Why oh why did we complain about Diane Sawyer

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http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-oe-stille27jan27,0,7188651,print.story

Diane Sawyer's interview with Howard Dean and his wife last week was a textbook case of everything that is wrong with television coverage of politics. It reduced his campaign to the banal level of mere personality and perceived missteps, replacing issues with image — it was a frame-up.

Out of the 96 questions that Sawyer asked, 90 were about personality and temperament and only six were even vaguely about issues; virtually all 96 were hostile and negative. Thirty-six were about Dean's supposedly out-of-control Iowa concession speech, his alleged bad temper and the loss of momentum of his campaign. ("So did you lose your temper at hockey game?") The 10-second yell in his Iowa concession speech was replayed three times during the interview, along with riffs by David Letterman and Jay Leno. ("How does it feel, to be the object of all these jokes?")

Twenty questions were about Judy Dean's absence from the campaign, which appeared to fault her for failing to stand by her man while at the same time criticizing the couple's decision to be interviewed together. ("Is it because it's a troubled time and — and the juggernaut has hit some pothole?") Twenty-one questions were about their family life, which all had a decidedly negative cast. ("Religion, first of all, ever a problem? Jewish? Christian?") All the questions to Judy Dean had a shockingly sexist subtext, about her clothes and hair and whether or not she was ready for the prime-time spotlight. She was made to seem like an un-American weirdo for failing to watch her husband on TV, for failing to have cable and for receiving rhododendron plants for her birthday. ("Not exactly romantic … ")

much more in article

Yes, she did do well tonight. But her interview of the Deans was everything nothing short of terrible. Watch it back to back with the interview with Kerry on 60 Minutes and you can easily see the problem.

[SadEagle]

1. I dunno, I think it was sort of helpful.

She offered a chance to refute a lot of the nonsense going around.

[Eric J in MN]

2. Did she do something tonight? nt

nt

[bitchkitty]

3. I have hated Diane Sawyer

ever since she gave Al Gore some damn tobacco quiz, trying to trip him up. It burns me up remembering it, and it burns me up now.

That said, I thought Judy Dean came across as perfectly charming and natural, not to mention extremely grounded and impervious to Diane Sawyers' attempt to suck her into vapid conversation. Diane plays Shallow Blonde very well. She's a traitor to her sex.

[fujiyama]

4. It was shallow..

and worthless. Diane Sawyer is an idiot.

She spent so much time asking about Dean's temper. It made him out to be some sort of wife beater.

[dsc]

5. kick

But I guess we won't care about the media until it is too late.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. Depends on who they're kicking kick

:kick: