In what may rank as one of the oddest non sequiturs of the year, "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams appeared on Wednesday's "Good Morning America" to proclaim "some conservative local newspapers" won't report a cause of death when it's cancer. [audio available here]
Williams stopped by, along with CBS and ABC anchors Katie Couric and Charles Gibson, as part of a new anti-cancer initiative. Williams preceded his bizarre claim by instructing, "Think of the obituaries, just in our adult lifetimes, that didn't mention the 'C' word." Just what is Williams implying? It would help to have some sort of evidence that "conservative local newspapers" are suppressing information on cancer deaths. By "conservative," does Williams mean backwards or superstitious? Whatever the explanation, it certainly seems like another example of a journalist using "conservative" as a synonym for "bad."
A brief transcript of the exchange, which occurred at 8:37am on the May 28 "Good Morning America," follows:
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Think of the obituaries, just in our adult lifetimes, that didn't mention the "C" word.
ROBIN ROBERTS: Yes.
WILLIAMS: Still, you'll see some conservative local newspapers that don't mention cause of death when it's cancer. It's really incredible. And yet, the old expression, six degrees of separation? Six? Five. Four. Three. It's in every American family. Try finding an American family.
ROBERTS: It's minuscule. You can't-- I don't think you can find an American family.
—Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research Center.
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What conservative papers?
May 28, 2008 - 17:00 ET by DEVILDOCMOMMy "local papers" are both liberal...one much more so than the other. The second thing who writes the obits? The families, yes? I cannot imagine ANY local paper (well, maybe very small towns) contacting the family and offering to write the obit. I am not sure about this, so please correct me if I am wrong. In addition, I find very few families put in the cause of death, cancer or otherwise.
He's probably referring to
May 28, 2008 - 17:11 ET by mattmHe's probably referring to one of those neighborhood papers or community papers... We have several in my city but they're all left-leaning, too.
There can only be one reason for this subject to be brought up - bashing conservatives.
I agree,
May 28, 2008 - 18:50 ET by DEVILDOCMOMmattm, but isn't this just a bit much; conservatives don't want to mention cancer? You are right they just want to bash us each and every way they are able.
I wrote the obituary for my
May 28, 2008 - 21:38 ET by Hero SquadI wrote the obituary for my Grandfather earlier this year. It's almost always the family, or the funeral home, or a combination of the two. It's usually the family that decides if they want to put how the person died, or if they just want to make it "after a long illness."
The newspaper may have some content guidelines, but I highly doubt purging "cancer" from the text is one of them.
*****
"People only insist that a debate stop when they are afraid of what might be learned if it continues." - George Will
What conservative papers?
May 28, 2008 - 17:00 ET by DEVILDOCMOMMy "local papers" are both liberal...one much more so than the other. The second thing who writes the obits? The families, yes? I cannot imagine ANY local paper (well, maybe very small towns) contacting the family and offering to write the obit. I am not sure about this, so please correct me if I am wrong. In addition, I find very few families put in the cause of death, cancer or otherwise.
There is still a ban on
May 28, 2008 - 17:39 ET by kgThere is still a ban on conservative journalists isn't there.
"Forget change, I want improvement!"
These people are
May 28, 2008 - 17:07 ET by MidAmericaThese people are really out of touch. First 'conservative' newspapers? Second, the family writes the obits.
Uhhh... how many obits are suppressing notification of an AIDS death?
The family writes the obit?
May 28, 2008 - 18:46 ET by balboaThe family writes the obit? Where does that happen?
It's hard to discern what Williams means, but I wouldn't take it as a slam against conservatives. It seems like it was more about people afraid to mention cancer, about the stigma of the word.
Balboa
May 28, 2008 - 19:47 ET by okiehawk44Can you tell this old country boy when it was the last time you read an obit where it cited the cause of death as:
1. Aids
2. Cirrhosis of the liver
3. Acute alcoholism
4. Cancer
5. Suicide
6. Morbid obesity
7. Any cause of death at all -- any?
Get the drift here Balboa? Thought so.
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE
Like I said, it's hard to
May 28, 2008 - 19:52 ET by balboaLike I said, it's hard to discern exactly what he meant.
Who writes the obits?
May 28, 2008 - 23:40 ET by nkviking75"The family writes the obit? Where does that happen?"
I can't speak for the rest of the country, but it happens here in small town Iowa all the time.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
Ditto
May 29, 2008 - 00:16 ET by River CityViking, families write them in my corner of Iowa AND in the Quad Cities. My husband participated in writing his dad's here in Iowa and my brother did my dad's in the Quad Cities. Neither one mentioned the cause of death and neither were from cancer.
These folks live in a different world.
"Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15." Ronald Reagan
A More Telling omission
May 28, 2008 - 17:11 ET by exLibWhile this information could possibly be useful information to someone not close to the family, it totally pales in comparison to the often seen racial omission in liberal newspapers when a crime has been comitted.
The NT is notorious for writing stories of grand theft or violent crime in which suspects who are at large are not identified by race, a rather useful descriptor.
In another odd non-sequitur this somehow reminds me of the little conservative bashing tour some "health professionals" took around the last mid-term election during which time we got stories of "conservative" schools teaching that Aids could be transmitted in a hot tub and such horror stories designed to scare voters away from Bush "Evil" plan to teach "obstinance only" sex ed. Which was liberal speak for ignoring the "issues teens face daily"
These news anchors are
May 28, 2008 - 17:17 ET by celatorThese news anchors are getting stranger each day. What mental process was engaged in William's brain to have caused this silly thought to work its way to his mouth and be uttered publically? Maybe his internal CPU's are low on batteries?
Just amazing to watch and hear and read the left go into mental vertigo--news anchors, left wing bloggers, political candidates, congressmen, MSM reporters etc.
Could it be because there are so few conservative local papers?
May 28, 2008 - 17:31 ET by SGriffisMy home town newspaper never mentions the cause of death in the obituaries. In fact, the obituaries have to be provided by the funeral parlors which are sensitive to the feelings of the families.
We Wrote My Dads
May 28, 2008 - 17:40 ET by RebelLast Year for our News Paper how stupid can you get.we didnt say the cause of his Death.
Go WVU
Never vote for Byrd
In Addition,
May 28, 2008 - 17:44 ET by azholmesNot only does the family write them (in most cases), but pay significant money for them, around $10 per line. I think most families would rather not pay any additional money to credit cancer with taking their family member.
"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." - Hanlon's Razor.
what is a conservative
May 28, 2008 - 17:46 ET by Free Thinkerwhat is a conservative newspaper? I don't think I've ever seen one.
well....because of his
May 28, 2008 - 17:47 ET by charlietexaswell....because of his stupid comments, I'm boycotting the cancer fest the left wing loooooons are having. I'll give directly to a REAL cancer outfit.......screw brian, nbc, cbs and abc.
"WILLIAMS: Still, you'll
May 28, 2008 - 18:36 ET by ckc1227"WILLIAMS: Still, you'll see some conservative local newspapers that don't mention cause of death when it's cancer."
You are 100% right. Thing is, they don't mention it when it's the flu, car accidents, heart attack, suicide, etc, etc, etc, either.
By the way, this isn't limited to "conservative local papers".
Editorial decisions and obits
May 28, 2008 - 23:46 ET by nkviking75Our local paper generally doesn't list the cause of death for anyone in the obits unless the family includes it. The funeral homes and the families have a lot of input into the obits, and sometimes the families even write them. It's not a matter of ideology. It's a paper's editorial decision.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.