The Dean Blog on the Obfuscation of the Media

slinkerwink

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Sat Jan-10-04 12:50 AM
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The Dean Blog on the Obfuscation of the Media

http://blog.deanforamerica.com
'The Dean Tapes' and the Flailing Media Establishment

In case you haven't seen it, NBC Nightly News aired (and cable news channels have been replaying constantly) an "exclusive" report by its "chief investigative reporter" who has "uncovered" some "tapes" pertaining to Howard Dean.

The piece begins with a pan of the Montreal skyline, then shows a nondescript office tower, then shows an arm opening a closet door, then shows the reporter, Lisa Myers, pulling video tapes from a tattered cardboard box (ah-ha!).

What's on "the Dean tapes"?

Publicly available archival footage of a Canadian public television show. As many Vermonters, other New Englanders, and lots of Canadians know, Dean appeared on the weekly show more than 90 times while he was governor.

What does Dean say that caused the media to manufacture such a ruckus?

The same thing he's been saying on the campaign trail since the begining. He made comments about caucuses that Matt discussed earlier -- comments that reflect his speeches to supporters every day. This campaign has been built on the premise that when people don't participate in politics, the special interests control the outcome.

Is anyone else confused by the claims of the crack NBC News investigative reporting squad that they "uncovered" something that was broadcast on public television every week for years?

When he declared his candidacy in June, Howard Dean said:

"From New Hampshire to Texas I met Americans doubting the words of our leaders and our government in Washington. Every where I go people are asking fundamental questions: Who can we trust? Is the media reporting the truth? What is happening to our country?"

Since then you have confounded the press corps and shaken the Washington establishment. These are not institutions that facilitate change. Even when they're not trying to stop you, their very nature prevents them from seeing reality -- they don't even understand the way you're changing things.

This afternoon CNN's Judy Woodruff, pushing the "tapes" story, asked Governor Dean:

"Governor, I hear what you're saying about stopping the gotcha stuff, as you put it. But would you acknowledge that there have been some moments, a number of moments in the recent weeks on the campaign trail, when you've had a hard time making yourself understood, when your words have become the story, rather than your message, the message you want to get out?"

But the reality -- whether they see it or not -- is the only people who don't seem to understand Howard Dean are the entrenched interests that decide what "becomes the story" and what doesn't.

You've built the greatest grassroots campaign presidential politics has ever seen, and there's much more at stake in this election than some spun-out-of-context quote from years ago. We know it, we feel it, and we're working to change it.