Reporters: Our Obsessive Blago Coverage A Problem For Obama

This is a bit mindbending. This afternoon, MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell chatted up Carol Marin, the political editor of WMAQ, NBC's Chicago affiliate, about the Blagojevich scandal. Mitchell termed it "just the craziest story that anybody has ever covered." I assume that by "craziest," Mitchell meant "shiniest."

Anyway! Mitchell asked Marin about what sort of challenge the Blago scandal is posing for the Obama transition team. Marin's response is an astounding example of reporters reporting on reporting, while pretending to be doing something else:

MITCHELL: How challenging is this for the incoming administration? A distraction, and they are trying to minimize it, but it's certainly created a lot of noise.

MARIN: A distraction! It is a monumental distraction. A recent Pew study showed forget about the economy and forget about the Obama transition, this is the gripping drama that seems to be headlining the news. It absorbs huge pages of the New York Times as well as the Chicago papers. So this is the soap opera of the century.

It SEEMS to be headlining the news? Marin seems to live in this world where the people who are actively responsible for turning the story into a "distraction" and a "soap opera" are not aware of what they are doing. Luckily for Marin, someone PUBLISHED A STUDY, confirming the matter.

Still, Mitchell and Marin scratch their heads, totally confused by the fact that what the press is causing to happen is actually happening.

[WATCH.]

Comments

[YunekFlava]

You know what? I have a couple of friends that told me they made choices about what were their necessities and priorities, and cable-television was not one of them. They now listen to NPR, and one told me that her BPressure is awesome and she feels even more informed. One even told me for a new-year resolution she would not watch cable for one full year. Now that is friggin awesome!

Just imagine if more people decided that they would rather eat healthy and save money than watch cablenews. Wo.

[YunekFlava]

This is why we all knew we were homeless and jobless, before the press did. This is why the stock markets plunged, and people were losing their health because of lack of health care. This is the reason we knew our military veterans were sleeping in the streets and were receiving poor treatment in hospitals and facilities. No responsible media, just sensationalism. Anything sexy, dramatic, lurid, secretive or frivilous. We knew about our lives before the press did, because they live with their heads up each others butts. It might be a good place for some of them, but what happens when we want to really want to know what's going on? Oh that's right, we've got NPR, and C-SPAN and some forms of electronic media. There must be a _ _ _.

[HHarvey]

STOP WATCHING THE NEWS UNTIL THEY CHANGE THEIR TOPICS!!!! What's so hard about that? Watch your local morning news instead.

[TovSquirrel]

So sorry Mr. Linkins,but I have to disagree with you about the Blagovich coverage hurting President-elect Obama. Not for thinking people in any case.

The only two things this coverage hurts are politicians, in general being corrupt & stupid, and the credentials of the "journalists" (and their employers) covering this story as if it were somehow of vital importance to the nation--it's not.

[HHarvey]

Exactly. Well stated.

[YunekFlava]

It hurts the nation, because our lives will be effected by the massive changes that are necessary to get us in the recovery-mode. I feel the press takes our current condition too lightly. This nation is in critical condition and all the press brings us are balloons, daisies and clowns.

What will the press do when the public asks for investigation in their practices of "non-reporting"?

[glorialovelace]

The media can't avoid covering the Blagojevich mess simply to accommodate Obama. There's nothing new and remarkable about crooked Illinois politics, and everybody knew this was a potential problem from the very beginning.

[24hourrifle]

i dont expect them to "avoid" covering the story.i expect them to cover it properly,which does not mean twisting and manipulating every last detail in order to make it somehow more of an "obama scandal".

[Okieborn]

If Andrea Mitchel has one more face lift opening her mouth will be impossibe !!!

[kidflash]

Being married to Alan Greenspan she can at least afford them.

[YunekFlava]

Maybe next time she could get another face altogether.

[24hourrifle]

klassy.real klassy.

[Teritt]

I am so sick of Morning Joe making this THE topic of the day. I wish someone would remind that blowhard that guilt by association isn't fool-proof. Someone needs to remind him that it's like the time when a dead woman was found in his campaign office - it doesn't mean he had anything to do with it. Not sure if he's getting his innuendo revenge, or he can't connect the dots to the hypocrisy. He whines every morning that the media isn't doing their job - well, when you have a 3 hr show every morning on a news network, you are part of the media. And what he does certainly doesn't amount to journalistic integrity.

[exotic]

remember who owns the corporate media.

connect the dots.

[LoyalOpposition]

I think they are confused . . . and lazy, too. There is so much to report on regarding the many laws broken by this administration, yet we get something like a stupid governor says stupid things and all of a sudden Illinois is the fertile ground for unscrupulous, unpatriotic politicians! What happens in the Corporate Press is Pack Journalism, that is a pack of dogs, or wolves, or what have you. Their editors don't want them to miss out on how everyone else is covering the "story." Good reporters will talk back to their editors and sometimes can hustle to find worthier news out there to justify their pay.

[24hourrifle]

the "blago pay to play scandal" has smoothly and right in front of our eyes morphed into the "obama scandal".its astounding to see how the msm has seemingly unlimited time and resources to cover and manipulate this story.yet,the vice president of the united states goes on television and admits to authorizing torture,he admits to DOING SOMETHING ILLEGAL,and noone other than rachel maddow and olberman give a sh** where the hells the "liberal media" when y'need em the media outlets who actually do cover this story are dismissed as merely "bush hating liberals".wtf is going on?this sh** would never go down this way in any european country.we cant continue to insist that we're "the greatest country in the world" and that we're the bastion of all thats right and good and the cradle of liberty and etc...while simultaneously allowing our leaders to torture people and then essentially brag about it on television.
of course,just by saying these things,bill oreilly and the the cowards on AM hate radio would say that im being "anti-american".in fact,many supposedly nonpartisan journalists and commentators would say the same thing.nowadays,questioning the actions of your country's elected officials is deemed as unpatriotic and undermining our troops.the few truly smart and informed journalists out there who are exposing the bs are immediately written off as communists or whatever
oh well.am i rambling?have i rambled a bit?whatever,im just really f'in pissed.i hope this fits.

[67yrolfe]

“Still, Mitchell and Marin scratch their heads, totally confused by the fact that what the press is causing to happen is actually happening.”>>>>>>>>>>>>THE corporate MSM is not CONFUSED by what they are causing. They’d like us to believe they are confused. Like they were confused when they helped Bush take us into the unnecessary war that is Iraq! This is a DELIBERATE attempt by these worthless excuses for human beings to hurt PE Obama and derail his administration from making any changes to their precious status-quo.

[realistic2008]

Is everyone but US blind, deaf or both? The 24-7 News channels need to fill the time and therefore create fantasies and use unscrupolous reporters who believe we are as stupid as they think we are. The latest craze by the way is the conviction on the air of the Govenor of Illnois by highly patriotic and intelectual media types who make a mountain out of a mole ball.

[Shieldmaiden]

We are in Great Depression 2 mode and Blago is the biggest story? Of the century? Oh how glad I am that the Tribune is going bankrupt. I hope every mainstream media outlet goes totally bankrupt. Ask Barack Obama for a bailout then @ssholes.

[susie1776]

It's not as big a problem for Obama as it is for CNN and MSNBC. I've quit watching any of them! Seven weeks ago these people were praising Obama to the skies. Now, they're making up crap as they go along to make him look bad. And they wonder why people are going to the Internet.

[Girl28]

This ranks above the crappy economy? I can't find a job to save my live although I have a master's degree, and some corrupt politician ranks above the economy?

I guess that explains why the media won't shut up about it. They think that this story ranks above the economy. Delusional.

[Hamneggz]

Of course the press are covering it, it's a great story. The press is going to cover it as long as they can find any interest in the public and that may be a while, because it has overtones of Greek tragedy, the king being overthrown by his fatal flaw - in this case greed. It's a great story, and while I have sort of figured it out, a lot of people are going to be interested in such a naked case of corruption.
In this video the reporter indulged in wild hyperbole in an attempt to fluff up a boring piece. The corruption of a Chicago Governor is not all that earth shattering, it is a statistical norm. There is no link to Obama, in fact the wiretap declares him innocent. Obama is more or less ignoring the scandal, which does not have anything to do with him. During his presidency many stories will eclipse Obama.
One thing that is interesting is what Gingrich said about the response of the RNC responding as if there was still a campaign on. It seems the minority party is going to continue with the strategy of double talk, hate and nonsense. This is the strategy that allowed them to hold power for eight years, but they did a lot of damage to the country in that time. I am probably overestimating the American people again, but it might be a good thing that the RNC hasn't learned anything.