The Spin Zone
It has been eye-opening to follow some of the testimony in the "Scooter"Libby trial about how the administration tried to control coverage.
OK, maybe not so eye-opening. We all know that the government, and industry, try to spin the news, have people whose job it is to put the best face on an ugly investigation, announce layoffs or firings late Friday afternoon so that it has the weekend to preferably get lost or at least have the edge taken off.
But when you hear about the calculations first-hand, it reminds you why journalists need to be vigilant and why they often seem to be abrasive if not obnoxious. The adversarial relationship with government, especially, is healthy.
The administration has vast power to shield itself, and us, from information. That's the reason we need a federal shield law, and the reason that journalists need to keep pushing back against efforts to classify more information in the name of national security.
By John Eggerton
Rocky Mountain Way commented:
What a shock it is to be reminded that institutions operating under the gaze of the media's unblinking eye, including government and business, seek to influence the way they and their activities are presented to the public through the media filter.
It is abundantly clear that Big Media itself (including the corporations that own all of the networks and cable channels AND their news departments) also try to spin the news and put the best face on ugly situations when they themselves are in the spotlight.
Perhaps business and government wouldn't feel the need to exert influence on how they are presented through news coverage if television journalists over the years hadn't acquired the unfortunate habit of MAKING STUFF UP.
Does anyone remember CNN's Operation Tailwind scandal or, more recently, Eason Jordan's preposterous claim that the U.S. military had targeted journalists in Iraq intentionally? Does anyone remember Datline NBC's exploding GM pick-up trucks, later found to have been rigged with incendiary devices? Have we forgotten already how the network of Paley and Murrow disgraced itself with the provably false Bush - Texas Air National Guard outrage on "Sixty Minutes 2"?
Thank you, courageous TV newsers, from protecting us from the power of insidious forces in government and business through your unceasing vigilance. I have a question for you:
Who's going to protect us from YOU?
Rocky Mountain Way commented:
Wow! Do you mean the morons or evil geniuses (I always forget which it is) of the Bush Administration and the oily flacks of Big Business actually have the audacity to try to exert some influence on how they are covered?
As if major broadcasting companies (including their news departments) don't do the same thing when they are in the media spotlight.
Maybe institutions like government (including the military) and business have learned to be calculating in their dealings with television news because over the years, journalists have acquired the unfortunate habit of MAKING STUFF UP.
Does anyone remember CNN's "Operation Tailwind" debacle? How about Dateline NBC's exploding pick-up trucks, rigged with incendiary devices (sure looked great on camera, though)? How about the phony Bush/Texas Air National Guard outrage from 60 Minutes 2?
Thank God for your vigilance, all you brave TV newsers, in defending us from the evil-doers in government and business. I have a question for you.
Who's going to defend us from YOU?