The Macho Naivete of Right Wing Desk Jockies

[paft.livejournal.com]

From Think Progress:

Marty Peretz, on pro-Mubarak mobs attacking foreign correspondents: Frankly, I thought that you guys were – and women – engaging in a little professional narcissism. Revolutions are not birthday parties. And what happened in Beijing, in Prague, in Budapest, in Berlin, uh, was about the same as what is happening now. And since the media has in fact made itself, by announcing its techniques a very legitimate target in a certain way. I mean, it’s cruel, but if you’re going after the regime, the regime will go after you. This regime is not a sweet regime. This regime is not tolerant…

Think Progress put together a video round-up of the right wing media reaction to the reporter beatings. What comes through is an apparent inability to grasp that covering dangerous situations is a reporter’s job. Denouncing a foreign correspondent for going in to report on a volatile situation is kind of like denouncing a fireman for heading towards a fire.

There’s also a thudding ignorance that conflates hard working reporters with cable anchors. Marty Peretz has the gall to pretend that correspondents like Amanpour need to be told that revoluations “are not birthday parties” and “this regime is not a sweet regime.” Especially offensive is Mike Gallagher’s rant about Amanpour and Anderson Cooper, where he implies that Amanpour is anti-American and says of Cooper:

Maybe that isn’t where you ought to go wandering around Anderson, all, what are you about 5’7” – 5’8”? What do you go Anderson about 160? With your little perfectly coiffed grey hair and your little delicate features you might not want to go over to Egypt and walk around the middle of a crowd that’s screaming 'death to America.'

The fact that you’ve seen Anderson Cooper or Christiane Amanpour being interviewed in a studio doesn’t mean they’re merely pampered celebrities. Cooper did on the spot reporting in Rwanda during the genocide. Amanpour has worked as a wartime journalist in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

It is beyond hubris for the likes of Gallagher and Peretz to paint either of these seasoned correspondents as fluffy-headed naifs.

Crossposted from Thoughtcrimes

Comments

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

If they are really in favor of the Egyptian Revolution then 1989, 1968, 1956, and 1953 aren't the best analogies in the world to use. It almost makes you think they've a hard-on for an autocracy that effectively and brutally represses people who really do want freedom. Certainly it's the equivalent of considering John Wayne a better WWII vet than Harry Belafonte.......

[paft.livejournal.com]

I noticed that about Peretz' cites too.

[debergerac.livejournal.com]

don't punch me, bro.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Sounds like Mike has the hots for Anderson.

[paft.livejournal.com]

Yeah. He does go on about it about how good looking Anderson is, doesn't he?

That, or he's jealous of Cooper's looks.

[notmrgarrison.livejournal.com]

He also sounds like he has fame-envy.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

You clearly don't know anything about the manly world of radio broadcasting.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

I mean, it's hard, manly work to hoist up and bear down and lug 200 pounds of extra weight each and every day... to sit in a chair probably not even ergonomically designed for your particular body-type, to flap your bulbous flesh-flaps called "lips" takes a lot of energy and grit!

[tridus.livejournal.com]

It used to be that people of different political viewpoints could at least agree that beating up and kidnapping reporters was a bad thing, no matter who it was being done to.

Kind of sad the way the US is declining right before our eyes.

[paft.livejournal.com]

Watching it from here is excruciating.

[airiefairie.livejournal.com]

These are hard working journalists of the highest caliber. They have put their heads in the bag, to use that metaphor. And for what? It is not money that they want, neither fame. This is what many people cannot understand. It has become a calling for them, already a way of life. Most journalists of this type cannot imagine how they would be able to live if they were told that "tomorrow you are stopping reporting". This would kill them more than all the mobs throwing stones and punches at them. This is something that all those wannabe journalists that only call themselves journalists but who in fact are just talking heads sitting comfortably in their chairs in a studio far, far away from any danger (other than tripping on their way to the bar downstairs) and who like to think of themselves as "smart" and "influential" while regurgitating someone else's points at the bidding of their corporate masters, would never understand. But do they really matter that much? Not really. Because it is not them who are doing the real journalism and it is not them who will be remembered with anything good. The likes of Marty Perez will be forgotten. They will never be like Ernie Pyle, Margaret Fuller, Mathew Brady, Nellie Bly, Margaret Bourke-White, Robert Capa, Katherine Graham, Seymour Hersh, Carl Bernstein, Bob Woodward, and yes, Christiane Amanpour and Anderson Cooper.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

True. Such people are the eyes and ears of society, and to a large extent its conscience. We have our own living legends, like Elena Yoncheva (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Yoncheva) whom everyone deeply admires. And that, in a country like mine plagued by chronic nihilism, does mean something.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

Real reporters are a rare breed.
I have a b-i-l who was the head of a cable news channel and he was always going out in the News van to cover things like the "King Riots". His excuse was "I can't send my reporters out to dangerous situations if I'm not willing to go myself".

[anadinboy.livejournal.com]

christiane amanpour who was seeing clintons spokesman all through the kosovo war. being called a bimbo would be getting off lightly

[paft.livejournal.com]

Christiane Amanpour is a veteran foreign correspondent who has ably covered dangerous situations. She is neither stupid, nor ignorant, nor inexperienced. She is no "bimbo."

[dwer.livejournal.com]

she's a bimbo because she was in a relationship?

(http://s744.photobucket.com/albums/xx81/drewishdrewid/?action=view&current=vnqokLNQol.jpg)

[404.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, my outrage quotient is maxed out; I gave all I had at your last Op about wikipedia being too make dominated.

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

Well that's such a major relief to everybody, isn't it?

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

You're complaining about other people complaining? I don't get your point here. Are you being offended because someone else is being insulted? Do you think that AC can't handle a little criticism on his own or something? Do you think that Ms. Amanpour is going to curl up into a ball and hide? What is your issue? It seems to be that some people are mean poopy-heads.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

It's not criticism, it's approving of a dictatorship roughing up foreign journalists pointing out that there is a man behind the curtain. Not that this point can or will matter to the Right because Mubarak is *your* bastard.

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

'Denouncing a foreign correspondent for going in to report on a volatile situation is kind of like denouncing a fireman for heading towards a fire. '

the job of a fireman isn't to risk his life unnecessarily. Many a firemen have watched a house burn down because they weren't taking stupid risks.

Walking into a violent mob is in no way comparable to a fireman entering a burning house. It is however comparable to being Steve O.

Onion TV

[russj.livejournal.com]

You should check out the new "Onion TV" show.
It tries to out-do The Daily Show in mocking the news media.

Re: Onion TV

[notmrgarrison.livejournal.com]

I hadn't seen that for a year or two. Absolutely hilarious.


Breaking: Anti-Gay Congressman Caught In Affair With Horse (http://www.theonion.com/articles/breaking-antigay-congressman-caught-in-affair-with,19064/)

In case the embed doesn't work: http://www.theonion.com/articles/breaking-antigay-congressman-caught-in-affair-with,19064/

[mrsilence.livejournal.com]

ARE crowds in Egypt screaming "death to America?"

[whoasksfinds.livejournal.com]

no but i saw one with a hitler sign. they must be a bunch of racists!

priorities

[thies.livejournal.com]

I still don't understand why Cooper being smacked in the head is newsworthy while they have a revolution to report on.

Re: priorities

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

That actually is a very good point.

[headhouse.livejournal.com]

For thoroughness' sake, there are reports of correspondents being roughed up by the anti-Mubarak mobs as well. Also of the army protecting reporters from pro-mubarak groups (possibly policemen in plainclothes).

[dreadfulpenny81.livejournal.com]

What comes through is an apparent inability to grasp that covering dangerous situations is a reporter’s job.

Maybe so, but we don't need another situation like that of Daniel Pearl (unless of course, that's what people like those at Think Progress want).

The warnings from the U.S. State Department have been as clear as a blinking neon sign: The United States State Department has urged Americans to “defer nonessential travel” to Egypt, and it advised those already there to “defer nonessential movement and to exercise caution.” The State Department also instructed Americans in Cairo to stay inside and “not attempt to come to the U.S. Embassy” if demonstrations were taking place.

MSNBC's had cameras on the protests from afar, yet I'd still say they have great coverage. You can discuss the issues of the situation without being at the epicenter and STILL document the historical significance of it all. Nothing offensive about Peretz or Gallagher pointing out something that could have been avoided.

[paft.livejournal.com]

mvl: Maybe so, but we don't need another situation like that of Daniel Pearl (unless of course, that's what people like those at Think Progress want).

Given that ThinkProgress is largely staffed by professional reporters, I very much doubt that.

Do you think that Daniel Pearl was a narcissist?

mvl The warnings from the U.S. State Department have been as clear as a blinking neon sign: The United States State Department has urged Americans to “defer nonessential travel” to Egypt, and it advised those already there to “defer nonessential movement and to exercise caution.” The State Department also instructed Americans in Cairo to stay inside and “not attempt to come to the U.S. Embassy” if demonstrations were taking place.

And this means...

You do realize, don't you, that it is the job of foreign correspondents to cover situations like this?

Or maybe you consider what happened to Daniel Pearl his own fault?

mvl: MSNBC's had cameras on the protests from afar, yet I'd still say they have great coverage. You can discuss the issues of the situation without being at the epicenter and STILL document the historical significance of it all. Nothing offensive about Peretz or Gallagher pointing out something that could have been avoided.

There's a great deal that's offensive about Gallagher implying that one reporter "enjoyed" getting beaten up, and the other was likely joining in "death to America" chants. And it's certainly offensive to state that victimized reporters are guilty of "narcissism."