Wolfowitz slams media as "Afraid" so they publish rumors

[Bluebear]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000550484

NEW YORK Most press accounts today of Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz's testimony before the House Armed Services Committee overlooked his slamming the media for acting "afraid" in Iraq and publishing "rumors."

Most coverage has focused on the contentious exchanges between the No. 2 man at the Pentagon and the senior Democrat on the committee, Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri. Skelton charged that the U.S. was falling into "a security quagmire" in Iraq, adding, "We're stuck."

Wolfowitz denied this, though he admitted "it's entirely possible" the U.S. military could remain in Iraq for years.

Gaining less attention was that he identified the media as part of the problem in Iraq. "Frankly, part of our problem," Wolfowitz said, "is a lot of press are afraid to travel very much. So they sit in Baghdad, and they publish rumors."

He did not specify which rumors.

[displacedtexan]

1. He apolgized today.

I bet CNN made him.

[Bluebear]

3. Ah. he must have been just "blowing off some steam".

[VolcanoJen]

19. Paul Wolfowitz, not Leslie "Wolf" Blitzer.

;-)

[lovedems]

2. It seems like the administration is picking a fight with the media.

Cheney did it in his interview for CNBC.

What is up with that?

[Bluebear]

4. Maybe preparing us for the media "blackout" after the "handover"

For security reasons, you know. The media only publishes rumors so it's not wise for the gubmint to allow them to operate.

[Fridays Child]

5. Hopefully, it's a fight they'll lose.

[tom_paine]

6. Once again the Gutless Turds pick fights with those who cannot or will not

FIGHT BACK!

"Fight ME, you big ugly, smelly breathed sucka!"
--Johnny Yu "The Last Dragon"

[Nikki Stone 1]

7. Wolfie is just playing the "chicken card"

For the number of times the press has called the Bush administration "Chicken Hawks"--and they are--Wolfie is taking his opportunity to play the "Chicken card". Nothing the average guy hates more than being called "scared". There's something very John-Wayne-meets-Opie-Taylor in claiming that your opponent is just yellow, scared, not macho enough.

So the implication is not that the press is lying--that's too damned hard an argument to make as reports are pouring in from all sides. It's just that the press is "too scared" to get the "real truth" and, like the emasculated wussies they are, are just reporting rumors, ie. gossip. All Wolfie has done is tell reporters that they "throw like girls". I say ignore it. Even girls don't throw that way anymore.

[Bluebear]

10. Hey welcome to DU!

[lovedems]

12. Great analysis!

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[Nikki Stone 1]

15. Thanks for the Welcome

I appreciate it.

(Still figuring out the smilies) :)

[Hoping4Change]

11. I think its a concerted effort to strengthened the lie that the media

is Liberal so as negative stories pile up they have the Liberal Media to blame. The media whores love this putrid stinking game because it covers their lack of intregity.:mad:

[MallRat]

8. Aaron Brown didn't overlook it Wednesday night.

Check out this body-slam in Brown's opening to NewsNight on Tuesday:


AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR:
Good evening again.
It seems the administration has decided that among the enemies in Iraq are the media. Complaining about what he believes is a lack of balance in the coverage, the number two man at the Pentagon, Paul Wolfowitz said this before Congress:

"Part of our problem is that a lot of the press are afraid to travel very much, so they sit in Baghdad and publish rumors and rumors are plentiful." He then said too much attention is paid to violence because the violence is sensational.

First of all, we don't publish rumors. Second, reporters-- ours and others-- travel a good deal. They went to Fallujah during the nastiness there. They were in Najaf. They're in Basra tonight.

They have also gone to schools and hospitals and a lot of other places to present the most balanced picture they can of what life is like but the fact is that life in Iraq today is dangerous.

Listen to what the Iraqis say. Listen to their fears about leaving their homes in Baghdad, for example. Listen to their new government talk about the possible need to impose martial law.

Iraq isn't black or white. It's neither all good, nor all bad, but to argue, as Mr. Wolfowitz implicitly does that security and violence are not the major story, is about as correct as his argument to Congress that the reconstruction would be self financing and that Iraqis would welcome us with flowers.

Don't pick a fight with the media, Wolfowitz. YOU. WILL. LOSE.

-MR

[BootinUp]

13. CNN should have shown

silly batman show type graphics displayed while Brown said this.

You know "BLAM!, SMACK!, KAPOW!, OOF!, BONG!"

Then a weak "Ouch!"

[Nikki Stone 1]

16. You rock, Aaron!

I have always liked Aaron Brown. His is one of the few CNN programs that I can still watch without wincing a little.

Bet Brown's editorial comments are what caused Wolfie's apology.

[charlie105]

9. He released a written apology to the journalists today.

I guess that's the end of that.

[Cat Atomic]

14. Their old "bully-the-press" tactics aren't working anymore.

How long has the right been shouting about the "liberal media"? They've done it for a long time- and it's partially responsible for the media's rather pronounced right-wing bias.

Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rice, along with a small army of right wing pundits, have been out in force again in the last few weeks, trying to bully the press into ignoring the violence in Iraq.
But they're using the old "liberal media" playbook, and it's not working.

I think the mainstream media realizes they've outted themselves over the last 3 years. The American public is beginning to notice that the mainstream press is no more credible than Pravda. They're losing all credibility and they know it.

So it's going to be a little harder for the right-wing to keep them in line. At least for awhile.

[izzie]

17. Maybe they should check the death count on reporters.

It is a little higher than the ones that started this bad war.

[faithnotgreed]

18. great. NOW the press takes notice of something these guys have done

it takes one or two people in the administration to openly bully the press (not just in secret like usual) for some in the press to take issue....

ok now that we know the ground rules...

sheesh