Howie Kurtz wants YOUR questions about Guckert/Gannon NOW!

[BurtWorm]

Media Backtalk
Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 14, 2005; Noon ET

Consumers used to get their news from newspapers, magazines and evening broadcasts from the three television networks. Now, with the Internet, cable TV and 24-hour news networks, the news cycle is faster and more constant, with every minute carrying a new deadline. But clearly more news and more news outlets are not necessarily better. And just because the media have the ability to cover a story doesn't always mean they should -- or that they'll do it well.

Howard Kurtz has been The Washington Post's media reporter since 1990. He is also the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources" and the author of "Media Circus," "Hot Air," "Spin Cycle" and "The Fortune Tellers: Inside Wall Street's Game of Money, Media and Manipulation." Kurtz talks about the press and the stories of the day in "Media Backtalk."

Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion.

[BurtWorm]

1. kick

[Ganja Ninja]

2. I left a question for him.

"Howie, Do you get money from the Bush Administration either directly or indirectly?"

[BurtWorm]

3. So far, not one single Gannon question.

Three on Eason Jordan.

[BurtWorm]

4. Did Howie miss the point of this question?

Dayton, Ohio: Isn't the pundit payola scandal part of the larger erosion of factual reporting into opinion-laden reporting? There used to be a clear distinction between reporters and columnists; to a great degree, that distinction is gone.

Howard Kurtz: I don't think that's true. You're thinking of "reporters" as the people who pop off on TV. Ninety-nine percent of reporters toil away for newspapers, magazines and straight news broadcasts, they're not famous, and while they're far from perfect, their job is to gather facts, not to spew opinions.

[SmokingJacket]

5. He didn't miss it; he ignored it. Loser. nt