The NY Times' pointless pursuit of right-wing "buzz" stories

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From:
Media Matters for America

Jill Abramson, the managing editor for news, agreed with me that the paper was "slow off the mark," and blamed "insufficient tuned-in-ness to the issues that are dominating Fox News and talk radio." She and Bill Keller, the executive editor, said last week that they would now assign an editor to monitor opinion media and brief them frequently on bubbling controversies.

-- New York Times public editor Clark Hoyt, September 26 column [emphasis added]

Talk about great timing!

Just after The New York Times announced it would appoint somebody to monitor the partisan opinion media more closely, and right after editors were chastened for reacting too slowly to buzzworthy news scoops launched by the conservative media, the right-wing press went into overdrive last week.

Like a proud peacock showing off its feathers, the right-wing media was in full bloom, showing the Times all the tricks that have made the movement's trade so renowned. There was outright lying, lying by omission, attempted guilt-by-association, U.S.-bashing, hateful smear campaigns (lots of those), fearmongering, incompetence, and just batshit crazy stuff. (Did I mention the heavy dose of crazy?) All the key notes were hit -- and in just one epic week.

I hope the Times is enjoying its new-found, front-row seat to the right-wing media's slow-motion crack-up, where I doubt even the denizens can keep track of the avalanche of falsehoods, smears, and lies that now tumble out on a daily (hourly?) basis. The whole enterprise has come unglued by Obama's presidency. And where serial mendacity was once the rule, a whole new level of crazy has been achieved in 2009. Even conservative blogger Rick Moran last week called out the "lunacy" that fuels so much of the Obama hate; a hate that's stoked around the clock by conservative media.

And now the Times can chronicle it every day because editors there think they might uncover news leads.

Good luck with that. The truth is, the partisan right-wing press this year has morphed into a minefield of paranoia, distrust, and hate. But, hey, if The New York Times thinks it's going to mine some news nuggets in the fever swamps, be my guest. Whoever is tasked with tracking the right-wing media, though, ought to get combat pay because, trust me, monitoring the endless layers of misinformation and sheer lunacy that now power the conservative movement's media deadens the senses pretty quickly. It's a permanent port hole into the dark recesses of American hate politics.

Nonetheless, in honor of the Times' (highly questionable) decision to pay even more attention to the stories that are bubbling up on the far-right blogosphere, talk radio and Fox News -- to get hip to all that right-wing "buzz" -- let's examine what just a seven-day span looked like.

The right-wing media last week offered up a smorgasbord of delicious news treats, with the Beck/Drudge/Malkin brigade producing some Grade-A news leads. Indeed, the scoops last week practically came gift-wrapped, courtesy of the conservative media, which was en fuego.

Check that. The right-wing media's been en fuego for weeks now! Who can forget Michelle Malkin's big scoop on the day of the September 12 anti-Obama rally in Washington, D.C.? Two million protesters had taken to the streets, according to Malkin's "reporting." Buzz? That one was off the charts, with all the big-time bloggers and Fox News personalities helping to spread the blockbuster news. (Pajamas Media's Roger Simon: "[T]wo million people on the Washington Mall. Wow!")

OK, it's true that Malkin's estimate was off by, oh, 1.93 million people. But, still, that was a perfect example of how right-wing bloggers don't just sit around and wait for the news to happen. They get out there and make (up) their own. They create their own buzz, and the Times ought to respect that.

Let's take a look at what other right-wing "buzz" stories the Times was treated to last week.

There was the big Drudge Report scoop about how a Fox TV affiliate in Chicago was "ordered" to not air a report it had done highlighting the fact that not all Chicagoans were behind the city's push to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The New York Times wants "buzz"? Drudge's breaking story got wall papered online, with Breitbart.tv, Townhall.com, Don Surber, Scared Monkeys, Gates of Vienna, Riehl World View, and Confederate Yankee all cheering it on. (i.e. "Silence! Do Not Speak Ill of Chicago!")

Were there some holes in that story? Sure. For instance, there was the screaming Drudge headline:

FOX-TV Chicago Ordered Not to Run Anti-Olympic Story

It turns out that according to Drudge's own "reporting," the innocuous 60-second news report had already aired, which, of course, meant the headline about the station being "ordered not to run" was completely misleading.

And Malkin also did her best to improve the sketchy tale, in which a news director at the station reportedly decided not to re-air the segment. Yet Malkin hyped the story to readers this way [emphasis added]:

Drudge reports that WFLD-TV has been ordered not to broadcast an anti-Olympics segment again.

That breathless phrasing, of course, made it sound like some nefarious outside source (the Obama White House?) dictated a nasty bout of censorship, when in fact the decision was (reportedly) made internally.

Meanwhile, if the Times was looking for buzz last week, did any story ring louder than the far right's campaign against Chicago's Olympic bid? The conservative media's Who's Who signed up to condemn Chicago as a hellhole and berated the Obama White House for even thinking about elevating the Second City to the international stage and to showcase the American city. Perhaps the only cries louder than the rhetorical brickbats hurled at Chicago were the subsequent shouts of joy when Chicago -- and America -- was denied the honor of hosting the Summer Games. Thank God!

And then there was the stellar work produced by Andrew Breitbart, the self-styled leader of today's conservative "journalism." His site last week claimed to have uncovered a video of community organizers praying to Obama. Talk about "buzz"! Obedient right-wing bloggers such as Malkin, Atlas Shrugs, RedState, Stop the ACLU, HotAirPundit, Sundries Shack, along with cable TV talkers Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs, immediately piled on, openly mocking a group of mostly African-Americans activists as they gathered in prayer. (If second-graders aren't off-limits from being called "Obama-worshiping drones" by members of the right-wing media, why would people amidst prayer not be ridiculed, right?) One right-wing site accused the organizers of "blasphemy," and lots more shrieked as loud as they could about how the devastating video confirmed that loony liberals were falling for the Cult of Obama. RedState: "Speechless." Hot Air Pundit: "Difficult to watch." Stop the ACLU: "It's a cult." HotAirPundit: "Shocking Video."

Slight problem: When some sane people outside of Breitbart's (hate) circle actually watched the video, they realized that the community organizers who gathered weren't saying "Obama." They were saying "Oh God," which is typical when people are in prayer. So, yeah, that was a hiccup. Meaning, the only reason Breitbart posted the video was in order to smear liberal activists in prayer because he thought they were saying "Obama." That was the whole point of the video. But Breitbart bungled the audio, which meant the smear collapsed, even some right-wing bloggers, such as ... well, pretty much all them, never bothered to correct their original posts in which they called the organizers out as creepy cult members.

But Times editors please take note -- huge buzz!

And boy, did the conservative press think it hit the jackpot last week with its latest ACORN installment: Obama's right-hand political man inside the White House, Patrick Gaspard, used to be a big shot for ACORN. Connect the dots, people! Fox News, American Spectator, RedState, Jawa Report, and National Review Online all did.

Slight problem. The Gaspard claim wasn't true.

Meanwhile, led by Fox News, the right-wing media did their best to get fired an openly gay member of the Obama administration, Kevin Jennings, the director of the Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. Fox News' Bill Hemmer reported that 21 years ago when Jennings was a school counselor and giving advice to a gay student, Jennings had known of a "statutory rape" case between the student and a grown man, but had "never reported it." Others at Fox accused Jennings of "covering up statutory rape." Also, Rush Limbaugh accused Jennings of encouraging a sexual relationship between the student and an adult. So did the Washington Times editorial page: Jennings "encourag[ed]" a relationship that amounted to "statutory rape." Fox News reported the boy in question was "15 years old." And The Washington Examiner even claimed there was a link between Jennings and the North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA).

But yes, upon reflection the very buzz-y story had some holes in it. And yes, the over-heated exercise felt much more like a primal witch hunt that it did any sane attempt to gather facts. (RedState: Jennings is a "radical homosexual druggie.") The problems with the story? Not all the allegations lobbed against Jennings in regard to the incident 21 years held up. In fact, none of them did.

Period.

In light of last week's conservative media performance, where basically no buzzworthy story -- or even individual facts -- could be trusted, here's an idea for the Times and its self-proclaimed interest in right-wing opinion media: Maybe the newspaper ought to report truthfully about the nonstop cascade of lies and misinformation that emanates from the conservative media. Maybe instead of waiting around for the proverbial clock to be right twice a day, the Times shouldn't cherry pick the tiny number of "buzz" stories that stand up to outside scrutiny and create legitimate news. Instead, the Times ought to regularly highlight how so much of what passes for "news" within the right-wing echo chamber is just hateful -- and purposeful -- misinformation.

In other words, maybe the Times ought to practice some journalism.

Amid swine flu outbreak, racism goes viral

Anti-immigrant hatred spreads on talk radio, Web sites

VIA: MSNBC

By Brian Alexander

msnbc.com contributor

updated 9:46 a.m. PT, Fri., May 1, 2009

Brian Alexander • E-mail

“No contact anywhere with an illegal alien!” conservative talk show host Michael Savage advised his U.S. listeners this week on how to avoid the swine flu. “And that starts in the restaurants" where he said, you “don’t know if they wipe their behinds with their hands!”

And Thursday, Boston talk radio host Jay Severin was suspended after calling Mexican immigrants "criminalians" during a discussion of swine flu and saying that emergency rooms had become "essentially condos for Mexicans."

That’s tepid compared to some of the xenophobic reactions spreading like an emerging virus across the Internet. “This disgusting blight is because MEXICANS ARE PIGS!” an anonymous poster ranted on the “prison planet” forum, part of radio host and columnist Alex Jones’ Web site.

There is even talk of conspiracy. Savage speculated that terrorists are using Mexican immigrants as walking germ warfare weapons. “It would be easy,” he said, “to bring an altered virus into Mexico, put it in the general population, and have them march across the border.”

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As more than 140 cases of H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, have been confirmed across the United States — from San Diego to New York City — the growing public health concern has also exposed fear and hate.

Fear and blame are counterproductive and even dangerous in any disease outbreak because the more stigmatized any group feels, the more reluctant people in that group may be to seek medical care. That only helps propagate the disease.

The attempt to scapegoat Mexicans, immigrants and Hispanic Americans is no surprise to Latino rights groups, who are now mobilizing a countereffort.

‘Ignorant beyond the pale’
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, called such comments “racist and ignorant beyond the pale … these so-called commentators shame themselves turning public health concerns into an immigrant bashing fest.”

“What we have seen is that the anti-immigrant groups are using this to shamelessly to promote their agenda,” said Liany Arroyo, director of the Institute for Hispanic Health at the National Council of La Raza.

While the war of words is mainly between the conservative commentariat and Latino advocacy groups, individual Mexican-Americas are beginning to worry.

“Our people are calling us and they are concerned,” said Florencia Velasco Fortner, chief executive officer of Dallas Consilio of Hispanic Organizations, an umbrella of affiliated service groups. “Even our staff members are starting to get a little discouraged. There was anti-immigrant sentiment prior to this and this adds fuel to the fire.”

The Consilio has mounted its own education campaign to teach Dallas-area Hispanic audiences proper disease prevention and hygiene techniques. Because many are uninsured and may avoid seeking medical care, the Consilio is also helping them find non-profit clinics and encouraging them to visit these immediately if they develop symptoms rather than waiting until they are severely ill.

As swine flu fears have spread, the backlash has also affected some Mexican restaurants’ business, possibly fueled by disparaging comments like those of Savage questioning the hygiene of workers.

Jennifer Pesqueira, whose family has owned and operated El Indio Mexican restaurants in San Diego since 1940, said her business has seen a 20 percent drop in business since the outbreak began.

Activist groups have advised their communities to be aware and on guard. “Board members put an alert out,” said Jan Hanvik, executive director of Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center in New York. “It was a heads up, saying ‘pay attention.’ ”

Blaming ‘the other’

CONTDOWN'S WORST PERSONS Swine Flu Stirs Racist Talk. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy Rep. Paul Broun, R-Georgia, 10th District, Homeland Security Cmte. Member who is also a Medical Doctor TODAY'S WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD!

Fearmongering and blame are almost a natural part of infectious disease epidemics, experts say.

“This is a pattern we see again and again,” said Amy Fairchild, chair of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. “It’s ‘the other,’ the group not seen as part of the nation, the one who threatens it in some way that gets blamed for the disease.”

Often, a disease outbreak is an excuse to vent pre-existing prejudices. “It’s fear of people we do not know or who look different,” said Dr. Howard Markel, a medical historian at the University of Michigan and author of “When Germs Travel: Six Major Epidemics That Have Invaded America Since 1900 and the Fears They Have Unleashed.” “You take the fear of the unknown that already exists and then combine that with a real or perceived threat that is contagious disease and it’s explosive.”

During the medieval Black Plague, Europeans blamed Jews, saying they poisoned the wells. In an 1892 cholera pandemic, the U.S. blamed immigrant European Jews. In the flu of 1918, Markel said, “Italians blamed the Spanish. The Spanish blamed the Italians. For HIV it was gay men and Haitians.”

Americans “have a history of trying to keep ourselves ‘pure,’ ” Fairchild explained. “You saw it after the Civil War when slaves were denied citizenship, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when we were alarmed over southern and eastern European immigrants. There were fears that they would pollute America’s germ plasm, make us a weak nation of imbeciles.”

Americans have time and again responded to emergencies by clamoring to shut the borders and pull up the bridges.

“I’ve blogged for years about the spread of contagious diseases from around the world into the U.S. as a result of uncontrolled immigration,” conservative columnist Michelle Malkin wrote on her Web site. “9/11 didn’t convince the open-borders zealots to put down their race cards and confront reality. Maybe the threat of their sons or daughters contracting a deadly virus spread from south of the border to their Manhattan prep schools will.” (The cluster of New York school students who first contracted H1N1 brought the virus back from Mexico. The school is in Queens.)

“People who do not really know anything are creating ideas that don’t really exist,” said Sergio Ornelas, owner of a bi-national publishing and advertising business in El Paso. “I am worried these kinds of articles and comments might create panic.”

Fighting racism with information
Blame-the-victim reactions can be fought with clear, accurate information about the disease and about how it is spreading, said Dr. Larry Kline, a San Diego physician and member of the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission. “People get snippets of information here and there, and unfortunately much of it is inaccurate. That makes things ripe for blame and blame and fear never helped anybody.”

Tamping down blame and fear isn’t just the right thing to do morally, experts agree, it’s also the right thing to do medically. Germs, Markel stressed, don’t care about skin color or national origins or borders.

“These are naturally occurring events,” he said. “We expect flu pandemics every 30 to 40 years. It’s the cost of living in a world of emerging infectious diseases. That’s the folly of prejudice. They are wherever humans are.”