Brokaw Admits: Media 'Stampeded The Process,' Got It Wrong

Thinkprogress.org   |   January 9, 2008 12:07 AM


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Talking with Tom Brokaw, Chris Matthews lamented the fact that the pollsters and pundits got it all wrong. Brokaw suggested that the results today should cause the media to reevaluate its desire to "stampede the process," and he cautioned the media to "wait for the voters to make their judgment":

BROKAW: You know what I think we're going to have to do?

MATTHEWS: Yes sir?

BROKAW: Wait for the voters to make their judgment.

MATTHEWS: Well what do we do then in the days before the ballot? We must stay home, I guess.

BROKAW: No, no we don't stay home. There are reasons to analyze what they're saying. We know from how the people voted today, what moved them to vote. You can take a look at that. There are a lot of issues that have not been fully explored during all this.

But we don't have to get in the business of making judgments before the polls have closed. And trying to stampede in effect the process.

Look, I'm not just picking on us, it's part of the culture in which we live these days. I think that the people out there are going to begin to make judgments about us if we don't begin to temper that temptation to constantly try to get ahead of what the voters are deciding, in many cases, as we learned in New Hampshire when they went into the polling booth today or in the last three days. They were making decisions very late.

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Why was that asshole Ralph Reed on CNN last night? Isn't he in jail by now?!!!! WTF!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:00 AM on 01/10/2008

For the next MSNBC Election Coverage Chris Matthews needs to be replaced. It's like he has this obsession with Clinton and it's almost too painful to watch! Keith Olbermann tries to reign him in from time to time, but Matthews, Andrea Mitchell, Howard Fineman and Tim Russert to some degree are completely biased! They need to open a Jour 101 textbook and study the first chapter on objectivity!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:57 PM on 01/09/2008
- mouselion I'm a Fan of mouselion 123 fans permalink
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If I hear one more media-head going on about this self-abasing, self-critical shtick about how they screwed up with NH, I'm going to go out and buy a color television set -- just so I can have one TO trash!

They did nothing wrong.

Only one false report that I'm aware of (and that didn't even have to do directly with the candidates).

Hillary justifiably predicted she'd come in second. Not from anything falsely reported. Polls are polls and people are fickle. There's nothing wrong with publishing poll results or making predictions (they're fun and besides the point!).

So get over it pundit-and-pollster media-heads!
It's OK.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:32 PM on 01/09/2008

May I suggest that if you are approached by a pollster, just lie. Its time for pollsters to go out of business. Its kind of like the weatherman­...you get paid whether your prediction is right or wrong. AND they call it "work"!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:28 PM on 01/09/2008

They always admit they're wrong, then they do it again. And again. And again.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:02 PM on 01/09/2008

Wow!! Matthews now saying the people in New Hampshire are racists!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:26 PM on 01/09/2008

I flipped to MSNBC and saw this moment yesterday. What was telling is the night and day difference between Brokaw and Matthews. Brokaw one of the great classy reporter, and Matthew a two bit anti Clinton hack.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:57 PM on 01/09/2008
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The lesson to the Media yesterday, is the American People aren't paying attention to the pundits from CNN, FOX, MSNBC.

In fact I am quite sick of all the hoop-lah over these primaries/caucuses, thats all you hear about. Wolf Blitzer is on for 3 hours and 80% of his news cast is on these Elections.
Keith Obermann is doing the same thing also, the one place on American Media you can get some truth.

Watch some LinkTV, where you can get international News, its refreshing, without all the dramatics.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:47 PM on 01/09/2008
- frappe I'm a Fan of frappe 206 fans permalink
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I love it when the mainstream media gets its ass handed to it. There is nothing more frustrating for a supporter of a particular candidate than for their candidate to be quickly discounted as either a loser or, worse, a non-factor by the media; as if it is their special province to decide for us what should and should not be.

They should leave their personal agendas completely out of the process. Their sometimes endless negative characterizations and editorializing of particular candidates is reprehensible. Period.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:58 PM on 01/09/2008
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Maybe people are bashing Hillary because, you know, they don't like her.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:26 PM on 01/09/2008
- MBFLA I'm a Fan of MBFLA 2 fans permalink

Go to:

http://www.legitgov.org

and see the difference between the paper ballots and optical ballots in New Hampshire.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:23 PM on 01/09/2008

Brian Williams titles post about NH as 'Something Happened Here'- Yeah his boys at MSNBC Chris Matthews,Tim Russert,Chuck Todd, and Mike Barnacle piled on and tried to bury Hillary. Fineman and Andrea Mitchell participated. Brian watch telecasts from 5-11 last night and you should be embarassed for your colleagues.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:46 PM on 01/09/2008

MSNBC now examining the credentials of this Blog. Briefly.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:55 PM on 01/09/2008
- sonofloud I'm a Fan of sonofloud 4 fans permalink

Imagine that.....t­he media reporting facts instead of speculation!!!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:41 PM on 01/09/2008

Thank you Tom for the best comment of the night on MSNBC.

All week I've been so disgusted with the way so many of the MSNBC "journalists" have failed to provide objective coverage of the facts ... have failed to provide any insight into what the polls are showing in terms of what the public is responding to and what moves them.

That Chris Matthews was unable to listen to your comments without his usual pouty type response (Well what do we do then in the days before the ballot? We must stay home, I guess) was so disgusting and so dismissive. Those words were a clear indication of his egocentric view of his place in the scheme of things .... of the abuse of his right to use the airwaves on behalf of the American people. That use is not his divine right but rather a sacred trust which he repeatedly trashes.

But the problem, as Tom B pointed out is much more than just Chris Matthews. After listening to and reading so much evidence of the media's inability to do their job on behalf of the American people I saw how the problem just keeps getting more blatant. I saw once again how little most of them understand their sacred constitutional obligation to the American people and our democracy.

Trying to "stampede" the election process is a disservice. It needs to be stopped either by internal network self discipline or by viewers power to change channels

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:20 PM on 01/09/2008
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