Final-Fan said:
madskillz said:
akuma587 said:
I hate that phrase, gotcha journalism. In the context of Palin, they "got her" by showing the world how fucking stupid she is, that she can't even form a coherent sentence if she didn't study it on a notecard beforehand. |
Basically, when it's not FOX or NY Post, it's gotcha. In real world, gotcha journalism is asking real questions. In FOX world, it's tossing softballs and letting her swing for the fence. |
(@ madskillz: this response kinda took on a life of its own and I don't mean this as a lecture to you)
The sad thing is, gotcha questions do exist. What the spin artists want us to ignore is that gotcha questions unfairly put a person on the spot in an attempt to show them up or get something juicy or just make them look awkward. Like, say, this interview of Kerry:
SCHIEFFER: Let me show you something you said the other day. You were over at the White House for the Rosa Parks dedication.
Sen. KERRY: Yes, sir.
SCHIEFFER: And as you came out of the White House, a reporter ask you this question. Just listen.
(Excerpt from December 1, 2005)
Unidentified Man: Do you ever find yourself saying, `How did I lose to this guy?'
Sen. KERRY: No. I know how I lost.
(End of excerpt)
SCHIEFFER: Well, I must say, Senator, if there was ever a question that begged a follow-up. So why do you think you lost?
Sen. KERRY: It's not getting a follow-up. I'm not going backwards, Bob. I'm going forwards. I'm going to take the lessons I learned, take the mistakes I made. I certainly made some, but I'm proud of the campaign. I'm proud of what we achieved. We tried to run a very positive offering of a vision for the nation. America is a great country and I love being out there. And I think we can do a lot better than we're doing today and a lot of Americans think that. So I'm just going to keep working.
SCHIEFFER: If you were at a graduate seminar on politics and they said, `Well, Senator, what did you learn?'
Sen. KERRY: I've avoided those. I've avoided those on purpose so that I don't have to do that.
SCHIEFFER: Well, what do you think was the great lesson of that campaign?
Sen. KERRY: Well, there were a lot of great lessons, Bob, but as I said, if I decide to run again, I'll show them to you rather than talk about them.
Compared with:
Couric: And when it comes to establishing your worldview, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?
Palin: I've read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.
Couric: What, specifically?
Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.
Couric: Can you name a few?
Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn't a foreign country, where it's kind of suggested, "Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?" Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.
All of them. Really.
It's not the media's fault if Palin's complete inability to give anything other than canned talking points in response to simple questions showed her up and made her look awkward, and was therefore juicy.
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