What A Difference A Decade Makes on White House Scandals
Posted by Tim Graham on March 25, 2007 - 14:56.




One of the nice things about having a television and newsletter archive at MRC is being able to bring up the old newscasts and recall how very different the tone and approach of the news was when a Democrat was in the White House. The U.S. Attorney-firing scandal is a strong example of how the network news can on one hand, sell a scandal as incredibly damaging for a political party it does not support, but downplays scandal as damaging to democracy and the people when it affects the political party it favors. Our latest Media Reality Check reminds readers of how different the news sounded ten years ago, when a Republican Congress investigated illegal foreign donations, mostly to national Democratic Party accounts. Take NBC:

NBC theorized that the media were too Clinton-scandal obsessed in 1997. On June 17, 1997, Today co-host Katie Couric asked reporter Bob Woodward: “But are members of the media, do you think, Bob, too scandal-obsessed, looking for something at every corner?”

On August 1, even as the Senate moved to subpoena the White House, co-host Matt Lauer professed: “But there aren't any major storm clouds on the horizon for Bill Clinton, other than maybe Medicare reform.” Newsweek's Jonathan Alter replied: “Yeah, but of course there are these possible scandals, but when the economy is doing well, the public really doesn't seem to care much about anything else.”

On October 8, Today co-host Katie Couric framed the hearings for Sen. Arlen Specter: “Perhaps this is an intentional effort to embarrass the Democratic Party?” On the November 7 Today, NBC's Lisa Myers pressed Senator Fred Thompson: “Your hearings clearly reinforced the public's already low opinion of politicians and politics. Beyond that, what did it accomplish?”

It's a little humorous to recall that the liberal media forecasted no "major storm clouds" for Bill Clinton just a few months before the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke wide open. In the Clinton years, liberal media critics (including those given hours on PBS to unspool their theories) indicted the media for producing "scandal and conflict over substance." But when the Republicans are in power, scandal is the substance that matters most. In most cases, no matter who's in power, scandal is a substantive story. But it can definitely be overblown (or undercooked) depending on who's manufacturing the "news."



http://newsbusters.org/node/11630

Well the scandal during the Clintonian epoch was over the Bubba lying about getting screwing a woman not his wife and in a publically owned room.

The scandals surrounding the W administration are about the American people getting screwed from their freedoms/right.

It also seems that there is a pattern here since during the Nixonian epoch Americans were also getting screwed of there rights and freedoms.

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"I was born at night, but it was not last night night"

You will never see a Democrat leader going after a Democrat. You will see them circle-the-wagons, though.

However, we often see Republicans going after Republicans.

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"This is a time for a national imperative not to fail in Iraq." Condoleeza Rice, January 11, 2007

Oh I see.. in your view it was just about a president lying UNDER OATH about having sex with an intern...nothing more. If he would lie about that..what wouldn`t he lie about?

So Katie Couric= the entire liberal media. I sincerely hope you are joking.

You should read something besides the Republican talking points once in a while. Do some research and get back to us on the whole "you will never see..." then kindly admit you lied. Thanks in advance.

Ixtellor

You should read something besides the Republican talking points once in a while. Do some research and get back to us on the whole "you will never see..." then kindly admit you lied. Thanks in advance.

Sincerely,

William Jefferson

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"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival."
Winston Churchill

Oh, it was supposed to be a third-rate burglary ! lol

http://surftofind.com/watergate