Steve Kroft's Softball Obama Interviews Diminish '60 Minutes' -- Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic
Exactly one question attempted to challenge an Obama decision and hold him accountable for it, and for what was he being held accountable? Failing to start another war or foreign entanglement! Note that the Obama Administration surged troops into Afghanistan, carried out the Bin Laden raid, was complicit in the Stuxnet attack on Iran, violated the War Powers Resolution when unilaterally deciding to participate in the war on Libya, is presently planning for a new drone base in Northwest Africa, and wages regular drone strikes in at least four countries. The premise that Obama is abdicating America's role on the world stage or is reluctant to initiate new foreign entanglements is factually inaccurate, no matter how many Republicans say it.
Judged journalistically, Kroft's interview was an embarrassing failure. It neither uncovered important new information nor added to the public understanding. It was nevertheless an interview that Kroft is almost certain to tout. Among broadcast journalists, landing an interview with the president is itself considered an achievement, even when the reason the interview was granted is inseparable from its poor quality. As a point of contrast to how 60 Minutes handled Obama, let's now look at some of the questions Jon Stewart asked when Obama was on Comedy Central:
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My Comment: One of the reasons why I started this blog 7 years ago was because of my disappointment with the main stream media in it`s coverage of international affairs, it`s ignorance when it came to covering wars and conflicts, and it`s regular avoidance of issues that needed to be reported and debated upon. And while I do know the media is biased .... it has certainly never been like this. This opinion of mine has unfortunately become even more cynical and skeptical with the passage of time .... especially with the U.S. media. I guess it all comes down to money .... why spend a few hundred thousand dollars on a couple of skilled reporters to cover international affairs when you can pay someone like Chelsea Clinton $600,00/year to cover .... what?
2 comments:
It's not the money the media spends, it's what they receive that corrupts them.
I cannot argue with you on that james.
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