If part of NewsBusters' mission is keeping the MSM on its toes, it looks like we're succeeding when it comes to the MSNBC show "Morning Joe." For two days running, host Joe Scarborough has mentioned our site, conscious that we're on the prowl for evidence of liberal bias. Yesterday at about 6:30 A.M. EDT, Joe and newsreader Mika Brzezinski were discussing the fact that President Bush had mentioned to Robert Draper, author of the new Bush biography "Dead Certain," that he was expecting to replenish his financial coffers upon leaving office.
Said Scarborough “I hope NewsBusters heard that cause you said [it was only] a little [untoward on Bush's part].’ I say ‘a lot.’ Let them make me the poster boy today.”
Joe had NewsBusters on the noggin again today. At about 7:07 A.M. EDT Mika injected her opinion into the reading of a news item about Fred Thompson's "Tonight Show" appearance.
Video Clip: Real (2 MB) or Windows (2 MB), plus MP3 (381 KB)
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: In true Hollywood fashion, the former actor made his long-awaited announcement on last night's "Tonight Show." It was sort of underwhelming, but . . . it's done.When Mika made to move along after taking her potshot, Joe stopped her short.
JOE SCARBOROUGH [presumably speaking to producer Chris Licht]: Hey, can you call NewsBusters?Story Continues Below Ad ↓
BRZEZINSKI: What?
SCARBOROUGH: She's in the newscast [and offering an anti-Fred opinion]. Call 'em. Just call 'em right now.
BRZEZINSKI: I'm just saying that it was stylistically underwhelming. What? I can't say that? What?
SCARBOROUGH: It's news, it's news [i.e, you're supposed to be reading the news, not offering your personal take]. What's the guy who calls us up? [For the record, I've never called the "Morning Joe" but typically email Joe items I've posted about the show]. What's his name?
CHRIS LICHT: Mark.
SCARBOROUGH: Mark. Hey Mark, that was for you, buddy.
BRZEZINSKI: That wasn't bad. I'm just saying . . .Glad to oblige. And many thanks to Joe for providing grist for a mere blogger's mill.
SCARBOROUGH: You've got something to do this morning, Mark.
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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GOOD...No... GREAT JOB
September 6, 2007 - 14:33 ET by bigtimerGOOD...No... GREAT JOB MARK!
I may have to start trying to muddle through the show now and then again...
I usually just flip the channels at that time of the day here...they come on at four am...so I listen to three different channels if possible.
This is too much fun.
I'm so nervous! Is what I'm
September 6, 2007 - 14:50 ET by TruthMongerI'm so nervous! Is what I'm wearing OK? Or should I put on something fancy?
What should we solve with our enormous influence now people? World peace? Global warming?
Protest Craig's conservative abandonment - vote Democrat in 08'
}}---> underwhelming
September 6, 2007 - 14:33 ET by Cool ArrowSorry to agree with you Joe, I found it underwhelming also.
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
Yesterday at about 6:30
September 6, 2007 - 14:41 ET by drillanwrYesterday at about 6:30 A.M. EDT on the MSNBC show, Joe and newsreader Mika Brzezinski were discussing the fact that President Bush had mentioned to Robert Draper, author of the new Bush biography Dead Certain, that he was expecting to replenish his financial coffers upon leaving office. Said Scarborough “I hope NewsBusters heard that cause you said [it was only] a little [untoward on Bush's part].’ I say ‘a lot.’ Let them make me the poster boy today.”
"untoward"??? Oh, please! Refresh my memory ... How much has Willie added to his coffers since leaving his wife in D.C. ? Oh, I see ... The Clintons weren't hicks like Bush and telegraphed their post-White House business intentions ...
BTW, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Bush remark was made to Draper ... and NOT to a MSM talkinghead.
Boring Joe
September 6, 2007 - 14:44 ET by Mr. KafirDoes anybody watch this crap??? Sorry, Mark, I mean besides you.
My brother does - every week
September 6, 2007 - 14:48 ET by Chris NormanMy brother does - every week day morning - watches Olbermann at night, also - then comes to work and regurgitates it all, until I flee into the warehouse...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Poor Chris. No wonder
September 6, 2007 - 18:24 ET by BlondePoor Chris.
No wonder this board seems like an oasis of sanity to you.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
What does not kill him will
September 6, 2007 - 18:33 ET by dscottWhat does not kill him will make him stronger. By now he must be superman!
dscott's postulate: The degree to which someone exaggerates or deceives is inversely proportional to the merit of the advocated position.
Oh, the burden. He is heavy
September 6, 2007 - 18:57 ET by Chris NormanOh, the burden. He is heavy and he's my brother... :)
Blonde, Oh, yeah. My
September 6, 2007 - 18:55 ET by Chris NormanBlonde,
Oh, yeah. My brother complains about much of the same things we complain about (except the war) - but turns around and blames it on Bush and the Republicans! He was a product of UC Berkeley - 'nuff said?
Joe on the run
September 6, 2007 - 14:50 ET by LionKingMark...I think you have one of them trained...congratulations!
Actually, I think he is afraid to lose you. If you stop watching, his viewership will be cut in half. Just hope he doesn't anger his mother.
[btw, once again, I love the term newsreader.]
The truth is, Mika sees a
September 6, 2007 - 14:58 ET by Gat New YorkThe truth is, Mika sees a threat and as a DNC operative its her job to neutralize that threat.
By announcing on Leno he reached a very audience in a controlled and effective way of announcing his candidacy.
That is his style which is folksy, strong, direct, and approachable.
Normal announcements are made at the site of one's birthplace and then rely on MRM to screw it up.
Well Joe, if you and your
September 6, 2007 - 15:53 ET by dscottWell Joe, if you and your buddies made a habit of being journalists we wouldn't have to monitor you for propaganda. Only people with guilty consciences look over their shoulder to watch for the Police. If you do what is ethically and professionally expected then you will receive praise for the same. If you have to have big brother look over your shoulder, then maybe you should re-evaluate how you deliver the news.
A journalist simply doesn't "read" the news otherwise the network should replace you with a mildly entertaining version of Max Headroom. He/she informs the public, a good journalist looks at all the angles to give perspective. Your personal opinion is not perspective it's propaganda. When you reasonably present all the perspectives without deigning, then and only then do you give the viewer the news. You Report, We decide; it's not up to you digest and regurgitate as though we are stupid little children. Do you get it? Your job is not to advocate, it's to report as though you're laying out all the options to the CEO for him/her to make a decision. An advocate by definition is a person with an agenda. If you want to advocate, then be a vacuum cleaner salesperson or a PR person for the Democrat Party.
dscott's postulate: The degree to which someone exaggerates or deceives is inversely proportional to the merit of the advocated position.
d: If Joe takes your
September 6, 2007 - 20:23 ET by Conservative_in_mass.d:
If Joe takes your advice, he may actually get some ratings. Perish the thought.
Not a fan,but...
September 6, 2007 - 15:11 ET by CTFred Thompson's appearence on Jay Leno was, well, underwhelming. I would be surprised if the 'I'm with Fred' crowd didn't think so as well.
Underwhelming?
September 6, 2007 - 15:18 ET by timotheI admit, at first I wasn't thrilled about Fred undermining the debate. But then I realized that he was given the opportunity to reasonably state his position on the Iraq war without the subsequent MSM Bush bashfest. (which is why the Morning Joe has nothing to report about the actual content of Fred's appearance, despite the fact that his announcement was broadcast exclusively on a sister network)
Nonetheless, a whole lot of average Americans heard the message, which is good.
CT, I thought Thompson started out
September 6, 2007 - 15:24 ET by RJseeming a little rusty with the Q&As, but then he picked up steam and momentum, finishing strong. He'll get his rythm, and America will get used to his style, just as they did with Reagan.
(I'm not making a comparison, just that he's genuine, like Ronnie was)
P.S. This is not an endorsement for Thompson. Way too early for that.
...and Fox with Shepp at he
September 6, 2007 - 15:27 ET by bigtimer...and Fox with Shepp at he wheel just interrupted his speech...which was starting out good...
Make me furious!
Guess they showed him...
Hope to catch it all on C-Span later...
Nobody is covering it.
There's a cure for your Shepp problem.
September 6, 2007 - 19:10 ET by CTI find that if I switch the channel whenever Sheppard Smith is on FOX my annoyance factor remains low. Seems the same thing works for Geraldo as well!
CT... No kidding. I
September 6, 2007 - 19:17 ET by bigtimerCT...
No kidding.
I only had it on Fox because I was posting here and I saw Thompson come on and start to speak...they left it on for a few minutes and here somes Shepp interrupting...
I was furious.
I got up and guess what...
I clicked it!
I do the same with Rivers too if I am close enough to the clicker...
LOL...
Here's another point of view, good just for a laugh.
September 6, 2007 - 16:59 ET by CTThe Washington Insider
Your Trusted Source for Hollywood-New York-Washington
Entertainment News
by Richard A. Viguerie
Fred Thompson Under Contract to Play “The Conservative”
(Washington, D.C.) Fred Thompson, well known for his role as the District Attorney in NBC’s wildly successful “Law and Order” series, has been signed by Faux Productions to star in its new political soap opera, “The Conservative.”
The prime-time soap will appear on the Political Network.
The series’ debut is expected any day, after summer production mishaps that saw the replacement of many top staff executives. Financing for the show also proved harder to obtain than originally expected. But Faux Productions President Howard Baker maintains a steady optimism about the new soap’s prospects for success.
“We have done massive research into what the American public wants in a politician today,” says Baker, “and we’re going to give them everything they want.”
“They want a strong national-defense conservative, so we’re giving them a strong national-defense conservative.”
“The public wants a fiscal conservative, so we’re giving them a fiscal conservative.”
“And most of all, they want a social conservative, so we’re giving them a social conservative.”
One Faux executive confided to The Washington Insider that the producers wanted to sign Thompson for the series because he was seen as a “natural,” having already impersonated a conservative U.S. Senator for eight years. It is not yet known whether the new production will bring back the old stage props, such as Fred’s red pickup truck. That may be fine for Tennessee, the executive said, but too unsophisticated for a national show. Rumors are also rampant that Jeri Thompson, who plays the leading distaff role as The Conservative’s child bride, doesn’t like pickup trucks.
Off the record, company officials confided that the summer production delays probably ended up as a plus for the Faux soap. This year the political entertainment schedule started early, without waiting for the usual Fall launches.
With the summer Nielson ratings showing no clear market-share winner, they feel this is the time for “The Conservative” to come to the rescue of values-oriented viewers throughout the nation, but especially in the South, where new Republican-oriented presidential entertainment must dominate the ratings in order to win a majority of the national viewership by November 2008, which brings a four-year contract under Political Network rules.
In the summer trials, “Rudy Giuliani’s 9/11 Show” led the pack but failed to dominate the ratings. Hollywood insiders, remembering the success of the movie “Some Like It Hot,” thought that series could be rescued with some lively cross-dressing scenes starring The Mayor, which are already available surreptitiously on the Internet. But the show’s producer, Military-Industrial Productions Inc., decided those scenes were best left in the set’s closet.
The “Conservative Mitt Romney” show has done better than expected, but is being sued for character defamation by the producers of the “Massachusetts Mitt Romney” show, which had a decidedly liberal cast. And nobody knows what has happened to “The Maverick,” starring John McCain. He was last seen, apparently lost, somewhere in Sioux County, North Dakota.
That leaves the field wide open for a Faux production.
as underwhelming as what?
September 6, 2007 - 16:38 ET by SQL_Samas underwhelming as watching democrats answer questions from a Panda on YouTube? According to the MSM that was, how did they put it, oh yes "HISTORIC" uh, yah whatever. If they consider that historic, then I dont feel bad about there underwhelming bias.
Touchy
September 6, 2007 - 15:26 ET by mattmA bit touchy, aren't we, Joe? Cockroaches hate it when you shine a light on them.
When the press starts
September 6, 2007 - 15:33 ET by BDWhen the press starts referencing you, then you know you are getting what we call "Good Battle Damage Assessment" results.
Power, baby
September 6, 2007 - 15:40 ET by RJHey Mark. Maybe you can negotiate for your own segment....
Well, Morning Joe - good ear and nice catch
September 6, 2007 - 16:00 ET by SportPoliticsI enjoyed that whole clip about 5 times (10 times now), and congratulations Mark, great job on that hand of bias exposure reaching out and (assisted) waking up Mika to her own bias.
That was quite interesting how she protested, yet knew instinctively(emotionally no doubt) her bias error immediately.
I understand your lead-in leaves out part of the exchange for efficiency, so I have to comment:
Mika - that was a very nice valley girl " Helllloooo" you slipped in there. lol Couldn't bring yourself to criticize Hillary ?- awww lol. Busted again.
Joe, she's gonna call you a meanie, her lib flavor is gonna boil over a tad at tea time, and wet the stovetop, just remember it's not your fault and all lessons aren't easy lessons for Mika.
Maybe reduce the news portion to about 15 seconds so she can get through it without spewing her leftist opinion ? That could work. I mean she is cute and has a quick protest tongue, it's entertaining. I'd say therefore I have to prefer the current method of oversight. I appreciated the explanation.
Mika: "What I can't say that !?"
Joe hands in air: " This is news, it's news.."
I also have to commend Joe for his quick on the feet fariness calling for a Hillary attack from the right to even things out, even though Mika couldn't do 'er.
I like this show, I really like it.
Ok that's it, lighten up on Joe
September 6, 2007 - 16:33 ET by SportPoliticscome on, he was trying to get the few moments that their program is actually supposed to be reporting "straight news" - to actually do that.
Now, since the other 90%+ of the time they allow their own opinions and bias to slew through the place unchecked, we've got to give him credit when he tries to keep a minute or so (that they consider the news segment portion of their show) up to Journalism standards.
Cool it!
Oooooh
September 6, 2007 - 16:42 ET by bigtimerOooooh Howdy Sport...
You have me shaking in my boots...
I will never ever forget all of the slime Joe has said over the years on msnbc...
He sold his soul long ago as far as I am concerned.
I thought this crowd was
September 6, 2007 - 19:35 ET by KhyrisI thought this crowd was big on the whole forgiveness and redemption thing...
Sure, be skeptical, but have hope that this is a new trend.
Okay Khyris. I'm
September 6, 2007 - 19:37 ET by bigtimerOkay Khyris.
I'm hoping.
Won't get me far either with msnbc
Agenda agenda agenda...
lol bigtimer
September 6, 2007 - 23:11 ET by SportPoliticsI didn't expect much really. Ha ha. Hey when you guys think you can turn balboa around...
rofl...
np - you're correct - I know it...
They want us to watch, but
September 6, 2007 - 16:40 ET by drillanwrThey want us to watch, but when we watch they complain they're being watched ...
Underwhelming BRZEZINSKI
September 6, 2007 - 17:03 ET by Lame CherryWhat on earth did she expect, Thompson to give away free cars like Oprah bankrupting poor people in the gift taxes and having Jeri come out and do a pole dance?
BRZEZINSKI MISSED like most did in Thompson told the media he was doing things his way and for the first time Americans saw a real presidential candidate and not a herd of whiners bleating "pick me pick me".
As the MSNBC types will be reading this, they can quit underwhelming me with Mika and start hiring NFL cheerleaders to cheer the news...........hey if you are sticking that knot head Olberman into MY FOOTBALL I want equal cheerleader time in the news instead of comrade Stalin back from the dead.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
I watched some other clip
September 6, 2007 - 23:19 ET by SportPoliticson the msnbc website and there was Joe, he and the guests were picking away and scrutinizing Fred, and in the whole spiel it came out that the campiagn usually starts right after Labor Day weekend.
So I'm thinking to myself here is the one normal person who didn't latch on to insane campaign all the time crap.
But, they didn't really present that point at all, it was a mere very quick reference not commented on further and discarded in favor of continuing attacks.
I will not be surprised if the day after next potus election candidates begin announcing their run for 2012.
I think we need someone to run, and then if they win they can assign someone to hold the office and actually fufill their duties, especially because they all tell us noone can really run unless they hold some high office already.
So, we actually have a big problem, and it's hard not to think what pieces of crap they are because of it.
So I'm thinking to myself
September 7, 2007 - 08:52 ET by dscottSo I'm thinking to myself here is the one normal person who didn't latch on to insane campaign all the time crap.
Well, when at the beginning of September stores are stocking the shelves with Halloween candy (used to be Oct 1) and decorations and in the next aisle there is Christmas stuff (used to be day after T-day) you begin to realize marketing, not the product, is driving the message. It's as though nothing else exists other than some point on the horizon we have to get to, driven by the obsessive compulsive winner take all need to SELL, SELL, SELL and shout down all other contenders in a contest of attrition.
Here's the deal, the consumer/public decides if they have a need, if the politician doesn't "represent" the idea the consumer is looking for then that politician is no more suitable in 6 months than 3 months. This nonsense of extend primaries is just another way to subvert the public's choice by making the time period about money to stay in the campaign as opposed to what the politician represents.
Hint: This is why Hillary and her ilk love this, big money from special interests get to influence what choices are available for the public to choose from! It's called de-selection. Look at Duncan Hunter, a perfectly good candidate who most conservatives would consider "representative" of their thinking, yet his polling doesn't reflect that. Why? The MSM has de-selected him by not covering him as they do their favorite or acceptable candidates. Between the big money keeping them in the race and the MSM playing favorites, the public looses interest because quite frankly how many issues are there really? How many different ways can you say you are for the GWOT and Iraq is a battle front in that war before it becomes repititous?
So what was the point of McCain Feingold??? The FEC has failed in it's job to enforce the Law, free air time covering a candidate is a defacto campaign contribution.
The issue is this is a Republic where the public is to choose people who "represent" their ideas and values, not a rigged beauty contest with backroom dealing paying off the judges to not consider certain people. The MSM has usurpt the role of judge in the contest and big money is helping them to push their favorite candidates to the front by de-selecting those candidates they don't want. Who gave them the right to make such decisions to narrow the field of choices for the public to consider?
dscott's postulate: The degree to which someone exaggerates or deceives is inversely proportional to the merit of the advocated position.
Someone needs to ask
September 6, 2007 - 17:06 ET by LCT688Someone needs to ask this twit Mika "Tell us Mika how do you feel about it being your father's disastrous policy of “playing the Islamic card” against the Soviets that set all this madness in motion to begin with??” I love to see here squirm and sputter over that one!
LCT... I would have to
September 6, 2007 - 17:18 ET by bigtimerLCT...
I would have to wonder if she would even understand the question...
Seriously.
LOL...