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Media
Backtalk
With Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 12, 2001; Noon
EDT
Consumers used to get their news from newspapers, magazines and evening broadcasts from the three television networks. Now, with the Internet, cable TV and 24-hour news networks, the news cycle is faster and more constant, with every minute carrying a new deadline. But clearly more news and more news outlets are not necessarily better. And just because the press has the ability to cover a story doesn't always mean they should — or that they'll do it well.
Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz has been The Post's
media reporter since 1990. He is also the host of CNN's "Reliable
Sources" and the author of "Media Circus," "Hot Air" and "Spin Cycle: Inside the Clinton Propaganda Machine."
The transcript follows
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and
hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
College Park, Md.:
Hello Howie,
Are the journalists who write magazine features paid by the word?
I'm trying to understand why so many magazine articles ramble on and on -- piling anecdote on top of anectode -- while offering the reader little synthesis and analysis.
The worst recent offender in my experience was an NY Times magazine article on food allergies.
Howard Kurtz: Well, ahem, now that you mention it, most magazine writers are paid by the word. But that doesn't mean editors have to run long rambling pieces.
Crystal Lake, Ill., 60014:
Has there been anything in the newspapers or other media about the release of the Reagan papers, which I assumed would have been released sometime in January.
Howard Kurtz: The Washington Post (and I believe other papers) had a story the other day about how the Bush administration is holding up release of the Reagan papers for several more weeks to conduct some kind of review.
New York City:
As an innocent bystander, I have to say that I thought coverage of the McVeigh execution was too much and not enough. By Friday night I was numb to the meaning of the execution and sick of people talking about it. How should the media have covered the McVeigh execution in a way that would not have hyped it and might have lent a certain gravity to the first federal execution since the Kennedy years?
Howard Kurtz: I thought the coverage of Execution Day itself was appropriately somber, but the runup - particularly with the month's delay - was so relentless that it sort of trivialized the event. I kept seeing promo headlines like "Date with Death" and "Feds: It's Time to Go." Every correspondent from every two-bit station in America was doing standups from Terre Haute. It had become another piece of programming. At least by yesterday the focus had returned where it belonged, on the victims, not the murderer.
Bethesda, Md.:
President Bush is traveling through Europe, but washingtonpost.com isn't providing links to coverage BY THE FOREIGN PRESS. We get the American version by The Post, and the AP wire only. Is it too much to ask for links to coverage by local European news outlets?
Howard Kurtz: If someone would give me an assistant, it wouldn't be too much to ask. But putting together the column on a very tight deadline every morning isn't easy. Having said that, I'll see what I can do.
Upland, Calif.:
Mr. Kurtz,
I've heard you say in the past you don't believe the mainstreem press has a liberal bias.
How do you explain the fact that on one network five people that I'm aware of, Tim Russert, Chris Mathews, Lawrence O'Donnell, Brian Williams, and Maria Shriver have ties either now or in the past to the Democratic Party.
On CNN, the network was started by Ted Turner (a self avowed Socialist). It was run by Ric Kaplan and has shows by Jesse Jackson and Jess Greenfield, all of who are tied or have past ties to the Democratic Party.
On CBS we found that Dan Rather goes to Democratic fundraisers. Bob Shiefer asked questions of Tom Daschle like 'shouldn't we have price caps on energy in California.' What a set-up question.
The New York Times, LA Times and your Washington Post all have left-of-center agendas.
Can't the news media have some intellectual honesty and at least admit what Walter Cronkite admitted that there is a left-of-center bias in the mainsteem media?
Please refute these.
Dennis Cullen
Howard Kurtz: Sigh. Where do I begin?
Bob Schieffer, to take one example, is regarded by both parties as about the fairest guy around.
I don't know where you get your "left-wing agenda" rap with regard to the three papers, but hopefully you're talking about the editorial pages (The Post, you may recall, endorsed Ted Olson for solicitor general, and all three papers were very tough on Clinton).
As for the former Democrats on television, there are also a slew of ex-Republican aides (Bill Kristol, Tony Snow) and conservatives (George Will, Bob Novak, Tucker Carlson, Fred Barnes, Mary Matalin until she joined the administration, etc.)
Kerrville, Texas:
What happened to Sen. McCain's Campaign Finance Reform Bill? What do you think the end result of this bill will be?
Howard Kurtz: It does seem to have dropped off the face of the earth, doesn't it? What happened is that after the Senate passed the measure, it went to the House, where Republican leaders have sat on it and Tom DeLay has vowed to kill it. McCain said on television last weekend that he hopes for a House vote by July, but you probably shouldn't bet the mortgage money on that. Some House Democrats also want to kill the bill now that it's actually in danger of becoming law.
Atlanta, Ga.:
Okay, a bit a tongue in cheek cynical question. Who's watching the Clinton's dog Buddy while he globe trots? And who is paying for it?
Howard Kurtz: I don't know if Buddy has Secret Service protection. Socks has been handed off to Betty Currie, Clinton's former secretary, so no taxpayer expense there.
Detroit, Mich.:
When will we start seeing tough media coverage of Tom Daschle? At least in the Post. Everything I have read makes him sound like he volunteers as an altar boy on weekends. I only wish Newt Gingrich received just a tiny bit more fair treatment in '94 after Congress flipped Republican. Sure he was more bombastic than Daschle, but he was mercilessly grilled. Yes I have a computer, I have Lexis-Nexis, I have NY Times/Washington Post archives, I can read. I am tired of the denials of left-wing media bias. There, I used "left-wing!" Not sure I ever saw that in print before..
Howard Kurtz: I agree that the coverage of Daschle over the last two weeks has been over the top, even if he did back into the job, unlike Gingrich. Rick Berke of the New York Times said on my CNN show that Daschle will never live up to the glowing coverage. To some degree, the senators and others being quoted may be wary of crossing a guy who's suddenly come into a position of power. But Daschle will take his knocks in the press as the Senate warfare erupts. He can no longer avoid responsibility the way a minority leader can. Within a few months I expect some stories on whether Daschle blew his big opportunity.
Boston, Mass.:
Who do you think is winning the PR war since the Jeffords split, Democrats or Republicans? Are we seeing the White House on the defensive for the first time?
Howard Kurtz: Well, it wasn't the Republicans' finest hour, and yes, the White House was clearly on the defensive for the first time. By the time White House spinners were saying that losing control of the Senate was actually a good thing (it gives Bush someone to stand tall against), it was clear that they were losing the PR war. Still, as with Tom Daschle, I think some of the walk-on-water coverage of Jeffords went too far for this previously obscure senator.
Belmont, Mass.:
Howard
As a follow on to your answer concerning the Reagan Papers - can congress require the Bush Administration to release all these documents as required by law?
Howard Kurtz: Sure - but not quickly.
Centreville, Va.:
After all the fuss about the Houston Chronicle's reporter being "threatened" by White House flack Ari Fleischer, don't you think that if a reporter had asked Mike McCurry to divulge conversations between Bill and Chelsea, they would have gotten a similar brushoff? Where were these daring reporters pressing Gore on the campaign trail when his son was driving 97 mph?
Howard Kurtz: Nobody's questioning Ari Fleischer's right to brush off a question about what Bush told his daughters after the alcohol incident. McCurry often objected, and loudly, to personal questions he considered out of bounds. What some people are questioning is Fleischer telling the Houston Chronicle reporter that his question had been "noted" within the building - raising the specter of possible retaliation, although none has been reported so far. (Not that retaliation is unknown within the hallowed halls of 1600 Pennsylvania - McCurry used to urge Clinton not to call on reporters who had displeased him.)
Kansas City, Mo.:
I saw on C-Span the other day an interview with Norman Pearlstine of Time, Inc. He said that anyone who considers the New York Times editorial page to be liberal is crazy.
Is he crazy or are we?
Howard Kurtz: I don't think there's any serious question that the NYT editorial page is generally liberal.
Chevy Chase, Md.:
Howard,
Doesn't it seem a bit fishy that gas prices have started to fall right after the Democrats took over the Senate? Do you think he Democrats will really launch an investigation on price fixing by the oil companies. I heard that Bush and Dick both hold a significant amount of stock in Enron, a large energy conglomerate. Isn't there a conflict of interest?
Howard Kurtz: You must think pols have a lot of power! I don't think gas prices are falling because Tom Daschle is suddenly in charge; some of the earlier predictions of $3 gasoline now look to be overblown. Sen. Jeff Bingaman has already announced hearings into energy prices. I believe Bush and Cheney's holdings are placed in blind trusts to avoid any conflict with their energy holdings, though obviously you can't erase the experience that both men had in the oil business.
Alexandria, Va.:
Every time I read about the Kyoto treaty, I read about how President Bush and ONLY President Bush is being anti-environmentalist for opposing it. But the U.S. Senate shot the treaty down by a vote of 95-0 when it was submitted for ratification a few years ago. Is the entire U.S. Senate anti-environmentalist, too? Or is it just possible the treaty stinks? Either way, it's unfair to tar Bush with this brush.
Howard Kurtz: The 95-0 vote against the treaty has been noted in a whole lot of stories, though maybe it gets lost in some pieces. The truth is that treaty was going nowhere fast even before Bush took office.
West End:
What is your sense about the difference between the online media and the traditional media and their view of ethics? I notice, for instance, that the "online" world -- including a major journalism web site -- have been having an interesting discussion of the Andrew Sullivan story, but not a peep in the mainstream print and broadcast press. Is it because it began online that it has not moved much beyond it or is because of the details?
While you may not be interested in the actual atory, isn't the coverage of the story even more interesting then the story itself?
Howard Kurtz: Everyone has to decide what standards they are going to use for whether something is news. I don't have any interest in writing about the intimate details of a columnist's sex life just because someone is hurling charges. Sure, when a president's sex life and whether he lied about it comes under scrutiny by an independent counsel, we all have no choice but to pile on. But on this one I (and nearly all of the print press) am happy to take a pass.
Crystal City, Va.:
The topic of the day seems to be liberal bias in the media. Is this a personal issue for you?
Howard Kurtz: Nah. I only get asked about it 300 or 400 times a week.
Washington, D.C.:
Howie,
When you write, "At least by yesterday the focus had returned where it belonged, on the victims, not the murderer," what do you mean? What happened yesterday was a specific event: the execution of a mass murderer. Wasn't that the news and, thus, the appropriate focus of the day's news story?
Howard Kurtz: What I mean is, in my humble opinion, there has been entirely too much media focus on what McVeigh thinks, his life, his background, his final words, his degree of remorse, etc., in a way that threatened to overshadow the 168 victims and their families and friends. We ought to be careful about turning these sick mass murderers into celebrities. So I was glad that much of the television coverage yesterday focused on those who were the victims of the tragedy.
Shawnee, Kan.:
Your column yesterday reported the now obvious full assault on President Bush by the liberal media. When was the honeymoon and why are they allowed to attack Bush's children when Chelsea was given a pass? Did she have better Secret Service agents to cover up?
Howard Kurtz: The honeymoon probably ended with Jim Jeffords' defection. And the press is "allowed" to criticize the Bush daughters - something it's done way too much of, in my view - because of something called the First Amendment. Before the alcohol incidents, journalists were happy to apply the hands-off Chelsea policy to the Bush twins. But when police get involved, as they have in the two incidents, it becomes impossible not to report. Which is not to let the press off the hook for the wholesale hyping of this relatively minor story about two college kids.
Cottage Grove, Maine:
Howard:
First a comment and then a question.
Comment: Your capacity for hard work, middle-of-the-road reporting and experienced (and valued) insight is much appreciated. It is simply impossible to read your columns and not come away with an enhanced knowledge of what is happening in the world of print media. Thank you and please keep up the excellent work.
Question: What is the status of washingtonpost.com (and all the other online newspapers)? Several friends and I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to read The Post on a daily basis. Delivery here in Maine would not be possible. If it wasn't for washingtonpost.com, we would not be able to read the paper, your columns (of course) or take part in this chat. When it comes to political reporting, no newspaper in the country can touch The Post.
Any idea how management at The Post feels about the online service and any insight on its longevity? If losses are mounting, would a fee-based service be considered?
Thank you.
Howard Kurtz: Thanks for the kind words. I'm happy to report that Washingtonpost.com is doing quite well - it is third in online readership, behind the New York Times and USA Today (with well over a million visitors a day), even though the print edition isn't available nationally like the other two. It's opened up not just a national but an international audience for the lowly scribes here. Of course, like nearly all online "content" sites, it doesn't make money yet, but there's no serious discussion of charging for it. The hope of all online publications is to attract a large and loyal audience that advertisers will pay to reach.
Berkley, Calif.:
Howard, what do most of your colleagues think of Fox News? Is there a perception of it as edited for a right of center audience?
Thanks.
Howard Kurtz: Fox News probably gets a bad rap among some of my colleagues. There is no question it has a largely conservative audience, but the news itself is delivered pretty straight. What gives Fox its from-the-right identity is the nightime talk lineup, with anchors like Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, and such prominent conservative commentators as Newt Gingrich, Tony Snow, Dick Morris, etc. But the punditry ought to be separate from the day to day reporting.
New York City:
"Journalists who defend the huge coverage of the Bush daughters' alcohol incidents (which now includes a People cover story) say it's fair game because police are involved. But news organizations provided little coverage last August when presidential candidate Al Gore's son was arrested and charged with driving 97 mph in a 55 mph zone. The New York Times ran eight sentences on the arrest of 17-year-old Albert Gore III on page 18; The Washington Post, eight sentences on Page 6; the Los Angeles Times, nine sentences on Page 10, and USA Today, a three-sentence item in a roundup column."
Howie, you are so full of yourself and you clearly show your true color as a Bush apologist and a Clinton hater. Are you saying the reporters here apply a double standard? The truth is that since the police were involved so the Gore's incidence was reported. It made into the Times and the Post, CNN and Time. Had the Bushies not complained that much about the coverage of police citation, the story would probably have died down much sooner. By the way, Mr. Gore was only a candidate which Bush is the President, albeit a selected one. Did you not see any difference here?
Howard Kurtz: Interesting: the "liberal bias" complaints are balanced by a "Bush apologist" complaint (I often get it from both sides in my e-mail too). Having interviewed most of Bill Clinton's top aides for my book Spin Cycle, I don't think the label Clinton-hater quite applies. Of course there are differences between the Gore III speeding ticket and the Bush girls drinking. His was the first such incident, not the second, and Gore was not president. But the disparity of coverage was so great that I thought it was worth pointing out. Period.
Arlington, Va.:
HOward,
Clinton ahs been out of office for six months, but you still read about him or hear about him EVERYDAY. Most of what we hear or read is comparing him to the current administration or vice versa. Did this sort of thing happen with Carter after Ford, Reagan after Carter or Clinton after Bush, Sr.? Is this something new or did Clinton do an EXCELLENT as President, dispite that scandals and he can't be ignored?
Howard Kurtz: This is a new phenomenon. Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr. very quickly faded from the news. Clinton stayed in the news in part because of the pardon scandal. But the media are also having trouble weaning themselves from the Clinton story because he's still deemed good copy (and, unlike every other ex-prez in history, is married to a United States senator).
Mechanicsville, Md.:
Howard,
As a Republican I find myself very disappointed in President Bush. I fear that his actions and polices are hurting our chances in 2004. He appears to be handing the White House back to the Democrats a little bit more each day. What other candidates other than John McCain are out there in my party?
Thanks
Howard Kurtz: The truth is, no other significant Republican will challenge an incumbent president unless the Bush White House completely implodes.
Las Vegas, Nev.:
Howard: I read the Frank Rich piece too
and frankly I was surprised at how nasty
and derogatory it was. Two questions:
First, do those who write opinion pieces
like this (Rich, Dowd, etc.) really believe
what they are writing or are they going for
affect? Second, Howell Raines set the
tone for the Times editorial page for the
last several years. Now that he has been
promoted to the top spot from editorial
page editor, can we expect this same
attitude and tone to permeate their
day-to-day reporting?
Thanks,
Bill
Howard Kurtz: I'm sure that Frank Rich, Maureen Dowd and all the other op-ed columnist believe what they're saying; they are, after all, paid for their opinions. The question about Howell Raines is a legitimate one, though he would surely say that he is going from a job where he was supposed to be opinionated to one in which he needs to put his personal views aside. Raines did have a long career as a newsman (national political correspondent, London correspondent, Washington bureau chief) before taking the editorial page job in 1993.
Thanks for the chat, folks.
washingtonpost.com:
That was our last question today. Thanks to everyone who joined the
discussion.
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