:: NEWS COCKTAIL aka BlahBlahBlog ::

:: 3.12.2003 ::

:: "shallow, obsessive, toxic, lazy, and conformist" ::

No, I'm not working up a description of myself for an online personal ad, ;) this is how the media is characterized in the following article. Check it out.

From Editor & Publisher:
Writers Debate Media Bias, Iraq Coverage
Rants Against Bush, Press That Covers Him
By Ari Berman

What was billed as a debate on media bias featuring three writers (Eric Alterman, Arianna Huffington, and William McGowan) and one celebrity (comedian/actress/antiwar advocate Janeane Garofalo), turned into an animated series of divisive rants on the media's coverage of the Bush administration and Iraq.

Calling the media "shallow, obsessive, toxic, lazy, and conformist," columnist Huffington wondered aloud why the mainstream media hasn't yet held the White House accountable during its march to war. Reacting to Bush's press conference on Thursday, Huffington proclaimed, "Have you ever seen lap dogs behave more obediently? Are they afraid of losing their all-access pass to the White House?"

Garofalo said she had been ridiculed by the media for her antiwar activism and, clearly, it hurt. She blasted conservative talk show hosts for attempting to marginalize the antiwar movement by focusing almost exclusively on celebrities. Just today, Garofalo said, she had to change her phone number after a series of crank calls (she hinted that someone at Fox News had given her number out). And she said the press had a vested interest in going to war. "The press is biased in favor of ratings -- and war is ratings," Garofalo said.

"After the bombs start falling next week no one is going remember a thing said in this room," Garofalo emphasized. "All of our time has been wasted -- this debate is so degrading."

posted by me

:: 10:12:00 PM [+] ::
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