Marcus Recycles the Halperin Memo

Marcus Recycles the Halperin Memo

By Mark Finkelstein (Bio | Archive)
September 17, 2008 - 09:35 ET

Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win. We have a responsibility to hold both sides accountable to the public interest, but that doesn't mean we reflexively and artificially hold both sides "equally" accountable when the facts don't warrant that. -- memo from Mark Halperin, then the ABC News Political Director, to his staff, October 8, 2004.

All campaigns fall short, but some fall far shorter than others. And it is a phony evenhandedness, comfortable for journalists but ultimately misleading, that equates these failures without measuring the grossness of their deviation from the standard of decency. In the 2008 race, and especially in the past few weeks, the imbalance has become unnervingly stark. Ideological differences aside, John McCain's campaign has been more dishonest, more unfair, more -- to use a word that resonates with McCain -- dishonorable than Barack Obama's. -- Ruth Marcu s, WaPo, 9-17-08.

Looks like it's becoming a presidential campaign tradition for the MSM. Just as the race is heating up, a prominent MSMer steps up and warns fellow media members not to be so darn even-handed! The Republicans are being meaner than the Democrats, and we need to come out swinging against them!

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Compare and contrast the excerpt above from Mark Halperin's famous memo to his troops back during the 2004 presidential campaign with the lines from WaPo columnist Ruth Marcus' piece of this morning.

Halperin: "We have a responsibility to hold both sides accountable to the public interest, but that doesn't mean we reflexively and artificially hold both sides "equally" accountable."

Marcus: "It is a phony evenhandedness, comfortable for journalists but ultimately misleading, that equates these failures without measuring the grossness of their deviation from the standard of decency."

Eerie similarity, no? Was Marcus consciously channeling Halperin when she wrote those words? Let's save the MSM some effort and pre-write a news flash from the 2012 presidential race.

Yes, both Vice-President Palin and Senator Clinton have been taking some tough shots at each other in this contest. But there's a key difference: the Senator has truth on her side, whereas the VP's claims are nothing but smears and distortions. Let's make sure our viewers learn this from us! -- Memo from NBC President Keith Olbermann to his staff, October 2, 2012.

—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.

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Some Politicians...

September 17, 2008 - 09:39 ET by ExZonie

are more equal than others.

are more equal than

September 17, 2008 - 12:31 ET by Dan The Man 2

are more equal than others

Seems to me there was a pig who once read those same words and was flabergasted. It read this way .. All animals are equal...but some are more equal than others.

Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.

Liberal journalists moto

September 17, 2008 - 09:50 ET by c5then

Our side is better and therefore more equal than the other side. We have to be tougher on the conservatives for not living up to our liberal ideas because the liberal ideas are the correct ones so therefore the conservatives are wrong and we have to point that out to the stupid masses.

(sarcasm on) See, no bias, just altruism.(sarcasm off)

You want change? Give me a dollar.

Is it just me or did

September 17, 2008 - 10:17 ET by bradbenj5952

Is it just me or did Olberama prophesy and call Sarah Palin the Vice President?

Update: oops, didn't get that Mark was making a prediction about what Olbie would say in the future...funny that!

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16:31

As it is written

September 17, 2008 - 10:43 ET by CobraMan

All journalists fall short on true objectivity, but some fall far shorter than others. And it is a phony objectiveness, comfortable for journalists but ultimately misleading, that creates these articles without measuring the grossness of their deviation from the standards of objective journalism. In the 2008 race, and especially in the past few weeks, the biasness of political reports has become unnervingly stark. Ideological differences aside, liberal media’s coverage of Barak Obama has been more subjective, more biased, more -- to use a word that resonates with Ruth Marcus-- idyllic than their coverage of John McCain.

On edit: Changed supportive to idyllic as this is just how the left has been portraying Obama, as an idyllic candidate.

Obama: My job is above my pay grade

Lies Lies Lies!!!

September 17, 2008 - 10:35 ET by KC Mulville

The sex-ed controversy is a classic example. The whole issue comes down to an interpretation of what the the bill said. The McCain people (properly so, in my opinion) argued that the bill was not a harmless, innocent attempt to teach kindergarteners to avoid strangers. Byron York wrote an informative report, after having interviewed the actual co-writers of the bill, that showed how the bill was intended to expand sex-ed into lower grades.

The Obama Gang argues that wasn't Obama's intention. OK, fine. But the Obama Gang goes from that to claiming that McCain is lying about the bill, but he isn't. Unable to accept that there are different interpretations, the Obama Gang is yelling "Lies!"

Here's the point. These issues come down to interpretations, and the media always interprets the issue in the Democrats' favor. That's why it's so obnoxious (and unreflective) for the media to argue that they can't let the Republicans get away with these "lies." Not every disagreement is lying.

This is politics. There is no single perspective and "clear" view of the facts. A political campaign is a national haggling over competing perspectives and what the facts are.
The media's only selling point is that they present both perspectives fairly. But, they don't.
These memos prove that the media don't do that, because they obviously don't grasp that there's more than one perspective here. Since they've chosen the liberal Democrat perspective, they don't bother considering any other interpretation possible.
So, like adolescents who only see what their limited view shows them, they call all other interpretations "lies."