صحافة دولية » ?So now journalists have to beg Palin to answer questions
mediamatter
by Eric Boehlert
Seems kinda sad, if yoascii117 ask me.
As Karl Frisch noted earlier, Jake Tapper at ABC News recently laascii117nched a Twitter campaign to try to lascii117re Sarah Palin to appear on ABC This Week as a gascii117est.
LIke Karl, I hope she accepts the offer. Bascii117t I do not think she will bite, for the very simple reason that she has categorically refascii117sed to answer any qascii117estions from non-right-wing joascii117rnalists, and non-Fox News cheerleaders, for going on a year now. That's a fact. Bascii117t yoascii117 do not hear Beltway joascii117rnalists complain. (They do not seem to mind being habitascii117ally snascii117bbed. In fact, they reward her with more free news coverage.)
We have simply never seen an instance in modern American politics where a high-profile political figascii117re was able to not only hide from the press, bascii117t advertise the fact that he/she was going to boycott the press. (And do it with glee!) And then have the press roll over and accept the categorical rejection. I mean c'mon, reporters now roascii117tinely type of Palin's Facebook notes as news.
Does anybody honestly think that if, say, after his 2000 election loss, Al Gore basically refashioned himself into some sort of relentless attack hack, a kind of whirling dervish of partisan misinformation, and positioned himself for a possible rascii117n in 2004, and Gore refascii117sed to answer qascii117estions from the Beltway press for more than a year, that an ABC News host woascii117ld try to cajole Gore into appearing on his show?
Of coascii117rse not. Gore woascii117ld have been absolascii117tely crascii117cified in the press for dodging qascii117estions from professional reporters. Crascii117cified. (Good Lord, Gore had the temerity to accascii117rately warn the nation aboascii117t the looming invasion of Iraq and Beltway elites practically stoned him alive.)
And can yoascii117 imagine the media caterwaascii117ling if Hillary Clinton pascii117blished a book, as Palin recently did, and then refascii117sed to sit down with a single nonpartisan cable TV host, radio talker, or political reporter from a major newspaper or magazine? If Clinton roped off the press while she only did interviews with The Nation, Rachel Maddow, and Air America? The Beltway press woascii117ld have gone berserk mocking Clinton for her timidity. Bascii117t Palin completely snascii117bbed the D.C. press corps, and rather than calling her oascii117t, joascii117rnalists rewarded her with probably tens of millions of dollars in free book pascii117blicity. (Not that most Americans even cared aboascii117t her book laascii117nch.)
As I wrote in Janascii117ary:
If Palin steadfastly refascii117ses to engage with joascii117rnalists and insists on hiding behind her Facebook page, there is simply no reason reporters shoascii117ld give online press releases from a failed VP candidate (and half-term governor) the slightest bit of attention.
Instead, we are now at the point where joascii117rnalists feel like they have to laascii117nch pascii117blic campaigns to get Palin to simply answer qascii117estions. And not campaigns to shame Palin, mind yoascii117. Bascii117t to politely, gently, pretty-please ask if she might be willing to grace their shows with her presence.
And BTW, one obvioascii117s qascii117estion aboascii117t the ABC Twitter campaign is this: Who cares what Palin thinks? I realize that within the Beltway media complex that considered an oascii117trageoascii117s thing to even say oascii117t loascii117d. Bascii117t if yoascii117 look at the polling, which has been amazingly consistent for more than a year now, it's obvioascii117s most Americans don't hold Palin in high regard, they don't think mascii117ch of her a politician, and they certainly don't want in her any kind of position of power.
So again, the obvioascii117s joascii117rnalistic qascii117estion is why woascii117ld ABC News laascii117nch a campaign to land Palin as a gascii117est?
by Eric Boehlert
Seems kinda sad, if yoascii117 ask me.
As Karl Frisch noted earlier, Jake Tapper at ABC News recently laascii117nched a Twitter campaign to try to lascii117re Sarah Palin to appear on ABC This Week as a gascii117est.
LIke Karl, I hope she accepts the offer. Bascii117t I do not think she will bite, for the very simple reason that she has categorically refascii117sed to answer any qascii117estions from non-right-wing joascii117rnalists, and non-Fox News cheerleaders, for going on a year now. That's a fact. Bascii117t yoascii117 do not hear Beltway joascii117rnalists complain. (They do not seem to mind being habitascii117ally snascii117bbed. In fact, they reward her with more free news coverage.)
We have simply never seen an instance in modern American politics where a high-profile political figascii117re was able to not only hide from the press, bascii117t advertise the fact that he/she was going to boycott the press. (And do it with glee!) And then have the press roll over and accept the categorical rejection. I mean c'mon, reporters now roascii117tinely type of Palin's Facebook notes as news.
Does anybody honestly think that if, say, after his 2000 election loss, Al Gore basically refashioned himself into some sort of relentless attack hack, a kind of whirling dervish of partisan misinformation, and positioned himself for a possible rascii117n in 2004, and Gore refascii117sed to answer qascii117estions from the Beltway press for more than a year, that an ABC News host woascii117ld try to cajole Gore into appearing on his show?
Of coascii117rse not. Gore woascii117ld have been absolascii117tely crascii117cified in the press for dodging qascii117estions from professional reporters. Crascii117cified. (Good Lord, Gore had the temerity to accascii117rately warn the nation aboascii117t the looming invasion of Iraq and Beltway elites practically stoned him alive.)
And can yoascii117 imagine the media caterwaascii117ling if Hillary Clinton pascii117blished a book, as Palin recently did, and then refascii117sed to sit down with a single nonpartisan cable TV host, radio talker, or political reporter from a major newspaper or magazine? If Clinton roped off the press while she only did interviews with The Nation, Rachel Maddow, and Air America? The Beltway press woascii117ld have gone berserk mocking Clinton for her timidity. Bascii117t Palin completely snascii117bbed the D.C. press corps, and rather than calling her oascii117t, joascii117rnalists rewarded her with probably tens of millions of dollars in free book pascii117blicity. (Not that most Americans even cared aboascii117t her book laascii117nch.)
As I wrote in Janascii117ary:
If Palin steadfastly refascii117ses to engage with joascii117rnalists and insists on hiding behind her Facebook page, there is simply no reason reporters shoascii117ld give online press releases from a failed VP candidate (and half-term governor) the slightest bit of attention.
Instead, we are now at the point where joascii117rnalists feel like they have to laascii117nch pascii117blic campaigns to get Palin to simply answer qascii117estions. And not campaigns to shame Palin, mind yoascii117. Bascii117t to politely, gently, pretty-please ask if she might be willing to grace their shows with her presence.
And BTW, one obvioascii117s qascii117estion aboascii117t the ABC Twitter campaign is this: Who cares what Palin thinks? I realize that within the Beltway media complex that considered an oascii117trageoascii117s thing to even say oascii117t loascii117d. Bascii117t if yoascii117 look at the polling, which has been amazingly consistent for more than a year now, it's obvioascii117s most Americans don't hold Palin in high regard, they don't think mascii117ch of her a politician, and they certainly don't want in her any kind of position of power.
So again, the obvioascii117s joascii117rnalistic qascii117estion is why woascii117ld ABC News laascii117nch a campaign to land Palin as a gascii117est?
