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

[VOTER]

Proud to be a Democrat.

With two important primary elections, we have a female candidate and a black candidate.
It is the 21st Century.

Meanwhile the GOP have, well, a miserable group of has beens and old men.

The race is still on within the Party but one of the two, Clinton and /or Obama will become our next President of the USA.

[SmellyOne]

It's show business, baby!!!!

[RecklessAbandonArteest]

It was a pleasure watching Matthews and Russert squirm in their seats tonight. They were so shocked and there was no way to undo the constant Hillary bashing they have done over the past year, that they just sat there, shell shocked, trying to say something intelligent.

As the night went one they came up with some defenses, mostly blaming it on others, including the polls.

They were all in the studio with Oberman the only sane one. Oberman was chortling in his joy. He especially enjoyed slapping Matthews and others once in awhile. I liked it when he corrected Matthews' faulty recall of the trashing and bashing he gave Hillary.

Maybe the biggest benefit of all this is that Matthews will get fired and he will have to go over to Fox or teach at the local community college.

Sidenote: Brokaw enjoyed chewing out Matthews and Russert too. You can bet Matthews knew who Brokaw was talking about when he said:

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

Exactly what HuffPo is guilty of too.

Did you all see Matthews with his arms crossed the whole time, in a defensive posture. Had to love that. Also loved it when he said "I'll never underestimate Hillary Clinton again."

What a pretentious asshat. But then again, what should anyone expect when Matthews has Tom Delay appear on the show to badmouth Clinton, with Matthews nodding his head in agreement. [I think Matthews is the only TV host who has Delay appear, maybe he shows up on Fox, but I don't watch that channel, so I would not know].

Funny how Matthews never cuts off Delay or Ann Coulter when they are talking. But anyone else who has an opinion different than his, he interrupts and answers his own questions.

[StillAmused]

... spake the wise man to the fool.

Don't waste your time, Tom. Tweety's on a roll... kinda like that drunk they threw out of the bar last night. Some brick wall will stop him eventually.

Brokaw must cringe. Just imagine -- Buttocks Russert, heir to the legendary "Meet The Press".

[noamjunior]

particularly asinine were the comments of Mark Rich, who on MSNBC (around 8pm est) was practically writing off Hillary's entire campaign while the results on the bottom of the screen was showing her as the front runner.
Hey Mark- next time consult some facts before you open up yer yap!

[raptor]

You mean even Brokaw could figure this out, in a generation of MSM people who can't let any oxygen get bewteen two sentences and are always looking for that quip or sound bite?

[TXfemmom]

I remember when Huntley and Brinley reported the news. Now, we have a bunch of pompous, ideological morons trying to influence people, instead of reporting the truth and the news.

[cseper]

All the pundants and media should stop trying to control what our society thinks and how we vote and stick to reporting facts. It's sickening to hear all the endless chatter about polls and projections. I hope Hillary gets the nomination it's about time this country recognizes an intelligent, capable person that can and will balance the budget and get us back on track to being the America we used to be

[USMC1980]

Well at least Brokaw is honest....­that's a hell of alot more then can be said for Joe Scarbrough, Tim Russert and Brian Williams.

[jsarets]

Polling in politics is like quantum physics: observing the data affects the outcome.

[caliguy75]

All the polls got it wrong? When they successfully managed to predict where every other candidate finished within 1% except for Hillary and Obama?

Fishy.

[nunzia]

WHY do those cable networks insist on putting the dumbest, mouthiest, loudest, rudest, empty suits on tv for hours and hours on end, bloviating - erroneous opinions and blather - over and over and over again. Then when it was a certaintly that they'd been wrong, they blamed the pollsters. What dumb and cowardly men.
Chris Matthrews! This guy is not bright and is not even polite. I pity poor Olbermann for having to sit with often-wron­g-never-in­-doubt Matthews. It's bad enough he's often wrong and never in doubt, but he cuts off people who try to make intelligent reasoned responses and is so damned pushy about it. I don't watch anything that Matthews is on, but I did catch it tonight to see if he'd cop to his mistaken predictions and conclusion abougt Hillary's results. Caught it tonight because despite his premature grave digging Hillary won. Somebody must own Tweetie something, but surely it can be paid with something other than hour after hour of blather. MSNBC, you might not have noticed, but the electorate is growing up, wising up, waking up. Matthews aint' gonna' crack it for a thinking citizenry. How do we know they're waking up? HILLARY WON.

[KQuark]

Brokaw was dead on balls accurate.

He also had a great line about McCain's speech. Something like McCain speech he will put night time sleep aids out of business.

The elder statesman has seen it all.

The modern media is so enthralled with the political game that it does not care what is at stake in this election.

If another Republican gets elected to president I am leaving the country for sure.

[letsgetsmart]

Tom! I'm amazed! You finally came up with the thought that the public might start (where the hey have you been for the last decade or so) criticizing the msm for being propagandists rather then news reporters. We're going to begin to make judgments about the msm? Instead why didn't you say Chris your a jerk off and a lousy news person just like I am and most of the rest of the people who are on the tv each day?

[forpeace]

*

Media .......... what a big joke!

*