Rothenberg says he'll no longer appear on "Hardball", concerned about "tone" of political coverage

[jefferson_dem]

It's Time to Change The Tone of Our 'Politics' Coverage
By Stuart Rothenberg

In May, I made an appearance on "Hardball with Chris Matthews," one of MSNBC's political shows. The segment's main focus was the current state of the Republican Party.

When the segment ended and I walked off the set, I knew that that would likely be my last appearance on "Hardball." I had decided that I would not accept another invitation to appear on the program, should one come.

For those of us who enjoy following politics and are interested in the news, there are fewer and fewer options on television. The Sunday shows and PBS programming - "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," for example - remain, and there are a handful of others worth watching elsewhere (e.g., "Morning Joe" on MSNBC is fun, informative and thoughtful, and CNN and C-SPAN have their moments). But too often, caricature and vitriol have replaced reporting and analysis.

The networks continue to present national news programs each night, but politics can't compete with "American Idol" or "CSI," so cable stations have filled the vacuum with endless hours of what cable executives seem to think constitutes "news" and "politics."

America's cable "news" networks have concluded - on the basis of considerable research and evidence, I'm sure - that most viewers don't want straight news and analysis as much as they want to hear what they already think or to watch predictable partisan attacks.

The three big cable "news" networks don't exist to provide a public service, after all. They have corporate officers and stockholders to answer to, which means they need more and more eyeballs to generate more advertising dollars.

Their answer: talk radio on TV. Forget about the serious implications and political fallout that follow an event or policy, and instead attack your opponents repeatedly using half-truths, glittering generalities and inapplicable analogies. Given the high ratings of Fox News Channel and MSNBC, the cable gurus probably are right. Advocacy has won out over neutrality.

Chris Matthews is a smart, politically astute observer of politics, but my last appearance convinced me that "Hardball" has evolved from a straight political news program with quality guests to one that has more in common with its network's prime-time slant. Like most of the evening programming on MSNBC and the Fox News Channel, "Hardball" has become a partisan, heavily ideological sledgehammer clearly intended to beat up one party and one point of view.

<SNIP>

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/06/09/_its_time_to_change_the_tone_of_our_politics_coverage_96893.html

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. ""Morning Joe" on MSNBC is fun, informative and thoughtful"....

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Wait wait....

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Sorry I can't stop.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Kahuna]

2. Oh boo hoo hoo. The little rightie has his panties in a wad..

:nopity:

[JerseygirlCT]

37. Just what I was thinking! nt

[Uzybone]

3. Morning Joe is thoughtful????

Stu Rothenberg is a fool for that statement alone. The rest of is piece though is correct. Cable news shows from the left and right are 10x worse than they were when Jon Stewart slammed Crossfire.

Of course it is funny that it took an appearance on Hardball for him to realize that cable news talk shows were crap. The Goebbelites at FOXNews have been spitting horrible propaganda for years and he never complained. But you cant expect intellectual honesty from a right winger.

[jefferson_dem]

8. That idiotic comment alone requires the rank dismissal of his entire "commentary".

What a dipshit.

[Dappleganger]

40. Agreed.

He lost me after that phrase.

[Renew Deal]

9. It probably is compared to Fox

:shrug:

[Cha]

25. I know..that's one twisted

notion. Tweety really got to him.

Stu just sounds like PR person for joe & mika..he must have had a good experience on that show so all is good.

That's what I'm asking..where was Stu the last 8 years with "idealogy" on the cabal shows?

[T Wolf]

4. Never heard of this schmuck. And anyone who "enjoy(s) following politics" is missing

the point.

Politics, as portrayed by the corporate media, IS all about the game. They treat it as such, emphasizing polls and races instead of the content of policies.

They have reduced politics to American Idol.

And harmed the nation in the process.

[Renew Deal]

12. You've heard of him, though you may not remember it.

He makes the grand congressional predictions before the elections. Those predictions are all over DU when they come out.

[T Wolf]

33. I actually try to pay as little attention as possible to the "race" that the media promote

(over substance).

So, no. I really don't know Rothenberg or his odds-making.

[Clio the Leo]

5. I prefer a slant to the false promise of journalistic integrity...

.... I'd rather know where folks are coming from and have them own up to it. Allows me to take what they say with a grain of salt.

[CTyankee]

6. Wow, talk about taking your ball and going home!

Betcha anything Stewie appears on Fox REAL soon (I know what he "said").

[Enrique]

7. when was Hardball a "straight political news program"? n/t

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

10. When it was going after Clinton's cock?

:shrug:

[Kahuna]

21. When Tweety was a bush lover.

I'm sure that is the only difference to little stuey.

[SteppingRazor]

11. Good for him.

I mean, let's face it, if you're interested in straight political analysis, then you don't belong on either MSNBC or Fox.

[Doremus]

15. Show me this "straight political analysis" of which you speak. One mainstream show.

Just one.

I'll wait.

[SteppingRazor]

23. Did I say there was one? n/t

[Cha]

26. According to Stu..morning joe is

"Morning Joe" on MSNBC is fun, informative and thoughtful, and CNN and C-SPAN have their moments)."

[SteppingRazor]

29. Recently, Morning Joe's been downright dreadful...

especially with the Starbucks sponsorship and the constant flogging of Scarborough's new book. But I've been a fan of the show in the past. And Rothenberg is also right that CNN and CSPAN have their moments. So, I guess I just don't get what the problem is with that quote. Like I said, I've been disappointed with Morning Joe recently -- to the point that I'm finally clicking on CNN in the mornings instead of MSNBC -- but the show's actually had a lot of good interviews in the past.

[napi21]

13. I hate to remind old Stew, but news has always had some slant.

I can remember back to the days of Walter Cronkite, and it was even there then. It wasn't as pronounced as it is today, but I think that's in response to FOX being SOOO partisan that MSNBC is simply filling the desire of all those viewers who can't stand FOX!

[dionysus]

14. and he likes morning joe? what a wimp...

[Garbo 2004]

16. After all these years as a participant suddenly Rothenberg is "shocked, shocked." From News Corpse:

With that, Rothernberg announced that he will no longer be a guest on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews. Very little of what Rothenberg says should surprise anyone who has been paying attention. So either he is not as astute as he pretends to be, or he just preferred picking up his paycheck and indulging in denial. Rothenberg complains that Hardball has evolved into “a partisan, heavily ideological sledgehammer” and he is upset that Matthews made reference to some Republicans as crackpots. But that seems like a pretty petty reason to pound on a news culture that has plenty of legitimate flaws.

I’m not sure what his objection is to the crackpot remark. With characters like Michele “Let’s investigate Congress for Socialists” Bachmann, and Michael “It’s a Hip-Hop GOP, Baby” Steele, crackpot seems like a rather reserved assessment. And as for being a partisan sledgehammer, I can’t think of any other program that regularly hosts the disgraced former Republican leader, Tom DeLay, and treats him with such deference and respect.

http://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/?tag=stuart-rothenberg

[billyoc]

17. You're a D-List pamphleteer, Stuart.

You'll appear anywhere they let you.

[babylonsister]

18. From Jamison Foser/Media Matters...

http://mediamatters.org/blog/200906080038

Suddenly, Stu Rothenberg thinks Hardball has a "slant"

June 08, 2009 3:40 pm ET by Jamison Foser

snip//

Uh, when, exactly, was Chris Matthews' Hardball a "straight political news program"? When has anything about Matthews ever been "straight"?

When he was insisting that "everybody" likes George W. Bush, except "the real whack jobs"? (Bush's approval ratings at the time were in the 30s.)

When he was comparing Bush to Atticus Finch?

When he said Bush "glimmers" with "sunny nobility"? Or when he gushed over Bush's "mission accomplished" stunt, revealing what could only be described as a crush on the president?

When he derided Democratic critics of Bush's handling of Iraq as "carpers and complainers"?

Or when he ridiculed Barack Obama for ordering orange juice in a diner and said Obama's bowling was insufficiently "macho"? When he called Obama an elitist who had trouble connecting with "regular people" -- by which he meant "white people"?

Or when he called Hillary Clinton a "She Devil" and said she was "witchy"? Or when he said of Clinton, "I hate her. I hate her. All that she stands for"?

Or when he spent two years absolutely trashing Al Gore, helping to hand the presidency to George W. Bush? Or when he turned over his airwaves to Gennifer Flowers, allowing her to accuse President Clinton of murder?

Is that when his was a "straight political news program"?

One last question: What does it say about Rothenberg that he is only now concerned that Matthews is not an impartial, balanced observer?

[Cha]

28. When tweets calls the repukes,

Luddites? :) Thanks for the article, babylon.

[damntexdem]

19. Hmm, maybe Rachel will give him an invite.

Or, of course, Keith.

;-)

[WI_DEM]

20. Sorry Rothenberg, you gave it away when you praised "Morning Joe"

[Syntheto]

22. Finally, somebody calls a spade a shovel!

Of course they're all biased one way or another. It's not about political analysis, it's about partisan singing to their respective choirs, that's why people watch them. We live in a time with many more choices in what we want to watch. In St. Louis growing up, we had channels 2, 4, 5, 11 and of course, the artsy-fartsy, 'educational' channel 9.

I know of no one who does not have cable or satellite TV, with their thousands of tailor-made channels. Do any of you like watching a rodeo? I don't particularly care for it, but I guarantee there's the friggin' 'rodeo' channel somewhere out there for those who do.

There is no 'political analysis' anywhere. The only way you'd get that is having the Senate and House have a hundred CCTV's throughout the chambers televising proceedings. A remote control would let the viewer punch in the camera view he/she wanted. Instant polling (licensed to the remote for a one-shot use per agenda item) would give legislators non-binding feedback as to how it's all going, in fairly Real-Time (FRT)

Of course, you might want to put CCTV Camera #101 on a wall with paint drying, because that's about how exciting it's going to be.

Of course, what people want is blood, and politicians always know which way the Congressional page, er wind,is blowing, and once they figure this out, you'll get some flamboyant performances from some of these characters.

"Ah, did you see last night when the House was voting on that Ammunition Propellant Reduction Bill? Dude, this Congresswoman from Wyoming walked over to this Rep from Vermont and tasered him! The dude was like, all screamin' and shit. They said there hasn't been shit like that since some dude named Preston Brooks beat the crap out of some other dude. I think it was like, you know, back in the sixties during World War 2."

What, you got C-Span with a 60% market share?

Yeah, if you wanted to see the Bush people pilloried, and see some idiot like Olbie practically spitting as badly as Sylvester the Cat as he scornfully addressed some ranting diatribe at Bush with the word "sir," MSNBC is your digital hangout, Bro.

If you wanted to hear how racist Obama is, and what a Chavez-league would-be socialist dictator Obama is, just tune in to Limbaugh's show and ditto your ass off. (Er, what your doing there is called 'diddling'... yeah, 'dittoing' is agreeing with everything he says... right, not quite the same.)

If you want political analysis and not theater, you're going to be bored. Informed, but bored. Of course, for some action, there's always Camera #101 (Babe, is that taupe? I kind of like that... it would look nice in the living room... wait, that upper left corner... I think that's more dry.. Yeah, I like that.. Now, that's 'matte', right?)

[Kahuna]

27. Yes Sir, Captain Obvious!

:patriot:

;) Welcome to DU! :hi:

[Cha]

24. Sounds like a case for the major Whine Squad!

"During the show on which I appeared, Matthews referred more than once to Republicans as "Luddites" and took every opportunity imaginable to portray them as crackpots. The show's topics inevitably pander to the most liberal Democratic viewers and present Republicans and conservatives in the least flattering of terms."

I think Tweety was being way too kind. I would call them draconian.

... "Morning Joe" on MSNBC is fun, informative and thoughtful, and CNN and C-SPAN have their moments)."

So, the bottom line..everyone else sucks but morning joke is the cat's meow? :crazy:

[Tennessee Gal]

30. Cry me a river .............

MSNBC is a welcome relief.

[jaysunb]

31. Ah, Mr Rothenburg

I seem to remember your sorry ass being booted from the NewsHour for being a republican shill. :evilfrown:

[PretzelWarrior]

32. YESS!!!! He used the phrase I've been trying to push here. Talk TV.

Or Talk Radio TV. Perfect. I'm glad more of the nation is seeing this. Having them turn off this noise and then seeing credible guests starting to refuse to appear is perfect.

[trueblue2007]

34. Stuart Rothenberg is a whiner

[Neecy]

35. I remember this show

Matthews was excitable as always but he was correct in his Luddites comments. In context (which Rothenberg doesn't provide) he was talking about evolution, stem cell research and the Shiavo case. They *are* Luddites.

[redqueen]

36. That's funny.

Now that the left has a very *few* shows serving up the same kind of in-your-face reporting that the right has been blasting from multiple M$M outlets for decades, it's a problem?

[HOLOS]

38. Yes!

[sarah553807]

39. He lost me at morning joe