Kurtz: Hillary Author Frozen Out

[DeepModem Mom]

Washington Post:
Hillary Author Frozen Out
By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 11, 2005

Despite the enormous hype surrounding Edward Klein's scathing and hearsay-filled book about Hillary Rodham Clinton, the author has been ignored by all but two television talk shows.

This collective cold shoulder hasn't stopped "The Truth About Hillary" from hitting No. 2 yesterday on the coveted New York Times list. "It's the biggest example to date of how major media censorship doesn't stop a book anymore from being a bestseller," Klein declares.

Censorship is clearly the wrong word, since networks have no obligation to interview any author. The refusal to book Klein could just as easily be viewed as the drawing of a line by news organizations over a highly personal attack that has drawn fire from several conservative columnists as well as those on the left.

"It's just been a total blackout," says Klein, adding that talk radio and some Web sites, including the Drudge Report, have driven sales of the book. "I definitely think there's something organized going on here."

Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines says Klein "didn't even rate a full 15 minutes of fame on national television" because the book is "full of blatant and vicious fabrications."...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100587.html

[Darkhawk32]

1. {Ooopsie deleted}

[NYCGirl]

5. Kurtz didn't write the book.

Am I misunderstanding what you're saying?

[Darkhawk32]

11. Argh! Sorry! Sleep deprivation getting to me. Klein. Kurtz. ARGH!

[NYCGirl]

2. Couldn't happen to a sleazier guy. Good.

I'm not a Hillary fan, but this book is, by all accounts, trash of the worst kind.

[ComerPerro]

3. No kidding. Klein calls it censorship?

Persecution complex, anyone?

[MissB]

4. He can always hype it under his alter-ego at Parade.

Gee, I feel so sorry for the guy. :sarcasm:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

9. Exactly.

Of course, no mention of the fact that the book is one of the biggest piles 'o shit to ever waste wood pulp and that even many on the right have disowned it and the author.

Mr. Klein sounds like he feels that a best seller is his manefest destiny.

[progressoid]

6. I can barely get through reading this post with out crying

:cry:
:cry:
:cry:
my alergies are really bad today!

[still_one]

7. who care what kurtz thinks

he help sell the swift puke book also

not only do we need to win in 2006, but take back the media

[meegbear]

8. I'm sure it being a "scathing and hearsay-filled book" ...

has no bearing on why he's being shut out.

BTW, #2? Is there a bulk sales mark next to it?

[gratuitous]

10. Gee, nobody wants a liar on their show to flog their lies?

What a surprise. And Klein's fanciful fairy tale is at number 2 on the bestseller list? I wonder if I'll be able to pick up a copy at the Dollar Store in September when all the bulk orders made by the usual suspects to artificially inflate a book's sales figures are dumped on the market?

[GiovanniC]

12. Hey, Klein -- LICK MY NUTS

[CoffeeAnnan]

13. Regardless of how one may feel about Ed klein, I find it an odd

confirmation of the totalitarian instincts of our Press and Media that only certain accepted forms of discourse can be given prominence.
The herd instinct that makes it possible for an Ed Klein to say what he wants will also be used against any of the Liberals who may want to express outrage against some of Bush's policies.

[ChiciB1]

14. He Was On With Al Franken... W/Joe Connason!

Boy was HE pissed and they took the book apart. So many lies simply by taking small phrases out of context!

They actually stuck it to him and he wasn't a happy camper. Even asked Franken if his agent knew that Joe was going to be on the show!! That seemed to bother him the MOST. When it was verified that his agent knew all about it, I'm sure he was thinking "just WAIT til I get off this show"!

I'm not a big Hillary person, but this book is TRASH!

[iconoclastNYC]

15. Franken and Consason eviserated him on AAR

He came off like a petulant little brat, they'd point out intentional word games and distortions he used to gin up charges and he'd just blame it on a typo, 'oh i ommited this word'

Klien just took the slot in the right wing echo chamber formerly occupied by David Brock.

[BIG Sean]

16. The book is garbage

Hi all,

Come on, when Bill O'Reilly will not help you hurt a Clinton then you have to realize that your work is nonsense!

[DeepModem Mom]

23. So right, BIG Sean -- welcome to DU!

[NYC Liberal]

17. No. 2 yesterday? Well it's already down to No. 4 today then

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
Top 5 at a Glance
1. 1776, by David McCullough
2. FREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
3. THE WORLD IS FLAT, by Thomas L. Friedman
4. THE TRUTH ABOUT HILLARY, by Edward Klein
5. BLINK, by Malcolm Gladwell

[fasttense]

18. Don't trust the New York Times list. They use the numbers of books

actually sent to book stores. Not the number of books actually sold. USA Today is much better and more accurate here is the books standing:

Edward Klein
Subtitle: "What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She'll Go to Become President" (NF) (H)
Weeks in Top 150: 2
Current position: 29
Entered Top 150: 6/30/2005
Peak Position: 10
Last appeared: 7/7/2005

Still the book is doing pretty good but most half decent nonfiction (though I think most of the book is really fiction) can sell well.

Notice the highest it has made is number 10 and it now has dropped to number 29 (not 2 like the Post reports).

Here is a link http://asp.usatoday.com/life/books/booksdatabase/default.aspx
But you have to do a search for the title because it isn't in the top ten.

[MsTryska]

19. maybe he's getting frozen out not because of the subject

but because the book well and truly sucks and no amount of mass-buying by various rw oganizations can ever make the writing and more than subpar at best?

[Stinky The Clown]

20. A 'bestseller' is a sure thing when the RW buys the book in bulk for

future give-aways at events like church suppers and gay bash parties.

[blm]

21. NOW they care about lies, after countless hours for SwiftLiars last year?

So, the corporate media calls out lies against Hillary, while allowing 100s of hours of lies against Kerry by the Swift Liars.


Curious behavior, eh?

[Toots]

22. Sounds like Kurtz is giving more free PR to Klein

Hardly "Frozen Out" if he is reporting on it.