My Townhall column today is about how even as more and more facts become known that contradict Joe Wilson’s tale, the Plame story in the mainstream media remains unchanged. I also compare the media unraveling of the Duke lacrosse rape case to that of the Wilson-Plame story. I would welcome anyone to convince me that I am wrong about this one, because I really want to be.
Update: Eric commented that media reaction to Katrina would have been a better example than the Florida Recount example I used. It is a better example, especially since it is so recent. The Recount example is good, too, because it shows how even now, six years later, the myths remain. I wish I had thought of the Katrina one first, though. There are literally dozens of examples of media myths that remain unchanged in the face of facts, but the Duke Lacrosse rape case is actually much more rare. Can anyone else think of a big news story in which perception changed so rapidly when new facts became known? If this doesn’t make much sense, it will help to read the column first.
Great column, Lorie.
We all know that being in the spotlight is the name of the game for these 2 bozos. How long after her “MSM run” is over will she appear in Playboy?
I’ll bet that she and Hef already has the deal inked. Just waiting for an opportune moment to spring it on Joe
“…As was the case in the 2000 recount, the allegations and accusations come fast and furious….”
Lorie I think an equal or better example of this is Katrina. Today, if you ask people about Katrina the only thing that comes to mind is New Orleans. Everyone forgets that New Orleans covers only 180 sq miles of the 90,000 sq miles that were devastated by Katrina. That’s because the media only covered New Orleans to the near total exclusion to the rest of the devastation.
Eric,
I don’t know why I didn’t think of Katrina first. The Florida recount came to mind first, so I just used it, although I knew there were dozens of other examples I could come up with. Katrina is a much better, and more recent, one to be sure. Thanks!
Lorie:
Florida recount/ Katrina are just two examples of how people are extremely gulible. Anyone who stops for two minutes and examines the credibility of what they are being fed, will not believe the initial reports of anything. My first reaction to anything is “consider the source”. My second is to deside whether or not what I am hearing/reading makes sense.
An example of what I mean is the governments responce to Katrina. Where they too slow? Only if we had helicopters, shelter, and food and water stationed every three hundred miles around the country, and people with nothing else to do sitting there waiting for a dissaster to occure.
It’s the same thing with the evacuation of Lebanon. The evacuees claimed it took too long, but common sense sayes that unless the ships and planes were standing by( with crews), there was no way to do it any faster.
The MSM sayes they were too slow, so that becomes a reality. On the other hand if people just stoped and used their common sense, they would question these statements. I was very dissapointed that the Bush administration caved in to being too slow with Katrina. A relief effort of that magnitude takes a tremendous amount of planning.