The revolving door between the White House and the mainstream media

August 18, 2008

I’m not surprised Dan Bartlett is going to one of the networks; I’m surprised Dan Bartlett didn’t go to one of the networks sooner. (via TP)

Former Counselor to President Bush

, Dan Bartlett, has joined CBS News as a political analyst. Bartlett will provide on-air analysis on a variety of political issues, “including at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions and beyond,” according to the press release.

Said CBS News & Sports president Sean McManus, “We’re very pleased to have Dan Bartlett join our team. We now go into the final stages of this fascinating political season with two analysts — Dan and Joe [Trippi] — who have had unique and extensive hands-on experience in major political campaigns and government.”

This is the latest part of a strange phenomenon of rewarding the Bush gang with high-profile opportunities at major media outlets. The Bush White House has been, for lack of a better word, a disaster for the country. From a journalistic perspective, these guys have been a nightmare — embracing almost comical levels of secrecy, propaganda, and media manipulation.

And yet, the moment presidential aides leave the West Wing, media outlets jump at the chance to put them on the payroll.

Michael Gerson was picked up as a columnist for the Washington Post.

Sara Taylor, who was integrally involved in the U.S. Attorney Purge scandal and the politicization of federal agencies

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, became a pundit for MSNBC.

Karl Rove became a Fox News “analyst,” a columnist for Newsweek, and a columnist for the Wall Street Journal.

Tony Snow went from the White House briefing room to a gig on CNN.

Frances Fragos Townsend also went from the White House to CNN.

Nicole Wallace went from Rove’s office to CBS News (she left soon after to join the McCain campaign).

And now Dan Bartlett will be an “analyst” for CBS News.

The obvious joke is to note how not-at-all liberal the media is

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, but I think this speaks to a larger problem of a revolving door between the political establishment and the political media. A guy like Bartlett spun and misled news outlets, professionally, for most of Bush’s presidency. I don’t doubt he goes to the same cocktail parties as the producers of the major networks, but rewarding him, and putting him on the air as a credible media figure , is absurd.

Maybe it is BECAUSE of the secrecy that the media outlets want these guys so much. Maybe they will have an “insight” into what is really going on…

  • Not to be contrary — and I really have only a dim anectdotal impression — but wasn’t there a similar exodus from the White House to the media after Clinton?

  • At least Fredo is not on a network. Which is pretty funny, actually. It would make sense to grab him up as a “legal analyst.”

  • Right and Bartlett is the very guy who said “Reality is based on what we say it is” … perfect, just fucking perfect .. this from the same CBS news who cut and paste answers for McBush to make him say something he didn’t because what he actually said was so stupid that CBC via Katie Couric had to change the answer for him……..’reality is BASED ON WHAT WE SAY IT IS” ….. according to the CORPORATE AGENDA .. meaning manixum profits ……….. what a fucking perfect choice

  • BHP Gilroy (#4), the only one I can think off right off-hand is George Stephanopolous (sp?). There may be others, but if there were, I’m hard pressed to remember any of them.

  • re: Bartlett

    It shows the influence of the Bush Administration at CBS. Using all these political liars and decceivers for the most corrupt afdministration continues the influence of these people on Americans. Long live the imperialistic presidency even though the imperialistic president is not in office. Corporate rides some more.

  • Maybe the Bushites all got together during the Transition and figured out that if they were very very secretive while in office, they could all get jobs when they left because no one else could lobby or comment on the White House but them.

    Of course, once Boy George II is sent off to Crawford for the last time (under house arrest orders we can hope) they may all be promptly fired.

  • It’s called access. Post Watergate, there were all sorts of new laws passed which, to a certain extent, made it more difficult for the press to get to certain types of information. After 20 years or so, the political class (by which I mean those who have enough money to have to worry about things like political donation maximums), have been magnificently successful in co-opting the media, and where that’s failed, they’ve been very successful in marginalizing those who won’t play their game. How many big, media figures have million dollar salaries? Guess what, those folks are no longer seeing the world through the same lens as 99% of their readers.

  • BHP Gilroy, even if you are correct (and I don’t think the movement was near this magnitude) there is no evidence that the Clinton administration engaged in as much official secrecy, deception and manipulation as BushCo. Part of the issue is that news outlets are supposed to value credibility. Mike McCurry, for example, never really did anything to hurt his. Can we say the same of Ari Fleischer?

  • “Operation Mockingbird” in action. This is the payoff. There are multitudes of more qualified people for these positions. There should be restrictions on letting WH staffers going to work for media organizations for at least 4 yrs after leaving their WH positions, else they will still be spouting the WH positions. Oh well, it’s hopeless. It’s a corporate owned and operated media and the American people’s interest will never be served by them.

  • I don’t think it’s entirely unreasonable to view this as just another step toward the permanent republican majority. When it happens in other countries, we call it one-party rule and a state-controlled press. Here in the U.S., it’s important to maintain the illusion of a free press, free and contested elections, etc.

  • i have a question for CBS news …. let’s see if the news execs step out of the Disneyland focus group meetings for a minute to answer:

    you fired Mary Mapes and three others — including, for all intents and purposes, Dan Rather, because the documents proving that President Bush was a draft dodger weren’t thoroughly vetted … although, as virtually everyone forgets, the story itself has never been really doubted, never mind un-proven.

    so ….. is Bartlett going to be held up to the same scrutiny ? if he has evasions, lies, falsehoods, constitutional violations, even crimes on his record … will he be held accountable by cbs news, like mapes and the gang ?

    or, let me guess: contributors aren’t held up to any journalistic standards, so they don’t have to have the rigorous vetting and oversite that producers need to have … which one ? care to comment CBS ? i’m waiting ….

    or … Mary … are you out there ? double standard ?

  • Once again, Paddy Chayevsky is shown to be the greatest political seer in American history (the guy who wrote “Network” – I suggest you go replay your copy).

  • Every time this issue comes up, which is quite frequently, I always have the question “What can be done about it?” Clearly the situation requires some form of correction. As it is currently functioning it serves only corporate and Republican interests, which are undermining and contrary to the best and necessary interests of a healthy democracy and the country.

    Is it conceivable that a new administration committed to supporting and protecting the needs of 99% of non-corporate Americans could legislate to redress this ridiculous imbalance? One would sincerely hope so.

    On a longer term basis, one can envisage a process whereby gradually the independent, genuinely liberal, highly talented and erudite authors in the blogoshpere will come to supplant the existing MSM with high quality analysis and uncompromising truthfulness. There must be a hunger for such a transition. One can see the potential seeds of this in the TPM Veracifier videos, the Jed Report, our own TCBR, and numerous others, whose readers already outnumber some of the mainstream outlets. I have great faith in these attenuated, but relentless, processes of social and political evolution. I’ve seen it happen in my own lifetime in Europe, and am immensely grateful for it.

  • Crap no one wants to watch hosted by cretins no one one can stand. More brilliant stratergery from the news corpse.

    It’s not information. It’s not entertainment. It’s Dimfotainment.

  • Oh, so now that the media is starting to get off the Obama bandwagon, they’re evil, republican owned news stations. Wow, when the right complains about Obama’s celebratory coverage, it’s okay, but when they hire a former Bush advisor, now all of the sudden it’s biased. What a bunch of hypocrites.

  • Chad and things like him are nothing but spluttering repiglican robots ……… they don’t have brains that can actually think or reason ..they are simply programmed robots who are programmed to say and do what they say and do without any critical reasoning interfering in the program … just let them splutter on their tireless drivel issued thru the tone of sniveling stupidity …. …….. they are indeed the very embodiment of what paul krugman called the other day THE POLITICS OF STUPIDITY ……… indeed … welcome to the reality of CHAD ………

  • Chad = czad = very bad smell. It can’t get better; it can only dissipate (eventually). RacerX, get yourself a fan and open all windows.

  • cbs ? mapes ? anyone ? re my comment 17 …. will bartlett be vetted ? is there any standard of behaviour or ethics for a commentator ? cbs raked mapes over the coals over questionable documents that pointed to an undeniably true story and that was a firing offense …. what if there are suspicions that bartlett lied, aided or abetted subverting the constitution, or counseled war crimes ?

    are those accusations worth a second look, cbs ? because there are about six thousand people inside the beltway alone who would testify to it ….

    or —- just answer this, alone —- are cbs commentators above the same laws that govern your
    ‘journalists’ .. ?

  • Journalists used to tell people what they needed to hear. Now newspapers and TV channels choose commentators, pundits – and journalists – who will tell people what they want to hear.

    If the country’s become polarized, it’s happened in part because media outlets now require you to make a choice as to whether you’re for us or agin us. You either subscribe to the Hatfield Media or the McCoy Media. There’s very little left in the middle.

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