Interlude
Hi everyone. Your blogger is not feeling well, and therefore the bullet points are seriously doubting their ability to be awesome. With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, I think I'm going to join a good portion of the masses (including, it seems, Anderson Cooper) and go on a bit of a break. That's not to say I definitely won't be reviewing Tuesday or Wednesday's show, but right now it's looking that way.
As for tonight, though I always mourn the absence of the Silver Fox, I have to admit, I love me some Sanjay Gupta. He's getting really good at the guest anchoring thing. I know he has his own show, but I don't think it's quite the same animal. Anyway, tonight's show wasn't bad--no keyboard smash this time around. If you want my thoughts on the next two days, you can probably catch me on the Twitter around show time. Chat me up! Also, in case I don't make a post beforehand, be sure to watch CNN Heroes Thanksgiving night. I have my issues with the network, but have always respected their efforts to air this heartwarming show.
As for tonight, though I always mourn the absence of the Silver Fox, I have to admit, I love me some Sanjay Gupta. He's getting really good at the guest anchoring thing. I know he has his own show, but I don't think it's quite the same animal. Anyway, tonight's show wasn't bad--no keyboard smash this time around. If you want my thoughts on the next two days, you can probably catch me on the Twitter around show time. Chat me up! Also, in case I don't make a post beforehand, be sure to watch CNN Heroes Thanksgiving night. I have my issues with the network, but have always respected their efforts to air this heartwarming show.
Labels: blogging break, Thanksgiving
posted by eliza at 11:59 PM
7 Comments:
I'm still sickened by the fact that Anderson Cooper finds Sarah Palin "fascinating". I don't think he said that just to be "balanced", I think he means it. So I guess he's the reason why there have been so many stories on her on 360. I like Anderson but my respect for him has dimmed somewhat because of his interest/admiration in the likes of Palin.
@anonymous: I think he means it too. But I don't think "fascinating" = agrees with her, or even likes her. She's a politician who is rarely boring and sometimes dynamic. Unfortunately, the media eats that stuff up, often at the expense of good journalistic judgment. No one can deny that Palin is a prominent figure in the Republican party right now, but some of the coverage of her is so over done and ridiculous.
I'd like to believe he doesn't agree with or like Palin, but considering the conservative pundits he has on the show regularly (Loesch/Erickson), I'm not so sure. He could put his foot down and not have those two on, but they're still prominently featured on 360 and they both are big Palin backers. I don't think AC cares for President Obama, not that he HAS to, but I think it sort of plays into his Palin fascination. Last week AC seemed to be quite pleased with Erickson's comment about Obama not being vetted - implying that Palin has been unfairly criticized for that while the press let Obama slide.
@anonymous: Not sure I agree with all that. The show actually seemed to slant towards Obama during the primary (disclosure: have always been a BO supporter). But he's president now. I'm guessing that any negative coverage that isn't warranted has more to do with jumping on a media narrative than any personal dislike AC might have for the president.
I tend to tune out the punditry, so I don't recall the example you cite.
I understand your point, but I still believe that Anderson and his 360 producers are not admirers of Obama. If Sarah Palin merely burps on her Twitter page, 360 goes out of its way to mention it as a top story, while any positive move or development with President Obama gets relegated to the 360 Bulletin or not mentioned at all. 360 seems to only want to cover the President when they think they have a "gotcha" story on him. I do recognize that CNN/360's received criticism in the past for being pro-Obama and they're trying really hard to appeal to the GOP/Tea Party crowd, but I don't think they should indulge in so many fluff pieces about Palin simply because her mentioning her name grabs attention - do some real investigating of her qualifications and ability to govern or lack thereof and don't just focus on how "powerful", "influential" and "fascinating" she is. I think she's one of the most dangerous figures in politics and she should be treated as such - some things are more important than "balance".
I apologize for posting so much and boring you with my rants but this is an aspect of Anderson/360 that I find really frustrating.
@anonymous: No need to apologize. You're not ranting; we're having a civil discussion. It's what the comment section is for! ;)
But I'm still going to have to disagree with your overall point. First of all, I find it hard to believe that any show's host and producers are all in lockstep agreement regarding their views on the president. I'm sure you're well aware that there are varying views on this subject even just in progressive circles.
It may be true that Anderson is an Obama-hater, but I believe the coverage is more related to what is believed to be good television, or what is already in the news cycle.
You're right that Obama rarely gets credit for accomplishments. I think the reason for that is 1) They often aren't sensational issues that can be turned into a good story and 2) the Obama Administration has quite frankly been very bad with communicating their wins.
...but I don't think they should indulge in so many fluff pieces about Palin simply because her mentioning her name grabs attention - do some real investigating of her qualifications and ability to govern or lack thereof and don't just focus on how "powerful", "influential" and "fascinating" she is.
Agreed. To be fair, they somewhat seem to be moving in this direction--though not without some bumps on the way.
Glad to continue the discussion. ;)
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and thanks for all of your thoughtful and insightful responses to my comments.
I find it hard to believe that any show's host and producers are all in lockstep agreement regarding their views on the president. I'm sure you're well aware that there are varying views on this subject even just in progressive circles.
This is true - I guess I just see a certain slant in how they frame some of their reports on the President, but it's possible that I'm just being overly sensitive. It is certainly true that many liberals are not pleased with Obama at this point - I have my own issues with him too.
the Obama Administration has quite frankly been very bad with communicating their wins.
Exactly - I don't know what happened to that smart group of people who ran such an amazing presidential campaign - they're squandering the opportunity to point out some of their major accomplishments and also the chance of strongly stating the differences in what the Democrats want for the country as opposed to the conservative agenda - there's SO much there, but they have been so inept with messaging. I checked out a website that listed all the things President Obama has achieved since he's been in office and it is very impressive.
I second your comments about Heroes, it is really one of the finest things CNN has ever produced - a program with substance and a big emotional payoff for anyone who watches it. The Heroes featured are simply remarkable human beings.
Well another week ahead for 360 - hope I won't be tearing my hair out over the content!
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