Axelrod-Emaneul troika. I wouldn’t diss him. He is a real reporter and I find him very credible. I find his tweets very informative, and they add context to his blog posts.
Excellent Truthteller. Your closing paragraph is very powerful. Hope Tapper reads it and maybe…send it to ‘his colleagues’..
Too bad I know the family in the second photo. Otherwise I would have found them cute.
heh. me too.
Does Jake Trapper really think he’s telling the American public something they don’t know? Is there not a parallel here–vapid and/or non-existent reporting to failing newspapers and traditional news outlets. Yet these guys act so shocked–”I’m shocked I tell you. Shocked.”
Well, no one else is.
And that’s why we’re not buying the schlock or watching TV news channels. Evan Thomas whined about dwindling resources and lack of time and personnel in doing in-depth candidate pieces [Obama], but they had all the money and manpower in the world to fly to Alaska and dumpster dive for weeks for scandalous and tabloid-type material.
Who are they kidding? Not the majority of the reading public. They’re all putting themselves out of business. Good Riddance!
Clearly NOT ONE member of that family has taken ANY lessons in properly handling a dog. The DOG HAS BEEN TRAINED, but none of the family has been.
It is a recipe for disaster and a reason why so many dogs end up in shelters.
I understand that they have never had a dog before, but they have not bothered to have ANY ONE of them take ANY lessons.
They treat the dog as if it’s just a fuzzy ornament, and are doing it a disservice by knowing FUCK NOTHING and not giving a damned enough to learn even a minimum.
The dog will end up handled by staff, and adopted out once there is no more White House staff to control and care for the energetic dog. Charley is NOT going to Chicago, and is NOT going to move to Hawaii (6 month quarantine) after the WH stint.
Speaking of shelters, I understand there were 14 Portuguese Waterdogs available for adoption (rescue) in the country…
But let’s look at the bright side. At least somebody in the family has a birth certificate.
Arf! Arf!
…and is, for this reason and more, infinitely more qualified to be residing at OUR White House.
Ya know…this would all be quite funny if it were not for the fact that it is the future of our Nation we’re talking about here…
It was apparent they don’t have a clue how to handle dogs. That’s why its always crazy to send a dog away for basic obedience training. Heck, that’s one of the great bonding opportunities and when you show them you’re the alpha. What happens when the trainer is no longer there and there is no one to lead? The dog runs amok. Another thing they don’t know about dogs is that this pup is 6 months old. Age 7 months is the most rambunctious, rebellious period in a pups life and is the age at which new dogs are often dumped in rescues.
As for this dog being anything other than a political gift from the Kennedys, they never had an intention of going to a shelter.
Just wait.
This long will not last long in the White House. Look for an excuse with the daughters allergies. This type of dog is too much dog for inexperienced and selfish people. Mark my words.
Nothing will ever replace Socks the cat.
Can’t wait until the first antique is destroyed in the White House by the
Harry and the HendersonsBo and the Obamas.Harry and the Hendersons? ROFLMAO.
The choreography is really too much. We heard about the agonizing decisions about choices and their hoping to get a rescue dog from a shelter if an appropriate breed could be found. Nobody mentions that the dog was bred months ago by Ted Kennedy’s breeder, Kennedy has the dog’s littermate and according to Hillbuzz, the dog’s actual name since birth is “New Hope”. Yea, it was all spontaneous and a coinky-dink dontcha know.
I was so surprised this weekend to see a little bit of tarnish on 0Zero in the NYT Magazine on Sunday.
Safire talked about “man-caused disaster” and Virginia Hefernan wrote about the You-Tube Presidency and how we are being completely manipulated by the White House and the Press. Her last paragraph:
You can find the whole article here: (it’s apropos Truthteller’s post and a really good read)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/magazine/12wwln-medium-t.html?_r=1
And Amy Goodman, of Democracy Now, was interviewed on KQED-FM’s Michael Krasney show this morning and talked about the problem with the press-as-lapdog–how they’re not covering the build up of troops in Afghanistan and not really covering the bailout etc
The NYT Magazine on Sunday had the temerity to begin questioning the White House.
Virginia Hefernan wrote about the You-Tube Presidency and how we are being completely manipulated by the White House and the Press. Her last paragraph:
You can find the whole article here: (it’s apropos Truthteller’s post and a really good read)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/magazine/12wwln-medium-t.html?_r=1
And Amy Goodman, of Democracy Now, was interviewed on KQED-FM’s Michael Krasney show this morning and talked about the problem with the press-as-lapdog
The press is 100% BS. Obots can’t look beyond color/their own racism to see that Obama has put forth the worst policies.
–le chat sauvage
The dog appears to be black and white. Should fit in quite nicely.
….this and the fact that he named the dog after himself. BO (Barack Obama).
lee12, i think the dog is cute. and we named our first dog using my dad’s initals.
but it is obama, so i can’t say much about that.
it does look like bo is running them rather than the other way. that is funny!
Indeed Tapper. We know why the Obama’s want to make fluff empty news, but how embarrassing for the suckers that seem to forget Barry will just as easily toss them under the bus too.
What’s up with Michelle in the first picture?
The dog is leading, Michele is following, the kids seem scared of the dog and BO acts like he’s never seen one before. I’ve never seen a more uncomfortable photo op in my life. The dog is the only one not nervous.
As a rule, I avoid ALL things Obama on tv. But, I couldn’t resist watching the First Pooch unveiling.
The sight of The Fraudulent One running Jerry Lewis style behind Bo was CLASSIC, and well worth the nausea that comes with watching him. What. A. Goof.
And Michelle better get a grip on how to walk a dog, or she’s going to end up with shin splints. (Yeah, as IF she’s ever going to walk him.)
Awkward and phony photo op, to say the least.
The press, and the adult Obamas SUCK.
Tapper is absolutely right. Cute puppy, but alas he’s destined to live the life of a “photo op.”
And what’s up with the name, Bo? They tell us that these young children were inspired by the blues singer Bo Diddley in naming the dog. Who believes that? Why lie about something as simple as the naming of a dog? Why not just admit that the kids named it Bo because it’s their Daddy’s initials. Of course, I’m sure the press would have had a field day if GWB named his dog Little Dubya or something, but please.
The story goes that the Obama girls’ grandaddy was nicknamed “Diddley”.
I wonder how long it’ll be before someone in the media mistakenly refers to the dog as a Portugese Waterboard?
Yes, and we’re supposed to believe that these children naturally made the connection to a 50’s and 60’s blues guitarist. Oh well.
I think they named it after Bo Derrick ( a passionate supporter). Portuguese Waterboard, ziggy? You are really funny.
Bo Derek is a Conservative Republican. She supported Bush Senior and appeared at both Republican Conventions with him. She also did the same thing for Bush Jr. She also supported McCain/Palin. Although I think more for Palin because she is a very Conservative Republican. Several of us here looked up the actors that were Republican during the primaries and what they were saying when all the dumb stuff was being said about Palin’s infant from various actors.
BTW I think he named the dog is named after himself. Bo. B.O. Barrack Obama.
That’s what I was saying.
The family says that named it in homor of Meechelle’s father, AKA “Diddley”, in honor of Bo Diddley.
>>> I’m sure the press would have had a field day if GWB named his dog Little Dubya
I named a part of my anatomy “L’il Dubya,” eight years ago.
Seemed more PC than “Little Elvis.”
roflmbo On that note I am going to bed. I can see from my last post I’m really with it right now. On top of that you just made me spit soda on my poor monitor.
Oh the Press would be shouting from the rooftops if Bush had made this little verbal mistake:
http://www.redstate.com/swamp_yankee/2009/04/15/barack-w-obamas-war-on-privacy/
But Obama? Nah, he’s our most intelligent President ever y’all!
The Buffoon in Chief keep stepping in it, along with his drunken pal Imbiben, and no one cares. My personal favorite is the “Austrian” language. ROFLMAO.
They may as well have named it W.
Edward R. Murrow has left the room, Truthteller. The journalists of the past who were willing to risk their lives and jobs to report the news are part of our illustrious past. Forgotten legends with no ballads to remind us of their courage, their names would be hidden and buried by the pretenders so they can continue imitations without being faced with the genuine article. Dinosaurs in a museum whose extinction is celebrated by spin doctors and media consolidators.
May I ask, does your dislike of Obama extend to his children?
Yes.
Anon, are you saying that you dislike or have otherwise negative feelings towards Malia and Sasha? If so, why?
Obama is an abuser.
Women want abusers out of their lives and dislike extends to their children. We want Obama out of the White House but our dislike is not as personal with the children.
I have negative feelings towards them based on what they are certain to become. They have been raised by BO & MO and taken to Rev. Wrights church since birth. Based on that information alone, there is no way they could have a good opinion about the country they are living in. Their father sure as hell doesn’t. They are living by BO’s example and they are sure to be spoiled brats needing pizza imported from Italy before too long. Maybe it won’t happen, but more than likely it will. They will soon believe that their doo doo does not stink just like their parents. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I stand by that.
well claire does you dislike for women extend to hillary? huh? i thought so.
If Tapper isn’t careful, he won’t be called on during Press Conferences any more. You know how That One can draw up a special list that somehow forgets to put include him.
This would be the same Jake Tapper that Tweeted from Istanbul (or wherever) two weeks ago about Levi Johnston’s TV appearance dissing Bristol Palin? THAT Jake Tapper?
I unfriended him for cluttering up my facebook page.)
I like Tapper’s use of the word “scrum,” from the game of rugby in which one team tries to gain control of the ball. It’s sad for us that the MSM has lost and 0bama has won.
I don’t dislike the girls, but I think it is interesting for this event the hairstyle of the girls was more in keeping with the way it was during the campaign. The picture I saw of the oldest when the family was returning to Washington after a visit to Chicago showed her in cornrows, wearing a puffy down coat and with a large backpack as she walked to Air Force 1. Were the majority sold a bill of goods? You betcha!
Didn’t they get the dog during the week? I hope this picture was taken after school hours.
Seems PETA is a tad pissed at The Fraud. The comments on their “Response to Obama Puppy” are HEAVILY against Obama, with lots and lots of “oh no, he’s a liar” type reactions.
Yet another disappointed group. They’re stacking up, aren’t they?
oopsie daisy…wrong thread
Truthtteller,
Last night, you wanted to know how many
tea-baggedattended the tea parties. I said 250,000:Estimate: 250,000 attend tea parties
That would be Truthteller.
Re: the tea parties, I am against the bank bailouts but for the budget.
How’d you know I was a size queen? ;P