Couric's new show "oddly lacking in news" -WP

[onehandle]

Mission accomplished. Journalism is dead-er.

The WP also supplies a photo gallery, because that's what her hiring was all about.
________________________________________

Couric's Debut Not Newsworthy - from front page.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/05/AR2006090501473.html

[acmavm]

1. Why point out the obvious? It usually is with her. It's either

meaningless crap or slanted partisan bubble-headed crap. Either way, if it's Couric you know that you're gonna get crap.

Which is why I don't watch her. Ever.

[Kiouni]

2. the 24 hour news plan

was flawless dammit what happened?!

[undeterred]

3. I miss Peter Jennings.

:cry:

[Crankie Avalon]

4. No photos showing off her bare legs??? This isn't up to her usual...

...journalistic standards. :spank:



Why is she sitting at a desk like some old Walter Kronkite-type fuddy duddy? Didn't she say she wants to change the image of "the news"? Why isn't she naked on a bearskin rug winking at the camera? But belly down so we don't see her your-know-whatzis's--after all, we only want to freshen up how news is presented, not make a mockery of its gravitas.

[BlueEyedSon]

11. LMFAO, Crank!! nt

[TechBear_Seattle]

25. "Not make a mockery of its gravitas"

Ooo, good one! I can smell the sarcasm all the way over here. :hi:

[varkam]

5. Truer words have never been written...

In fact, if Murrow were going to spin in his grave, he would have started long ago, when "infotainment" first appeared on the TV horizon and newscasters became pop personalities akin to movie stars and actors appearing in sitcoms. Murrow must be all spun out by now. It's been downhill for a long time.

So true. So unfortunately true.

[Junkdrawer]

6. Shocked! I am Shocked!...

As Dan Rather put it "The tarting up of the news."

[pimpbot]

8. If you want to catch Dan Rather, hes on HDNet in October

Hes got his own show coming up. More info:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/09/AR2006070900779.html

[MessiahRp]

15. Can you watch him if you don't have HD?

I have DirecTV and don't even know if this channel is on the system.

Rp

[Warpy]

22. I was wondering the same thing

Rather on his own show without a bunch of corporate suits breathing down the back of his neck might be watchable. He was once a fine journalist. I'm sure he could sharpen back up quickly.

The review in the WP made me glad I'd tuned into an old movie last night instead of watching more tabloid fluff and partisan crap parading as news, while the real news is ignored.

Couric will continue to get slammed for it, but all the networks have been doing it for a very long time. She's the symptom. The disease goes far deeper.

[ananda]

7. Sounds like opening night..

.. left continents and continents of room for improvement
for cute and perky Katie.

Just another avoid show for me....

[Botany]

9. Come on, the pictures of Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes' baby

were not just a fluff piece. It was a major fluff piece.

I watched ...... not going to make a point of it again ..... the first piece on Afghanistan
done by Lara Logan was great, then the piece w/ little lord Bunny Pants talking about
staying the course in Iraq was O.K. except for the film of Hitler & Stalin speaking as
* spoke that bin Laden was the same as those 2 was highly manipulative ...... then
something on an oil find in the Gulf of Mexico was O.K. ...... but after that the show
was pure news-O-tainment.

[hatrack]

26. Tom & Katie's baby? Come ON!

You have got to be kidding!

[leftchick]

10. wait just one second here! "Liberal Columnist Tom Friedman"????

<snip>

Last night, the show simply played to her strengths, chiefly her ability as an interviewer. She had a taped sit-down with liberal columnist Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, who seemed to be trying too hard to "come across" on television, as if he'd just completed TV training.

Give Me A Fucking Break! :puke:

[Benhurst]

12. Thanks.

I had the same reaction.

[BlueEyedSon]

13. Oh, I get it. Neocon = Liberal. Liberal is anyone to the left of

Attila the Hun...?

[warrens]

18. Tomorrow is moderate conservative Rush Limbaugh

They're still trying to slot in moderate Tim McVeigh.

[chelsea0011]

27. I turned the show off half way through his screed.

[Benhurst]

14. After giving it a night's rest, I have a more upbeat appraisal of

Katie's performance. Given a little more work, she may be able to turn her program into another Entertainment Tonight.

[underpants]

16. I didn't see the whole thing (taped it) but it was an interesting take...

on a news show. The normal 60-90 seconds of news coverage (complete with reporter outside of the White House or in the halls of Congress) is passed over for a more complete discussion of an issue.

It also reminded me quite a bit of the BBC/Lehrer approach to a news coverage in that there were interviews in the midst of the show not just news reports.

[grytpype]

17. There's a ton of war news to talk about?

How can she have a news-free show when there's a war going on with new horrible revelations every day?

"Slow news day" my ass!

[liberalpress]

20. Not for nothin' ...

... but have any of you ever tried to compile so much as a five-minute radio newscast the day after a major holiday? Reporters and editorss have just had a three day weekend. Try it sometime and get back with me. I'll be reading hog futures to fill the time.

[Hissyspit]

19. Ruination of CBS News Department is now complete.

As was intended.

Olbermann is pretty much all that is left (And even he makes use of blatant bias and tabloid elements, which, within the current context of TV news, is necessary).

Considering that the TRUTH is no longer important this should be horrifying to American citizens. But it's not.

[warrens]

21. Nightline is the same now...no news, just chatter

I sorta liked the new format at first, but it's turning into all happy talk. I'm going to stop watching...it's just not worth the time.

[sinkingfeeling]

23. I switched to PBS last night. The first time in 45 years I didn't watch

CBS Evening News.

[GCP]

24. And I bet you got a lot more news from them

Even in their news summary at the beginning of the show they actually (gasp) show more news than the other 3 networks' total news coverage combined - once you take out the hemmorhoid ads and "Eye On America" type-crap.

[LTR]

28. The News Hour with Jim Lehrer is excellent

Much better than the network crap. It's real news.

My local PBS station follows it with "BBC World News".

[BlueEyedSon]

29. You ought to contact them (email or whatever) and tell them that. nt

[sinkingfeeling]

30. I told them that when they announced she was taking the job.

[Marie26]

31. Bring back Bob Schieffer! nt

[RedStateShame]

32. "Oddly?!"

The only thing odd was that the show didn't have traffic and weather on the 2's.