Laura Bush Takes Swipe at Journalists
Tue Aug 3, 7:10 PM ET
WHITEHOUSE AP

WASHINGTON - First lady Laura Bush thinks the news media is increasingly filled with opinions instead of facts, and suggested Tuesday that journalists are contributing to the polarization of the country.

"I think there are a lot of reasons to be critical of the media in America," she said in an interview Tuesday with Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor."

"I think that a lot of times the media sensationalize or magnify things that aren't _that really shouldn't be," she said.

"I do think there's a big move away from actual reporting, trying to report facts," the first lady said. "It's in newspapers and everything you read — that a lot more is opinion."

When her interviewer suggested that journalists were out of sync with most of the country, she said with a laugh: "You just gave me a really great idea. Maybe it is the media that has us divided."

President Bush (news - web sites)'s mother had famously bitter relations with the news media during his father's term in office.

After the 1992 election, as Barbara Bush gave Hillary Rodham Clinton (news - web sites) a tour of the White House she pointed to nearby reporters and told her successor: "Avoid this crowd like the plague."

I saw the interview. Some of what she said was true. It is funny that the GOP smear ads against Kerry don't matter, but other negative things do.

Weird that an incumbent would have to attack his opponent instead of touting his record, but I guess, when your record is shaky that's all you have. Kerry is running on personal accomplishments for the American people, while Bush spends time tearing Kerry down. Lame.

the irony i was touting is the fact that she's complaining about bias in the media in an interview on one of the most bias talkshows on the most bias news network there is!

i thought the irony was that she was blaming the media for polarizing the country, when he husbands admin is more to blame. maybe the media is unbiasedly reporting on biased, polarizing topics put forth by the administration. neither is fully true.

she is kinda right though, but wrong if shes assuming its something exclusive or more exclusive for bush. everytime one party is in power they complain about biased media coverage, and clinton was no different. id rather it not just be something percieved and more that the media perpetually take more of a negative, dissenting view. since there is no such thing as full objective journalism, biased more towards dissent is preferable.

Any decent journalist can tell you that "You have your facts wrong" or some variation thereof is just politico-speak for "I hate it when reporters do their job." This sort of sounds like Hillary's "vast right-wing conspiracy" thing in that The New York Times, supposed bastion of the liberal media, was the paper most critical of her husband.

Bottom line: It happens on both sides of the aisle, though the Bush administration has been particularly vocal in playing up the issue, I guess in an attempt to discredit negative reports.

Originally posted by Debaser
the irony i was touting is the fact that she's complaining about bias in the media in an interview on one of the most bias talkshows on the most bias news network there is! She would need to be on a talkshow if she wishes to talk about a subject, wouldn't she? It wouldn't make sense to do another guest spot on Sesame Street.

Originally posted by sleeper
i thought the irony was that she was blaming the media for polarizing the country, when he husbands admin is more to blame. This country has been extremely polarized since before the 2000 election.

Originally posted by Nimrod's Son
She would need to be on a talkshow if she wishes to talk about a subject, wouldn't she? It wouldn't make sense to do another guest spot on Sesame Street.

how about 60 minutes? how about one of the political talk shows on PBS? how about any of those political talk shows on the big 3 networks on sunday morning that always feature commentators from both sides?

Originally posted by Nimrod's Son
This country has been extremely polarized since before the 2000 election.

ok, correction; for polarizing the country more.

a lot more. i think the political climate, especially the partisainship, today is very much different than 4 years ago today.

Originally posted by sleeper


ok, correction; for polarizing the country more.

It was about 50/50 back in 2000. Its about 50/50 now. The country hasn't gotten more polarized.

Originally posted by Corganist


It was about 50/50 back in 2000. Its about 50/50 now. The country hasn't gotten more polarized.

lol, i guess if you go by the election results then and the polls now, yeah i guess youre right. lets wait until the nov election and see

Originally posted by Corganist


It was about 50/50 back in 2000. Its about 50/50 now. The country hasn't gotten more polarized.

It's more like 45/45/10. The difference now is that each 45 is about 90% galvanized in their opinion. I don't think that existed 4 years ago.

Originally posted by Nimrod's Son
She would need to be on a talkshow if she wishes to talk about a subject, wouldn't she? It wouldn't make sense to do another guest spot on Sesame Street.

Uh... I do believe I've seen a number of times that Brokaw, Rather or Jennings have interviewed someone on the Nightly News. It doesn't necissarily have to be a talk show.

Originally posted by Jason Smith


Uh... I do believe I've seen a number of times that Brokaw, Rather or Jennings have interviewed someone on the Nightly News. It doesn't necissarily have to be a talk show. I'm sure if they'd have invited her, she'd have appeared.

Originally posted by Jason Smith


It's more like 45/45/10. The difference now is that each 45 is about 90% galvanized in their opinion. I don't think that existed 4 years ago.

I concur in part. I think it's more like 48/48/4 or something along those lines. From what I've seen lately, people still remember the 2000 election and its ridiculous aftermath like it was yesterday. The 2000 election, while not dividing the country by itself, is responsible for a huge increase in the polarity of the US population's political views.

Originally posted by Corganist


It was about 50/50 back in 2000. Its about 50/50 now. The country hasn't gotten more polarized. the difference is that in 2000 people didn't give a shit if it was bush or gore, and that's why it was even. now you have 50% die hard bush voters and 50% die hard kerry voters (well, of course not really 50-50, but you know what i mean).

and that's exactly what polarization means....