Rachel Maddow "A Chirpy Gay Liberal": Financial Times

Financial Times:

In fact, I think they are correct that the media currently tilt leftward in the US, but not for the obvious reason. It says less about the bias of "liberal elite" journalists and more about a breakdown of the established media order, from The New York Times to Mr Drudge.

Mr Drudge's dominance has been undermined by competition. His sensibility infuriated so many people that left-leaning sites such as the Daily Kos sprung up to challenge him. Lately, his thunder has been stolen by the Huffington Post, an unlikely blend of leftwing blogging, reporting and aggregation founded by Arianna Huffington, the media gadfly.

The Huffington Post has leapt past the Drudge Report in traffic, attracting 4.5m unique users in September, compared with 2.1m for Drudge and 2.4m for Politico, a political news site. While Mr Drudge picks out stories that could hurt Mr Obama, the Huffington Post does the opposite, highlighting anything that makes Mr McCain look bad.

This shift leftwards online has been matched on cable television, where Fox News, the rightwing news channel, has increasingly faced its mirror image at MSNBC. The latter's leftish talk-show hosts, Keith Olbermann and now Rachel Maddow, a chirpy gay liberal, dish out scorn about Republicans in opposition to Bill O'Reilly and others at Fox.

The effect is not just to balance out Mr Drudge and Mr O'Reilly but to place old-school media objectivity, as practised by US newspapers, under pressure. Obama-supporting blogs have ridiculed stories in outlets such as The New York Times and The Washington Post that fail to dismiss distortions by Mr McCain.

Read the whole story: Financial Times

Comments

[formerprosecutor]

Labels , labels, labels. I wish people would refer to me a a "chirpy gay liberal"; as opposed to what most people call me; that would defineatly be an upgrade

[Ironquill]

Mr. Gapper, Rachel is, here in the colonies, the closest thing we have to a political show host with a brain.
As far as "gay" is concerned, and I'm a straight white man, that fact is so irrelevant to your entire line of thought--which is already hard to follow, that your basic credibility is undermined.
I doubt if "left leaning" blogs have in themselves suddenly put pressure on the NYT and WP in any significant measure. Notice that print media are under pressure world wide.
As far as intra-cable is concerned, it's very simple.
FOX cable is a propaganda arm of our Republican Party, for the xenophobic elements among us.
CNN, has been trying to be FOX LIGHT and has become simply milk toast, and singularly ineffective in high lighting the vast inadequacies of the "governor" of Alaska.
MSNBC simply filled a vacuum for those of us who want intelligent programming--if we can't have anyone with smarts on CNN, Andy and Campbell not, we will be content with having our bias reinforced on MSNBC, expressed in complete sentences.
Rachel is the beginning of what in America will be a switch to show hosts on cable news who have backgrounds and intelligence at least as high as their viewers.

[kellygrrrl]

I love my ChirpyGayLiberal Rachel!

[Punkynsnow]

Rachel is obviously brilliant, and has a terrific sense of humor. She puts a myriad of political information together in a coherent, interesting and insightful manner for her viewers. Her presentation is lively and entertaining. I never find her 'chirpy'. This comment sounds dismissive and dare I say, sexist.

And what bearing does her sexual orientation have on how she does her job? It is so irrelevant. If the author is going to bring Ms. Maddow's sexuality into the mix, why does he not refer to Bill O'Reilly as a sexual harasser heterosexual?

[Dipster1]

I totally agree, in fact My nephew and I were just ondering if we were falling in love with her throough the television­..Gay or not she is gorgeous..

[rowzeer]

Funny my brother thinks she hot, too...he laments about someone as smart, beautiful and witty as her being gay.

[wolfdog9545]

Rachel is Hot

[bluecatz]

i googled the author ... enough said.
rachel maddow is a breath of fresh air ... and i am grateful for her at day's end.

[lilredirishgal]

Once again we can not describe a woman as intelligent, quick witted, and informed. We have to call her some ridiculous adjective along with her sexual preference.

Rock on Rachel you have been the shining force for Liberal's for at least the last eight years, and I enjoy every moment listening to you.

[newunderground]

She's replaced Ellen as my favorite lesbian. ;)

[GwenElle]

Rachel is the best thing that has happened to cable television in a long, long time. In fact, I can't think of the last time something happened on cable TV worth paying attention. She has integrity, intelligence and both the willingness and ability to listen to those with whom she does not agree. Very mature.

Why the Financial Times found it necessary to point out her sexuality as though that is something central to the format and content of her show is puzzling, to say the least. Rachel, is an authentic person who neither hides nor shies away from who she is -- on any level. That makes her a great role model for everyone, regardless of sexuality or political leanings.

As for the chirpiness, I love her enthusiasm and passion. To demean that passion by what I would suggest is a sexist characterization says more about the writer of the article than it does about Rachel. I doubt that the writer would characterize a man as *chirpy*.

Rachel makes me all the more proud to be a progressive. You go girl!

[Keith52]

THey just found this out? Are they "going out on a limb" saying this? Most importantly Who-T-F cares?

[jeanwny]

That is differant from S Hannity, or B O'reilly be a chirping conservative with an opinion how?

[patianneb]

Rachel Maddow makes my day a little better toward its end ... that is a good good good thing, and I am obviously not alone in thinking so.

[Bluto]

Well, "chirpy" does mean to talk/communicate in a cheerful and happy way.

That fits very well.

Rachel is doing so well because she's actually..­.nice! Instead of some jerk, like all the talking heads.

[Mom4Choice]

*Rachel Maddow is "a chirpy gay liberal."*

They say it like that's a BAD thing.

Rachel Maddow is probably the smartest woman--no, make that person--on television (love her radio show too, BTW). That's why she has such a devoted following, and why her ratings continue to climb. In the end she'll have the last laugh, and I look forward to it.

[donniebnyc]

I must take exception with two things in this piece.

"While Mr Drudge picks out stories that could hurt Mr Obama, the Huffington Post does the opposite, highlighting anything that makes Mr McCain look bad."

And,

"Fox News, the rightwing news channel, has increasingly faced its mirror image at MSNBC"

This is a false equivalency. Despite the fact that they all spin and exaggerate (I do sometimes wince at Keith), the simple truth is that Drudge and FoxNews do one thing that I have not seen on HuffPo or MSNBC. They lie.

I actually read and watch the right wingers to see what the other side thinks. I am struck by their willingness to "report" innuendo and "facts" that I can debunk in 5 minutes on google. It happens daily, so I have concluded that it is deliberate.

What I like about MSNBC, is not the just snark or sarcasm. What I enjoy most is that they do their best to remain truthful, and they correct themselves when they make a mistake.

A case in point: the McCain ad about preschool sex education. I researched the bill and the McCain ad is false. It isn't exaggerated or spun, it is a lie. It wasn't that hard for me to figure this out and I'm sure that FoxNews has more resources than I. If there was a FoxNews report saying this, I haven't found it.

The right wing is entitled to their opinions, they aren't entitled to lie.

[3reddogs]

Excellent points and very nicely stated! (And I applaud your willingness to watch Fox News and visit the Drudge Report to see what they're up to ... every time I try, my blood pressure starts going up and I have to stop.)

[Punkynsnow]

very well put.

[GwenElle]

I agree with you, particularly about Keith. I love the guy, but he does tend to be rabid to the point where I just stop listening to him sometimes.

Last night when he reported that ABC story suggesting that Palin was throwing McCain under the bus, I didn't even pay attention. The story felt distorted to me. I am not saying that Keith distorted it, but it seems to me that if his instincts were good and fine-tuned to truth telling, he would have got that story right, which means he would have recognized that there was nothing for him to comment on.

The feud with O'Reilly is also causing Keith to lose perspective. I love that he holds Bill-o to account in His Worst Persons segment, but when Keith concludes, as he did in a recent segment, that Bill's rant against the Nielson Corporation qualifies him as *worst* than Limbaugh, who made comments that Keith concludes gives the appearance of condoning racism and slavery, then you have to wonder if Keith has fallen off his rocker.

Let's see . . . racism -- ratings. Which is a worse effront to decency and principles? Not even close.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#27427104

[Retro646]

that "chirpy liberal" is my favorite thing on TV..

I am excited about her interview with Obama..... unlike most news reporters I want to jump through the tv and strangle, I want to call her up and ask her to come to christmas party.. She is female, funny, smart, has her own opinions