Colleagues remember Walter Cronkite

July 18, 2009

I find it hard to fathom how nowaday journalists can speak of themselves in the same breath as Mr Walter Cronkite. Here are a few of their sound bites from the news – which make me wonder how they reconcile what they honor about Mr Cronkite with how they have behaved in regards to barry.

Will they change their behavior now that they know he can hear them?

Originally, I wanted to know what Mr Cronkite thought about the obvious pro-barry media coverage – in particular what he thought about their nonvetting and embargoing of harmful information or just plain ignoring of it (Rezko). I find it hard to believe he wouldn’t have asked barry straight out to produce his birth certificate. (I don’t know if he weighed in on it.) But then I realized that if he, too, was mesmerized it would be too much.

ROGER MUDD:

He was reassuring, he was comfortable. And when you listened to him you knew he knew his business. He had control of his broadcast and he was leveling with you. He was an honest man.

KATIE COURIC:

What I take away [shaking her head] from everything I know about Walter Cronkite is that good journalism matters. Seeking the truth is really important.

DAN RATHER (looks ill):

He was, literally, a living legend and now a legend in memory.

BARBARA WALTERS:

He was someone who made us feel safe and secure.

TOM BROKAW:

He was a quintessential American. He came from the Heartland. He wasn’t flashy one way or the other and his reporting was straightforward.

MADAME SECRETARY CLINTON (smiling): [full statement]

He was so kind to Bill and me. He took us sailing off of Martha’s Vineyard. Offered advice – both solicited and unsolicited - that we tried to follow.

POTUS statement

POLL: IFC/ZOGBY overwhelming media bias

December 29, 2008

Independent Film Channel/Zogby poll shows overwhelmingly that Americans believe the news is biased and that the biased coverage influenced the outcome of the presidential election. Surprise.

They polled 3,472 adults nationwide on November 5 and 6, 2008 with a very good split of sampling. Of those surveyed: Dems 38%, Rep 31% and Independents 28%. East (22%), South (26%), Center/Great Lakes (30%) and west (22%). Nearly all (99.6%) were registered to vote,99.7% voted. 53% voted for barry 46% McCain. MOE +/- 1.7%.

RESULTS:
93.1% barry received more coverage
4.1% thought McCain received more

74.7% thought media coverage of the presidential election influenced the outcome
94.2% Rep
55.6% Dem
79.3% Men
70.2% Women

Overall unreliable
80% TV
84% Radio

72.6% believe the news they read/see is biased.
88.7% Rep
57.5% Dem
77% males
67% females
73.3% White
76.7% Hispanic
62.2% Black
70.6% Asian
83.5% Other

Most reliable source of news
37.6% Internet
20.3% National TV News
16% Radio
11.3% Valid newspapers
4% Local TV News

Most trusted Newspaper
20.1% don't read newspapers
19.6 NY Times
19.2% Local
17.4% WSJ

Most trusted source:
39.3% FOX
16% CNN
15% MSNBC
10.1% PBS
6% NBC

Least trusted:
0.6% CNBC
1.5% CBS
3.3% ABC

81% Rep trust FOX
30.3% Dems trust MSNBC
26.2% Dems trust CNN

Most trusted news personality:
12.5% Rush Limbaugh
10.1% Bill O'Reilly
10.3% None listed
8.5% Brokaw
8% Hannity
6.9% Olbermann
6.6% Williams
6.3% Maddow

Least trusted:
0.6% Elisabeth Hasselbeck (How is she considered a news source?)
1.6% Colbert
1.9% Matthews
2.1% Stephanopoulos

Most trusted news personality:
­14.2% Dem Keith Olbermann
29.2% Rep Rush Limbaugh

Don't think media giving a true representation of Iraq
73% overall
90% Rep
55.6% Dem

So 73% believe there is media bias in general, 75% thought media bias influenced the outcome of the presidential election and 93% thought barry got more coverage.

Sure doesn't get a lot clearer than that or folks who need stats to point out the obvious.

barry still smokes

December 7, 2008

Meet the Press

Tom Brokaw tries to get barry to answer a simple question about smoking and barry answers in true obamantor style.

BROKAW: Finally, Mr. President-elect, the White House is a no-smoking zone, and when you were asked about this recently by Barbara Walters, I read it very carefully, you ducked. Have you stopped smoking?

OBAMA: You know, I have, but what I said was that, you know, there are times where I've fallen off the wagon. Well...

BROKAW: Then that means you haven't stopped.

OBAMA: Well, the--fair enough. What I would say is, is that I have done a terrific job under the circumstances of making myself much healthier, and I think that you will not see any violations of these rules in the White House.

And Brokaw fell for it just like Barbara Walters.

He hasn't stopped - he just won't be smoking in the White House - which he can't do anyways. Answer: Yes, he is still smoking. Can you imagine barry speaking through a foreign translator?

Obama as Jesus?

November 13, 2008
Morning Joe
Discussing "News you can't use"

WILLIE GEIST: First I have Jesus on a piece of french toast.

MIKA: Oh, you do not!

WILLIE: Pomapano Beach, Florida...

MIKA: Where is he?

WILLIE:...as if I need to tell you it was Florida.

MIKA: Where, where, where is he?

WILLIE: He's right there - what do you mean where is he?

MIKA: I don't see him!

WILLIE: Right there in the middle. There he is.

MIKA: C'mon, where is he?

WILLIE: Jesus - in a piece of french toast. Very interesting.

MIKA: That's uhm...

SOMEBODY: Getting spiritual messages there.

MIKA:...Barack Obama

WILLIE: Breakfast.

SOMEBODY: Do you smell cinnamon in here?

MIKA: I still don't see it.

And then she giggles about how sexy Tom Brokaw is. She must like his voice or he smells good because it's not translating digitally.

Obamessiah withdrawal

November 5, 2008

What are all the obamerized going to do? They must have massive obamessiah withdrawal. Lee Cowan is going to need therapy. Joe Klein is creepy to begin with but he looked positively delirious this morning saying that the Taliban wants to negotiate with barry!! Brian Williams actually tried to say he was neutral. I didn't hear what Brokaw said. Mika conceded that things happened to barry's opponents that might not have been right. Tucker - surprise of all - said he was still upset at what was done to Senator Clinton. This a man who crosses his legs when he sees or hears her. He does it with Nancy Grace too. He didn't seem to mind piling on at the time.

Rep John Lewis' face speaks volumes. As did Rev Jesse Jackson's.

Quote of the day: "They're smoking crack!'

November 4, 2008
Morning Joe
Talking about the closing state polls. barry campaign knew that if they were withing a couple of percentage points they'd be in trouble.

JOE on axelrod: 'I'm not going to trust the polls. I don't ever want to be in the margin of error. So we are going to create a firewall. We are going to get so many of our supporters out early. I will take your Bradley effect and I will match it with my turnout operation'.

MIKA: And my reverse Bradley effect!

JOE: There is no such thing as a Reverse Bradley effect and whoever's saying it is smoking crack!

MIKA: I'm joking. [not]

[...]

JOE: This theory that there is somehow a Reverse Bradley Effect was cooked up in an opium den in Greenwich Village, the Upper West side or West Hollywood. It is the silliest thing to see leftwing pundits spin themselves silly trying to figure out a way.

Likened it 2000 when during the recount that Canadian Jews would put Gore over the top.

JOE: Please stop hyperventilating. Do your job. Cover the story. And try to be as objective as possible. And if you can't do it yourself - take a tip from somebody who can. Somebody that really should be an example of these silly silly people out here who are cheering for one side or another.

DO YOU BELIEVE THIS MADNESS?

Election day he's telling people to do their jobs and be objective and to look to Tom Brokaw who is only less neutral than Brian Williams.

THERE CAN BE NO REVERSE BRADLEY EFFECT BECAUSE THERE IS NO BRADLEY EFFECT.