Once again, Frank Rich hit's the nail on the head about his Colleagues

[WCGreen]

in the news business...


Anchoring the "CBS Evening News" from Iraq last week, Katie Couric seemed to be drinking the same Kool-Aid (or eating the same lobster tortellini) as Mr. O'Hanlon. As "a snapshot of what's going right," she cited Falluja, a bombed-out city with 80 percent unemployment, and she repeatedly spoke of American victories against "Al Qaeda." Channeling the president's bait-and-switch, she never differentiated between that local group he calls "Al Qaeda in Iraq" and the Qaeda that attacked America on 9/11. Al Qaeda in Iraq, which didn't even exist on 9/11, may represent as little as 2 to 5 percent of the Sunni insurgency, according to a new investigation in The Washington Monthly by Andrew Tilghman, a former Iraq correspondent for Stars and Stripes.

Next to such "real" news from CBS, the "fake" news at the network's corporate sibling Comedy Central was, not for the first time, more trustworthy. Rob Riggle, a "Daily Show" correspondent who also serves in the Marine Reserve, invited American troops in Iraq to speak candidly about the Iraqi Parliament's vacation.

When the line separating spin from reality is so effectively blurred, the White House's propaganda mission has once more been accomplished. No wonder President Bush is cocky again. Stopping in Sydney for the economic summit after last weekend's photo op in Iraq, he reportedly told Australia's deputy prime minister that "we're kicking ass." This war has now gone on so long that perhaps he has forgotten the price our troops paid the last time he taunted our adversaries to bring it on, some four years and 3,500 American military fatalities ago.

http://select.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/opinion/09rich.html



Unfortunately, his column is in the pay part...

But I wanted to get the last three paragraphs from his commentary about the build up to the General Petraeus show about to open and run nonstop on all the "news" outlets for the run up to the big event; the memorial 9/11 why we fight in Iraq crapola...

I have no faith in the ability of so-called mainstream journalists who are too fucking lazy to get off the asses and look for some kind of collaborating evidence behind the mind numbing shit spewed from the White House...

Do they even employ fact checkers any more...

My god, the democrats in congress are not only battling the GOP and other such right wing and, dare I say it, fascist cover groups, but the majority of the press as well...

Is it any wonder they see a dark creeping shadow every time they attempt to stick their heads up and take a position contrary to the fantasy land built up by Bush and his eager minions in the so-called free press...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Perfectly said...

K&R

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. Couric is simply "reporting" official government statements

and press releases. This is a very safe middle of the road non-controversial way to fill time in a news broadcast. Later on, when it's all proved out to be a crock of shit, they remain blameless, since it was all the government's fault. This is pretty much what has happened with the whole Iraq war.

[aquart]

7. Why is anyone here watching Couric?

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. She can fit a whole grapefruit in her mouth & keep smiling

That's why.

[Lasher]

3. They rarely fact check anymore

A long time ago they stopped fact checking. They rationalize this by saying that when a Republican lies, it is up to the Democrats, and not them, to point that out.

Edit: To continue reading this article, you must be a (paid) subscriber to TimesSelect.

[WCGreen]

4. That is very unfortunate since they don't over what the Democrats

may say because by that time, a new narrative is in place and rebuking the old narrative would be, like, so five minutes ago...

[Lasher]

9. That's exactly the way it works.

Pundits should do a better job of challenging lies right when they are told.

I think the Sunday talk shows should have a segment where they fact check what guests said the week before, to expose any lies that went unchallenged then. But that won't happen. Can't jeopardize that valuable access to government officials.

Many of the worst lies are debunked at websites like Media Matters but this is a 'too little, too late' remedy. Just like you said.

[illinoisprogressive]

5. have you read his book? if not, get it asap. fantastic. it's now in ppbk.

[WCGreen]

6. I am heading to B&N later to pick up some titles...

I saw it before...

I'll give it a shot...

[alittlelark]

10. The Dem's are pushing a 5000 ton (MSM) boulder up the hill

whenever they speak. The Corporatists have PURCHASED this countries information infrastructure.

They are cashing in on their purchases.

[DemReadingDU]

11. free link at the Wealthy Frenchman

http://wealthyfrenchman.blogspot.com/2007/09/as-iraqis-stand-down-well-stand-up.html

[Olney Blue]

12. Thanks for the link!

:hi: