2008: Media Spun, Ignored and Downplayed Reverend Wright; What Will 2012 Bring?
Four years ago this month, journalists began spinning, downplaying and, at times, ignoring Barack Obama's close ties with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, a man who famously implored, "Goddamn America!" As the nation begins another presidential race with Obama as the head of the Democratic Party, what will they do this time?
In 2008, reporters tried many different angles. On April 28, 2008, then-Good Morning America reporter David Wright (no relation), gushed over the "soft-spoken man" who "couldn't seem more different from that fire-brand preacher we've all seen in those soundbites."
On March 13, 2008, CNN's Anderson Cooper practically apologized for providing any coverage at all. Prefacing a clip of incendiary preacher who blamed the U.S. government for creating AIDS, the Anderson Cooper 360 anchor lamented:
We’re running it because — like it or not, legitimate or not — it has become an issue....All this seems to have nothing to do with actual issues that the country is facing, which these candidates should be talking about and we probably should be talking about.”
Initially, the networks simply ignored the story, according to an analysis by the MRC:
The broadcast network evening news shows gave virtually no coverage to Wright soundbites in March. Snippets of Wright’s sermons drew only 72 seconds of evening news coverage in all of March, or an average of 24 seconds per network, less than one commercial.
The Big Three morning shows gave four times as much time to Wright soundbites as the evening shows in March. The morning shows carried almost five minutes of Wright clips (297 seconds), with ABC offering the most at 128 seconds. The other two networks each ran less than 90 seconds.
By March 14th, 2008, NBC and MSNBC journalist Norah O'Donnell was publicly wondering how she could stop covering Wright: "Rush Limbaugh went nuts today on his program about this story...How do we get away from this?"
Perhaps CNN's David Gergen summed it up best:
“Every time he [Reverend Jeremiah Wright] appears, he just gives legitimacy and a hunger by those who oppose Barack Obama to re-run those tapes, to keep him at the center of controversy, to let this overhang and define Barack Obama, when it has, you know — it has very, very little to do — it’s a very marginal piece of who Barack Obama is and what he stands for. And it takes attention away — we have huge, huge problems facing this country....I think it’s time for him to get off the stage and frankly, for the media, I suggest, to move on.”
— CNN’s David Gergen during live coverage following Wright’s speech to the National Press Club, April 28, 2008.
What will journalists tell Americans they need to "move on" from in 2012?
To read the best of the worst Wright quotes, go here.
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Comments
My guess is
Submitted by KornKing on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 5:05pm.
Who?
What the MSM will ignore?
Submitted by fscarn on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 5:17pm.
Every bit of the Obama "record."
Thank the Lord above for Newsbusters and MRC for their work.
Evangelicals Away
Submitted by BuffNBone on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 5:22pm.
If either Romney or Santorum win the nomination, we'll be hearing more about cults than we ever heard before.
Obama Changes We Can Believe In?
Submitted by berlet98 on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 6:06pm.
Obama Changes We Can Really Believe In?
I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting the White House in decades so I can’t personally attest to all of the following details on recent alterations in America’s executive mansion but they are interesting, to say the least.
For example, has anyone noticed that our president no longer conducts his rare press conferences with the traditional trappings of American flags in the background?
Instead, a bright yellow curtain replete with what some people believe are Arabic symbols now decorates the press room, along with Obama’s trusty teleprompters, of course, without which he tends to put his foot in his mouth.
And, has anyone noticed that the decor at the White House has radically changed since the Obama clan occupied 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
The Oval Office is now almost devoid of the traditional display of American red, white, and blue. It has been replaced with what appears to be middle eastern wallpaper, drapes, and decor and the hallway Obama uses to talk to the press now features middle eastern-style chairs, drapes, etc.
And, has anyone noticed that Obama seems more Islamic than he seems American?
It’s understandable, actually, since his paternal heritage is Muslim, all his Kenyan relatives are Muslims, his mother married two Muslims, and he spent years of his childhood in Muslim Indonesia where he was partially educated in a Muslim madrassa and he diligently studied the Quran.
Before any White House alterations were made, surely the POTUS had extensive input from his lovely, style-conscious FLOTUS who, only a few years ago discovered she was proud of her country. She must be even more proud of her husband’s Muslim roots.
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama must also be tickled pink that America’s White House now reflects both her tastes and her hubby’s documented Islamic affiliations even though those tastes and affiliations give rise to suspicions that the Obamas aren’t all we have been led to believe in.
Is Barack Hussein Obama a Muslim at heart? . . . (See pictures and read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=18390.)
Drudge hits a new low in spin.
Submitted by motherbelt on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 10:07pm.
Speaking of media spin, Drudge right now links to an article that reports Rick Santorum saying this:
You win by giving people the opportunity to see a different vision for our country, not someone who's just going to be a little different than the person in there," Santorum told a crowd in San Antonio, according to NBC News. "If you're going to be a little different, we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk with what may be the Etch-A-Sketch candidate of the future."
My guess is that Santorum, in speaking, had emphasis on the word "little" in front of the word "different" both times.
Let's look at this the way Santorum probably meant it. Romney's only a "little" different from Obama. If you're going to vote for Romney, you might as well stay with the devil you know; the differences are negligible.
So what is Drudge's headline?
Santorum: Obama Preferable to Romney.
Drudge has now gone from just supporting Romney to spinning and going on the attack for him.
What a pathetic spectacle.
Yep MB
Submitted by Boudin on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 10:08pm.
I agree, Drudge and Ann, I have know idea?
iPrez
Submitted by CJohnson on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 10:24pm.
I was hoping we'd at least get a Obama model II upgrade to include breeding records and a grammar interface.
Wright, along with a number
Submitted by killa37 on Fri, 03/23/2012 - 12:17am.
Wright, along with a number of other people that Boy Baraka purportedly didn't 'know', or 'hear', or spend time with, is AS MUCH of a part of where the Kenyan Kreep is coming from as anything else you can possibly think of!!! Regardless of whether the MSM and the StateRun Media KNEW this, and chose to hide it or ignore it or downplay it...........or whether they were STUPID enough to NOT know what the rest of us knew - doesn't matter. They are complicit in the whole scam that is Barry Soetoro Baraka Hussein Obama.................and I'm looking forward for the day - SOON - when they are going to have to pay for it!!!
As ol' Mr. Soft-Spoken Rev. Wright might say: 'the CHICK-enzzzzzzzzz.........have come HOME.................to ROOST!!!!!!'
And I have said this many times, both here and in my 'real' life - Rev. Wright has more honesty in his little finger than Boy Baraka will EVER have in his whole life.............because he DOES say what he thinks, and means what he says!!! Barake did that in his 'books', and earlier in his career..........until he found out that his own viewpoint of America wasn't going to get him to where he wanted to go, so he had to start disguising his message and suckering all of the fools, idiots, and MSM people.
What will 2012 bring?
Submitted by David Kramer on Fri, 03/23/2012 - 8:36am.
It will bring the most devisive, the most vile, the most degenerate political season ever witnessed.
Everything will be thrown aside, the truth means nothing, the lies are good to go, the corruption is inherent in the system, the bribes are standard fare, the truth must be crushed, etc.
Anything goes to implement the marxist system the left has dreamed of for the last 100 years. If you believe otherwise, you are an ignorant fool.
Rev Jeremiah Wright is irrelevant. /sarc
Submitted by needle on Fri, 03/23/2012 - 11:22am.
After all, he is now retired, right?
- Looking forward to the self-annihilation of the Manipulated Stories Machine.