James Pinkerton of the New America Foundation and Fox News contributor Judy Miller both gave kudos to the Media Research Center and Eyeblast.tv on Saturday's Fox News Watch. Pinkerton of NBC's Kelly O'Donnell questioning of black tea partyer and his "best answer." (See the Friday NB post, “White NBC Reporter Confronts Black Man at Tea Party Rally: 'Have You Ever Felt Uncomfortable?'”)
Miller, despite naming us the "Media Research Study Center," cited a statistic from the MRC's recent study, "Tea Party Travesty" [audio clips available here].
The transcript of the relevant portion of the panel discussion, which included Pinkerton, Miller, Newsday columnist Ellis Henican Fox News anchor Jon Scott, starting at the 53 minutes into 2 pm Eastern hour:
JON SCOTT: Ellis, you know, this headline in the New York Times: 'Supporters are better educated, wealthier, and more conservative, poll finds.' It almost seemed to me that it pained this newspaper to write that sub-headline.
ELLIS HENICAN: Well, two things- first of all, can the tea party people get better songs? (laughs from other panel members, as Henican sings, 'I need a bailout.') That said, it's no surprise. The tea partyers are whiter, more Republican, more conservative, older and more suburban than America, and that shouldn't be a surprise to anybody.
JIM PINKERTON: Well, there goes Ellis- you know- (Judy Miller laughs)
HENICAN: Who can read a poll- who can read a poll
PINKETON: Playing the same line that- you know, Kelly O'Donnell- on NBC, went up to a African-American tea partyer by the name of Darryl Postell or Postell [with accent]- however you pronounce it, and said, so you're black- what are you doing here at this rally? Don't you feel uncomfortable? And Darryl gave the best answer you could possibly give. He says, I'm among my fellow Americans- period.
HENICAN: [unintelligible]
PINKERTON: And that just shows that- again, the difference between the way the liberals are trying to paint this group and the way they actually are, and hat's off to Eyeblast.tv for having that video.
HENICAN A lovely interview, but anecdote is still not science and I think this poll shows that, doesn't it?
SCOTT: Well, it seems like the mainstream media continued to try to paint tea party supporters as racists and Obama haters, right?
JUDY MILLER: Well, I think that has been the image. It was the image for a long, long time. It's still the image in part of the media. But I think the Media Research Study Center [sic] poll that showed that- I think it was 61 stories was all the major networks ran on the tea parties in one year, versus- what was it? Let's see- twice that amount for the Million Man March in 1995. They missed this story! They missed it.
