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April 23, 2009
"Analysis:" AP-Speak for "Hagiography"
Ron Fournier and Trevor Thompson have done what I once thought impossible - they have actually broken new ground in media adulation for the president.
Behold, the new gold standard:
WASHINGTON (AP) - For the first time in years, more Americans than not say the country is headed in the right direction, a sign that Barack Obama has used the first 100 days of his presidency to lift the public's mood and inspire hopes for a brighter future.Now, this is marked 'analysis,' which I suppose makes reporters think they can put stuff like this in a story, instead of scrawling it on the backs of their reporter notebooks encircled by hearts.Intensely worried about their personal finances and medical expenses, Americans nonetheless appear realistic about the time Obama might need to turn things around, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. It shows most Americans consider their new president to be a strong, ethical and empathetic leader who is working to change Washington.
Nobody knows how long the honeymoon will last, but Obama has clearly transformed the yes-we-can spirit of his candidacy into a tool of governance. His ability to inspire confidence — Obama's second book is titled "The Audacity of Hope" — has thus far buffered the president against the harsh political realities of two wars, a global economic meltdown and countless domestic challenges.In a previous life, I worked in public relations. The first few paragraphs of this story are more gushing than even the most shameless PR hack would write on behalf of his or her employer. It's certainly not what one should reasonably expect from two professional reporters. And no, I don't mean that last sentence to be ironic - journalism is a profession, and I think we should expect professionalism from those who practice it. The founders of this country felt a free press was so vital to our republic that they gave it constitutional protection. Watching the modern press eagerly debase that right in their transformation from watchdog to lapdog is disheartening.
The excessive happy-talk seems especially egregious when they actually start discussing the details of the poll:
*While there is evidence that people feel more optimistic about the economy, 65 percent said it's difficult for them and their families to get ahead. More than one-third know of a family member who recently lost a job.Considering the lopsided partisan mix of those polled (D+18), some of the numbers in the poll (full results here) seem a bit soft for The One.
* More than 90 percent of Americans consider the economy an important issue, the highest ever in AP polling.
* Nearly 80 percent believe that the rising federal debt will hurt future generations, and Obama is getting mixed reviews at best for his handling of the issue.
But Fournier and Thompson don't spend much time on those icky details before getting back to their "analysis."
So far, Obama has defied the odds by producing a sustained trend toward optimism. It began with his election.I know many have become immune to this sort of thing, but we shouldn't be. The press is too important to be ignored, and when the AP churns out a story this over-the-top in its praise for a political leader, their lack of professionalism should be pointed out. The founding fathers intended the press to hold politicians accountable, not sing them hosannas.
Cross-posted at the Greenroom.
Posted by slublog at April 23, 2009 07:37 PM
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Comments
For the first time in years, more Journalists than not say the country is headed in the right direction, a sign that Barack Obama has used the first 100 days of his presidency to lift the public's mood and inspire hopes for a brighter future.
There, I fixed that for ya.
Posted by: nuthinhere at April 24, 2009 01:22 AM
'Obama's second book is titled "The Audacity of Hope", what's audacious was that he and the ghost writer wrote it before he was sworn into office.
Besides his teleprompter skills, I don't see him making any change.
Posted by: Anonymous at April 26, 2009 10:23 PM