IF there was ever ANY doubt as to David Gregory's LACK of impartiality in his reporting (notwithstanding other diaries about his journalism posted recently) his performance on this morning's MTP made it quite clear WHOSE agenda he is prosecuting, and it isn't "IMPARTIAL JOURNALISM".
(update - sorry, didn't see aboutmri's diary about this before I posted mine - but we completely agree)!
update 2 - Watch the MSNBC video here - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/... - am looking for embeddable version;
Jump for more..
This morning (July 19) David Gregory's MTP guests included HHS Secretary Katherine Sebelius, and Senate MInority Leader Mitch McConnell, The difference in the manner in which he handled each guest was EYE-OPENING, to say the least, and CLEARLY indicates his preference for slanting his questioning, and overall interview performance with a very discernably Conservative bent.
Gregory began by asking Secretary Sebellius a series of misleading questions BASED ON THE NOW-DISCREDITED CBO SCORING showing the proposed health bill was not deficit-neutral. By now almost EVERYONE KNOWS this report was premature, and has been acknowledged as such.
Conveniently, his questions did NOT include ANY reference to information NOW circulating that indicated the scoring has been revised, and the prognosis for the bill is far healthier, finance-wise
That DID NOT STOP Gregory from pummeling Sec. Sebelius with a series of questions phrased in such a way as to continually reinforce his premise that the bill is flawed, and would wind up costing Americans more.
And if the SUBSTANCE of the questions weren't bad enough, his tone and approach to the interview was worse. Rudely phrased, argumentative, and continually interrupting her answers, Gregory was less the probing interviewer (as Russert would have been), and more Republican pitbull.
While I don't believe that journalists should kowtow to administration figures, I also don't believe that decorum should be abandoned, nor should an interview that could have been insightful be turned into an inquisition!
Yet that's EXACTLY the tone Gregory assumed while interviewing the Secretary. NOT ONCE was there any mention of any NEW information regarding updated or revised scoring of the plan - it was "too expensive", "too expensive", "too expensive"! Pummeling that meme ad nauseam
CONTRAST that with the kid-glove handling he gave Sen. McConnell, to whom he lobbed a series of softball questions designed to lead him directly into the "stock GOP talking points". Amazingly, when McConnell refused to answer the question put, and veered off immediately into yet another rote repetition of the Gop's old favotire song, the "specter of Government-run health care", Gregory did NOTHING to refute that position, point out the errors in that position, or push back.
In short, this morning we have seen, full force, the Fox-i-zation of the venerable old Meet The Press. In light of the passing of Walter Cronkite, arguably one of the "most-trusted men in America", it's clear that not only are Walter's shoes too big for almost ANY current journalist to fill, so are Tim Russert's.
I am sure that Russert is now twisting in his grave, having seen what his show has become.
It's time for a change, in order to rescue MTP from the scrap heap of irrelevance, where it is quickly heading.
Your comments are welcomed...