Oh, that state-run media! We’ve already mentioned CNN’s willingness to say anything — or not say anything, if need be — to advance Barack Obama’s presidential run. But Mort Zuckerman and the paper he owns, the New York Daily News, were really a full-service P.R. firm for Candidate Obama — Zuckerman tells Fox News’ Neil Cavuto that he even wrote one of Obama’s speeches:
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If true, isn’t that something Mort’s paper should have disclosed when it endorsed him?
The Obama administration and the leftwing media have had quite a cozy, revolving door relationship. As Brent Baker of the Media Research Center noted last month, 16 major media figures have joined the administration, or an aligned union or an aligned left-wing environmental group. But who knew that it started before he actually took office?
Update: The Rhetorican posits that we’ve already established what Zuckerman is; but perhaps the fee for services rendered could have been better negotiated.
Update: In the comments, David Thomson adds, “Marty Peretz of The New Republic could have discretely helped write a speech for Obama—and I would simply shrug my shoulders. An owner of an explicitly left-wing publication has already informed the subscribers about its political loyalties. Mort Zuckerman’s newspaper, on the other hand, claims to be objective, dispassionate, and above the fray.”
Update: At Big Journalism, Alexander Marlow adds:
Zuckerman owns and publishes the New York Daily News and owns U.S. News and World Report. Perhaps someone didn’t pass Zuckerman the memo that if you want to be a responsible publisher and give your readership the impression they are subscribing to publications that produce unbiased journalism, you don’t get to write speeches for the President. And, if you are President of the United States and you want to assure your public that you aren’t using the media as a propaganda arm, you don’t deputize the mainstream press to write your speeches.
But, Marc Ambinder of the Atlantic reports “Obama’s aides don’t remember consulting with Zuckerman.”
Of course, if what Ambinder reports is true, Obama and team are off the hook (this time), but Zuckerman publicly ejaculating his I’m-an-Obama-speechwriter-too! fantasy on national television is nearly as disconcerting/creepy as hard evidence of media/Obama administration collusion would have been.
Exactly. More from Ed Morrissey at Hot Air.
Calling Howard Kurtz! Oh, wait,he’s too busy taking Rush Limbaugh comments out of context to explore this matter further.
Marty Peretz of The New Republic could have discretely helped write a speech for Obama—and I would simply shrug my shoulders. An owner of an explicitly left-wing publication has already informed the subscribers about its political loyalties. Mort Zuckerman’s newspaper, on the other hand, claims to be objective, dispassionate, and above the fray.
members of the media in bed with the Obama National Socialists?
Dog. Bites. Man.
Call me when his media lapdogs turn on his dumb ass.
This can’t be true — Obama’s a genius who writes all his own speeches, unlike that ditzy chick from Alaska who needs a speechwriter.
It’s official. Nothing surprises me anymore.
Someone needs to remind Zuckerman that the devil doesn’t actually respect or heed those silly fools who sold him their souls under the impression they were entering into a power-sharing agreement. Unlike most of his journalistic colleagues (e.g., Evans Thomas), Mort now wonders if his owner and master is actually a god after all. And Mort’s doubly a fool if he expects his journalist colleagues will join him in rebellion; they mostly understand that when you make a deal with the devil there’s little hope of getting out of it and a high price to pay for trying.
Ed wrote:
“If true, isn’t that something Mort’s paper should have disclosed when it endorsed him?”
That depends on when he wrote the speech, doesn’t it? If he wrote it before, then yes.
That said, it stinks to high heaven. It still isn’t anywhere near “State-Run” media, though. That’s just a nice little word that gives red meat to red staters. I remember Pravda, and I see what Iran, North Korea and China do. American Mainstream media isn’t even close. “Media you don’t agree with” would be a more appropriate name, and that applies to all the Democrats whining about FNC when GWB was in office as well.