"Who holds politicians accountable for the statements they make on television? According to host David Gregory: Not Meet the Press," begins the new website and tool MeettheFacts.com.
The impetus for the site dates back to December when New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen took to his blog to lament the status of Sunday morning talk shows. Rosen criticized Meet the Press, and host David Gregory specifically, before recommending that all shows adopt a formal fact-checking system. The system proposed would identify, and hire, a fact checking organization to review Sunday morning content for accuracy, posting inconsistencies online for viewers to review.
Four months after the Rosen wrote about the idea on his blog, ABC's This Week teamed up with Politifact to explore Mr. Rosen's proposed model. David Gregory, the Meet the Press host, took to his Twitter account to respond to critics who wondered why Meet the Press wasn't following suit. "My view," Gregory explained, "is that I just don't think we need a formal arrangement to accomplish [fact checking]."
The creators of Meet the Facts beg to differ. The site is a product of a Facebook page started by Paul Breer, a 24-year-old college student who will be attending the University of Kansas. Shortly after the group's formation, Breer was contacted by Chas Danner, a Brooklyn journalism student who offered to help him launch a larger campaign. Between the two of them, the cost of a domain name and ten hours of time, Meet the Facts was born.
The site that resulted provides visitors with the option of tweeting, emailing, calling, or snail mailing Meet the Press producers and is the exactly the kind of thing Jay Rosen thinks can make a difference.
In an e-mail interview with Campus Progress, Rosen explains that while it wouldn't be impossible to pressure Gregory into adopting the system, it would be hard. "My sense is that [Gregory] thinks anyone who's dissatisfied with his performance is a partisan hack who wants him to be more of a partisan hack, but he's misjudged where this fact-checking thing is coming from, and where it goes. What could be more dead center in the journalistic value system than fact-checking? Nothing that I know of."
The creators of Meet the Facts agree. In an e-mail interview, Breer acknowledges the catchiness of Meet the Facts and offered to give Meet the Press ownership over the brand and the corresponding domain name and twitter account "free of charge."
"We're so serious about the cause [that] we'll give them the tools to carry it out," Breer says.
It's too soon to tell whether or not Meet the Facts will have a decisive impact, but the tool exemplifies a more interactive media environment, one in which consumers can easily protest the decisions made by newsmakers and a journalism professor can rattle the confidence placed in a program in its 62nd year of broadcasting.
"If the movement shows strength," Rosen warned "the press will have to cover it, and Gregory and his colleagues at NBC will see that."
Sara Haile-Mariam is the outreach and communications associate for Campus Progress
Originally Posted on Campusprogress.org
Follow Sara Haile-Mariam on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Sarahailemariam
We need MSM that is "fair and balanced" and not spewing the Republican talking points all of the time.
What? We have to be honest? No lies and misinformation?
Oh Noes.
No biggee...when he gets fired, I'm sure the next host will be happy to have some fact-checking going on.
Gregory is just awful. He doesn't seem to have the cajones to challenge his guests. He is content to let the two opposing sides spews their talking points without challenging them when they says things that are clearly false.
1. Moderators should push back hard - but reality is they would not get guest if they are hard
2. If the show does not push back in real time, it has an obligation to post the l.i.e.s. on the web
3. I hope someone like Rachel Maddow starts a trend in using her wonderful blog and /or website to start this tradition
As many of you know, I am a Liberal Republican and I find that the Conservatives tend to l.i.e. much more than Liberals do - but since both Republican and many Democrats are really Corporatist, these guys tend to l.i.e the most..
For the MSM, like CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, etc, yes, I could see it - again, I think Rachel Maddow is the most likely show to start it...
If we are lucky, we will get a Real Eisenhower, Rockefeller or Javits like person. Goldwater was a bit extreme for me, but after reading John Dean's book on Conservatism, I learned a great deal. We really need a continuum of candidates from socialist (like Bernie Sanders) to conservatives - that are interested in Policy, really governing for the people (instead of the end game of being rich), and making government work again
We need
1. Campaign finance reform
2. Term limits?
3. No corporations having the rights of individuals
4. A real, tough media on all candidates
5. Smarter electorate
What's a "Liberal" Republican?
I would guess someone with conservative values without the "holier than thou" attitude and disgusted with both parties and their behavior right now.
1. Moderators should push back hard - but reality is they would not get guest if they are hard
2. If the show does not push back in real time, it has an obligation to post the lies on the web
3. I hope someone like Rachel Maddow starts a trend in using her wonderful blog and /or website to start this tradition
As many of you know, I am a Liberal Republican and I find that the Conservatives tend to lie much more than Liberals do - but since both Republican and many Democrats are really Corporatist, these guys tend to lie the most..