Do You Want Your OTV? (Part III)

Ever hear of fireside chats? President Obama is not the first president to keep the public informed in times of war and economic crisis. The President is comforting to some of us. In addition, what is up with all the crap about the “tax payer’s money”? This taxpayer wants’ to know what is happening at the White House! Get a grip Tapper and stop trying to feed into the paranoia, hate and hysteria of the right wing kooks. They are still tripping over Obama’s birth certificate and his teleprompter. Don't give them anything else to go crazy about.

Every news outlet should unequivocally have to clearly label where all of their news is coming from as in today's world so much of it is derived from political talking points and corporate press releases (requiring a copy of the actual release to be available would also be a good idea as they are sometimes cut and reworded). We also need more watchdog groups to monitor the news agencies, but unfortunately these groups are often smeared as partisan when one's own side is called out. As for OTV... big deal... where are these pieces even being aired, can they be considered news in any sense, do they pose any real threat to journalism? It seems like they are aimed more at humanizing the office (clearly being PR pieces - something all administrations create), but at least they are forward about it instead of trying to embed it in the news or pass it off as journalism. The issue of funding may be more problematic, but so long as it is being funded out of an existing PR budget that corresponds to those of previous administrations there really isn't anything to complain about there either. All in all, it's more a bvd-bundler for conspiracy theorists and anti-Obama people than anything.

kjhk- Thanks for the feedback. But do you, or anyone else, happen to recall the name of Stalin's prolific painter?

Ryan, I'll try again to help you understand my point. Yes, I consider the WH creating and disseminating (outside the WH website, that is) news product, complete pieces rather than raw footage, indefensible. It does not matter for the purpose of this debate who has done what in the past, here or in other countries, under which party's administrations. I clearly stated that I think the WH is wrong to do this. I did not include any statements along the line of "Republicans would never do such a thing" or "Bush never did that."

You suggest that your line of argument, which drags in extraneous examples of the Bush era and of Fox News, is simply that "the right wing" is hypocritical, stating, "I was making a point of the complete insincerity and hypocrisy of the right wing on this issue." Nonsense. Try seeing the world through a more nuanced prism, for starters-- is everything left and right for you? And please note that at least some of us expressing reservations about the practice are NOT "right wing." In fact, you made these comments about alleged right wing insincerity while addressing my earlier comment, quoting me and responding to each point.

Let's try again-- not everyone who disagrees with you, or with President Obama (after all, the two of you never seem to disagree on anything), is right wing. And, to be fair, I should also point out that being far right is not actually synonymous with being automatically wrong or beneath contempt, as you frequently imply.

You can keep trying to bring up Fox News as well as past "journalistic" scandals, but that does not change the present WH action or make it appropriate. Maybe you should move to another thread or another subject.

Posted by: MarkLeavenworth
re" "Flowers for Stalin"

I believe that like the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the pix in question vanished with the Commisars, a very (re) touching moment.

But in all seriousness, we know for sure that most of the images from that time period and subject matter now reside in the secret private art collection of president Obama.
In fact, altho' it is not commonly known, there is a direct global underground transportation system at Obama's disposal so he can secretly worship and study in the shadow of the Lenin memorial.

why hasn't Obama filmed a cigarette commerical? Considering his addiction and the hardtimes coming for US tobacco companies (and many poor tobacco farmers some of whom are black)?

===FoxNews was but a single example.

Posted by: Ryan C | Jun 12, 2009 5:09:22 PM===

It's apples to oranges. One is using tax payer dollars, the other isn't.

===And the WH should cut it out.===

Why should they? With only 1 journalist questioning it, and being tagged a right winger for doing so, it's a win/win for them.

"- the Obama administration does something indefensible"

Doing their own packaged video clips and being clear about who produced them is indefensible?

Should I even bother to ask what your rationalization was when Bush not only produced their own video clips but that they were disseminated to local news media and broadcast without any identification of the source?

"OTV is a bad idea, so you are trying to insist that the "real" issue of importance is not the WH behavior but Fox News."

Not at all. I was making a point of the complete insincerity and hypocrisy of the right wing on this issue.

FoxNews was but a single example.

If his tv network costs less than one billion dollars.. it's not even on my radar screen.. these days - even 250 million wouldn't bother us much...

==I admitted my mistake.==

And then you point out Fox admitting their mistakes. I'm not sure what your point is. Everyone makes mistakes? I also don't know what Fox News had to with OTV. You have gone far afield in trying to justify OTV.

Ryan C, you crack me up. I see you are up to your usual tactics-- the Obama administration does something indefensible, so in order to defend them, you keep trying to move the subject to a semirelated topic. OTV is a bad idea, so you are trying to insist that the "real" issue of importance is not the WH behavior but Fox News. Fox News is not the issue here. OTV is. And the WH should cut it out.

"You got caught red handed yourself."

You are right, I neglected to put quotes around a copy paste therefore possibily leadign some to think i had written those words.

I admitted my mistake.

I am but a humble poster on a blog.

FoxNews portrays itself as a fair balanced new network.

More FoxNews carrying GOP water:

"ThinkProgress noted that Fox News spliced a six-month old clip of Vice President Biden to misleadingly imply that he recently said the “fundamentals of the economy are strong.” Today, Fox News’s Martha MacCallum apologized to viewers and said it was an “inadvertent” error:

MacCALLUM: Yesterday during a segment on the recent change in tone from President Obama’s economic team, we inadvertently used a piece of video of Vice President Biden saying “the fundamentals of the economy are strong.” This video was from the campaign trail when the vice president was a candidate and was actually quoting Sen. John McCain. When we get something wrong we admit it. We did so yesterday, and for that we apologize."

And this is not a new phenomenon:

Guardian 2004 "Fox News, the influential rightwing US television network, said yesterday it had "reprimanded" its chief politi cal correspondent after its website carried fabricated quotes attributed to John Kerry, in which he called himself a "metrosexual" who enjoys getting manicures. "

kjhk- I can't seem to find the Stalin paintings mentioned anywhere on the web all of a sudden. Do you happen to know who painted "Flowers for Stalin" and the other similar paintings which were well published everywhere at one time, but now are nowhere to be found and compared to Norman Rockwell paintings of the same time period?

===Yes I copy pasted an excerpt of an article listing a recent incident of FoxNews getting caught red handed passing GOP talking points. ===

You got caught red handed yourself.

'Nutrition Facts' link requirement for every story from a media syndicate.

Posted by: MarkLeavenworth

would give added meaning to; 'fruity loops'
or not fit for human consumption ;-P

"Ryan, or should I call you
Jason Linkins?"

Yes I copy pasted an excerpt of an article listing a recent incident of FoxNews getting caught red handed passing GOP talking points.

I usually put quotes when I do so but neglected to in this instance.

I suppose I could add McCellan admitting that FoxNews's personality shows also use talking points from the GOP.

"You really want to lecture me about talking points?"

Sure, I just provided evidence that FoxNews read RSCC talking points and presented them as their own reporting.

White House video productions. Kinda' like something Hugo Chavez would do, huh? No wonder Chavez called POTUS "comrade".
----------------

George, if you like history, you might want to compare Stalinist era paintings of Stalin to my favorit Norman Rockwells of the same period.

===But the real nimrod part of it all is that the Senate Republican Communications Center included a typographic error, which Fox didn't even change!

Posted by: Ryan C | Jun 12, 2009 3:07:46 PM===

Ryan, or should I call you
Jason Linkins?

LOL. You really want to lecture me about talking points?

"That would require George to reveal he is on daily telephone calls with Rahm to strategize the talking points. It will never happen"

I think FoxNews would suffer the most since every news broadcast would have RNC Talking Points stamped across it.

The instance came on this afternoon's edition of Fox News' Happening Now, in a segment on the stimulus package that was preceded by the following introduction by host Jon Scott: "We thought we'd take a look back at the bill, how it was born, and how it grew, and grew, and grew." Note, please, the introduction of this segment with the active verb "we thought," as if what followed came out of some organic newsgathering process, founded by a genuine curiosity for how the stimulus package "grew and grew." As opposed to: "A press release from the Senate Republican Communications Center today highlights the escalating top line cost of the stimulus package," which would have been a less disingenuous way to introduce the segment.

But the real nimrod part of it all is that the Senate Republican Communications Center included a typographic error, which Fox didn't even change!