#5 Critiquing the Press (Running The FED Reserve For Dummies! , book)

Critiquing the Press

That's WaPo if FYI

Washington, D.C.: Howard: Pat Buchanan had a funny line on The McLaughlin Group this weekend - he said that Pres. Bush was going to appoint his personal accountant as chairman of the Fed, because he was the best person with numbers he knows. The Miers nomination coverage almost seems to be risk free for the main stream media - since the fire is coming from both the left and the right. How can the media be considered biased in reporting this incident when both ends of the political spectrum are opposed? It seems like a rare opportunity in such a political town.

Howard Kurtz: Actually, as I've covered in some detail, almost all the ammunition against Miers is coming from the right, from the likes of Krauthammer, Frum, Kristol, Will, Noonan, Lowry, even the Wall Street Journal editorial page. Liberals have largely held their fire, on the theory that you shouldn't interfere when your opponent is going through a meltdown.

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AU, Washington, D.C.: Hello Howard,I've recently been studying the agenda-settingfunction of media for a graduate class at AU. The original study by McCombs and Shaw has been replicated over and over and the agenda-setting funcion of mass media in politics is clearly proven. I'm wondering what you think about more recent forms of media setting the agenda in politics... such as bloggers, podcasts, and things of that nature. Do you think the alternative media is competing with the mass media in agenda-setting, or do you think the key messages are the same for both? Who is leading whom? Thanks... love your column!

Howard Kurtz: Alternative media are clearly having an impact, sometimes directly on the public debate, and sometimes by influencing the tone of the mainstream media coverage. The clearest and most recent example was on the day of the Harriet Miers nomination. Within three hours of the 8 a.m. announcement, enough conservative bloggers and pundits were opposing Miers online that I knew a major storm was brewing without having to wait for the evening newscasts or the next day's papers.

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eh:
Silver Spring, Md.: Your response to the fellow asking about Russert was almost McLellanish! His question was a significant one, but you responded to his (foolish) comment about when the indictments would come down. You can defend Russert, attack him, or whatever you want to do, but to blow off the question like that is perpetuating exactly the problem that you act like you are trying to solve. Please don't do that. It is wrong.

jim

Howard Kurtz: I continue to believe that Russert is fair. To compare the replaying of a video of a president denying he had sex with a former intern to one of a president saying he will fire any leakers simply doesn't account for the sheer bizarreness and entertainment value of the former. Besides, the fire-the-leakers tape could get more of a workout if there are indictments, as opposed to just speculation about indictments.
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