Eric Boehlert Got Everything Right About Our Petty, Self-Congratulating Media

[Nevilledog]

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Joan Walsh
@joanwalsh
As @ericboehlert explained, Al Gore’s media executioners were awful, self-serving, deluded. And some are still with us.

You know who you are. And I’m sure you don’t give a shit right now. I so hope that will change someday.

thenation.com
Eric Boehlert Got Everything Right About Our Petty, Self-Congratulating Media
From his early coverage of political reporters savaging Al Gore to his incisive critique of their Joe Biden coverage right before he died, he got it. And he will be missed.
6:09 PM · Apr 7, 2022

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/eric-boehlert-media-criticism/

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https://archive.ph/HvGiZ


I am brokenhearted over the news of Eric Boehlert’s death in a bicycle accident this week, at 56. I need to say that first. My thoughts are with his wife, Tracy Breslin, and his children, Jane and Ben, whom he absolutely treasured.

Many fine journalists have written tributes to Eric’s insight and bravery in covering the media, and also his generosity and warmth as a colleague and friend. What more can I add? Well, we worked together at Salon for five years in the early 2000s, and I was frequently his editor. I went looking for some of his early pieces for us, and I found treasure. Whether even his admirers know it or not—and many do, but not all—Eric has been on the same story for the last 23 years: the callow, irresponsible way that our Beltway media has covered Democrats in these decades.

And he has fucking crushed it.

His first case study (to my knowledge) was on the lameness of most national political reporters as they covered Vice President Al Gore’s run for president. First, they puffed up his lackluster Democratic primary opponent, former senator Bill Bradley, and then fell in love with George W. Bush. That double-barreled campaign presaged the way the Beltway media would cover imperfect establishment Democratic leaders, from Gore (won the popular vote but lost the presidency) to Hillary Clinton (oh, same thing) to Joe Biden today (whew, won that popular vote—though unlike them, he faced a coup attempt). All with heinous consequences for our country and our democracy. Eric covered Gore and Clinton and Biden, too; it became his beat until his untimely death.

If we want to honor his memory, more of us should commit to his unflinching attention to the role of the media in creating the mess we’re in today.

*snip*

[TheRealNorth]

1. We are stuck with a RW media that whores itself for the 1%

And a MSM that whores itself to pushing whatever story or narrative that thinks will generate the most revenue.

[uponit7771]

2. K&R, "Eric helped me see, belatedly, that the media always needs a horse race."

[Carlitos Brigante]

3. We are in need of 100 "Eric Boehlerts". Since the original is not

with us anymore.......

[malaise]

4. Chris Hayes delivered a lovely tribute

A good man has died

[Nevilledog]

5. I'm just profoundly sad we've lost him.

[Liberal In Texas]

6. His death is a terrible loss.

I will miss his witty and acerbic observations about the news media. They were always spot on.

I send my deepest condolences to his family.

[BootinUp]

7. I always looked forward to his appearances or articles

he was one hard working liberal according to my observations, and a skilled reporter. Tragic loss.