The Today Show, GMA ‘acted stupidly’ in coverage of Barack Obama’s health care reform newser
July 23, 2009 at 8:34 am by Wayne Garcia
A few weeks ago I announced to my wife that I would not be watching The Today Show in the mornings any more. I just got fed up with its growing tabloid style and insistence on flogging non-stories to death. Like this week’s “exclusive” multi-day interview with Susan Boyle. Or the dude trying to get his kid back from Brazil who is interviewed at least twice a week. Or the latest family with a loved one attacked by a critter/rescued from a certain death/dying from a disease/etc.
But this morning, I broke my rule and paid the price for it. Meredith, Matt, Al and the rest of the formerly great NBC morning news show led the broadcast with this top story: Barack Obama had ruined his newser on health care last night by criticizing the wrongful arrest of prominent Harvard prof Henry Louis Gates Jr. last week.
ABC’s Good Morning America apparently did the same thing.
St. Petersburg Times media critic Eric Deggans noticed, too, writing this AM:
…[W]hy did the Today show — by far TV’s most-watched morning show — spend its first segment this morning discussing what the president said about the arrest of a black scholar in Cambridge, Mass.?
Here is how the “journalists” left at NBC played the president’s desperate attempt to pull out his health care victory on the website this AM:
It reflects the online priorities of Today as shown by this screen grab:
So if you, like me, don’t give a shit about Susan Boyle and the rest of her life in the UK and want instead to help be part of the most important discussion going on this week, on health care reform, here are some links to help you out:
NYT — Obama Moves to Reclaim the Debate on Health Care
NPR/TNR: Straight Talk on Health Care
WSJ — Live-Blogging Obama’s News Conference
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
You’re damn right they asked about it first, the whole country’s talking about it (it being Gates’ ridiculous mountain-out-of-a-mole response). And from all I’ve heard/read, the cops have most people on their side.
But I agree Today sucks.
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Anybody who claims Gates acted in an exaggerated manner is in denial about how they would act in a similar situation. Once the Police got confirmation from Gates that he infact lived there, they should have left, explained phone call they received, apologized and left. But their arrogant, racists asses couldnt do that.
July 24th, 2009 at 7:26 am
awe….Your a f#cking idot! the guy was not sipping sweet tea on the front porch…he was breaking into his home at night (prob drunk) and then came after the cops when they were leaving shouting at them .. They were called out by a concerned neighbor….
July 24th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Please consider for a moment that you are a police officer.
You do not get to choose what calls you are sent to, or whether you will be placed in harms way for the safety of a stranger or the protection of their property. And you never not get to choose how people decide to behave towards you when you arrive.
In this case I wonder if it ever occurred to the homeowner that the officer arrived at his home, fully prepared to place himself in harmsway in order to protect the homeowner’s property if he was required to do so.
Here are the reasons that this incident became a more than it should have:
1) The homeowner refused to identify himself, because in his head he knew he was the homeowner. (The officer only knew that two unknown men were indside a home after using a crowbar to gain access, one of the men was still visibly holding the crowbar.)
2) After the officer was established that the male was the homeowner and began leaving, the homeowner followed the officer outside the home on a verbal tirade as to he perception of harassment.
3) A small group of people began gathering around the disruption in front of the home.
4) The homeowner continued his tirade after being repeatedly told by the officer to cease his behavior or be arrested for disorderly conduct.
5) The homeowner continued his tirade despite the lawful warning.
6) The LAST thing that went wrong was that the officer didn’t walk away; he decided to stay.
7) A LAWFUL arrest was made.
8) Political pressure allowed the disorderly behavior to go unprosecuted.
9) The President of the United States comments about his friend’s circumstance during a ‘State of the Union address’ to the nation.
10) The President states that the police acted stupidly.
It seems that three people could have made better choices, begining with the homeowner.
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Please tell me if my facts(pulled from a dozen different accounts) are inaccurate.
1) Two men break into a home, and police are notified.
2) Police knock on door(not barg in) and question the person inside, as according to protocol.
3) Person inside is uncooperative, aggressive and vebally combative.
4)Police are unable to determine who the person is.
5) Person verbally assaults policeman’s mother, which is an arrestable offense as far as I know(insulting an officer), while being loud and aggressive in the middle of the night in an upper-class residence(trailer parks let this slide).
6) Person manges to get himself arrested and declares racism was involved because the officer was white(we all aplogize Mr King Jr.).
7) President takes time from running the country to get involved in an isolated non-life threatening incident so say something unnessary and rude about something he didn’t see, witness, or check the facts on first.
I’m sure I have this wrong somewhere. wasn’t someone shot, called a racial slur, or something to justify this? Or is this just so no one pays attention to what the government is doing?
August 3rd, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Please tell me if my facts(pulled from a dozen different accounts) are inaccurate.
1) Two men break into a home, and police are notified.
2) Police knock on door(not barg in) and question the person inside, as according to protocol.
3) Person inside is uncooperative, aggressive and vebally combative.
4) Police are unable to determine who the person is.
5) Person verbally assaults policeman’s mother, which is an arrestable offense as far as I know(insulting an officer), while being loud and aggressive in the middle of the night in an upper-class residence(trailer parks let this slide).
6) Person manages to get himself arrested and declares racism was involved because the officer was white(we all aplogize Mr King Jr.).
7) President takes time from running the country to get involved in an isolated non-life threatening incident to say something unnessary and rude about something he didn’t see, witness, or check the facts on first.
I’m sure I have this wrong somewhere. Wasn’t someone shot, called a racial slur, or anything to justify this? Or is this just so no one pays attention to what the government is doing?