Katie Couric = Flame Bait?

[TAPat]

Probably, judging by what I've seen folks saying about her here.

At DU she's a *bot - in Freeperville she's the Dem Pom Pom Girl.

Hopefully her true identity lies somewhere in between.

I had watched the Today Show for years, but stopped around December of 2001. I remember a time when Katie Couric was an actual reporter who had a tendency to question Daddy Bush, and others, rather vigorously. As we are all too painfully aware the MSM has changed drastically in the past few years. It's now do as your Corporate Overlords demand you do, or hit the bricks - and to whom do the Corporate Overlords owe their extreme wealth and power?

Morning "news" is not news and has not been for quite some time. Evening news was news and may be again.

God help me, but I'm willing to give this whole CBS/Couric thing a chance - maybe something good can come out of it. :shrug:

[Atman]

1. She going to CBS, home of Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite

If Jesus anchored the CBS news, the freepers would scream that he's a freakin liberal.

Oh, wait...Jesus WAS a freakin' liberal.

Well, you get the idea. It doesn't matter. It is as much about CBS as it is about Couric. Think of how we'd react if someone like Al Franken became the lead anchor on FOX. That's the way they see it.

[greyl]

7. ot: liberals don't advocate beating slaves, do they? ;)

Jesus never denounced slavery: he endorsed it! He incorporated it into his teachings as if it were the most natural order (which it was for the biblical writers who didn't know any better). Why doesn't the bible--supposedly inspired by an all-loving deity--ever hint that there is something wrong with such a brutal social institution? If it were not for the influence of the bible (see answer 'd' below), the appalling American slave trade might have been curtailed, along with the bloody Civil War.

"And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes." (Luke 12:47-48) The entire context (Luke 12:41-48) shows that this is not part of a parable--it is the explanation of a parable, after Peter asked a question. But even if it were a parable, it would carry the same weight as a teaching of Jesus.

The word "servant" above is doulos, which means "slave" in Greek, and is correctly rendered "slave" by the NRSV, NAS, Scholar's Version, and others. "Shall" meant "should," as Jesus adds: "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." (Luke 12:48)
http://www.ffrf.org/quiz/banswers.php

Anyway, Couric is missing her true calling as a costumed performer at Disney Land.

[Cobalt Violet]

2. She's a bot.

She is the one who insists that Abramoff gave money to the Democrats, not me.

[bloom]

18. So did Bill Maher

That doesn't seem to stop people from supporting him.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

24. I have been critical of Maher. He does very little research and sometimes

doesn't have the ammo to take on the wrongwingers on his show because of that.

[OzarkDem]

3. She's a Dem

who has been working for a network known for shilling for the Bush administration.

Here's hoping she'll have more freedom to be objective in her new job. I for one will be watching, and I don't usually watch the evening news. I'm really a morning news person and will miss her on Today, even though the show had changed.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

22. If she's a Dem, why does she suck up to all of the Bushitters and attacks

their critics?

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. We finally watched "Good Night and Good Luck" this week -

made me very nostalgic for the days of REAL news, not the 30 min (sorry, 15 min without ads) or 5 second sound bites and pandering to the misadministration. Alas, Katie will not deliver what we want.

[global1]

5. Really - The Only Good That Will Come Of This Is That She Won't .....

be on the Today show anymore. And why didn't they give Katie's spot to Campbell Brown?

[OzarkDem]

9. Because she's GOP

IMHO that's one reason why Katie left, she didn't want to shill for them any longer. Its hard having that hanging over your head - report the news the way we say or lose your job.

[Chiyo-chichi]

16. Seemed to me that she enjoyed it.

Here's my transcript & description of Katie trying to get Jim Cramer to say that Bush's poll numbers would rise because of "good econominic news" last December... and practically putting her hand over his mouth when Cramer criticized Bush instead. When Katie asked whether Bush would "take advantage of this good news" she meant "will his poll numbers rise?" Every shill was using this talking point around that time.

It was completely unnecessary. She went above & beyond for her corporate masters & seemed to enjoy it - just as she did with Howard Dean.
________________________

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=5503815

CRAMER
It’s a pretty good economy. The President is really in a bunker. It’s a pretty good story that he could tell, but he doesn’t seem to be that adept at it any more. But the economy’s growing… jobs are growing. I know, I sound like such a … I’m a gladhander for the economy right now.

KATIE (laughs, huge smile)
That’s OK.

CRAMER
Look, if it was bad, I’d be knocking it. But we’re in good shape. Job growth’s good, inflation’s coming under control. Don’t forget that housing bubble, we picked that first, that’s been pricked… It’s not bad out there, Katie. I… Look, believe me… I was a stock trader for years. I’d love to be gloomy if it would make me money. It won’t make me money!

KATIE
I think it’s great. OK, good. And you think President Bush is going to take advantage of this good news…(Notice I didn’t use a question mark. Her inflection was such that this was not fully a question. At best it was a leading question. “Of course you agree” was implied by her tone.)

CRAMER
Nah, I don’t think he knows how. I mean, he oughta give me a call…

KATIE
All right, OK. (stopping him. Katie continued to talk over Jim as he said…)

CRAMER
I mean, the guy is like… if you listen to him, it’s not good…

KATIE (still talking over him. Extends her hand toward him in a gesture indicating for him to stop.)
Thanks, Jim… thank you.. thank you, Jim Cramer.

[KharmaTrain]

6. Vapid...First Word That Comes To My Mind

She's not a "journalist" in the sense of a Christine Armanpour. She was never intended to be. She was the "perky" counterpart to asshat Bryant Gumble and a warmer presence than Deborah Norville. That's what launched Katie to superstardom. She's admitted that her role was to do the lightweight interviews and "keep things light". That's why she gets bowled over so easily in any political interview as she doesn't have that "killer instinct" to ask a hard question or upset a guest.

To me this is going to be a lot of noise that mean nothing except to the network and its sponsors. The day of the intrepid network anchor is over and the role of a network news anchor now is to do headlines and not much more. The news junkies no longer rely on the "big three", so the evening newscast is more along the lines of "keep it light" now than it is being journalistic. While Katie will suck when it comes to interviewing a world leader, she'll do one hell of a lead-in to the segment on dogs with bad teeth.

It's rare that I watch a prime time network newscast these days. It's not like the days when this was the first word/look you had at what was going on. I wish Katie good luck...seems like a good person, but it shows where CBS and the other networks now view their news divisions.

[NRaleighLiberal]

8. Here's how they view the news - $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[radwriter0555]

10. How about just plain old irrelevent?

They're trying to make it "news" in order to justify paying her a ridiculous amount of money.

I can't think of anything LESS newsworthy.

[bloom]

11. I think having a woman anchor on Network News is a good thing

Just because I think it's extremely annoying that there hasn't been one yet. Sheesh - it 2006. And even at that - there are some numbskulls around trying to suggest she isn't up to it. What do the men have going that is so superior?

Having a good personality does not seem to be a detriment to me.


It would be nice if she wasn't giving Republicans the benefit of the doubt. But then anyone who has been paying attention doesn't get their news from the networks anyway.

[NRaleighLiberal]

12. It's not the sex - it's the content (or lack of) - man or woman!

Katie makes me gag. So did Bill Hemmer. So does Miles O'Brien, Soso bad, Bob Schieffer. I think they should let Gwen Ifill from PBS take a major anchor position.

The problem is that the nightly network news is just 30 minutues of 5 second sound bites interspersed with about 10-15 min of commercials - nice and dumbed down for the majority of the public. It has allowed itself to become insignificant and totally without value.

[MarianJack]

15. Barbara Walters in the '70s...

...co-anchored ABC evening news.

Harry Reasoner's open & on the air animus made it a VERY difficult time for her.

[bloom]

17. I guess the difference

is Couric will be the main/sole? anchor.

And it seems clear that she wants it for the status that supposedly network news anchors have. (She would make more if she stayed in her current job).

I think it's interesting how much it bothers people.

[MarianJack]

25. True,...

...Walters was co-anchor.

But in the 70's that was a BIG deal! I think that one of the main attractions for ABC was Walter's skill as an interviewer. SHE was not an ass-kisser and wouldn't be confrontational, bu would call somebody on a line of bullshit (I would say bushit, but that might get me pulled over!).

[lukasahero]

27. Interesting point - over 30 years ago

a female co-host was a big deal.

30 years later, the first female solo anchor is a big deal.

We've come a long way baby, huh?

[MarianJack]

29. Yes!

She was co-anchor, but she made A LOT more money than Harry Reasoner. I think that's why he resented her. It took him down more thn 1 peg in my book, too!

[Booster]

28. Ahh, reading your post, a name flashed across my mind.

Jessica Savitch. We need another Jessica - I don't have any idea what her political persuasion was, but I watched, and enjoyed watching, Jessica.

[MarianJack]

31. Jessica Was Wonderful as an Anchor in Philadelphia.

Shortly before leaving, but after accepting the national job, some of the channel 3 people tried to fuck her (and to some extent succeeded) by sending a tape of an off the air outburst she had over her papers being given her out of proper sequence.

Of course, her cocaine addiction didn't do her any good either.

Still in all, I enjoyed her, too.

[Booster]

36. I know she had problems, but for some reason I really liked her.

Of course, we always tend to remember fondly those that die young and at the top of their game.

[MarianJack]

38. At One Time...

...she was the 4th most trusted newsperson in the business.

I think that the first 3 were some of the old lions like Cronkite, Chancellor, etc,.

Nice company to be in. I always enjoyed her, too.

[burythehatchet]

13. What are her credentials as a reporter?

What has she investigated besides her colon?

She is a lightwieght, pop culture, grinning and silly person.

CBS, the network of Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather. What a laugh.

[Atman]

14. She once investigated Emirila Lagasse's flan

And I think she won a Pulitzer for her expose on New Spring Fashions.

[bloom]

19. Seems to me it's the producers who do most of the investigating

Look at the Dan Rather scandal. It came down to the the producers who put the story together.

I think people think that the anchors do a lot more than they do.

Seems to me Couric has interviewed probably thousands of people - heads of state, whatever.

I think Couric handles the serious and the silly both pretty well. Better than most people.


It would be nice if she were more liberal. But it would be nice if Jon Stewert, Bill Maher, and a lot of people were more consistently liberal.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

21. Couldn't have said it better myself. n/t

[dancingme]

20. Her voice is annoying

well not as annoying as Rita Cosby, but still it is not pleasant to the ear.

[ShortnFiery]

23. Wait for it?

Ewe! ----> Couric gushes like an adolescent teen with a crush, "Seals Rock!" ROTFLMAO

[HootieMcBoob]

26. This is a bad move by CBS

I predict that within a year this experiment will end. Nothing against Katie, it's just that she doesn't have the gravitas that is needed for the position. If they wanted a woman there are many other female reporters who have earned it and would do a great job. This is going to be a ratings disaster for them.

[Raine]

30. I have nothing against her BUT

she is perky and bubbly and that really isn't the kind of person that seems suitable to give stats on dead American's in Iraq (anyway not the one I want to hear that from). x(

[LittleClarkie]

32. You mean "Katie Communist"?

I don't get how she can be both either.

[malaise]

33. So am I but I have a real problem with the

TV hosts becoming the news. It's one thing to have her say goodbye on NBC but how does this become the topic of a one hour Larry King show - I'm sick of what is news today.

[RB TexLa]

34. The news would be better served to get rid of the people reading the news

just have the electronic voice like the national weather service. If they all did it at once they could save huge amounts of money. They are the ones who have made enough people care what the names of the person reading the news to them are. I couldn't care if they even have names, just read the news.

[Emit]

35. Here she is interviewing Ann Coulter

Probably one of the reasons the freepers don't like her

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iJKrE15NbY&search=katie%20couric

[question everything]

37. She is a flake

No more CBS News for me. I have no interest in her pointing at her boobs saying that they are real, or showing off her shapely legs.

I cannot image what Cronkite and Rather are thinking about having boobs Katie now siting on their chair.

And they let Roberts go to CNN?