Scrutiny prompts media mea culpas

June 15, 2008

We saw an interesting political/media controversy this week when Fox News characterized Michelle Obama as “Obama’s baby mama.” (The phrase is slang for an unwed mother who gets no support from a baby’s father.)

The Wall Street Journal had a good item the other day putting the flap in the broader context of media scrutiny and news outlets facing pressure from blogs. In this case, Salon’s Alex Koppelman got a tip from a reader and posted the video of Fox News’ attack, with video from Red Lasso. Blogs picked up on Alex’s gem, reporters at traditional outlets began calling Fox News, and less than 24 hours after screwing up, the Republican network was backpedaling, acknowledging that a producer “exercised poor judgment.”

The WSJ piece noted that we’ve seen this dynamic play out several times of late.

Television news organizations, facing unprecedented scrutiny, have often expressed contrition for poorly chosen words during this election season.

In a campaign that includes the first viable African-American presidential candidate, the lines of appropriate speech have become fuzzy…. In this campaign cycle, television news organizations have issued at least 10 apologies in total over on-air expressions. On Tuesday, a Fox News anchor, E.D. Hill, said she regretted suggesting that a celebratory hand gesture between Barack and Michelle Obama might be a “terrorist fist jab.” On Monday, NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell apologized for calling southwest Virginia “redneck country.”

Employees at Time Warner Inc.’s CNN and General Electric Co.’s MSNBC, and a contributor to Fox News have all confused “Obama” and “Osama” in the last year in one form or another, and apologized for the mistake.

These apologies have a couple of interesting things in common.

First, obviously, is the benefits of the netroots community leaning on traditional news outlets when they err (which is obviously often). Bloggers and blog readers are pouncing on the same kind of mistakes that have been common for years, but the difference is news consumers can now do something about it.

As Alex told the WSJ, “I was a little surprised about how quickly it got picked up and turned into a really big thing. If it’s not already happening more than it has in previous cycles, I’m sure it will because of technology.”

And second, the Journal noted “at least 10 apologies in total over on-air expressions,” and listed four specifics — Fox News’ “baby mama” directed at the Obamas; Fox News’ “terrorist fist bump” also directed at the Obamas; Andrea Mitchell’s description of southwest Virginia as “redneck country,” and multiple outlets confusing “Obama” and “Osama.”

Kevin did a nice job fleshing this out a little more.

Off the top of my head, I can add Chris Matthews to this list (for claiming that the only reason Hillary Clinton was a serious candidate was because “her husband messed around”) as well as David Shuster (for saying that Chelsea Clinton was “being pimped out in some weird sort of way”) and Keith Olbermann (who basically suggested that somebody needed to beat Hillary senseless to get her to drop out of the race). And then there was Bill O’Reilly’s apology for saying, “I don’t want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there’s evidence.” That’s ten. I don’t know for sure if it’s the same ten that the WSJ counted, but it’s probably close.

Notice a pattern? Aside from Andrea Mitchell’s crack about Virginia, which was offensive in a nonpartisan way, every one of the apologies has been about an offensive remark aimed at a Democrat. Funny, that.

Yep, it’s quite a coincidence.

Yes, unlike yesteryear this season’s horse race has been a bit tough on media personalities who have a penchant for offering partisan talking points as if they are providing political analysis. I’d say the horse named Blog-o-rama is out in front of all the traditional media outlets, so the likes of FOXNEWS will have to tighten up their gait and stop messing around with sloppy chyrons and emoting jockeys if they want to stay on a credible contender. -Kevo

  • Swiftboating, slander, racist, sexist, unprincipled innuendo, and outright lies need to be tackled from at least two directions. This is one of them — outrage at the media presentation of them. The other is the source, not always identical to the visible expression.

    Four years ago I was outraged at CNN’s constant running of the Swiftboat smears and called them several times to express my outrage. Of course, to no avail.

    But this time the media can’t avoid the label of racist or sexist. Or even ageist. Under civil rights laws and in the minds of many Americans, these antidiscrimination principles are firmly established, even if they can’t be legally applied to public broadcasts. But that doesn’t prevent the outrage — if these kinds of statements are unlawful in an employment situation, the mind jumps to apply the “principle of wrongness” to other situations.

    It’s truly unfortunate that Republicanism has shrunk in principle so much that its claim to fame is prejudice and lies that the rightwing media spews. To a great extent, they deserve it.

  • The tinfoil helmet crowd no doubt will reply that it’s proof of the liberal bias of the media. Yes! It casts Obama as the underdog. It undermines the elitist image so painstakingly contrived by countless nutroots. It’s a brilliant liberal counterploy, and a shockingly naked attempt to manipulate public opinion, uhh, uhh, somehow.

  • I’m still waiting for any CNN personality to say one single thing about McCorpse that might genuinely hurt his chances in November. Just once, I’d like to hear them say something negative with regards to McCorpse. Why is his campaign staffed by lobbyists? Why has he reversed himself on literally every major issue? Why won’t African Americans vote for him (or any other GOP candidate for that matter??). Instead, we get endless panel discussions about Obama’s “problems” with every conceivable voting block.

  • Right, and how about the TOXIC FUNGUS called Pat Buchanan calling Obama an ‘exotic’ candidate .. i.e. a Black Candidate .. or that Corporate Pimp called Chris Matthews spluttering about Obama somehow being ‘UN-AMERICAN’ .. or somehow not a ‘regular’ guy because he likes orange juice instead of coffee ?

  • We’ve finally learned what the Right learned long ago: “work the refs.”

    Sooner or later, the overpaid otherwise-unemployables of the Washington Press Corpse will get the message that “fair and balanced” MEANS fair, and balanced. And accurate.

    Who. What. When. Where. Why. What’s so hard about that, you halfwits?

  • So many of these so called “apologies” are offered in the vein of “I’m sorry that someone else found offense with my words/actions”. This is not an apology and the person stating it must be called on it.

    An apology consists of three parts:

    1) A statement where the offending words/actions are admitted to and are stated as being wrong.
    2) The sincere apology itself
    3) A statement that gives the actions that the person apologizing will do to ensure that the offensive words/actions will not occur again.

    Without these three parts, an apology is just a bunch of words strung together in an attempt to mollify the offended parties rather than to provide a true apology and a direction where the offensive can never happen again.

  • Simon said:
    “I’m still waiting for any CNN personality to say one single thing about McCorpse that might genuinely hurt his chances in November.”

    Don’t hold your breath!

    Instead, this morning CNN had someone on who recited a list of the ‘rumors’ about Obama with never a word that they were all false. Then he refers to the 2000 smear of McCain and his ‘black baby’ – and, of course, pointed out that it was not true.

    CNN will continue to be relatively subtle in their support of McCain. MSNBC will continue to have Morning JoKe on 5 days a week to smirk about Obama and run his McCain support group that will focus on how nasty Obama supporters are to point out McBush lies. Fox, of course, will continue to be a wing of the rethugs.

    Is there really program on Fox, CNN, or MSNBC that favors democrats other than Olbermann? And Keith lowers his credibility by never pointing out the frequent ‘worst persons in the world’ that dominate his network.

  • ” On Monday, NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell apologized for calling southwest Virginia “redneck country.”

    Wonderful, more are watching Andrea Mitchell in those calm and seeming innocent gestures with remarks that do have an inner layered meaning. Many comments likely stemmed from private conversations off the air with very connected political groups. All without too much effort results in gaffes that are true with deep sincere bias. The Rockefeller family has known that redneck stuff for decades, Andrea, with all her grace is showing America an uncontrollable nicety we should all look forward to. Sort of like the movie scenario where Jim Carey can not lie. We will probably see this happening more and more. LOL.

    You know what conversations they are. Yes here suggesting the likes of Andrea Mitchell, Joe Scarbarough, Pat Buchanan, Chris Mathews, Dick Gregory, Wolf Blitzer, Lou Dobbs, Britt Hume, or my very favorite pie hole Hannity, and Limbaugh get together occasionally shoot the breeze and “create the bounce” for their editors, owners and managers to steer the public. Yes, Ladies and gentleman of America our Mainstream Media is the excellence of corruption, has been and is propaganda for the past decades used abuse by the well oiled. Andrea Mitchell connected as the wife of former Federal Reserve Chairman Allen Greenspan now ditching the position after screwing America for decades simply says he saw the Home mortgage melt down coming. Sheesh. Likely Greenspan is the key player in the corruption and public money lost. Now here America has his wife as key player in schmoozing the electorate. It is the best of excellence in dysfunctional social science in your face everyday. Here, most of America do not get it.

    Many News casters are very skilled in contextual side stepping. Hell, even the almighty members of our Supreme Court skillfully slip around interpretation of laws while the electorate recoils in many judgments. Then, our social stress goes through the roof of rage and cynicism. Thank goodness for Carpet Baggers and the open conversations offered here in the name of free speech.

    Yes indeedy wouldn’t it be interesting to make a ruling in the Public Domain Electromagnetic spectrum that requires by law any and all news broadcasters be accountable to the public as in displaying all communications. Especially, those that affect the public “within a reasonable time”.

    Talking about simple free speech in America is very contrary to the simple Constitutional rhythm were one could keep resources private, all the while destroying someone’s character, with out giving reason to “Oath or Affirmation”.

    Hell, extend the whole concept to America’s “National Security Secrets”. Is very adverse to ordinary citizens; here we all know long time politicians can bury secrets lost forever as long as those reasons are never reported. Bush and Company secrets that have been controlled for the past eight years by the Republicans are having fits now to know Obama might very well be able to open the book on American History, America’s real history “National Security Secrets”.

    This is only my opinion but is a central reason why Obama will be in very serious battle. We all need to help him. If Obama feels the support and the courage to move forward engaging in the debate duels. A “knife fight” comment is something to avoid. It is serious and far more corrosive then the comment Hillary made about the Assaination of Bobby Kennedy. Please bringing a gun into the mix of political auditory authority shows a huge immature position. This is huge damage to his character to a measure yet not understood. All of what Obama and his supporters in what he and they have worked for could very well been wiped out by this comment.

    To make a comment like bring a gun to a knife fight is an out rage comment to make in a national Presidential campaign. My God that has to be the most stupid thing Obama has done so far. That’s not change I believe in.

  • It is a sad fact that in the history of American elections (of all types…Presidential ones just get more press), opposing candidates seem to believe that voters are too stupid to accept them for who they really are and the issues for which they stand. Instead, they try to distract all of us with problems of the other candidat(s), apparently hoping that we will fail to see their mistakes.

    It wasn’t in a political sense, but even Jesus talked about the person who has a log sticking out of their own eye and “considerately” offers to remove the splinter from the eye of their brother! It has been happening for time immemorial, and will continue while human beings have breath. It seems that many people cannot make themselves look better without putting someone else down.

    Let’s follow the advice Thumper’s father gave him in that great Disney classic, Bambi: “If ya cain’t say sumthin’ nice about someone, don’t say nuthin’ at all!”

  • This goes hand-in-hand with my observation that of the internet rumors that snopes.com has researched and posted, McCain has only three entries (two true and one undetermined) while Obama and the Clintons (and Kerry) have at least a dozen each, most are lies. Which goes to show which side it putting out this junk.

  • To add to my post above: I’m so happy that Obama is pushing back on this cr*p. Wes Clark, too (in his tv appearance the other day.) It’s about time Dems did this regularly and forcefully (though politely). I think the media is somewhat surprised!

  • The MSM doesn’t know what is happening with this new fighting back and just don’t know what to do with a new party speaking up for itself. Don’t just sit there-speak back forcefully. They don’t know what to do with Obama. I had to ask my sister where hillbilly country was….it seems Mitchell was talking about my area. I didn’t know!!

  • Hey, Steve–it’s kinda odd that you often skip Kevin Drum’s surname on a first reference. As far as I’ve noticed, you don’t do this with any other blogger other than the ones who go by one-word handles.

  • The press will only become critical when a dem takes office. Then they will try to scrutinize everything…none of which they are doing now. Where will Fox or CNN find a democrat to add as a contributor once dems have the WH. Where will the Georges (Will and Steph), Hannity, Rove, Oreiley and all the rest go to die?

  • BTW -STEVE…”Baby Mama” is exactly what the name portrays…a 12…13…or 14 y/o with a baby. Not married and way to young to have a baby. Used to pick up young chicks who you knew “did it” because they already had a baby when they were just babies themselves. “Ooh baby mama…put away the baby and let’s go play”. Thought you should know Kids around here used the term frequently…unfortunately.

  • Joey – Both usages are correct, it’s slang. But my impression is thta Steve’s interpretation is used more often.
    Check out The Offspring’s “Hit That”
    It uses both terms Baby Momma & Baby Daddy.

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