Mea Culpa Irony: Liberal Media Blames Political Correctness For Selective Reporting And Arrogant Dismissal Of Americans In The Heartland
[guest post by Dana]
A little confessional from NBC’s Chuck Todd about the media’s lack of honesty in reporting about the presidential campaign:
“Where I think political correctness got in the way of what we all knew as reporters and didn’t fully deliver was how hated the Clintons were in the heartland,” the “Meet the Press” host admitted Thursday to former Bush White House press secretary Ari Fleischer in a interview for the “1947” podcast.
“And I think it was a fear of, ‘Oh, is it going to look like it’s sexist, anti-woman if we say that?’” he added, pointing out that on the hustings he saw numerous “Hillary for Prison” signs adorning the front yards of rural America.
“I think we underplayed it a little bit out of political correctness fears,” Mr. Todd said. “No member of the press corps wants to look like they’re singling out a group and making a group feel bad, right, whatever that [group] is.
“If we sort of were straight-up honest and blunt about hey do we understand the level of hatred that’s out there and you know, all the Hillary for Prison signs that are out there, we certainly would have at least made the viewer know, hey, you know, she’s not well-liked in some places in this country in ways that’s times 10 when it comes to Trump,” he said.
It’s deliciously rich that the liberal media was rattled by fears of a potential backlash from the liberal P.C. crowd. So much so, they willfully chose to be less than truthful about what was happening in real America, not only to give cover to Hillary Clinton but to protect themselves from being attacked by the more powerful faction of their tribe. Unbelievable! A bunch of junior high school girls dressed up as professional journalists who were afraid they wouldn’t get to eat lunch at the popular table if they spoke the truth. Not only does this again confirm that the media worked to protect a candidate, but they also worked to project a more favorable public image of that candidate as well. Ultimately, this capitulation to political correctness only served to give more power to the insatiable appetites of America’s unique social caste system. It also served to give a clear reminder to Americans just where the mainstream media’s loyalty continues to reside. Fools that they are, though, because of the media’s weakness, they ended up feeding the very beast they were afraid of being devoured by.
In addition, the hypocrisy of Todd’s claims cannot go ignored. To even give voice to an asserted belief that the press corps didn’t want people to think they were singling out a particular group and make them feel badly is disgraceful. Because, as any resident of the heartland who still has his teeth can tell you, by not accurately reflecting the views of those in that place of America, Todd and his colleagues willfully made a value judgement about the worth and relevance of one group of Americans versus another. By doing this, the media dismissed as less valuable, and inconsequential, a group of Americans that did not reflect their own tribe’s preferences, nor the preferences of their favored candidate. Also, by doing this, these members of the press did, with full intent, invalidate a large swath of the population’s own truth. How on earth does that not evidence a singling out of a particular group and make them feel badly?
Unfortunately, the media followed their own spineless need to self-protect and were willing to sacrifice truth to do so. But if that decision also happened to protect their candidate, then hey, silver lining.
The interview with Todd concludes with this jewel of self-indictment:
Mr. Todd rejected the premise that NBC News or the media in general is driven to “undermine” Donald Trump’s presidency, but admitted there was a “coastal” bias in story selection during the 2016 presidential campaign that poorly served a national audience.
“What do I think we did wrong in this election? The biggest thing is we didn’t tell the stories of all Americans,” Mr. Todd said. “We told the stories of coastal Americans. And ultimately, that’s like the larger trust issue.”
“We were more likely to do a story about the Dreamer that might get deported with new policies than we were about the 19-year-old opioid addict who feels hopeless in Rolla, Missouri. And, I’m not, I don’t pick on Rolla, Missouri, it’s, my point is that we just, we did not equally tell those stories very well, right, and, we were not, that is an out-of-touch issue.”
Oh for godsake, how does someone become so deaf, dumb and blind to their own foolishness? Even in his effort to flesh out his quasi-mea culpa, he remains absurdly clueless. A 19-year-old opioid addict in Rolla, Missouri? Because that’s the only kind of story coming out of a Southern hillbilly haven?
“Coastal Americans.” It reads like a new line from Ralph Lauren: Coastal Americans: Money, education, class, and of course, year-round tans. Of course, with a pedigree like that, there could only be stories that reflect selfless efforts at protecting the underprivileged and persecuted, right? Like, say, Dreamers.
It’s simply breathtaking that even when analyzing the reporting by the press during the 2016 Presidential campaign and admitting it was flawed and biased, Chuck Todd reveals he still hasn’t got a damn clue.
(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)
–Dana
These people.
Dana (023079) — 1/28/2017 @ 5:26 pmDana, I have copied this piece (with credits) to my computer so I can parse out bits when necessary to jam in people’s faces. This is without a doubt the best written article about “why they lost and continue to be idiots” I have read yet. Thank you, thank you a million.
Rev. Hoagie® (785e38) — 1/28/2017 @ 5:35 pmBTW it says [guest post by Dand] above.
Rev. Hoagie® (785e38) — 1/28/2017 @ 5:38 pmOh. Thanks, and thanks!
Dana (023079) — 1/28/2017 @ 5:41 pmIt make sense, because neither the media nor the P.C. crowd are willing to admit that the media are liberal.
CayleyGraph (353727) — 1/28/2017 @ 5:47 pmwhen a pigsniffer like propaganda slut chuck todd uses the word hate you have to understand that’s an emotion they only consign to subhumans
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/28/2017 @ 5:49 pmGreat post Dana, put f chuck really intends oikophobia ‘fear of the familar’ as the motivation.
narciso (d1f714) — 1/28/2017 @ 5:54 pmI think they’re still lying. I think that they purposely, deliberately, and with malice aforethought, actively campaigned to elect the Inevitable First Woman President, and ignored and suppressed anything that did not make her look like the most beloved thing since heated bathrooms, hot and cold running water, and soft toilet paper.
Mr. Todd, save it for your next cocktail party.
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2017 @ 5:56 pmGreetings:
Me, I’m thinking that may be a “mea culpa” but it sure ain’t nothing close to a “mea maxima culpa”. And I guess I’ll have to wait for the next installment for his “firm purpose of amendment” to show up.
11B40 (6abb5c) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:06 pmGreetings:
Me, I’m thinking still and would prefer that he just “avoid the near occasions of sin” in his future.
11B40 (6abb5c) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:08 pmThe coastal pap is propagandist comfort food for the Dr. Frankenstein cunning planners who promoted the most beatable opponent the Red Witch could hope to face. The disparity in turnout and support for Clinton between Dane County and Milwaukee/Racine Counties in Wisconsin is indicative of the scope of the Democrat prole revolt and Dane County has a very, very limited coastline.
Rick Ballard (1c0700) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:17 pmYeah, nk, they are lying. The Chuckmeister and his colleagues knew full well Hillary was highly unpopular but they did not want to talk about it, or draw attention to anything like yard signs that might further enhance that feeling within the voter pool, or give it legitimacy or suggest it was widespread.
Our old friend Michael K. posted this gem on Althouse:
And here is another commenter from the same thread:
http://althouse.blogspot.com/2017/01/where-i-think-political-correctness-got_28.html
P.S. Dana, your post about this is better and more complete than Althouse’s. But I copied these two commenter quotes cuz I could not come up with any words of my own to capture it better than they did.
elissa (8fb4f8) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:26 pmUpchuck Todd is just too much of a propaganda slut.
And he has a bad goatee.
He and his co-conspirators among the MSM have never had a problem saying that Republicans, Christians, bakery owners, Boy Scouts, and people who stand for the flag at football games are racist, sexist, homophobic, nationalist, and Islamophobic.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:26 pm“But how could Nixon win? Nobody I know voted for him!”
The quote may or may not be real, but it has been a cultural meme since the 1970’s, AND THEY STILL HAVEN’T LEARNED FROM IT.
C. S. P. Schofield (99bd37) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:27 pmI’m in moderation I think maybe because of a bad word I quoted? This is my first ever moderation!
elissa (8fb4f8) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:30 pm8-nk nails it.
This is not about Chuck Todd being clueless. This is about Chuck Todd being dishonest and creating a straw man to explain why the media were cheerleaders for Hillary.
Even when it’s completely obvious thay still refuse to own it and say whatever they think might float in NYC, DC and the coast.
Harkin (afc7a6) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:46 pmShould not have said straw man above, should have said distraction.
Harkin (afc7a6) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:48 pmI just released your comment, elissa. No clue why it was held in moderation.
Dana (023079) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:48 pmI saw. Thanks, Dana
elissa (8fb4f8) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:50 pm“Bumf__k” in one of the quoted comments.
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:50 pmHeh. That slipped right by me, nk.
Dana (023079) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:52 pmDid you have to hold ammonia salts under the spam filter’s nose?
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:53 pmIf one must insist on suffering a broken clock:
urbanleftbehind (81bc8c) — 1/28/2017 @ 6:55 pmhttp://www.yahoo.com/news/bill-maher-says-pc-culture-163338484.html
#14 C.S.P. Schofield, yes, that quote was attributed to The New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael following Nixon’s ’72 landslide victory.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 1/28/2017 @ 7:05 pmChuck Todd could just as easily become of those cityslickas caught in the holler.
narciso (342636) — 1/28/2017 @ 7:23 pmApart from no other good alternatives, the Dem half of the elite behind her because ol Bern would be reaching for their pocketbooks the same as for the other side. To NK, HF and Elissa, if it wasn’t for Kim Foxx being on cook county’s ballot and Mark Kirk’s DAR from Thailand episode, I think IL results look a lot like MN and NH.
urbanleftbehind (81bc8c) — 1/28/2017 @ 7:33 pm#24, Cruz Supporter,
I would have asserted it was Kael, but I vaguely recall that the attribution has been challenged. Certainly the idea that (Liberal) Kael said it has been party of the social landscape for a long time.
C. S. P. Schofield (99bd37) — 1/28/2017 @ 7:37 pmurbanleftbehind– When I show people this colorful map of Illinois detailing the recent presidential election they are usually stunned. ( I hope this link works for non-subscribers.) The really interesting and informative exercise is to scroll down to compare the county colors in 2008, 2012, and 2016.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/data/ct-illinois-president-results-20161108-htmlstory.html
elissa (8b3e8e) — 1/28/2017 @ 7:54 pmPauline Kael, and it has been “alternatively facted”, or very grossly exaggerated (in the Mark Twain sense). In other words, she didn’t say it. She was only pointing out the bubble she and her friends were in. Here’s her actual quote: “I live in a rather special world. I only know one person who voted for Nixon. Where they are I don’t know. They’re outside my ken. But sometimes when I’m in a theater I can feel them.”
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2017 @ 8:01 pmTo be fair, she out did the 4 county Pat (Quinn) of 2010 and 1 county Pat of 2014.
urbanleftbehind (81bc8c) — 1/28/2017 @ 8:07 pmOh for God’s sake, how does someone become so deaf, dumb and blind to their own foolishness?
Sometimes it’s the fault of the suits, Dana, not the on air talent.
Here’s one way it can happen, anecdotal to be sure:
I vividly recall having lunch w/a producer back in my CBS days in NY when a then new ‘magazine news show’ was in it’s infancy called ’48 Hours.‘ In passing, I mentioned that as a casual viewer, it seemed a lot of its story content in the season being aired was sourced mostly in the city and metropolitan area. She rolled her eyes and replied budgets were getting cut across the board at all CBS divisions [the Larry Tisch days] especially the travel budget, and it was literally cheaper to give correspondents and camera crews a roll of subway tokens to go uptown and build a story than a fist full of plane tickets to fly to Atlanta or St. Louis. Certainly not a lofty excuse from her, but a reminder that network news was transitioning into a revenue stream- a profit center- from its years as a loss leader, operating as a ‘public service.’
Some journalists move on when they see their investigative muscle getting slashed. Others look at their paycheck and the mouths they have to feed. And the Toddster has a sweet gig with a fat one.
“Chuckie, Chuckie, Chuckie!”– The Unknown Comic ‘The Gong Show’ 1976
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/28/2017 @ 8:13 pmI’ll tell you what, though. Pauline is now more famous than Roger Bannister. Proving the old adage, that a myth is as good as a mile.
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2017 @ 8:23 pmPauline Kael more than likely actually said the quote (or something closely approximating it) at a party where she was overheard recounting having recently been asked by a Wall Street Journal reporter what she thinks about Nixon’s re-election. She reportedly told the Wall Street Journal reporter that she didn’t know how to explain the election results, because nobody she knew had voted for Nixon.
The Richard Brody accounting of what she said of is likely a “circle the wagons” attempt by a sycophant to soften the sting to her reputation. I say that because Richard Brody was only about 13 yrs old in 1972, and was likely not even present for Kael’s conversations following the ’72 election. Also, Brody’s quote is unusually long and very specific for someone to recount word for word, as I’m sure that those of you who are lawyers have encountered when taking statements from witnesses, similar to that old parlour game where the first person turns to the second person and whispers something in their ear. It gets passed to the next person, and to the next, and then finally by the time it gets whispered to person #18, all sorts of facts have been omitted and added, ultimately resulting in a nice laugh by everyone in the room.
On the other hand, the quote which has been attributed to Kael for 45 years is simple and easy to remember.
But let’s be elastic and take Brody’s quote as gospel; the crux is still inherent in what he claims, that Kael admits she was living in a bubble and didn’t really have much fraternization with Nixon supporters even though he won a gigantic landslide.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 1/28/2017 @ 8:46 pmAs suggested, political correctness is why cater to every somelives matter activist, rather than the plight of overwhelmed law enforcement
narciso (d1f714) — 1/28/2017 @ 8:47 pmIt is not hate to wish for someone to pay for their crimes. The wish here is that there isn’t a two-tier system where the little people go to jail and the elite don’t go to jail.
They still don’t get it, they view disagreement as hate, or in the case of Obama they view disagreement as racism.
Tanny O'Haley (c674c7) — 1/28/2017 @ 11:09 pmelissa, I think the Althouse gem you quoted was a remark by Jupiter responding to Michael K., but it was gem none the less.
BobStewartatHome (c24491) — 1/29/2017 @ 12:10 amIt never occurred to Todd to compare the plight of the 19-year-old “Dreamer” with the plight of the 39-year-old husband and father who loses his house because the mill up and moved to Mexico.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/29/2017 @ 12:10 amDana:
…is a story about something going bad in someone’s life, like the Dreamer that might get deported with new policies.
The assumption here is, that, in large part, for whom someone vcted for was affected by bad things happening to people or the thought that it could happen to people (not necessarily the same people as the voters)
Trump talked about the addiction problem in low population counties. Chuck Todd at least recognizes that the addiction problem was a more important factot than closing factories, which the Democrats seem to be fixated on.
Sammy Finkelman (dec35d) — 1/29/2017 @ 7:16 amChuck Todd, just now, on Meet the Press, before the break, called Tim Kaine the “former future vice president of the United States.”
Maybe as a joke.
He’s the Democratic nominee for vcice president in the last election. Losing vie predxidential nominees often run for president but never win the nomination. (Bob Dole did, but 20 years later and after he had become Chairman of the Finance Commitee and Senate Republican leader. Kemp ran before.)
Sargent Shriver, Joe Lieberman, John Edwards, all lost and Sarah Palin and Paul Ryan
Sammy Finkelman (dec35d) — 1/29/2017 @ 8:06 amnever made a run, although is agiid bet to make a run, but more because of positions he acquired later, than the vice-presidential nomination alone..
He should have said “and the wrong Virginia democratic fomer or current Senator chosen”.
urbanleftbehind (847a06) — 1/29/2017 @ 8:49 amChuck Todd made a point of noting that this (year) is the 70th anniversary of the first Meet the Press broadcast, (it started in 1947) “Seven Oh” said Chuck Todd. And he said this was the longest running show on television. “Take that, Bart Simpson” said Chuck Todd.
He said that in the course of introducing Tom Brokaw who is now celebatng his (first) 50 years with NBC and will have a special at 9 pm, which Chuck Todd said people should watch instead of football. He didn’t say what to do if the alternative was attending a wedding.
They congratulated Meet the Press for being the top of the line Washington show, and Tom Brokaw mentioned his first appearance was the day after the “Saturday Night Massacre” (in 1973 when Nixon fired Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor, and the Attorney General, Elliot Richardson, who had promised to quit if he was fired, resigned and also the deputy Attorney General)
They mentioned that Richard Nixon’s last appearance on Meet the Press was in 1988 (I may remember that – it might be when Nicon was aked what would he do if he was “Senator Nixon” and Nixon seemed to consider that a not totally unrealistic possibility.)
They showed a clip of Nixon being asked if he would have done anything differently and he said maybe if he would have treated the press better, and I think the questioner said that kind of answer wasn’t exactly what he was looking for or something smiliar to that.
Sammy Finkelman (dec35d) — 1/29/2017 @ 10:12 am@4. He should have said, ‘ Back from the dead, Harvey Korman is with us this Sunday…”
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/29/2017 @ 4:31 pm@40. typo.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/29/2017 @ 4:31 pm@38, the purported ‘dreamer’ story is about someone trying to rise above or evade their bad circumstances, none of which was of their choosing. A story about an addict is about someone making bad choices because of their bad circumstances.
The sheer arrogant condescension is painful to watch, and only hardens the opinion that the press STILL doesn’t get it, in my opinion. That’s not a mea culpa, that’s a further display of blindness.
(And they did talk about the whole ‘Hillary for Jail’ thing…they just chose to cast it all as an example of how unhinged and unreasonable the opposition to her was, instead of ever once giving that opinion the benefit of the doubt as having any rational reasons for distrusting her.)
Reaching straight for the addict as his only example shows his bias is still consuming him. He’s very quick to dismiss any ‘unintended’ affront against a specific city in a nod to being PC….but not remotely concerned about still denigrating the whole middle-America flyover demographic in general, is he?
rtrski (8a042a) — 1/30/2017 @ 5:54 am