Jonah Goldberg Is Still a God-Awful Media Critic

I recently dissected Goldberg's dreadful media critique published over at USA Today last week, noting that in order to prove Obama's has had a press honeymoon Goldberg had to stoop to inventing news. Never a good sign when you're pretending to be a media critique.

Goldberg has responded over at NRO and it's telling that he never even addressed the fact that I called him out for concocting a story about how Obama allegedly "walked into an Oval Office window." Goldberg used that as a pillar in his column to illustrate how the press looked away when Obama goofed. But Obama never did what Goldberg claimed he did, which is why the press never covered the fabricated story. (A radical idea, I know.) I highlighted that fact in my column and Goldberg, tellingly, doesn't want to touch it in his response.

I also called Goldberg out for making a false statement in the very first sentence of his column when he claimed that Obama has been "relentlessly" comparing himself to FDR. As I noted, Obama had occasionally evoked FDR, as is custom for new Democratic presidents, but there was simply no evidence to claim that Obama himself has been "relentlessly" comparing himself to FDR.

On that point, Goldberg claims I got it wrong, that Obama has "relentlessly" compared himself to FDR. Goldberg's entire proof? A 60 Minutes interview when Obama said this:

There's a new book out about FDR's first 100 days and what you see in FDR that I hope my team can--emulate, is not always getting it right, but projecting a sense of confidence, and a willingness to try things.

In order to prove that Obama has "relentlessly" compared himself to FDR, Goldberg points to a single interview where Obama, just as I said, had evoked FDR.

Now might be a good time for Goldberg to reflect on the difference between Obama occasionally mentioning FDR, and Obama "relentlessly" comparing himself to FDR. In his USA Today column, Goldberg claimed the latter. In his response to me, Goldberg tries to document the former. (Note that Goldberg, king of the strawmen, spends the bulk of his defense documenting something I never even disputed; that pundits and supporters have compared Obama to FDR.)

Meanwhile Jonah, if you ever try to explain away that Obama-walked-into-a-window story you invented, let me know and I'll be sure to post it.

UPDATE: Note that in his USA Today column, Goldberg, as proof of the Obama honeymoon, pointed to CNN's John King who claimed at the time of inauguration that "nobody disputed" that journalists had become caught up in the historic nature of Obama's victory. (A quote I was originally unable to confirm.)

Goldberg pointed to the King quote as an ah-ha! moment: Even journalists admitted they were being soft on Obama! First, note the King quote was from before Obama had even been sworn in and Goldberg used it in a column about Obama's press coverage after he became president.

But more importantly, in my piece when I quoted several Beltway journalists in recent days, including one from the conservative Washington Times, insisting Obama's honeymoon was over, Goldberg dismisses that as pointless. In his defense to my column he wrote:

[Boehlert] cites as proof the press has been hard on Obama, inside the beltway "chatter" about how the press has been hard on Obama. Obviously, we should take the press corps own back-patting as proof of the yeoman work they've been doing.

Do you see the unique Goldberg logic? When a Beltway journalist like CNN's King suggests there might be a honeymoon, it's proof positive and everybody should take note. But when other Beltway journalists subsequently report honeymoon's over, that's irrelevant because you can't trust Beltway journalists to tell the truth.

Originally crossposted at County Fair, a Media Matters for America blog.

Comments

[4liars]

Regarding that window story, Eric, you might try Drudge's archives. I saw the story with picture somewhere on internet and am pretty sure it was linked to Drudge.

[CalexenderJ]

I don't know Eric, you're just a blogger, but Jonah is an official journalist in a real newspaper, ergo he's must be right and you must not know what you're talking about.

[Fremon]

Thank you for a morning laugh about Goldberg being a real journalist. Very rich. Love your sense of humour and sarcasm.

[dinglebe]

Jonah only has a job because his hag of a mother surfaced the Monica Lewinski scandal. On his own, he has zero talent and, for the life of me, I can't imagine why anyone would read his rantings or pay him for them.

[jerzyjc16]

Goldberg starts with the meme he wants to put out there, and then retro-fits and fabricates "facts" to back it up. Bush certainly, in 2000, got a lot of good will from the press and the public. Let's face it, people want a new President to succeed more than they want him to fail. Does it also not help (as it would with Palin) to have these incredibly attractive, charismatic, sexy people in front of a public that is obsessed with sexy good looks, thinness and youth? What does Goldberg expect? And throw in the fact that it's our first African-American President. How can the press not be favorably pre-disposed to these people?

But let's do a mental exercise: McCain pulls off a stunning upset and is swept into the White House. The comeback kid, the maverick and his sidekick maverick from Alaska storm Washington. The triumph of experience and the wisdom of old age. etc. ad infinitum.

Does anyone really think that the media wouldn't be completely sympathetic, supportive and "in the tank" for them?

Goldberg is just engaging in sour grapes because he hates the result of the election. Any new president would be well received

[Namaimo]

Eric --Thank you for exposing the fool, Jonah Goldberg. We need to do that, as often as we can. You did a good job.

[FunkyP]

Who is Jonah Goldberg? (I don't read USA Today)

[radiclib]

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He is a Tier II propagandist, fundamentally dishonest.
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[LoRiseAntlers]

He's main claim to fame is the fact he pretty much invented the whole winger "Liberals are Fascists"
talking point,which is just more proof that Rethugs will beleive anything they seehear,or read in the winger media.

[foolwriter]

Intellectual dishonesty makes my brain hurt... Goldberg owes me some aspirin.