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

Thinkprogress.org :

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.

Read the whole story: Thinkprogress.org

Comments

[buckbuck11]

"We must stay home, I guess."

Sheesh. Just another example of what an asshat Chris Matthews is.

[langstonhughesfan]

I think what also happened was that many New Hampshire voters thought Obama had it in the bag--thanks to CNN and MSNBC, and decided a vote for Hillary wouldn't do any harm. They also did, in the end, feel sorry for her. Hell, even I felt sorry for her and I wanted her to lose and lose big! But she cried, MSNBC and CNN showed it a million times, and people just gave her a break. I hope to God Russert and Co. just shuts the hell up for South Carolina.

[msmaggie]

Obama hurt himself a lot in the debate Saturday. Very tentative, looked like the freshman among the upper classmen. Also think the media piling on re Hillary brought out that Yankee-contrarian streak in NH voters.

Gotta love how the really big story is how everyone got this wrong--in other words, the media reporting on the media. Ye gods.

[pennyfortheguy]

MSNBC Phrase Of The Day: (in reference to the economy) "It's a disconnect"!
repeat as needed, or not.

[WigWamWag]

The issue is whether we want to live in a free society or whether we want to live under what amounts to a form of self-imposed totalitarianism, with the bewildered herd marginalized, directed elsewhere, terrified, screaming patriotic slogans, fearing for their lives and admiring with awe the leader who saved them from destruction, while the educated masses goose-step on command and repeat the slogans they're supposed to repeat and the society deteriorates at home. We end up serving as a mercenary enforcer state, hoping that others are going to pay us to smash up the world ... "
-NOAM CHOMSKY,
from Media Control:
The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda

[Witchitalineman]

That's why you need to get rid of people in the media like Chris Matthews and Lou Dobbs. They are not objective and in those powerful positions should not be taking sides.

[nomobull]

THE MEDIA ARE STILL AT IT THIS MORNING/ THE BASHING BY THE PRESS AN HER CRYING.THEY ARE ACTING AS THOUGH SHE CAME FROM BEHIND. I HAVE BEN HEARING FOR MONTHS THA HILLARY AND MCCAIN HAD NH . THE STORY IS WHY WERE BOTH RACES SO CLOSE 39 TO 37 AND 37 TO 32.NO ON RAN AWAY WITH THE RACE DESPITE WHAT SOME POSTERS ARE SAYING . AND THE MEDIA IS ONCE AGAIN TRYING TO SPIN THIS INTO MORE THAN THE FACT N MY OPININ THAT WE THE PEOPLE ARE FINDING OUR VOICE.

[pennyfortheguy]

If Russert doesn't close his face, then he'll be hard pressed to do 'Face the Pressed Meat" this Sunday and that would be tragically comical. Laugh through those tears. I'll try to get on.

Scarborough is lobbying Madeline Albright for the permission to stay in Iraq presently.

[pennyfortheguy]

Russert is making noises now with his huge face.
He appears gratifyingly haggard. He's questioning the polls now, and undoubtedly his own sanity I'm sure. He sounds as though he was pounding double-shots of Jack until the wee hours, or just before coming on camera. Very compelling viewing. And, I'm seeing it 'live'.
Mika should have her own show with Willie.

[pennyfortheguy]

Anyone else seeing McCain's 'Popeye' photo around the interweb? So far I've seen two versions of it.
Spinach futures are rising pre-market on the mercantile exchanges.

[Bulbul]

I saw that, it was more of Brokaw was rebuking Mathews, and after that they cut him off rather quickly !
He is being
missed, but we have Gibson and Williams. Let Mathews and Russert retire, they let their personal feelings get in their way to be any kind of analyst !

[pennyfortheguy]

Scarborough'll be entertaining Senator Obama shortly. In an effort to shore up each other's sagging fortunes perhaps?
I want to hear how Senator Obama's cadence changes heading into SC.

[W i l l]

W i l l admits..."It takes media a full year after an event has occurred to come within 10 light years of the event's truth."

[itsnotmyfault]

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

Let me first say this.. What an idiot.

I'll tell you what you do Chris..your job, which is not to pontificate and bully but to investigate and analyze and help the American people vet the candidate in an unbiased way. You don't let your hurt feelings because candidates don't kowtow to your imagined self importance, color the way you evaluate the candidates. You don't allow your misogynist tendencies and castration anxiety subconsciously dictate how you evaluate the candidate, just as you shouldn't allow race to be a factor how you judge a candidate.

So what do you do..your job. All journalists or even Liberal Political websites should perhaps use this as a guide and actually do a service to the voters.

[MNmommy]

Rachel Maddow took Tweety to school and then Brokaw went professorial on his ass.

It was a sight to behold!