Here's an oldie but a goodie. Well, not a goodie, but this is instructive when it comes to examining liberal bias in the Associated Press: Ron "Authenticity" Fournier from June 2007 defending his liberal biases as "accountability journalism." (h/t NewsBusters fan motherbelt)
In an Associated Press newsletter, Fournier defended what he called "Accountability Journalism" as a news reporting format that "[liberates] reporters and the truth." (emphasis mine):
Katrina made a believer out of me. I had always known that The Associated Press played a role in holding public officials accountable, but it took a killer hurricane and an incompetent, arrogant government response to make me realize this is no mere role. It's an obligation, a liberating one at that.
The Iraq war, the war on terror, the federal budget deficit, the crushing cost of entitlements, the rising cost of health care, crumbling infrastructure and the horrendous state of the American public school system –- these and other generational crises must be addressed by the leaders we cover or future generations will suffer. So how do we hold our leaders accountable?
These are, of course, hardly apolitical news judgments. They fundamentally presume "generational crises" which, given Fournier's list, all skew towards presuming that although government is in shambles, somehow political solutions involving more government needed.
Fournier emphasized his point when he encourages reporter to become critics, to become partisans in a controversy, rather than accurately name and quantify often unnamed amorphous "critics":
A colleague of mine in Washington, Cal Woodward, has an interesting rule about accountability journalism: Whenever possible, he avoids the phrase "critics say." More often than not, it's a crutch to hide lazy reporting or uncourageous writing. If the "critics say" something that you know to be true, you should assert it yourself and not let it be watered down by a broad, meaningless attribution. You be the critic. That's the role we played after Katrina...
For more, check out Poynter Online. See also James Taranto's excellent take on Fournier here.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
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Using that logic then
February 6, 2008 - 15:12 ET by FastEdI believe that he is an idiot! Does he believe in who, what, where, when, maybe why??? I am being accountable to me in my belief that he, as a "journalist" has no idea of what he thinks he thinks is true, exept that what he is saying is HIS truth, but not true for the rest of us. He no becomes the PROOF that there are no real journalist (present company excepted) but mostly editorialists, driven by an agenda that is anti-capitalistic ('cept for their inflated salaries) and anti-everything american.
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V
So how do we hold our
February 6, 2008 - 15:38 ET by MidAmericaSo how do we hold our leaders accountable?
Well gee, that's an easy one. If the media does accurate unbiased reporting that will allow the voters to make reasonable judgements. Then voters can use that information in a process called 'democracy' and can vote for the best leaders.
Selective Accountability Journalism
February 6, 2008 - 15:34 ET by nkviking75Fournier's concept needs another word to be accurate: "Selective Accountability Journalism". S.A.J. blames all problems on one party and excuses, justifies, or ignores the glaring failures of the other.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
That is the ticket
February 6, 2008 - 15:46 ET by Matthew SheffieldRepublicans, after all, are the only ones who need to be held accountable since everyone is being held to the account of liberal Democrats!
That's for sure, like the
February 6, 2008 - 16:10 ET by dscottThat's for sure, like the Louisiana DHS telling the Salvation Army not to bring supplies to the SuperDome because they wanted people to leave on their own. The MSM selectively refused to report the incompetence of DEMOCRAT led government officials at the State and Local levels who caused the crisis in the first place. The MSM selectively refused to hold Mayor Nagin accountable for not following the city's evacuation plan and thus stranded thousands of poor people in a disaster area. They ignored all those city and school buses that could have taken people to the safety of Texas as most were later bussed to another sports stadium. The MSM selectively chose not to report Governor Blanco's incompetence when they heard it first hand in her being responsible to call Washington when they realized things were out of hand, even though Pres. Bush called her ahead of time to remind her of the procedures. Accountablity Journalism is nothing more than Gotcha Partisan Political Propaganda.
Good catch there MB.
Lord Sidious / Darth Vader 2008 Long Live the Empire! Come to the Dark Side, it is your Destiny.
Perhaps call it
February 6, 2008 - 15:39 ET by Free ThinkerPerhaps call it Accountability Commentary, but what he advocates for a large "news" organization is clearly not journalism and certainly taints any AP story. Excellent point regarding the "generational crisis" mentioned, when the writer, rather than the reader, decides how an event or topic should be judged then an article becomes opinion and should be advertised as such.
I assume that
February 6, 2008 - 15:52 ET by fitzfongI assume that "Accountability" Fournier wants AP to become publicly funded, as well. For our own good, of course.
Read His Biography
February 6, 2008 - 16:42 ET by Del DolemonteRon seems to have managed to keep any personal info about himself under wraps-I couldn't find a wiki page for him, which is pretty strange, but did dig this up:
"Fournier began his journalism career at the Hot Springs, Arkansas, Sentinel Record in 1985. He transferred to the Arkansas Democrat in 1987 and began covering then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton a year later. In 1989, Fournier was hired by The AP, which transferred him to Washington, D.C. to cover the Clinton White House."
Gee, I'm shocked! Shocked, I say!
A bit late to the party, aren't ya Mr. Fournier?
February 6, 2008 - 16:49 ET by Gary HallA bit late to the party, aren't ya Mr. Fournier?
What, do you think that something suddenly changed?
Mr. Fournier, you suggested:
Mr. Fournier, the question is not "how," rather, for the press, the question is, "When do you hold our leaders accountable?"
Apparently only during Republican administrations, is it not?
Just what were you doing in the 10 years following Hurricane Andrew? ..the 10 years following the Great Mississippi Flood? in the years following Hurricane Floyd? The survivors had no glowing praise for the feds who never got their act together. In Katrina, the federal government has handed out $billions in grants - an average cash grant (tax free hand out- not a loan in the amount of $61,000 to over 90,000 folks who suffered major damage or lost their home. This is historic - never been done before. Want more? Fine - you are an activist writer - make your best case - but don't lie.
Just where were you, when 500,000 children were dying as a result of the sanctions in Iraq, as Se. Albright acknowledged in 1996, and insisted that it was well worth it? Oh, I know, I bet that you simply changed hats in 2002, taking off your, "End the Sanctions" hat, and putting back on the "The Sanctions are Working," hat.
And how about the US effort led by then President Bill Clinton to combat Global Aids during his era. The Nation's David Corn pretty well described it in: Too little, too late - How many times is Bill Clinton going to apologize to Africa? Even the NY Times found time to report on the obvious in: In Global Battle on AIDS, Bush Creates Legacy .
Even Bob Geldof, Live 8 founder, found time as early as 2003 to recognize the obvious, '"You'll think I'm off my trolley when I say this, but the Bush administration is the most radical - in a positive sense - in its approach to Africa since Kennedy," Geldof told the Guardian.' Where were you, Ron Fournier?
Rwanda? Come on Mr. Fournier, you all know - but don't want to talk about it - that the Clinton administration was not just complacent. Take a little look at journalism actually looks like: Bystanders to Genocide .
Blood Diamond? Surely you know, Mr. Fournier, that the movie, set in Sierra Leone in the late 1990's was more about Clinton, his high up supporters in the diamond mining business and business as usual in Africa than it was about human rights?
Wanna talk about campaign finance corruption, or perhaps criminals in the White House? How about the pain of millions of workers loosing their jobs and their life savings when the Clinton economic bubble crashed in 2000?
Mr. Fournier. I submit that you care less about your so called humanitarian concerns than you care about your petty political bias and agenda's. And the facts proove it out.
Hey Fournier, "Critics
February 6, 2008 - 16:56 ET by BDHey Fournier, "Critics say... the population trapped in New Orleans post Katrina were SHEEPLE, incapable of fending for themselves or at least not desiring to."