The MSM’s New Crucible
I’ll make this as short and sweet as I can. She was tired after putting up her post this morning, and I’m not faring much better, but I felt the need to rant a bit. And surprise, surprise it happens to be about what she posted up. That being, the MSM’s utter failure during Katrina to do some good. Their reporting was pitiful.
Don’t get me wrong, their correspondents did a good job standing out in the wind and the rain to let America know that is was windy and raining in Louisiana, but that’s where the good coverage ended. As Marcie cited for everyone, the Seattle Times wrote a column on the reality behind Katrina, and it was greatly exaggerated.
From the body counts in the Superdome and the convention center, to the violence erupting around the city, the MSM dropped the ball. Big Time. Outright-frelling-fumbled the damn thing for everyone to see. Not only has Snopes done it’s fair share of debunking Katrina myths perpetuated by the MSM, but so have the bloggers. Michelle Malkin, yesterday, along with John Hinderocker of PowerLine, brought this fiasco to a lot of people’s attention. Bloggers have been punching holes in these reports since Katrina’s departure from the Gulf Coast.
Which is what is so sickening about this whole mess. Over the last few years, the media has been exposed not only for it’s inherent bias, but also it’s ineptitude. Rathergate anyone? How about the Jayson Blair saga? And lest we forget the Eason Jordan chronicles? The bloggers have hit the media the hardest with how much quicker they react with news, and get the verification they need. Bloggers act as the journalists of old used to. It is arrogance that has led the MSM down this road of irrelevance.
Now, I know a lot of people will point to many bloggers as reporting the stories the media was guilty of reporting. True, all too true. Marcie posted an apology to our readers, and many others—including Michelle Malkin, who kept a tight watch on Katrina—have printed corrections, retractions, or posted that their information was not entirely corroborated. Does the media really take these steps? Do they admit when they’re wrong, openly and honestly? Hardly. The New York Times buries it’s corrections, and no apology was ever given by CBS over Dan Rather’s blatant and foolish attempt to pass off phony memos. The media has no humility. They seem snobbish when an apology or retraction is demanded.
Fine, play hard ball if you wish, but you’ve lost too many times on big issues. Take the war, for example. The MSM paints a bleak picture for America, but that picture isn’t so bleak according to the returning soldiers. Bloggers are amongst those fighting, like Colonel Austin Bay, and they maintain their sites regularly. Blogging correspondents are in the field, like Michael Yon, who has done outstanding pieces of real-life situations the company he is with goes through. Marcie posted up a great piece she found on Mr. Yon’s site just a week ago, or so. And the picture painted is anything but doom-and-gloom. There is hope and promise over there, not the "quagmire" the media likes to harp on about.
If the media needed further reasons to show how irrelevant they had become, Katrina should be one of the final nails in their coffin. From what I have gathered from the debunking that has occurred, the MSM’s erroneous reporting may have well hampered efforts, not helped it. If that’s the case, then it is time for a change. I don’t what sort of change, as I am not comfortable with the government getting involved, nor I am open to the prospects of the Supreme Court becoming involved over what is freedom of the press and what isn’t.
My interpretation of it may very well differ from the high court, and even those I admire on the court, like Justice Scalia. But something must be done. This sort of behavior can’t be allowed to continue. No corroborating witnesses. No substantiated claims. No nothing. The MSM really screwed the pooch on their reporting, and they deserve the beating they’re about to receive from the public. I doubt it will be much from the general public, but they’re going to take a black eye from the bloggers over this.
Publius II
I’ll make this as short and sweet as I can. She was tired after putting up her post this morning, and I’m not faring much better, but I felt the need to rant a bit. And surprise, surprise it happens to be about what she posted up. That being, the MSM’s utter failure during Katrina to do some good. Their reporting was pitiful.
Don’t get me wrong, their correspondents did a good job standing out in the wind and the rain to let America know that is was windy and raining in Louisiana, but that’s where the good coverage ended. As Marcie cited for everyone, the Seattle Times wrote a column on the reality behind Katrina, and it was greatly exaggerated.
From the body counts in the Superdome and the convention center, to the violence erupting around the city, the MSM dropped the ball. Big Time. Outright-frelling-fumbled the damn thing for everyone to see. Not only has Snopes done it’s fair share of debunking Katrina myths perpetuated by the MSM, but so have the bloggers. Michelle Malkin, yesterday, along with John Hinderocker of PowerLine, brought this fiasco to a lot of people’s attention. Bloggers have been punching holes in these reports since Katrina’s departure from the Gulf Coast.
Which is what is so sickening about this whole mess. Over the last few years, the media has been exposed not only for it’s inherent bias, but also it’s ineptitude. Rathergate anyone? How about the Jayson Blair saga? And lest we forget the Eason Jordan chronicles? The bloggers have hit the media the hardest with how much quicker they react with news, and get the verification they need. Bloggers act as the journalists of old used to. It is arrogance that has led the MSM down this road of irrelevance.
Now, I know a lot of people will point to many bloggers as reporting the stories the media was guilty of reporting. True, all too true. Marcie posted an apology to our readers, and many others—including Michelle Malkin, who kept a tight watch on Katrina—have printed corrections, retractions, or posted that their information was not entirely corroborated. Does the media really take these steps? Do they admit when they’re wrong, openly and honestly? Hardly. The New York Times buries it’s corrections, and no apology was ever given by CBS over Dan Rather’s blatant and foolish attempt to pass off phony memos. The media has no humility. They seem snobbish when an apology or retraction is demanded.
Fine, play hard ball if you wish, but you’ve lost too many times on big issues. Take the war, for example. The MSM paints a bleak picture for America, but that picture isn’t so bleak according to the returning soldiers. Bloggers are amongst those fighting, like Colonel Austin Bay, and they maintain their sites regularly. Blogging correspondents are in the field, like Michael Yon, who has done outstanding pieces of real-life situations the company he is with goes through. Marcie posted up a great piece she found on Mr. Yon’s site just a week ago, or so. And the picture painted is anything but doom-and-gloom. There is hope and promise over there, not the "quagmire" the media likes to harp on about.
If the media needed further reasons to show how irrelevant they had become, Katrina should be one of the final nails in their coffin. From what I have gathered from the debunking that has occurred, the MSM’s erroneous reporting may have well hampered efforts, not helped it. If that’s the case, then it is time for a change. I don’t what sort of change, as I am not comfortable with the government getting involved, nor I am open to the prospects of the Supreme Court becoming involved over what is freedom of the press and what isn’t.
My interpretation of it may very well differ from the high court, and even those I admire on the court, like Justice Scalia. But something must be done. This sort of behavior can’t be allowed to continue. No corroborating witnesses. No substantiated claims. No nothing. The MSM really screwed the pooch on their reporting, and they deserve the beating they’re about to receive from the public. I doubt it will be much from the general public, but they’re going to take a black eye from the bloggers over this.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 1:05 AM
3 Comments:
What the media did during Katrina was abyssimal and infuriating. Rita is being done a little better, but maybe that's because they were all too busy making Sheehan look good.
Jen,
I don't think it was trying to make Sheehan good as much as it was to try and hand the president a black eye.
Good news for our side: We know the law better than the liberals, and so does much of America as only 13% of those polled over the last couple of weeks believe the Fed. Gov't was responsible for the lackadaisical attitude towards Katrina Relief.
What is most abhorrent, and you pointed it out--as these two did--was the media's response to it. Rather than be the help that they should have been, they were a hinderance.
Shows how bad WE--as a whole--have hurt them. Granted, bloggers followed the news stories emanating from Katrina, but most stated that the reports were unconfirmed.
This is the reason why. Now the media is being caught in their tall tales.
Mistress Pundit
PS: That's right. Now that they've figured out the problems with spam on their site, I'm back. Get ready libs, because now WE, as a trio, are just getting warmed up.
It's good to see the comments again and I may wade in now and then. What I have to say about most the msm is unprintable for their bias and prejudice and downright hated of our country. Grrrrrr. Rawriter
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