Fourth Estate RIP
I actually feel a little bad about piling on in this one: At least Gloria Borger was honest about the presidential press corps’ puppy dog relationship to Bush. But for the love of Bryan . . .
(Media Matters) From the June 18 edition of CNN’s Reliable Sources:
KURTZ: Gloria Borger, are journalists suckers for this kind of secret trip to Baghdad stuff? I mean, Bush was there less than six hours but got an avalanche of mostly positive coverage.
BORGER: I think we are suckers. Particularly if you’re the one who gets to go on the pool, Howie, and gets to travel with the president on a secret trip to Baghdad. We do like these secret trips.
Believe it or not, we kind of like to be surprised, but I think if you’re a bureau chief in Washington, you may be asking, “Gee, why didn’t we have more information?” And when you ask that question, the answer you always get from the White House is, “Because this has to be shrouded in secrecy because this is a matter of presidential security. So we can’t tell you more about this in advance.” So you know you’re being used, but in a way you kind of like it because it’s good pictures.
KURTZ: You enjoy it.
June 21st, 2006 at 1:11 am
the old saying at work: “people get the governments, they deserve”…
Bow-wow, says the dog
we want to be dogs, master, beat us and feed us, it doesn’t matter because “in a way you kind of like it” to be treated like a poodle - seems to be much more thrilling to “do these secret trips” than to do all those boring, long-lasting, time-wasting tasks like Watergate (needing month after month!)
i guess, that happens when people “longed for salvation, order, and a strong hand” - then they are eager to close each eye they have:
“The horrible thing about effective dictatorships is that they seek to implicate everyone: Living in them, people make moral compromises, big or small–which is what proves so complicated when it comes to reestablishing just government afterwards.” - Henrik Bering