Media Scorecard: How Well Did The Media Do In Identifying McCain's 'Swift Boat' Support?

As the media fanned flames in the direction of General Wesley Clark for the egregious offense of noting that being a prisoner of war did not necessarily translate into the sort of experience and judgment necessary to serve as President (a fact borne out by the recorded history of American Presidents), one of the more interesting revelations was that the McCain campaign had fallen into the loving embrace of one Bud Day, best known for his participation in the slanderous scumbag brigade known as the Swift Boat Veterans for "Truth." Strange bedfellows to say the least: during the 2004 presidential campaign, John McCain called the group's work "dishonest and dishonorable." But a lot has changed! McCain, in fact, has been taking their money for some time now. Because maybe McCain would say or do anything to get elected!

Anyway, today Sarabeth at 1115.org mused:

...maybe Media Matters will produce a scorecard today showing how many media outlets told their viewers that in response to Gen. Clark's comments, the McCain campaign rolled out a Swift Boat liar to defend McCain?

Well, let's get that ball rolling, shall we? A cursory overview of the coverage offered by the cable news networks over the past day and a half, via TVEyes, reveals that Bud Day merited twenty separate mentions. Here's how it broke down (usual disclaimer: TVEyes is not a perfect means of searching the news coverage, but one goes to war with the online tools one has):

• The first instance of a report mentioning Bud Day came on MSNBC, when Keith Olberman identified Day as a SBVf"T" member, and called McCain out on it.
• Campbell Brown, on CNN, identified Day as a SBVf"T" member, only to cede the floor to "Republican Strategist" Brad Blakeman who lied, calling Day a "hero" who "didn't smear anyone." Brown did push back on Blakeman's assertions vigorously over the next few minutes that followed.
• However, later in the broadcast, Brown found it necessarily to add the addendum that Day "was also John McCain's commanding officer when they were both prisoners of war in Vietnam" and that "the McCain campaign says that's why they enlisted him for the truth [sic] squad.
• Naturally, whoever was filling in on Hannity and Colmes last night strenuously asserted that Day was "a medal of honor winner...one of the most decorating living veterans in the country...the stuff of movies."
• Dan Abrams pointed out Day's membership in the SBVf"T" and similarly pointed out McCain's prior condemnation. Our own Roy Sekoff beat up on Day for a few minutes before Tucker Carlson ganked out a gout of pure mularkey all over the television in an attempt to stand up for those loathsome nimrods.
• CNN's Dana Bash, on AC 360 noted Day's Medal of Honor and his membership in the SBVf"T", in a mixed bad of simpering neutrality.
• Rebroadcasts of Hannity and Colmes and Countdown and two reshowings of AC 360 followed.
• CNN Headline News' Morning Express made four mentions of Bud Day during Tuesday morning, correctly identifying him as a SBVf"T" member all four times, twice alleviating his sins by noting his medal of honor.
Three subsequent mentions on Headline News strove for the same "balance."

The constant hyping of Day's war citations were certainly a strained attempt at "balance," considering it is his participation in the SBVf"T" that makes him notable in this case. Still, the fact that the media, in these instances, managed to correctly identify Bud Day is a good thing.

At least, if you look at it in a vacuum. See, the big problem here is that over the same span of time, Wesley Clark was mentioned by the same organizations over two hundred times, and many of those occasions featured Clark, vainly attempting to explain to the media how badly they had misconstrued his comments as an attack on McCain's war record. For a brief rundown on that, we go back to the blogger that inspired this post:

Fox: On the June 29 edition of Fox News' The Strategy Room, news correspondent Molly Henneberg asserted that "the McCain campaign is returning fire after [Sen. Barack] Obama supporter General Wesley Clark seemed to attack [Sen. John] McCain's military service."

MSNBC Live: On the June 30 edition of MSNBC Live, anchor Monica Novotny falsely claimed that retired Gen. Wesley Clark "blasted [Sen. John] McCain's military record" during an appearance on the June 29 edition of CBS' Face the Nation.

ABC: ABC News correspondent David Wright asserted that McCain's experience as a prisoner of war made Clark's comments "especially provocative" without telling viewers that Clark had said -- just moments prior to the comments Wright aired -- that "I certainly honor his [McCain's] service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands of millions of others in the Armed Forces as a prisoner of war."

CBS: CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds falsely suggested that Clark had questioned McCain's patriotism and had "critici[zed]" McCain's "service, including five years as a POW."

NBC: And Brian Williams, anchor of NBC's Nightly News, falsely suggested that Clark had impugned McCain's "war record"

So, to spell it out for the media: You guys should maybe question whether a guy best known for the toxic defamation of a military hero is well-suited to the task of defending another against similar defamation, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE "SIMILAR DEFAMATION" IS A FIGMENT OF THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN'S IMAGINATION.

Comments

[Redbeard0504]

I am just dumbfounded that in the present political atmosphere speaking the truth as General Clark did can be so twisted. I guess this would be classified as a "gaff" if he were indeed a representative of the Obama campaign.

But even if you do not separate him from the campaign, which Obama has done, General Clark's word were not an attempt to diminish John McCain's service and sacrifice; indeed he acknowleged them as does every speaker I hear who brings up anything connected to McCain's service.
What bothers me the most about the reactions from the McCain campaign and McCain himself is that they do not acknowledge the actual statement of what Gen Clark said. They continue to characterise his words as an attack on McCain's war record which is it not. If they refuse to acknowledge that truth and choose to twist it, it shows more about how they are like the Bush/Rove/Cheney administration than anything else they do.

[JackLivigni]

This sycophantic nonsense in the MSM over John McCain's experience linked to his POW status is outrageous! Lets line up POWs and sign them up for Republican candidacy! Its the most idiotic bias I have seen coming from the media in months.

They are desperate for a story. They care nothing for honest debate... swine rolling in their mud.

[moramc]

My fondest dream is that all the msm outlets will run the substance of this article along with the comments 24/7 for three days running. Yeah, I know; dream on. The msm undermines democracy on a regular basis and it would serve our country well if each and every progressive interviewed called them on it every time they get an opportunity.

[gonavy]

If Clark had the military credibility to make those statements about McCain, the Col. Bud Day sure as he11 had the credibility to call John Kerry out on his embelishments.

When someone is awarded the MOH, it is always mentioned in an introduction of that person. You don't refer to a doctor as mister or dude and you don't call a MOH winner a former military man.

Did you parents teach you no respect?

[blackmouth]

So, nobody has the right to question anyone who won the medal of honor, or just because a person was awarded the medal of honor he automatically has, "HONOR"? Give me a break. This guy is just as much a scum bag as all the other swift boaters who lied about Kerry.

[DeMaria]

MSM = disgusting, unpatriotic, lying gasbags not worth the water they lug around in their bloated bodies.

[jhink465]

It is obvious that McCain with the complicity of the MSM are trying to spin the hay of Clark's remarks into gold. Bob Schieffer is the one who framed the issue of riding a jet and getting shot down as a qualification for CIC. This snake set the whole thing up and the rest of the media ran with it. Why this old fool has any credibility is mind boggling. Schieffer is and has been a shill for the Republicans for a long time. The fact that he inherited the same chair that Murrow, Cronkite, Reasoner, Mudd, Rather and the other legendary CBS broadcast journalists broadcasted from is a disgrace to their legacy.

[rtnd22]

I wish the mainstream media would have been outraged when they besmirched John Kerry's record...i­ts amazing how the Republicans manipulate the media

When Charlie Black floated the idea of thousands of Americans dieing so his candidate McCain can get elected they barely metioned it....whic­h is more important.­..the lives of Americans or McCains military record...

[dumboldfarmer]

So, the fact that Colonel Day is a war hero makes everything he says gospel truth? No, it does not. The Kerry swift-boating removed all credibility from his statements.

This "truth squad" is nothing but malarkey. Truth is as truth does. If truth is what they say they want, then shucks, that's simple. McCain can just go ahead and release all of his military records, like Kerry did, and shut everyone up.

This is nothing but a contrived policy by the McCain campaign to distract, that's all.

[Turtleluv6]

http://www.pensitoreview.com/2008/02/17/in-1992-pows-accused-mccain-of-collaborating-with-vietnamese/

I believe these guys....Mc­Lame is a sell out if he sold us out once he'll do it again.

OBAMA '08

[sandtats]

I'm beginning to believe that it's McCain, not O, who has the cult following, as in the MSM. What on earth do they owe this man? He served his country admirably and with honor in Vietnam, as did over one million other brave men and women; 58,148 made the ultimate sacrifice. It's odd. I've seen him "embrace" his fellow veterans numerous times but never his wife, though he has no problem calling her the most vile names, in public; seems he has more genuine affection and respect for his fellow servicemen than he had his first wife, or his current one. Enough with bowing at the alter of "war hero" McCain. He does not walk on water and his military service, vis a vis giving him the national security and foreign policy creds to be POTUS, IS germane to the dialogue. Get with the program, MSM And McCain and his people need to stop with the incessant whining; ENOUGH! Like HC, grow some testic*ular fortitude

[DaOne]

They owe him nothing but they need a close contest. If they step on McStain now then nobody will watch their shows until election night.

[yvette7112001]

I'll say it again..we need to come together and write...ca­ll...threa­ten sponsors of these news stations to do their jobs...WE CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN...I­'m calling CNN and MSNBC right now...it will mean more if we all call today....t­ommorrow..­email..wri­te letters msnbc 1-212-664-4444 cnn 1-404-827-1500
Finally, I know we can do this as a group, especially the way everyone made phone calls to Obama about the FISA Bill...Ple­ase call and express your concerns

[dutchess2]

Jason, Jason, Jason.....

chill.

There may be more neanderthals that will vote for four more years of McBush... That may be some neanderthals that would vote for McBush because Obama is black.

But...by god... if that is the best this country can do with its democracy, then so be it.

We get the government we deserve.

[helonias]

Like they are really that ignorant of the facts.

Ya think

[BinBaldwin]

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth told the Truth about Kerry.

[dutchess2]

Slimeboat vets....

please use their proper names.

They lied.

They besmirched a fellow soldier.

They devalued the medals a soldier can win.

They made service a joke.

They are properly vilified for all time.

[EvtheBev]

You were there? (Or were you playing with your GI McJoe instead?)

[openhand]

Mr Bin.

It is time to open this debate a little wider, to discuss the Military and U.S. Politics.

Please do your self and me a big favor, please see the documentary called 'The Trial of Henry Kissinger' based on the book of the same name written by Christopher Hitchens, a conservative who backs the Iraq War.

The film gives a very good picture about the political forces around the Vietnam War, very interesting. You do that and I will wash your car and then we can discuss the swift boats over a drink.

[Dreamers101]

If the MSM can not even get the story right then what the he// are we to do about it America!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!