Pointless 2016 Election Journalism, 2014 Edition
Trying to cover the 2016 presidential election based on a poll in 2014 is a waste of time.
Has the Right Really Shifted on Police Militarization and Abuse?
It would be wonderful if more Republicans–and, for that matter, more Democrats–were speaking out about police abuses and related issues. But treating one lawmaker’s op-ed as a sign of a fundamental shift on the right seems a bit of an overreach.
Obamacare as a ‘Big Government’ Failure
Pundits’ discussions of the Affordable Care Act rollout assumes that the law represents some kind of “activist government” intervention to disrupt the normally smooth workings of the private sector. But that is neither the intent nor the effect of the law.
Shutdown: Media SHOULD Play the Blame Game
Media like to dismiss the partisan “blame game,” but in cases like this placing blame is something that journalism ought to do.
What Do You Call Edward Snowden?
CBS’s Scott Pelley suggests that Edward Snowden admitted to being a “spy” for Russia. But he’s not the only one using odd language to describe the NSA whistleblower.
What’s the Message of Clinton’s Noncampaign for the Office She Might Run for in Three Years?
Hillary Clinton hasn’t announced that she’s running for president in 2016, and launched a campaign yet. But the Washington Post is already complaining that her nonexistent campaign for an office she may or may not seek lacks a clear message. “Clinton’s gender likely would be a significant asset,” writes chief correspondent Dan Balz (8/12/13), adding: […]
George W. Bush Is a Swell Guy, Just Ask His Friends
The opening of the George W. Bush library is generating coverage about the state of the Bush legacy. But if the journalists who were far too generous in their coverage of Bush’s presidency are the same ones writing about how that presidency should be viewed now, he’s in safe hands.
Cutting Social Security and Medicare? That’s the ‘Middle’
The new White House budget proposal is getting a lot of attention because it explicitly connects the Obama administration to an agenda that includes cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits. Some pundits see this as a way to appeal to the “middle.” But does anyone– in the middle or anywhere else–really want to cut the safety net?
Pundits: In Victory, Obama Must Accommodate His Opponents
With the election over, you’re seeing familiar corporate media advice about the need for Obama to move to the right and learn to compromise with Republicans. Some of this is based on a frankly nonsensical view of the polarization that accompanied his first term. Matt Bai of the New York Times writes (11/7/12): There are, […]
When Nonsense Is Your Reality, Reality Naturally Seems to Have a Slant
Washington Post ombud Patrick Pexton (9/30/12) presents conservative opinion as a prima facie case for a left-wing slant in corporate news media: “Republicans think the news media are being too easy on Barack Obama…. Everyone sees more bias, and Republicans see it more than other groups.” Offering this as evidence of a left media bias […]
Romney Whistleblower Comes Forward (Not Really)
Washington Post columnist Dan Balz has a big scoop from an anonymous source in today’s paper (8/14/12): The choice, like most vice presidential selections, also was a way for Romney to say something bigger about the kind of campaign he hopes to run. In that sense, advisers say, Ryan was “Mitt’s pick, completely.” “Stories talk […]
A Gaffe Is a Gaffe When Reporters Say So
Campaign coverage often gets bogged down in trivia—inconsequential polling data, the latest “off message” comment by an associate, and so on. But then there are the “gaffes,” when politicians say something that we’re told means a lot more than it might seem. Barack Obama’s 2008 comment about small-town voters clinging to their guns and religion […]
Why It Matters That There’s No Such Thing as Simpson-Bowles
Dan Balz, the Washington Post‘s chief White House correspondent (5/20/12), complains that President Barack Obama hasn’t solved America’s fiscal problems: Obama has drawn criticism for failing to offer more forceful leadership. He established the Simpson-Bowles commission but declined opportunities at key moments to push and prod for its consideration and enactment. There’s an odd syntax […]
More Evidence of Gingrich’s Idea-Spewing
Last week, Washington Post reporter Dan Balz explained that Newt Gingrich was “an idea-spewing machine” and a “one-man think tank”–even warning that “a keen intellect can also translate into the appearance of intellectual superiority.” Well OK. A few days in Balz’s paper, readers learned that in a recent speech Gingrich called Barack Obama a “food […]
Newt Gingrich, Intellectual Powerhouse
Washington Post reporter Dan Balz has a front-page piece about Newt Gingrich’s announcement that he’s running for president. Balz calls Gingrich’s Twitter declaration a “milestone in presidential politics,” adding that Gingrich “is an idea-spewing machine,” a “one-man think tank” and “someone who has remained in the forefront of the public policy debate over a span […]
Bush’s Palpable Persistence in Pursuit of bin Laden
In today’s edition of the Washington Post (5/2/11), Dan Balz puts forth what is probably going to be a popular theme in the coverage of the killing of Osama bin Laden: that catching the Al-Qaeda leader was a top concern of both the Bush and Obama administrations. Bush put down the marker not long after […]
WashPost: Obama/GOP Budget Cuts Are What the People Ordered
Washington Post reporter Dan Balz (4/10/11) presents the Obama/GOP budget deal asevidence that the White House wasmerelyrespondingto public opinion: Most important was showing the country that he could make Washington work. “Like any worthwhile agreement, both sides had to make tough decisions and give ground on issues that were important to them,” he said. At […]
Violent Rhetoric and False Balance
Today in the New York Times Paul Krugman (1/10/11) suggests that we not pretend that “both sides” are responsible for toxic political rhetoric: Where’s that toxic rhetoric coming from? Let’s not make a false pretense of balance: It’s coming, overwhelmingly, from the right. It’s hard to imagine a Democratic member of Congress urging constituents to […]
WPost: The Midterms and ‘Big Government’
Sunday’s Washington Post (10/10/10) featured a story by Jon Cohen and Dan Balz that led with this claim: If there is an overarching theme of election 2010, it is the question of how big the government should be and how far it should reach into people’s lives. The piece is actually an explanation of the […]
Post Mishandles Post Poll
Yesterday’s Washington Post (12/16/09) reports that the public isn’t sold on healthcare reform. As the headline puts it: Public Cooling to Healthcare Reform as Debate Drags On, Poll Finds The story by Dan Balz and Jon Cohen explains that “there is minimal public enthusiasm for the kind of comprehensive changes in healthcare now under consideration.” […]
