Christina at The Right Perspective has a great post on the selection of Tony Snow as the new White House Press Secretary. She includes a link to this AP story published Wednesday, by AP White House Correspondent Terrence Hunt.
As I read the AP article, I saw so much left-wing bias that I started looking to see if it was labeled as "commentary" or "news analysis," but I couldn't find any. So this is what the AP (or Terrence Hunt) considers a straight news article.
Snow, a Fox news pundit and former speechwriter in the White House under Bush's father, replaced Scott McClellan who resigned in a personnel shuffle intended to re-energize the White House and lift the president's record-low approval ratings.
Did the White House or McClellan actually say his resignation was part of a "personnel shuffle"? Did McClellan say his resignation was intended to "re-energize the White House and lift the president's record-low approval ratings"? Not that I'm aware of. So this would be guess-work and opinion on Hunt's part.
Snow's appointment is notable in a White House that has a reputation for not suffering criticism. He has had some harsh things to say about Bush.
Again, having "a reputation for not suffering criticism" looks like opinion. Who holds that opinion? The press? Hunt himself? It's easy to be vague, but objective reporters are supposed to deal with facts.
As a columnist, Snow has called the president "something of an embarrassment," a leader who has "lost control of the federal budget," the architect of a "listless domestic policy" and a man who has "a habit of singing from the political correctness hymnal."
Hunt only listed the negative things Tony Snow has said about President Bush. I didn't see a sign of any positive, supportive quotes. If Snow really were as critical of the President as this article makes him look, I'm surprised the President ever considered Snow for the job. Once again, no balance--only negatives.
The MSM flunks again in the Objective Reporting category.
2 comments:
Repack Rider, I'm recreating your comment without the vulgarity:
*****
Again, having "a reputation for not suffering criticism" looks like opinion.
When people are kicked out of tax paid events (See: Denver Three) because they arrived in a car with an offending bumper sticker, it's a pretty good indication that dissent is not welcome.
Did the White House or McClellan actually say his resignation was part of a "personnel shuffle"?
Does anyone CARE why he's leaving? His entire responsibility was to take questions without ever answering them.
Hunt only listed the negative things Tony Snow has said about President Bush.
It's not news when a dog bites a man, when the sun comes up in the east, or when a FOX anchor [kisses up to] Mr. Bush. It's only "news" when a man bites a dog, the sun comes up in the west, or a FOX anchor disses Bush.
Repack Rider,
I'm not familiar with the event where someone was kicked out because of a bumper sticker. My impression of Hunt's statement about not suffering criticism was that it was narrowly applied to President Bush and his Cabinet and advisors, not that it applied all the way down to security personnel at special events.
Further, my point is that the statement Hunt made is vague and unsupported in this article--not good reporting.
You said, "Does anyone CARE why [McClellan is] leaving?"
Hunt obviously cares why he's leaving, or he wouldn't have offered a reason. Again, the reason he gives is unsupported. That there are personnel changes in the White House is fact. Whether McClellan's resignation is part of an organized "shuffle" or just that he's sick of dealing with the White House Press Corps is simply speculation. And for Hunt to assume the White House's intention in this shuffle is, again, bad reporting in a news article.
As for the "man bites dog" aspect of the article, fairness and objectivity would have dictated, at the very least, a statement like this:
"Though Snow is often supportive of the president, as a columnist, Snow has called the president..."
That would have been enough context to give to quotes of Snow's criticism. But Hunt apparently couldn't bring himself to do even that.
His bias shows, even in "objective" news articles.
Post a Comment