Earlier today, in an event organized by the National Press Club and at the invitation of prominent Barack Obama supporter and club member John Q Public, Gennifer Flowers spoke to reporters in a press conference. "Ms. Flowers was provided this opportunity to defend herself on the public stage regarding how unfairly the press portrayed her in the 90s during the entire scandal ridden period marked finally by the Impeachment of President Clinton," stated John Q Public.
"My dissappointment only grows as this campaign goes on," remarked Ms. Flowers, "I know Bill cared for me, he just had to do what a politician does in distancing himself from me."
"What really has me concerned now is that Hillary Clinton was aware of Bill Clinton's innaproriate behaviour the entire time, in fact I believe she tacitly approved of this conduct," claimed Ms. Flowers, "Not only that, but I tend to believe that she worked with Bill to intimidate those other women he was mixed up with in order to maintain her own political reputation..."
Obviously this is a ficitonal account, but this is essentially the type of sideshow the National Press Club staged on Monday morning with the Reverend Wright. I made it up to illustrate to all those Clinton supporters I have seen on every diary noting Barbara Reynolds involvement keep snarking about 'you can't blame everything on the Clintons." Or remove this diary and so on. Monday's staged event did not serve the legitimate interests of the membership of the organization and it was largely scurrilous in nature, just as a similarly staged Gennifer Flowers event would be.
This diary is not about Barabara reynolds involvement, however, it is about the debased MEDIA that created the event.
This is an innapropriate activity for a MEDIA organization to be involved in.
The MEDIA inserted itself deeply into this campaign now at the behest of a Clinton supporter. I am not going to go sa far as to say the Clinton campaign is responsible for this event, but I will unload on an organization with the following mission doing so:
The Club shall provide people who gather and disseminate news a center for the advancement of their professional standards and skills, the promotion of free expression, mutual support and social fellowship.
What 'professional standards and skills' were being advanced here? Creating a potentially damaging, and trivial, situation for a potential President of the most powerful nation in the world. CREATING IT, not simply reporting on it. CREATING IT, not just analyzing the political situation.
How did this event advance 'the promotion of free expression' for those 'who gather and dissemenate news' (notice it does not say anything about CREATING NEWS)? This event was way beyond the ethical pale, even for the hype prone robots in the media these days.
What 'moral support and Fellowship' was provided to the membership by this event? Possibly bouyeed the spirits of those like Ms. Reynolds who likely enjoyed sitting next to Wright as he attacked the core of Obama's campaign. OK, I guess maybe they met this stated aim of their mission!
This is an inexcusable use of the power of the media. I don't know if there is a way to get the membership list for this organization, but if we could I think we ought to call a boycott on these nonprofessionals that are members. I know if I were a member I would cease paying dues to this apparently partisan organization. Since my job would be to 'gather and dissemenate news,' I would also report on this abuse extensively.
They not only violated their own mission, but destroyed the integrity of all of the membership as objective journalists. This breach of ethics should not go unnoticed, as it largely has so far.