VOLUME 7 ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2002

www.MediaResearch.org

The Media Research Center’s Monthly Members’ Report

Mix Victory with Vigilance INSIDEINSIDE issues in a leading question to House Minority PAGE 2 Dear Member, Leader Dick Gephardt. “A lot of Democrats,” Save the Date! The victories by conservatives and Brokaw claimed, “were surprised that your ■ Republicans in this month’s U.S. House and party was not able to take more advantage of PAGE 3 Senate elections are reason for celebration and voter concern with education and the economy MRC Studies Used in concern. and health care issues.” Court Challenge It’s a time for celebration because President ABC’s Charles Gibson followed the same ■ George W. Bush now has control of the script in an interview on the next day’s Good PAGE 4 country’s political agenda. It’s a time for Morning America. “You’ve got a President with Bits & Pieces: concern, however, because the liberal media and big deficits,” Gibson cried to soon-to-be Senate CBS Does a Texas their political allies find Minority Leader Tom One-Step themselves in desperate Daschle. “You’ve got an ■ straits and will blame economy in the doldrums, PAGE 6 every problem for the you’ve got major cor- Hogie Notes: next two years on porate scandals, you’ve Competing with the conservatives and got a President talking Top 100 Papers conservative policies. about taking the country ■ The media shenani- to war, which is never PAGE 7 gans began on the night popular, and you still Using Tragedy for of the election. As soon couldn’t beat him.” Political Purposes as things started going Did it ever occur to ■ south for Democrats, ABC’s Claire Shipman wondered why Gibson, Brokaw and PAGE 7 network correspondents voters didn’t blame Republicans for Shipman that voters can MRC Mailbag and anchors began asking economic problems. think for themselves and ■ questions – and making didn’t blame the President PAGE 8 statements – that were loaded with liberal for a recession he inherited? Did it ever occur Editor’s Corner talking points. As always, the MRC staff was to the brilliant minds at the networks that the monitoring every network far into election night same voters – always wary of debt – understood and spotted – and countered – these media that in times of war and recession the country outrages immediately. had no choice but to run a deficit? Did it ever First, came the media contention that occur to journalism’s elite that voters know war Republicans shouldn’t have done well because is a serious matter and voted for the President’s there was a bad economy. “A lot of people have candidates because of his stance on Iraq? wondered why, given the state of the economy, Apparently not, because almost every other are the Republicans doing as well as they’re question to Democrats berated them for not doing,” ABC News correspondent Claire fighting the President on the economy or Iraq Shipman told viewers on election night. Over and suggested that they may have done better America’s Media on NBC, anchor Tom Brokaw included the had they just been more liberal. Watchdog economy and two other supposedly Democratic Continued on page 2 Get Your Tickets Now RSVP TODAY The Omni Shoreham Hotel Seats are limited and Regency Ballroom Save The Date!!! they will sell out. 2500 Calvert Street, N.W. First come, first served. Washington, D.C. 6:00 pm Reception & Cocktails March 27, 2003 CALL NOW! 7:00 pm Dinner & Awards (703) 683-9733 ext. 163 Business Attire or (800) 672-1423 The Media Research Center’s Third Annual DISHONORS AWARDS Roasting the Most Outrageously Biased Liberal Reporters of The Year!

Continued from page 1 A third theme the media have began pushing the conservative agenda would ABC anchor Peter Jennings practically developing, and one we’re gearing up to be divisive. Bush had a majority in 2001 scolded Democratic Senatorial Committee combat here at the MRC, was that the and his insistence on conservative policies Chairwoman Patty Murray of Washington. election did not represent a mandate for made Jeffords to leave the party and cost “The knock on the Democrats tonight is conservative government and policies. the Republicans control of the Senate, that there was no consistent message,” the The media, in effect, are making the Moran claimed. For good measure, disappointed anchor said to the senator. curious argument that winning an election Moran also warned that the White House “And moreover,” he added, “you were does not give the victorious party the right would now pursue their “deeply intimidated by the President and you to govern in the manner they have conservative” judicial nominations. wouldn’t speak out on the economy, and campaigned for and promised. Earth to Smith and Moran. Parties you wouldn’t speak out on the war.” campaign and win elections for the After that liberal lament, Jennings purpose of enacting their policies when subtly told viewers that they need to be they’re in power. That’s the way scared of Republican power. “If the democracy works and, God willing, that’s Republicans do end up in control of the what this Republican Congress will do. Senate, what would worry you most?” Despite the progress made on election he asked of Murray. night, there are many long roads and battles How interesting. The ABC anchor ahead. The media will do their best to never posed a similar question to convince the nation that every conservative Republicans when Senator James policy is a disaster in the making and the Jeffords of Vermont abandoned his airwaves and newspapers will be over- comrades and gave Senate control to the flowing with condemnations from liberals. CBS’s Harry Smith urged Republican Democrats in 2001. In Jennings mind, of We will be there to fight them with course, having Democrats in control of Senator Trent Lott to avoid a conservative agenda. all the energy we can muster. For the first the Senate is no reason for worry. time in years, conservatives have a chance Harry Smith, the liberal anchor that Smith warned soon-to-be Senate to enact meaningful policies that can truly CBS brought back in October for a second Majority Leader Trent Lott about this very change our country for the better. And go-around on its struggling morning show, thing in a November 6 post-election we’re going to do our best to see that expanded on the liberal theme the next interview. “The margin of victory is so they get a fair shake from the media. morning. In an interview with Democratic narrow in so many of these races,” Smith None of this is possible without your National Committee Chair Terry McAuliffe, told Lott. “It’s just a razor thin difference support and as always I want to thank Smith vented his frustration with the in some cases between the parties, does you and remind you how much your Democratic campaign. “Did you run too that give you a responsibility to govern support means to the MRC staff and me. close to the middle,” Smith asked before from the middle or with the majority do Until next time, he provided his own answer. “There’s you go all the way to the right?” grousing already in the Democratic Party ABC’s Terry Moran developed the that you didn’t act like Democrats, you idea more specifically on that night’s acted like watered down Republicans.” World News Tonight, suggesting that L. Brent Bozell III, President

MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER 2 FLASH NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2002 CELEBRITY UPDATE MRC STUDIES Protesting Bush USED IN and Bashing Republicans James Carville is reasonable. If you compare him to Court Barbra Streisand. The New York Post reported on November 4 that Challenge Streisand was “privately saying that Paul Wellstone’s plane crash was no accident.” An unnamed source The National Rifle also told the Post that the star Association is citing MRC of Funny Girl believed “there’s studies in its court battle against the unfair a bit more to this than meets aspects of the campaign finance reform law the eye.” passed last March. The new law bans issue The former star, in a advertising on television and radio 60 days statement on her web site, denied ever saying any such thing and before a general election and 30 days before a beseeched her fans to vote for primary. Democrats. Streisand claimed One of the arguments the gun-rights group that if Republicans controlled the Barbra Streisand is making is that the media bias against gun House, Senate and White House, it would be “devastating ownership is so widespread that fairness for reproductive choice, the environment, civil liberties, demands they be allowed to purchase airtime Social Security and health care.” before elections. To prove the point, the NRA Poor Barbra. She must be is citing two MRC studies. The studies are worrying herself crazy – make Outgunned: How the Network Media Are that crazier – now that her Spinning the Gun Control Debate, an MRC nightmare has come true. Special Report released in January 2000, and Streisand wasn’t the only TV Gun Control Coverage Tilts Its Tone, Talking celebrity to get in a few low blows before the election. Actor Heads and Labels to Liberal Side, an MRC study Kevin Spacey told CNN’s released in the MediaWatch newsletter in Moneyline on October 18 that December 1993. Kevin Spacey Republicans “govern through ideology and power” while Democrats “govern by evidence” and truly want to help people. Then there was Hollywood’s disgust with the U.S. Expanding Our Market! policy on Iraq. Sean Penn spent $56,000 for a three- quarters page ad in the October 18 Washington Post to The MRC and the Lexis-Nexis Group have agreed on a criticize the President’s policy and former Cheers star five-year contract that will make selected MRC Woody Harrelson went on a tirade in a British newspaper, publications available on the Nexis.com web service. The claiming that America’s Iraq service is regarded as the top web service for news and policy was “racist and business information and has 2.8 billion searchable imperialist.” Susan Sarandon told documents and information from more than 30,000 news, a pre-election anti-war rally in business and legal sources. The agreement will make Washington that it was “about MRC publications available to thousands of journalists, business, the business of Congressional staffers and academic researchers in an distracting American attention easy-to-search, easy-to-find format. from Enron and Halliburton.” It’s safe to say that none of these celebrities were excited by Susan Sarandon the Republican victory on Election Day, meaning there’s bound to be more ludicrous statements from them – and some of their other Hollywood friends – in the months to come.

MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER 3 FLASH NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2002 B i t s & P i e c e s East to be threats to the U.S., or ever One liberal opinion was all the story Get the latest CyberAlert! considered the fact that the aircraft could needed in their view. How do Brit Hume, Bill O’Reilly, be moved and launched from elsewhere. The long-running CBS news Rush Limbaugh, Michael Reagan, Bush’s second “lie” was a statement magazine has never been accused of Janet Parshall, Matt Drudge, that Iraq was six months from developing possessing balance and, based on the National Review, the Washignton a nuclear weapon before the Persian Gulf Texas story, there’s no reason to believe Times, World magazine, and War. This was an untruth, Milbank it will acquire it any time soon. thousands of others stay on top of claimed, because the study Bush cited the latest liberal media bias? They found Iraq was “six to 24 months” from Democratic Gay-Bashing read the MRC’s CyberAlert. And Not Newsworthy you can too...for FREE! As a building the weapon. Talk about double standards. South member of the MRC, you can sign As the MRC pointed out in a Media up to receive the MRC’s near-daily Reality Check issued the day the article ran, Carolina Democratic Senate candidate e-mail report CyberAlert! Milbank’s story was nothing more than a Alex Sanders attacked former New York To subscribe, just e-mail petty, partisan rant designed to insult the City mayor Rudy Giuliani as “an [email protected] and President before the mid-term election. ultraliberal.” He then added that Giuliani say you want ot get your FREE Perhaps it served as Milbank’s contribution supported “banning all handguns, CyberAlerts! Mention that you to the Democratic National Committee. supports abortion, his wife kicked him read about it in FLASH. out and he moved in with two gay men 60 Minutes Does a Texas and Shih Tzu. Is that South Carolina Post Calls Bush a Liar One-Step values? I don’t think so.” The Washington Post has never been CBS’s 60 Minutes rolled into Texas the the fairest of newspapers but an October weekend before the elections for a story 22 story by White House reporter Dana on Democratic minority candidates Ron Milbank was nothing more than reckless Kirk and Tony Sanchez. Kirk, the black character assassination two weeks before former mayor of Dallas, ran for the U.S. a mid-term Congressional election. Senate, and Sanchez, a Hispanic business- Milbank’s front-page story claimed man, was a gubernatorial candidate. Both that George W. Bush was another Bill were ultimately unsuccessful. Clinton. “For Bush, Facts Are Malleable,” the headline asserted, while the smaller subhead noted: “Presidential Tradition of Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani asks Stephanopoulos about the Embroidering Key Assertions Continues.” media firestorm that didn’t happen. What had the President lied about? First, his early October claim that Iraq Unless you caught this comment on had unmanned aerial vehicles that could the Fox News Channel or heard George threaten the United States was bogus, Stephanopoulos ask Giuliani about it on according to Milbank, who argued that the November 3 This Week, this is probably the first time you’ve read the Liberal columnist Molly Ivins was the statement. That’s because the major only opinion 60 Minutes used for its media ignored it. Even Stephanopoulos’s story on Texas elections. question to Giuliani came a couple of But it wasn’t because 60 Minutes weeks after the comment was made. didn’t try to help. Morley Safer’s Now imagine Sanders had been a November 3 story on the two races was Republican. An immediate media firestorm a slanted piece of reporting from start to would have erupted. “It would have been finish. Safer featured the opinions of only news for four or five days. Absolute major one outside “expert,” those of longtime news,” Giuliani told Stephanopoulos. The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank’s Texas columnist and lifelong liberal Molly You bet it would have been. A front-page story questioned President Ivins. Ivins slammed Republicans and Republican would have been described Bush’s truthfulness. praised Democrats, as anyone who as mean and hateful and pilloried on every the aircraft are experimental and don’t knows Ivins would have predicted. network and newspapers across the have the range to reach the U.S. The problem, as pointed out in a country would have condemned him as Apparently, neither Milbank nor the November 4 Media Reality Check, was yet another intolerant conservative. A editors at the Post consider threats to that 60 Minutes saw nothing wrong with Democrat made the comment, though, American military installations in the Middle including only Ivins liberal commentary. and the media, who desperately wanted

MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER 4 FLASH NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2002 that party to maintain control of the Senate, hope we never see a politician that didn’t make a sound. Just another example Schieffer thinks is liberal. of the media’s fair and even-handed approach to Republicans and Democrats. Militant Links Overlooked Sniper suspect John Muhammad is a Bob’s Labeling Problems member of the Nation of Islam, was so Poor Bob Schieffer. He’s seeing enamored with Louis Farrakahn that he lied things that just aren’t there. about being his bodyguard and, according Handicapping the Elizabeth Dole- to acquaintances, openly spoke of his Erskine Bowles Senate race in North sympathy for the September 11 hijackers. Carolina for the November 1 Imus in the So this was front-page news across Do as I say, not as I do. Go vote. Morning radio show, the veteran CBS the country, right? Hardly. Those facts were Maureen Dowd, the tart-tongued buried or ignored by the national media, who New York Times columnist, is a registered preferred to describe the suspect as a District of Columbia Democrat and missed former soldier and Gulf War veteran. nine of the 12 local elections from 1994 A MRC CyberAlert check of nine through 2000. Chris Matthews, the former major national newspapers on October 25, Jimmy Carter speechwriter who claims to the day after Muhammad and accomplice love elections on his MSNBC Hardball John Lee Malvo’s arrest, found not a show, has missed seven of the last 10 local single reference to the Nation of Islam in elections in Montgomery County. the leads of the nine stories. The night And it gets worse. CNN’s Judy before, the ABC, CBS and NBC evening Woodruff has moderated presidential Liberals look “fairly” conservative news broadcasts buried references to to Bob Schieffer. debates and covered many an election Islam deep in their stories. night, but the registered Democrat just newsman characterized Bowles, Bill Can you imagine what the response can’t seem to get to the voting booth with Clinton’s former Chief of Staff, as “pro would have been if the killer had been a any regularity, having missed seven of the business,” “a conservative kind of self-proclaimed Christian evangelical? The 12 local D.C. elections from 1994 to 2000. Democrat” and “fairly conservative.” media coverage would have overshadowed Another D.C. resident, Margaret Carlson The November 4 CyberAlert examined the Congressional elections. (D-CNN/Time), missed eight of the 12 Bowles stances on the issues – all it took elections. Thomas Edsall (D-Washington was a visit to his campaign website – and Prominent Journalists Don’t Post) has covered politics for 20 years, found that the Democrat favored Ted Bother to Vote but missed seven of 12 D.C. elections. Kennedy’s prescription drug entitlement Remember this the next time you So the next time you hear the media program and opposes school vouchers. hear a reporter or talking head whine moan about the lack of participation in The former Clintonite was also quoted on about low voter turnout. American democracy just remember that CBS Evening News as being in favor of A November Washingtonian magazine there’s several of them that aren’t imposing the family and medical leave article, picked up by MRC’s CyberAlert, participating...unless you count slanting the burden on business. looked at the party registration and voting news for liberals as a form of participation. So, let’s see. Favoring Kennedy-style record of several prominent journalists who government entitlements makes a live in the District of Columbia and its politician “fairly conservative.” We sure Montgomery County, Md. suburb. mini-bitsmini-bits Barbara Walters claims “If literacy alone were the yardstick, Cuba would rank as one of the freest nation’s on earth”.....British Broadcasting Corporation World Affairs Editor John Simpson tells London’s Guardian that “George Bush was a man of below average intelligence and a glove puppet of his Vice President, Dick Cheney, and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld”.....Simpson adds that Fox News is “dysfunctional, grotesquely patriotic Barbara Walters finds unique ways to praise Fidel and embarrassing”.....NPR’s Nina Totenberg says “If we think we are going to fight the war on terrorism without some sort of significant gun control, we are crazy”.....John McCain sings Barbra Streisand hits on Saturday Night Live and comments: “Do I know how to sing? About as well as she knows how to govern America”.....Animal behaviorist Jane Goodall does a Yogi Berra imitation on Today: “If we don’t continue to care about the environment now then if it gets worse than it is now the terrorists will win because there will be nothing left for our grandchildren.”

MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER 5 FLASH NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2002 Cybercast News Service

By Scott Hogenson CNSNews.com Executive Editor CNSNews.com Competes with the Top 100 Newspapers Part of my job involves keeping an eye on our hit report - We’re reaching hundreds of that compendium of reader data by which Internet sites thousands of other readers through our increasingly live and die. Cybercast system, a service by which we If our hit report is any sort of indicator, CNSNews.com automatically transmit and publish CNSNews.com on subscribing appears to be not only alive but quite well. Internet websites. But even that’s just scratching the surface. Buried among this mountain of data is a statistic called On November 6, Rush Limbaugh was doing his election ‘unique visitors.’ This figure represents the number of individual post mortem and noted to his millions of radio listeners a people who read CNSNews.com, the Internet newswire of the CNSNews.com article written that date by Morning Editor Susan Media Research Center. Jones about how Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry On the morning of November 13, our hit report showed McAuliffe was trying to explain his party’s historic loss by saying 138,935 unique readers. This is a fine six-digit figure, but remains that “not much has changed.” in something of a vacuum without putting it into perspective. I give credit for this to the staff for their hard work and According to the Detroit Free Press, which maintains a diligence in producing a great product that more and more people ranking of the Top 100 newspapers in the United States based want to read every day. I also give credit to Brent Bozell, who on 2001 circulation, our readership would put us in 86th place, had the vision and guts to launch CNSNews.com in 1998. nestled between the Tulsa World (circulation 139,383) and the But the lion’s share of the credit goes to you and the others Salt Lake City Tribune (circulation 134,712). who generously support the Media Research Center and Being ranked alongside the 86th biggest newspaper in the CNSNews.com. Without you, none of this would be possible. country doesn’t sound like much to brag about, but consider Your belief in what we do and your support for our efforts this for a moment: the Tulsa World first published in 1905 and are more than just important; they are the bedrock on which this the Salt Lake City Tribune dates back to the mid-19th century. organization and its achievements stand. By comparison, CNSNews.com was founded in 1998. The news business is a competitive one, and I want you to Being able to compete on a readership level with century- know how much I value your help in allowing us to compete in old newspapers after being in business less than five years is this marketplace. It’s a vitally important mission and with your pretty amazing, but that’s just a fraction of our reach. continued help, we’ll continue to succeed.

Buy Great Gifts and Support America’s Media Watchdog MRC Kicks Off Media War Watch The liberal media has consistently provided slanted coverage of a possible “See no balance” war with Iraq. To combat this unfair coverage, the MRC has undertaken a new project focused specifically on the liberal media’s bias in reporting Coffee Cup the subject. $10.95 / $8.95* Called Media War Watch, the new campaign has two objectives. The first is to expose the media’s biased coverage of the issue and the second is to improve network coverage of both the Iraq issue and the war on terrorism. To date, a dedicated web section has been established “See no balance” (www.mediaresearch.org/projects/ T-SHIRT mww/welcome.asp) and it provides $16.95/ *$14.95 -- lg, xlg several items and MRC critiques. $14.95/ *$12.95 -- sm, md In addition, a fact sheet – it will (Gray with navy print) include specific incidents of bias and Plus books, videos, and much more! slanted reporting patterns – will be To order call toll free: developed and sent to the news anchors and Capitol Hill bureau (800) 672-1423 ext.122 chiefs of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, * Mention this offer in FLASH to receive your FNC and MSNBC. MEMBER DISCOUNT RATE!

MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER 6 FLASH NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2002 Using Tragedy for Political Purposes Inside NBC Nightly News and Time magazine For Time it was an opportunity to tie Bush to attempted to link President Bush to the gun violence and to make an editorial push for Washington, D.C. sniper. “tough gun control.” The MRC How? Both outlets noted that the President Time reporters Karen Tumulty and Viveca of Bushmaster Firearms – the company made Novak were openly disappointed by the absence Patrick Gregory the rifle used in the murders – was the Maine of gun control talk in the shootings’ aftermath. state finance chairman for the Bush presidential The two journalists were especially upset with campaign. Tom Brokaw shared the story with Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate viewers on his October 24 Kathleen Kennedy Town- newscast and Time, in its send, who had been November 4 edition, went interviewed on CNN but one better, claiming that the “chose her words care- close relationship between fully, never once uttering gun-rights advocates and the gun control but referring Patrick Gregory is a White House “was under- instead to her support for news analyst at the scored by the fact that the ‘commonsense gun MRC and is responsible military-style gun used in the laws.’” for tracking Fox News sniper attacks...was manu- Townsend, who lost Channel and contrast- factured by a company Brokaw linked the gun used in to Republican Bob Ehrlich ing their news coverage owned by Richard Dyke, a the D.C.-area sniper murders in an election surprise, with that of the other to President Bush. networks. Patrick also Bush fundraiser.” was an anti-gun candidate monitors CNN’s Capital And what was the purpose of this news in a state with some of the most restrictive Gang, Reliable Sources, item? For Brokaw, who merely noted the gun laws in the country and even she failed to CNN Presents, CBS’s “connection” and moved on to another story, pass Time’s litmus test on guns. Nothing short Saturday Early Show it was just a typical, run-of-the-mill network of an outright ban on private ownership will and the New York news cheap shot at a conservative President. ever satisfy the liberal journalists at Time. Times. A native of Chester, Va., Patrick is a gradu- with say “yes” to everything. My husband ate of the University of walked from another part of the house stunned. Virginia, where he re- He said it sounded like one of the Hitler rallies ceived a bachelor’s de- on the History Channel when they were gree in government, MAILBAGMAILBAG with an emphasis in glorifying Hitler and Nazi Germany. He and I Upset by media bias? Impressed by an MRC American Politics, in publication? Share your comments with us by were both surprised, it was supposed to be a sending an e-mail to [email protected] memorial. By the way I have yet to hear, other 2001. or a letter to than his wife and daughter, who the others who Patrick has worked at MRC Mailbag died were. Weren’t they important too? the MRC since July 2001 325 South Patrick Street ~Karen from North Carolina and thoroughly enjoys his work. “The best part Alexandria, VA 22314 Brokaw Links Sniper Weapon to Bush Campaign is providing ammuni- A limited number of comments will be (CyberAlert 10/25/02) tion to the conservative reprinted in FLASH and posted on the MRC Tom Brokaw’s attempt to link President web site (www.mrc.org). movement,” he said. “I Bush to the D.C. area sniper is repulsive and began listening to Rush yet another example of his leftwing Limbaugh in eighth Morning Shows Downplay or Ignore How Wellstone bias....Brokaw’s repeated attacks against grade so I was well Memorial Service Turned Into a Liberal, Anti- Republicans and conservatives continue to aware of liberal media Conservative Political Rally (CyberAlert Extra, 10/ illustrate NBC’s liberal, leftwing bias and bias and it’s awesome 30/02) hypocrisy....NBC’s and Brokaw’s credibility of to be a part of fighting “fair” or “neutral” reporting have long been “That the Democrats would turn the death it.” repudiated. By keeping Brokaw on the air, by of Wellstone into a pep rally does not surprise promoting ONLY anti-Bush authors, NBC Patrick is an usher at me. They are vicious partisans who are mad for simply continues to affirm this repudiation the First Baptist Church power and will do anything to acquire it. It’s remains justified. NBC’s and Brokaw’s anti- of Alexandria and en- ideology, stupid!” conservative, pro-Democrat, views are joys mountain biking, ~Don from Tennessee transparent to all. Thank you for your time and video games and fish- I was watching the main blast of Sen. for your site. ing. He hopes to attend law school at some point Wellstone’s Memorial/Pep rally. It was the parts ~ Lori from New York in the future.

MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER 7 FLASH NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2002 EDITOR’S CORNER TIM JONES Short Trips and Poor Predictions

I was sitting there, minding my own business, watching But reporters and pundits think they can. And it’s the primary Tim Russert and Meet the Press when I got mad. reason why they missed the conservative surge at the polls on It was David Broder that set me off. The Washington Post November 5. political writer and columnist was forecasting the Minnesota In fairness to Broder, he was certainly not the only Washington election and picked Walter Mondale to win. pundit to be wrong about an election and I doubt the mild-mannered Which was fine. The problem was that he picked Mondale correspondent would even appear on a list of this town’s arrogant to win based on a weekend he spent in Minnesota. And that media types. But his weekend statement was the perfect example made me mad. of what’s wrong with so much of the Washington media. Think about that for a second. A man who works in It’s become a cliché, but these people really don’t know Washington, D.C. went to a cold, frosty place a thousand miles what goes on outside of Washington. Journalists and pundits away for two days and claimed the visit enabled him to pick a talk to each other and they talk to pollsters, Washington winner in a close race. That’s baloney and arrogant to boot. politicians and activists. Everything they hear reinforces the idea It’s also the reason why so many Washington pundits and that they and the people they talk with have all the answers. reporters seem to be wrong so often these days and it’s why I And one short trip out of town and a few missed predictions have a news flash for them. There’s no way, boys and girls, to at election time isn’t going to change that. know what is happening in some place that you don’t live in day in and day out. It’s just not possible, no matter how smart you From all of us at the are or think you are. Media Research Center I can go back to my hometown in Kentucky – I lived there and CNSNews.com or around there for a full 32 years of my life but haven’t been around much at all for the last six – and talk to friends and acquaintances on a weekend and come up with all sorts of theories MERRY CHRISTMAS about local politics. Despite my personal background, though, I’d be a fool to think that I could get the full picture of any and election, or anything else for that matter, in that short amount of HAPPY NEW YEAR! time.

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