The Whitehouse Stages its 'Daily Show' NYT on Gannon and more..

[sunnystarr]

FRANK RICH
The White House Stages Its 'Daily Show'

Published: February 20, 2005


HE prayers of those hoping that real television news might take its cues from Jon Stewart were finally answered on Feb. 9, 2005. A real newsman borrowed a technique from fake news to deliver real news about fake news in prime time.

Let me explain.

On "Countdown," a nightly news hour on MSNBC, the anchor, Keith Olbermann, led off with a classic "Daily Show"-style bit: a rapid-fire montage of sharply edited video bites illustrating the apparent idiocy of those in Washington. In this case, the eight clips stretched over a year in the White House briefing room - from February 2004 to late last month - and all featured a reporter named "Jeff." In most of them, the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, says "Go ahead, Jeff," and "Jeff" responds with a softball question intended not to elicit information but to boost President Bush and smear his political opponents. In the last clip, "Jeff" is quizzing the president himself, in his first post-inaugural press conference of Jan. 26. Referring to Harry Reid and Hillary Clinton, "Jeff" asks, "How are you going to work with people who seem to have divorced themselves from reality?"

If we did not live in a time when the news culture itself is divorced from reality, the story might end there: "Jeff," you'd assume, was a lapdog reporter from a legitimate, if right-wing, news organization like Fox, and you'd get some predictable yuks from watching a compressed video anthology of his kissing up to power. But as Mr. Olbermann explained, "Jeff Gannon," the star of the montage, was a newsman no more real than a "Senior White House Correspondent" like Stephen Colbert on "The Daily Show" and he worked for a news organization no more real than The Onion. Yet the video broadcast by Mr. Olbermann was not fake. "Jeff" was in the real White House, and he did have those exchanges with the real Mr. McClellan and the real Mr. Bush.

more...
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/20/arts/20rich.html

Really great article. He really gets it and we should give him some positive reinforcement.

[gottaB]

1. gottaB fakes out the fakers, sneaks into press conference....

Mr. President, how would you describe the precise nature of your relationship with the gay male prostitute known as Jeff Gannon?

Cheney Off.

A follow up, please. Mr. President, is there any truth to the rumors that the reason Jeff Gannon won't release material evidence of your panty fetish is because he's still in love with you?

[Acryliccalico]

2. The news is the soft spot on this elephant.

The real news doesn't get out because fake news is so rampant in this gov. We can't believe what any MSM has as news so we have to come to the one place we can check out the facts for ourselves, the INTERNET. We are the real news NOW. Why do people keep listening to MSM? We are the future they are the past. Let the house of cards fall because it will be MSM that do it to themselves and the government. When will they learn that they can't keep putting out fake news on MSM and expect to survive? :kick:

[Shopaholic]

3. Kudos to KO & Jon Stewart for kicking ass on this story,

and a big thanks to Rich for pointing out how the rest of the mainstream media have failed miserably to do their damn job at getting to the truth on this story. He bitch-slapped CNN & Wolfie in this article, and but good, at that! :bounce:

[Acryliccalico]

4. It is a great article

He did do a good job. KO is thinking and deserves credit too. :kick:

[Ian David]

5. Here's a link to the video

From The Left Coaster:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/Nomad559/video.htm


http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/003678.php



For comparison, can anyone find a clip of last week's Saturday Night Live bit about Kim Jung Il's press conference?

[TexasLawyer]

6. Oh yeah!!

And Frank Rich is such a good writer.

I was sad when the NYT moved him from the editorial page to the Sunday Arts and Entertainment section. But it was all for the best. In A&E Frank can write way longer articles, and his articles are still political.