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Joe was right: the talking heads are out of control

Posted by JILL MILLER ZIMON in Media, Politics.
Feb 20th, 2008 | Comments

And no one is even trying anymore to show them the boundaries. It all ends up being about who is more objectively offensive and who should apologize to whom. When the issue is: they’re all wrong in their fast and loose use of language. Absolutely wrong. These folks are supposed to be our best journalists who get these hours to themselves because of their skill and ability. Instead, they get out there and work to get attention, pure and simple. Sometimes they have to say they are sorry, sometimes they don’t. But what are we really showing everyone about who we are, by what we like and tolerate?

Feh.

For background, Media Matters is a good place to start for the latest kerfuffle. For the record, of course Bill O’Reilly should not be talking about holding off on lynching parties for Michelle Obama. What a completely ridiculous choice of words. There must be 1000 other words, at a minimum, that he could have used to make the same statement.

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Slamfu

O'Reilly is just scum. Seriously, putting lynching in a sentence about a black person? Holy crap thats brilliant. I bet he just blows it off thinking the PC police are out to get him again. O'Reilly is why I just can't stomach the right.

Rudi

If Shuster could be suspended for using "pimp" and the Golf Channel suspended an anchor for using "lynching" with Tiger Woods, how does Billo not deserve a suspension for this. Maybe power and rating supersedes integrity.

Brainster

"For the record, of course Bill O’Reilly should not be talking about holding off on lynching parties for Michelle Obama."

So he should be talking about starting one up? ;)

GeorgeSorwell

O'Reilly is a talking knucklehead pandering to a very specific audience. The real problem is talking heads who have a reputation for being serious but who are only interested if the sort of superficial conflict that makes for entertainment.

Think of Tim Russert or Chris Matthews. Today there's a video clip going around of Matthews embarassing an Obama supporter who was unable to list Obama's accomplishments. Isn't it more important that, in fact, Obama does have some accomplishments?

Whatever matters, you're not going to get it from your TV or radio.

I hope that HTML works.

Jillmz

Slamfu, thank you - I do not understand when others don't see that. But then, I really felt that way about the pimping out comment too. I'm a very vigilant word monitor, lol, I have to confess - in my house, when my kids say, "Oooo! You said the "s" word!" they are talking about "stupid" - they're not allowed to call people stupid. Of course, you know how often that word is used in cartoons? But you get my gist.

Jillmz

Rudi - agreed - but what do you think - do you think it merits that same treatment?

Jillmz

Brainster - I know - it sounded weird even as I wrote it, but I'm assuming the TMV readership is so intelligent, they'd know what I meant. :) Thanks. If you have a suggestion for how to phrase it better, I can still edit it!

Jillmz

George - yes the html seems to work. Also - I agree - completely - with your point about the issue isn't that Matthews humiliated or tried to humiliate someone, but rather, that his lousy journalism performance ends up doing a disservice to the voting public. For THAT, he should be docked and/or taken off the air - it's just not journalism, at all.

Rudi

Billo and Chris Matthews are allowed to do what they do because they generate ratings and revenue. I agree Shuster was wrong, but why does he get a two week suspension and billo and the frat boys(Carlson and Matthews) get nothing? I think Shusters suspension was too severe.

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