WHO'S TO BLAME FOR KERRY "LOSING CONTROL" OF PUBLIC IMAGE --

[whometense]

MATT DRUDGE, MATT DRUDGE, OR "OLD MEDIA"?
http://www.prospect.org/horsesmouth/2006/10/post_396.html#013869

One of the running gripes on this blog has been that many members of the traditional media are unwilling -- or incapable -- of acknowledging the role of their own news orgs in shaping public perceptions of politicians. Case in point: Today in the Washington Post, there's a long piece by John Harris about the changing media landscape, in which he discusses the episode where Matt Drudge broke the "story" of John Kerry's expensive haircut in the runup to the 2004 election...

...See, what happened here is that Drudge put out a story about the haircut, and then Grove added more detail, and then the Post started describing Kerry as having a "reputation" for being, well, a phony dilettante and a rich fop. The Post didn't just follow Drudge's haircut story, it actively promoted it.

This is admittedly a small episode, but it makes a larger point: To whatever extent Kerry was seen as an elitist by the electorate, big news orgs like the Post were every bit as instrumental in shaping that image in the minds of voters as Drudge was, and probably more so. As for the debatable point made by Mehlman, which is that the big news orgs "have to" follow Drudge, in the case of Kerry "old media" didn't just simply follow Drudge, they all too often actively pushed the same storylines.

--Greg Sargent

[ProSense]

1. Oops! Drudge and enablers get an Eric Boehlert smack down!

Eric Boehlert
10.06.2006

Oops, I Thought Matt Drudge Was the "Walter Cronkite of His Era"

Famous for doing the GOP's bidding by launching smear offensives against Democrats (see the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth), Matt Drudge this week became completely unglued over the widening Mark Foley scandal, flailing around trying to help Republicans get back on the offensive.

First Drudge claimed Foley was the victim of underage teenage "beasts" who were "egging the congressman on" with their lurid communications. When that trial balloon went over like a lead zeppelin, Drudge posted a screaming headline about how one now-famous IM exchange was between Foley and an 18 year old page, as if that made everything okay. Strike three came Thursday when Drudge went into high alert "world exclusive" mode (would anybody else really want to claim it?) that "the now famous lurid AOL Instant Message exchanges that led to the resignation of Mark Foley were part of an online prank that by mistake got into the hands of enemy political operatives."

I'm laughing even harder than everyone else because I just got done reading The Way to Win, the brand new conventional wisdom Beltway blueprint to electoral riches by ABC's Mark Halperin and the Washington Post's John Harris. Wildly impressed by Drudge's acumen and--readers are assured--his nearly limitless media power, Halperin and Harris devote an entire chapter to Drudge, toasting his "visionary" "insights" and anointing him "the Walter Cronkite of his era." (ABC News repeated the claim in a report this week, simply cribbing off Halperin's book. How's that for synergy?)

I wonder, given Drudge's car-wreck week, when he had no effect on the news cycle other than to provide comic relief, whether Halperin and Harris would like to have their kinds words back. Then again, Drudge did plug their book....

Read my full take on "The Way to Win" at Media Matters.

UPDATE: Harris in today's Washington Post continues to sing Drudge's praise, while conveniently ignoring the fact the online hitman's made a fool of himself this week. Go read the http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/05/AR2006100501811.html">very odd, page-one piece, which cobbles together portions of The Way to Win with random thoughts on the Foley story. Apparently ABC News and the Post have no reservations about turning over their news operations in order to help market books. I'm sure Halperin and Harris' colleagues have taken note.

UPDATE II: Halperin is also sticking close to Drudge. On NPR today, discussing the Foley scandal, Halperin announced "Matt Drudge is driving this story." (Emphasis added.)

[whometense]

2. Nice -

Halperin, Harris and Drudge tied up together in a neat little bow to the twin lead anchors that are Hastert and Foley.


Wonder if anyone will notice?

Well, Steve Gillard did: http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/2006/10/implosion-of-gop.html

Hell of a post!

[whometense]

3. from Media Matters

...Among the most important of Halperin and Harris's take-away tips -- their so-called "Trade Secret" -- is for candidates seeking the White House in 2008 to basically not act like Democrats. Specifically, Halperin and Harris stress that recent campaigns by Gore and Kerry failed because they lost control of their public image via the press, in sharp contrast to Bush's campaigns, which, thanks to the hard work of Karl Rove, were able to control their public image. What Halperin and Harris absolutely refuse to acknowledge is the willing role the press played in those key Democratic setbacks and the media's shrieking double standard that's been on display for the last decade.

For instance, Halperin and Harris's simplistic analysis of the Swift Boat fiasco, as it is for every Democratic public relations loss detailed in the book, is that the Kerry camp should have just convinced the press to stop writing damaging stories. Halperin and Harris's purposefully naïve construct is that Kerry and his aides had the power to fix negative press coverage -- just like Gore and Clinton did before him -- but for some bewildering reason they failed to do it. Apparently, all Democrats had to do was ask nicely and Beltway reporters would have stopped reporting made-up stuff about Whitewater, stopped reporting false claims about Gore inventing the Internet, etc., and stopped reporting fabrications about how Kerry's war service was riddled with mysteries.

Halperin and Harris refuse to consider the option that it's been a conscious choice the press has made to dog Democrats while going easy on Bush, repeatedly holding him to an absurdly low standard of professional and personal conduct...

[ProSense]

4. Exactly!

These people are nothing but GOP tools!

I posted the Boehlert piece in GD, you should add this to it! Thanks.

[whometense]

6. Absolutely. n/t

[Dr Ron]

9. I'm really surprised

We know Halperin loves to repeat right wing talking points while pretending to be a neutral, unbiased source.

Considering that, I'm really surprised by how he is allowing himself to be so closely tied to Drudge. I would think he would realize that tying himself to Drudge undermines his credibility as a real journalist.

My (half tongue in cheek) theory is that Drudge has some juicy stories on Halparin and is forcing him to do all this to keep Drudge quiet.

[karynnj]

5. That is really great

I am going to post it on a thread in DU or DU-P, where I was trying to say the same thing but with nowhere the clarity here. This whole thing makes me sick. Halperin is actually slamming Kerry because the nations's media was mostly atrocious to him.

[whometense]

7. Boehlert's Media Matters column is

an absolute gem.

I could quote the entire piece - every word.

[blm]

12. Did you post a thread? I want to check it out.

.

[wisteria]

8. This deserves a woo-hoo-----yes!!! n/t

[Dr Ron]

10. Post on Drudge/Halperin

http://liberalvaluesblog.com/?p=400

Those who were around the old official Kerry Blog will also recognize the person who posted a comment on my post. Plus check out the link to her blog.

[fedupinBushcountry]

11. Our dear Lou

Good to see that she is still out there. I have booked marked her site, thanks Ron.

[fedupinBushcountry]

13. Drudge is an egotistical asshole

Remember this:

CAMPAIGN DRAMA ROCKS DEMOCRATS: KERRY FIGHTS OFF MEDIA PROBE OF RECENT ALLEGED INFIDELITY, RIVALS PREDICT RUIN

**World Exclusive**
**Must Credit the DRUDGE REPORT**

A frantic behind-the-scenes drama is unfolding around Sen. John Kerry and his quest to lockup the Democratic nomination for president, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal.

Intrigue surrounds a woman who recently fled the country, reportedly at the prodding of Kerry, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

A serious investigation of the woman and the nature of her relationship with Sen. John Kerry has been underway at TIME magazine, ABC NEWS, the WASHINGTON POST, THE HILL and the ASSOCIATED PRESS, where the woman in question once worked.

MORE

A close friend of the woman first approached a reporter late last year claiming fantastic stories -- stories that now threaten to turn the race for the presidency on its head!

In an off-the-record conversation with a dozen reporters earlier this week, General Wesley Clark plainly stated: "Kerry will implode over an intern issue."

The Kerry commotion is why Howard Dean has turned increasingly aggressive against Kerry in recent days, and is the key reason why Dean reversed his decision to drop out of the race after Wisconsin, top campaign sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.http://www.drudgereport.com/mattjk1.htm

Drudge is a bastard and the media that went along with this bogus reporting are bastards too.

[TayTay]

14. Drudge just blamed the pages for Foley-gate

He actually called the 16 and 17 year olds involved in this sordid case 'beasts' who inticed an older man into playing sex games with them online. Drudge is a actually using the old, 'the asked for it' excuse that was so frequently used on women in rape cases.

Halperin is actively promoting a man who thinks kids 'ask for it' when a sexual predator turns attention to them. That is reprehensible. Halperin is the very picture of a media whore. The Note, his creation at ABC News, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the wingnut faction of the Rethug Party, the part that tries to shield child predators and then attacks their victims. Scumbag.