Critique of Obama girls got twice the airtime as Gruber 'stupid voters' remarks

[Geee]

Washington Examiner:

The Big Three networks gave a GOP aide’s online slap at the Obama girls nearly twice as much coverage as Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber’s claim that voters are “stupid,” drawing a sharp rebuke for biased news judgement.

 

The Media Research Center study, provided to Secrets, found that the networks covered former Capitol Hill staffer Elizabeth Lauten’s Facebook post almost twice as much as Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber’s “stupid voters” comments.

 

ABC, CBS and NBC have given Lauten’s post a total of 14 minutes, 13 seconds, versus 8 minutes, 20 seconds of total coverage for Gruber since Nov. 9 on their morning and evening news shows.

 

And, said the report, while CBS, NBC and ABC waited four days, eight days and nine days, respectively, to cover Gruber, both ABC and NBC jumped on Lauten, who has since quit her job for criticizing Sasha and Malia Obama during their dad’s annual pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkey

[Geee]

Dear Media: This Elizabeth Lauten Nonsense Is Why Everybody Hates You

When do insults matter?

 

I already noted Ruth Marcus’ stunning hypocrisy regarding treatment of presidential children. On Twitter, S.M. noted that Salon’s Joan Walsh had her own troubles with consistency on whether it’s OK or not OK to go after presidential children. And this is not the first time Walsh has been called out for her double standards on the topic.

 

Let’s also note another example. When the painfully unfunny David Letterman made a “joke” about Willow Palin getting impregnated by Alex Rodriguez, the New York Times’ “ethicist” Randy Cohen wrote an 1,100-word qualified defense.

 

See, he explained, it’s OK because Letterman meant to suggest Bristol Palin was a slut, not Willow Palin, the 14-year-old. According to Cohen, David Letterman “should not be fired. He should not even have apologized.” Bristol was fair game even at the age of 17, he said, because she chose to participate in the presidential campaign. Cohen said that Letterman is “an honest guy,” “ethical,” and “determined to do the right thing” (NB: this was written a few months before news broke that Letterman’s multiple affairs caused him to get caught up in a $2 million extortion plot). Further, Bristol was “a legitimate subject” if “a slightly pathetic one.” He conceded the “joke” was a “bit bullying.” Cohen said that Willow and Bristol’s parents were faking umbrage or were unable “to get the joke.”

 

Only recently, you might remember, a CNN host telling viewers to “sit back and enjoy” listening to woman traumatized by assault, saying it’s “best audio in years.” That woman? Bristol Palin, of course.

 

It’s almost like you can detect a pattern for whose children can be criticized and whose children can’t be.

 

http://thefederalist.com/2014/12/03/dear-media-this-elizabeth-lauten-nonsense-is-why-everybody-hates-you/