Sen. Clinton: Newspapers Should Press Bush for Info

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000491746

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) told newspapers editors gathered here this afternoon that they had to be "more vigilant" and act with "more tenacity" to combat the failures of the Bush administration to provide "vital information" to the public.

Interviewed by Marvin Kalb on the opening day of the annual American Society of Newspaper Editors convention, Sen. Clinton said: "It's difficult for editors and publishers here to get to the bottom of stories. This administration, to an extent I haven't seen before, tells the press to go away -- and they do, like most people do when told that more than once. ... Many in this administration are quite expert at saying nothing despite your best efforts to get them to say something."

She reminded the editors that "so much is at stake now and the public needs more information." She also warned that "the echo chamber of talk radio can drown out a three-part series any of you write."

For the most part, however, the one-hour interview (taped for C-SPAN and other outlets) focused on policy questions, ranging from Iraq to health care and the 2004 presidential race. Pressed by editors in a Q&A segment, Clinton once again ruled out running for vice president this year and would not admit she was even looking down the road at the race for president.

[Jack_Dawson]

1. Translation: "Media get off your ass...

and attack Bush with the same ferocity you did my husband for receiving a blowjob."

True Dat.

[Skip Intro]

5. Forget attack, how about just demand some old fashioned accountability

Force the liars to account to the people - whom they are there to serve - for their actions and inactions.

That's not bashing or attacking, that's accountability.

[Just Me]

13. FACTS,...spelled F-A-C-T-S,...would be most satisfying,...

,...no spin necessary.

For example, where the hell is the examination of PNAC, each and every single freakin' day,...that plan which paints the BIG UGLY DESTRUCTIVE TRAIN on which tracks the neonazicons are tying all "common" American people?

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'
American blood is a tollin'
For imperialistic desires, today,....

[tom_paine]

2. Sen. Clinton is obviously unaware Imperial Amerika HAS NO Free Press

None.

A handful of Honest Journalists, but NO Free Press.

Waiting for Imperial Pravda to expose Bushevik Lies is like waiting for Soviet Pravda to expose Bolshevik Lies.

It simply isn't going to happen, if Hillary lived for 1000 years.

[trumad]

3. Well put Mr. Paine.. As usual

[Politicub]

16. We still do have a free press

Otherwise we wouldn't be allowed to even post on DU. The problem, IMHO, is that the press is being lazy and accepting the pablum the GOP is feeding them via its press department.

The American press has been a force for good many times in American history, and it needs to dust off that mantle once again.

[tom_paine]

21. Ok, this is semantics. My view is 98% free isn't free.

You are correct. I am speaking rhetorically in that a certain barrier was crossed in 2000 between democracy of the Old Republic and Totalitarianism of the Imperial Family Bush.

You are also correct about the laziness and GOP-fed ablum. Remarkably correct, in fact, IMHO.

But the UnFree component is the Corporate Consolidation combined with Bullying, Partasitization and Infiltration of the Mainstream Media along with the demise of the Fairness Doctrine which have comibned (with many other factors, the Busheviks truly are an octopus of assaults on our nation) to create a sea change in mores that goes beyond mere laziness.

This has made the press less free than 98%, although you are correct it retains a shell of it's former freedom to weave the illusion, either by accident or design, who knows?

The American press has been a force for good many times in American history, and it needs to dust off that mantle once again.
Also correct, sir. What people here including myself are worried about is that the System itself has been assaulted and rigged enough on so many levels that such a return were no longer possible.

Whether that's true or not (and I'm not saying that anything is certain yet) something is very, extraordinarily wrong.

[Politicub]

22. Ida Tarbell

She was a muckraker back in the days of Standard Oil. There is not an Ida Tarbell today it seems, but this moment in history is ripe for someone to adopt her spirit of exposing corruption in high places.

[tom_paine]

23. Again, though, Politicub

The issue here isn't whether we need and Ida Tarbell, it's whether the System as it exists parasitized and weakened and bullied and guided (unwittingly) by the Bushevik Party-Loyal Sub-Media, a propaganda edifice as much as Soviet, Nazi, or Marcos' Phillipines "news" shows, can even produce another Ida Tarbell or Ed Murrow.

Myself, I'm not sure.

And by the way, Politicub...welcome to DU!

:toast: :toast:

[SemperEadem]

26. I disagree--the owners of the media outlets enjoys "free press"

but those that they employ don't get that same lattitude...

[MSgt213]

4. If Bush is reelected people will really be sorry they didn't ask questions

[RC]

6. Re-elected? Yeah, we have the same people

on the Supreme Court.

[Tellurian]

7. kick~

[malachibk]

8. I love Hillary Clinton

I don't think she'll ever be President, but I do love her.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

9. Thank You Hillary!

The newspapers should attack this!

[JoFerret]

10. Somebody has to pursue the lies

please.

[Voltaire99]

11. Calling all vast centrist conspiracies!

Funny, I don't remember her caring much for a vigorous press in the 90s. Back in those days, digging for unpleasant truths earned denunciations from the First Lady.

She's right: the press is cowed. But we hardly need someone who once cowed it to tell us that.

[carpe diem]

12. the only 'unpleasant truths'...

...the media was interested in during the Clinton administration was who was or had been blowing her husband, and I, for one, don't believe it was anybody's business...

[ldf]

17. huh?

i don't believe hillary ever "cowed" the american press for a second.

they were to busy investigating every hint, suggestion, rumor, innuendo, gossip, even outright lie.

just how much money was spent digging into all those scandals, only to find nothing?

yeah, hillary really cowed them journalists, right.

[tom_paine]

28. I agree, that was a bullshit argument and a LIE

If the Press was Cowed, by the Clinton's, then why did they run EVERY RNC Fabrication without fact-checking it?

Why did they not investigate the Arkansas Project, Federalist Society, and other RICO-violating Bushevik organizations that have broken more laws to advance the cause of Bushevik Tyranny than Clinton ever even THOUGHT about breaking?

Bullshit, says I. Not to you, idf, but to the person who made this ridiculous and untenable argument.

[maddezmom]

14. Way to go Hillary

she's been under the microscope of the press and she knows if they really wanted the "story" they could get to the bottom of it.

[Politicub]

15. Right on Hillary!

Savvy move -- addressing the American Society of Newspaper Editors. Any kick in the pants for the press is a plus for us. Bush has too many lies surrounding himself to hide them all from the scrutiny of the press.

Now I'm waiting to see how newspapers respond.

As an Aside, I was reading the Atlanta Business Chronicle today and noticed how blatantly pro-GOP it is. I've read this weekly for a while, but it seems like it's gone off the right wing deep end.

The latest issue has a very anti-Kerry editorial from the publisher.

[Tellurian]

18. Go Hillary- Who has a better right to point at the press, than YOU!

I'm still reading press release smatterings consistent with the persecution dujour of Hillary Clinton. <sheesh>

[slinkerwink]

19. that's good!

[Jacobin]

20. Maybe she should start by doing a better job as senator

If she had done HER work and researched the issues relating to the IWR, perhaps she wouldn't have been stupid enough to vote for it.

Pot, meet kettle.

I'm tired of her whining.

She is part of the problem.

[teeELkaye]

24. Maybe she should start by doing a better job as senator -

It is you that come off as the whiner. The Clintons have done more for the world than you will ever know. What is "stupid" is that you do not recognize leadership when you see it.

[Skittles]

25. WHOA TEE !!!

Nice first post; welcome to the DU! :D

However, I do agree that anyone who voted for IWR has a lot of 'splaining to do.

[truthspeaker]

27. I agree with you about IWR, but otherwise she does a good job IMHO

Of course, I wish she were representing a state she actually lived in, but at this point I'll take what I can get.