Archive for journalism

Commercialized news does it again! Accuracy schmaccuracy.

cnn most trusted

clusterfox

All day there have been ferocious flurries of reports about whether or not there has been an arrest in the Boston Marathon bomb case. I caught this tweet of a concise recap of who got it right and who got it wrong:

tweet boston marathon bad reporting

I tweeted this in response: It appears that lefty, commie Marxist socialist Obama-owned MSNBC had more accurate reporting than other news sources. #CommercializedNews

It's been an embarrassment of scrambling news sources trying to justify their erroneous reporting. CNN much? Commercialized news strikes again, where profit trumps accuracy, and infotainment trumps real news.

Hey, remember when the Daily Show hammered CNN and Fox for their erroneous “unconstitutional mandate hyperventilation” over Supreme Court decision? Me too!

Snarky, hilarious, harsh, and even poignant tweets have been flying all over the Twitterverses about how news outlets seemed to be more concerned about getting a scoop than about accuracy in reporting. Here are a few that I caught (one is a RT by me of another tweet):

Now check out this excerpt from an email from a TV industry executive, fresh from Politico:

It's not about getting to the truth or serving the public good, it's about who can make the wittiest joke to impress their friends. This is an important story for the nation, and reporters from organizations new and old are trying to cover it. People make mistakes.

Whatsamattayou? This isn't about getting to the truth!  Hey, people make mistakes! Even the so-called professionals who claim they're the ones who you can TRUST!

As you can see in the video, here's what the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Boston division had to say:

Contrary to widespread reporting, no arrest has been made in connection with the Boston Marathon attack. Over the past day and a half, there have been a number of press reports based on information from unofficial sources that has been inaccurate. Since these stories often have unintended consequences, we ask the media, particularly at this early stage of the investigation, to exercise caution and attempt to verify information through appropriate official channels before reporting.

facts schmacts smaller

details schmetails

“[Judith] Miller is not a journalist, any more than her employer, Fox News, is a news organization.”

judith miller fox

One more L.A. Times letter to the editor, because our voices matter:

Re “Facing jail time for doing her job,” Opinion, April 9

It’s a crying shame that in a democracy, a journalist can be jailed for failing to reveal a source. But [Judith] Miller isn’t the best person to make this point.

When the Bush administration was stirring up public support for an unnecessary and ultimately disastrous war, Miller acted as an agent of disinformation for the White House, writing stories based on lies published in the New York Times about Iraq’s nonexistent weapons of mass destruction.

This is not journalism, and Miller is not a journalist, any more than her employer, Fox News, is a news organization.

Marvin J. Wolf

Mar Vista Heights

Video- Martin Bashir Injects Reality Into Margaret Thatcher Lovefest

Funny how everyone with a British accent isn’t quite so effusively positive re the Baroness. Via, h/t Mediaite.

Video- Fox’s Doocy Asks: Is Al Jazeera America “A Trojan Horse For Terror?”

Man, what is with these asshats? Do they get a commission on how many old folks they scare to death? Via MM.

David Gregory, NBC not charged for possession of gun magazine, but blasted by DC Attorney General

bad decision

See that high-capacity gun magazine that David Gregory was waving under Wayne LaPierre’s wingnutty nose on “Meet the Press”? He shouldn’t have done that because his possession of such a piece of equipment was illegal. But Gregory’s off the hook and will not be prosecuted, says D.C.’s attorney general, because he has no criminal record, so off to court he doesn’t go.

Whew! That was a nail-biter! Kidding.

The AG went on to say that “our recognition that the intent of the temporary possession and short display of the magazine was to promote the First Amendment purpose of informing an ongoing public debate about firearms policy in the United States.”

In other words, don’t be silly, this was a news show [sic], and Gregory’s a dufus a journalist so he gets a pass. This time.

Here are screen grabs and excerpts from the Attorney General’s rather unflattering letter:

“Having carefully reviewed all of the facts and circumstances of this matter, as it does in every case involving firearms-related offenses or any other potential violation of D.C. law within our criminal jurisdiction, OAG has determined to exercise its prosecutorial discretion to decline to bring criminal charges against Mr. Gregory, who has no criminal record, or any other NBC employee based on the events associated with the December 23,2012 broadcast. OAG has made this determination, despite the clarity of the violation of this important law, because under all of the circumstances here a prosecution would not promote public safety in the District of Columbia nor serve the best interests of the people of the District to whom this office owes its trust.”

 david gregory letter 2david gregory letter 1

Ignorance of the law or even confusion about it is no defense. We therefore did not rely in making our judgment on the feeble and unsatisfactory efforts that NBC made to determine whether or not it was lawful to possess, display and broadcast this large capacity magazine as a means of fostering the public policy debate. Although there appears to have been some misinformation provided initially, NBC was clearly and timely advised by an MPD employee that its plans to exhibit on the broadcast a high capacity-magazine would violate D.C. law, and there was no contrary advice from any federal official.”

“Repetition by NBC or any employee of any similar or other firearms violation will be prosecuted to the full extent supported by the facts and the law.

“I am confident that you will convey our deep concern and warning to your client.

Two strikes and you’re out, David.

idiot warning

H/t: David Shuster, Special thanks to Thomas Soldan

Video- Comedy Central Releases First “Campaign” Ads

Via Media Bistro.

Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and “Colbert Report” have long noted that attack ads are the most effective way to destroy your competitors in an election season. It only makes sense that the network would produce some attack ads of its own. The targets of Comedy’s ire? The TV news networks.

The first two attack ads, out today, take on Fox News and CNN by asking big, important questions, with more ads for other outlets on the way.

Video- NBC’s Chuck Todd Pushes False Equivalency That Obama Is “Swift Boating Romney”

This illustrates the basic problem with the media/journalists nowadays, just have to basic grip on what is true and what itsn’t, and would be too afraid to point it out even if they did. Media Matters.