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The Spectacle Blog
Ouch.
In case you missed it, Fox News colleagues and 20-year friends Greta Van Susteren and Tucker Carlson have been going at it — in front of the cameras. The cause: a decision by Carlson’s website the Daily Caller to report some outrageously disgusting comments on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin made by ex-boxing great Mike Tyson.
Here’s the Daily Caller story that launched the ruckus, with an editorial note added after the story ran. The actual recording of Tyson, made in an interview with the ESPN Las Vegas affiliate KWWN, is heard by scrolling a bit to the video screen at the bottom. Here’s the Greta-Tucker smack down as seen by Fox viewers.
While putting this on camera invited the rest of us into this, and since we’re big Greta fans in this corner — she is one of today’s peerless journalists who consistently is getting the story of the moment, getting it right and getting it in detail — this is painful to say.
Greta Van Susteren is wrong. Mystifyingly so.
There is an unspoken elephant in the room here, so let’s point it out.
The reason for the success of Fox News, along with talk radio and the rest of the “conservative” or “alternative” news media, is it’s recognition that the so-called mainstream media regularly plays a biased game of protecting the liberal point of view — and those who advocate same — at all costs. The way the game works is to simply refuse to report the basic facts of a news story. Just pretend they don’t exist. And by doing this shape the news events of the day.
I’ve discussed this before, but briefly, out of necessity here, I will highlight four different incidents past, not so past and relatively current to illustrate the point:
• The story of John F. Kennedy and his relationship — while president — with the sister-in-law of then-Newsweek Washington Bureau chief Ben Bradlee is discovered by Bradlee himself. A year after JFK’s murder, Meyer had been murdered on a Georgetown tow path. In a search of her Georgetown studio Bradlee and his then wife, Meyer’s sister, come upon a CIA agent who had broken in to the place. Eventually Bradlee learns why when he and his wife find a diary. In the diary is chapter and verse of Mary Meyer’s relationship with JFK, replete with smoking marijuana in the White House. Bradlee reports nothing of this startling story involving his close friend the murdered president, his also murdered sister-in-law the president’s mistress, and a detailed report of presidential drug use. Not so coincidentally this was in the fall of the 1964 Johnson-Goldwater presidential election, with JFK’s brothers on Senate ballots in two states Only in 1976 — a dozen years later — does someone in the know leak to the National Enquirer. Bradlee confesses — and writes in his memoirs — that he “never for a minute considered” reporting the story and regrets that it finally got out. And yes, he says, every word of it was true.
• In 1998 Newsweek has the goods on the Clinton-Lewinsky affair. And the editors spike the story. Unlike JFK’s day, Matt Drudge and the Internet exist — the story runs. All hell breaks loose, unleashing a presidential impeachment trial and multiple allegations of sexual harassment against the president, including one of rape from ex-Clinton supporter Juanita Broaddrick.
• In 2007, the National Enquirer runs a story saying that presidential candidate and ex-Senator John Edwards has a mistress. Once again the story goes untouched by the mainstream media until the Enquirer sensationally reveals that the mistress has had a child and catches Edwards in a midnight visit to a Los Angeles hotel. Eventually all comes out, the Senator’s campaign, not to mention marriage, career and credibility are ruined. He is under indictment for misuse of campaign funds as this is written. But had it been up to the mainstream media, for all we know John Edwards could still be living a lie — as a potential Obama Attorney General.
• In 2010 the National Enquirer — again — reports the existence of a four year-old police report in the hands of the Portland, Oregon police containing an allegation of sexual misconduct from a local masseuse. The target? Former Vice President of the United States Al Gore. It turns out the local Portland paper has had the story for three years and never ran it. Once out, the story explodes. Gore denies the charges, the case is eventually dropped. But for three years a 67-page police report — news and hard fact all by itself — sat in the dark with a media outlet’s knowledge.
What does all of this have to do with Greta and Tucker? Plenty.
One reads the Daily Caller story of Mike Tyson’s remarks about Sarah Palin — and no, there was not any need for a later editorial note — and it is a plain and simple recitation of a set of particularly vile facts. Carlson did absolutely the right thing in reporting the story. When a major retired sports figure — a convicted rapist to boot — makes such a vile and disgusting set of remarks about a prominent female politician — this is news. It is even more so because Tyson’s remarks, as one can plainly hear on the tape, are greeted with appalling laughter from the radio staff.
This is simply unacceptable behavior — and it was quite public. It is news. No more, no less. Carlson is quite correct to say that were such a thing said about any female liberal — Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama or Madeleine Albright — this would have been on the front-page of the New York Times post-haste.
I’m a big fan of Governor Palin and haven’t been shy about the fact. Ditto a lot of conservative women from Congresswoman Michele Bachmann to Laura Ingraham, Christine O’Donnell, Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin, to name some. They are constantly the target of the kind of garbage put forth by Mike Tyson — whether its Newsweek covers on Palin and Bachmann or MSNBC’s calling Ms. Ingraham — a mother of two — a “slut.”
Based on media history, hiding the truth of what is said is never, ever a good idea.
It is mystifying to think that Greta Van Susteren, of all people, would essentially if unintentionally cast herself as a defender of the “let’s hide the truth” ethic that is a staple of the mainstream media.
Surely this fever will pass. What happens between Greta and Tucker is their business. Sean Hannity has offered to mediate and no one could do better. But what happens to the idea that the truth must always be told — in all its too frequent ugliness — is everybody’s business.
Snap out of it, Greta. Go interview Mike Tyson and the staff of that radio show and box their damn ears in.
View all comments (20) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Jeffrey Lord
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/09/21/the-greta-van-susteren-tucker
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bobmontgomery| 9.21.11 @ 11:32AM
We are quite sure that there are many like us who used to be Democrats but now are Republicans who, nevertheless, were quite saddened by all the later revelations about JFK. We all have to deal with our feelings. However, in the geopolitical realm, and in the Fourth Estate business, business is business. The JFK story points to the fact that this is why we as a nation are governed by laws, and not men. The Tyson-Van Sustern-Carlson story that Mrl Lord references today, along with his historical references to Edwards, et al, points to the fact that the Press wants all its special perks and perquisites, such as access and confidentiality of sources, and its Peabodys and Pulitzers, but somehow cannot explain it's lack of professionalism in reporting, news management and the intermingling of opinion with news itself.
Occam's Tool| 9.21.11 @ 11:43AM
My experience with the newsmedia has been that the majority of Journalists that I know and have interacted with have the moral integrity of child molesters.
Bradlee is a scumbag.
Jake| 9.21.11 @ 12:15PM
Van Susteren's husband John Coale is employed by Palin.
This attempt by Greta to censor Tucker
from reporting on anything that might affect that relationship would be assailed
from the right if a similar situation existed
on another media outlet.
Greta is not alone.
FOX News ignores all negative stories about Palin ,
like her devastating poll numbers ,
high unfavorables and criticism from Republican operatives nationwide about her lack of any ground game or campaign infrastructure. .
Instead , they ( especially Greta and Hannity ) continue to promote Palin as a viable presidential contender when the empirical evidence shows otherwise.
This slew of unrealistic happy talk and promotion
undermines the credibility of FOX News and highlights the problem of media
outlets hiring
political figures who have not officially left politics.
Palin's constant appearances on FOX rarely add anything new to the discourse she is so fond of.
crooked wren| 9.21.11 @ 3:53PM
Jake, Jake, Jake
You missed the point. The story is not Palin. The story is that cretin Tyson and his disgusting remarks ABOUT Sarah Palin. Greta missed that point as well.
Do you happen to work for a major media outlet?
Brian72| 9.21.11 @ 12:30PM
You are wrong, Cole is not employed by Palin.
He has advised her on some things from time to time, but he has never been and is not now employed by Palin.
Also, much of the criticism of Palin from figures on the right to which you refer has taken place on Fox News itself, by people who are also Fox News contributors. Karl Rove, Charles Krauthammer are two examples.
They have also made big news out of a Fox News poll a couple of weeks ago that had numbers for Palin that were so bad it called the poll into question, and it came to light that the poll was conducted by a pollster with a long relationship with Gov Perry's team in Texas.
This slew of inaccuracies and untruths calls your own credibility into question.
Simon Templar| 9.21.11 @ 3:56PM
Add to that...recent polling is showing Palin catching up to Obama in electability..she is now only 5 points away despite the 3 year smear, slander, and libel campaign. Excellent points, Brian.
Lexa Kyle| 10.12.11 @ 1:08PM
Brian72, what a great post. Thank you for putting the truth out in such an intelligent way.
Frankie Kronstedt| 9.21.11 @ 1:00PM
I was astonished at Greta. I have seen her be fierce before and appreciated her NO NONSENSE take! However,Tucker was bringing to attention horrid filth and the mainstream media's lack of reporting it. According to Tucker he thinks the non-reporting was a bias against Sara Palin. Tyson's own mother should spit on the son she bore. I understand Greta being upset. But, I feel she should have taken a stance with Tucker and not against him! I hope all of us will voice our disgust at TYSON, and not at Tucker or Greta or the pidgeons Tyson feeds.
Mark| 9.21.11 @ 1:07PM
Only two things are true here:
1. Daily Caller did not have to print Tyson's obscence comments verbatim or post the audio clip that add insult to injury thanks to the hyenas in the background.
2. If those comments had been made about another woman, especially a liberal female political figure, Tyson would have been tarred, feathered, and run out of town on a rail within hours.
Everything else is chin music.
Red Phillips | 9.21.11 @ 1:36PM
Mr. Lord, maybe you should talk to Mr. Regnery. He wrote an entire article on the Obama Ayers relationship without mentioning the 800 lb. gorilla in the room, the very credible ghost-writing allegation. 15 years from now will that be one incident in someone's laundry list of cover-ups?
Zack| 9.21.11 @ 1:45PM
Why exactly is what Tyson says newsworthy? He's been a professional crazy man for sometime and he's got absolutely no new information about Palin. He's just making crude remarks about somebody else's comments (and if you think it's news that Tyson is crude and brainless, you haven't been paying very close attention for the last 15 years).
In every one of your counter examples, the cover up involved hiding actual facts about a political figure. If Glen Rice or someone near him was talking about these allegations, you'd have a parallel here. Tyson's comments are more like Howard Stern telling a Clinton blowjob joke. There's nothing newsworthy there, just some clown blowing smoke.
Margaret| 9.21.11 @ 4:56PM
Zack, you hit the nail on the head!
Unfortunately today so many journalists (and also other professions, like artists for example) go for the "shock the public" effect and sometimes in doing so they loose their judgement what would be morally acceptable.
We all know that freedom of speach allows them to be a pig, however we also know that the freedom of speach does not say they should be a pig. And this is a big difference.
Dai Alanye | 9.22.11 @ 9:58AM
Carlson's purpose was not to uncover a corrupt public figure but in hope of starting a controversey to gain his site readership. Lack of taste and judgment equals hits.
I'm with Greta on this one.
WJ| 9.21.11 @ 3:16PM
Having sex with black men? After doing time in prison, Mike Tyson is an expert on that topic.
Simon Templar| 9.21.11 @ 4:24PM
Well, since we are all speculating about this matter because in reality we just do not know what is really behind this dust up, I will offer my two cents. Just a guess..so do not get bent out of shape.
The fact is we really do not know Greta's political stance..she hides it as she should. We do know she comes from a state that is highly democratic if not downright socialistic and is the daughter of a democratic judge from that state. I get a sense from her body language that she does not really care for Palin at all and would not be surprised that if she revealed some day that she was not a conservative, far from it.
Now, some of you may have noticed in recent weeks that the liberal media has gone soft on Palin and some major outlets have even come to her defense and said positive things about her. Why? Pretty startling, yes, given the track record? So, what's up? Sudden epiphany? Yes.
They have finally realized that the only way to neutralize her is to stop throwing mud, saying outrageous things, and chasing after her. They as well as liberalism have lost a huge amount of credibility. Thus, the recent motivation, for distancing themselves from Obama. Another amazing turn of event in the MSM.
So, along comes Tucker with a very serious and embarassing article about a radio station and a celebrity saying incredible vile stuff about Palin that would even make the NYT blush. He is essentially reporting that this is still going on in the liberal MSM crowd.
Greta, then gets all upset now and attacks Tuckers motivation and claims that he somehow hates women and harbors sexist hateful attitudes. This is just too ridiculous to believe that she actually believes this nonsense of which she is accusing him.
Then what is going on here? She wants to shut him up and send a message to everyone else to not report on Palin and her detractors but ignore these stories? She wants to get attention drawn to herself as well and get a boost in ratings?
Red Phillips | 9.21.11 @ 4:57PM
BTW, I don't think Tyson's comments should have been reported on. While I agree there is a media double standard and had a known conservative said the same thing about a liberal female the media would likely be up in arms, but it shouldn't have been reported on because the subject matter is crude and there is no way to report on it without shining a spotlight on and drawing people's attention to the crude. It should not be reported on as a matter of morality and decorum, not due to political score keeping. Reporting on it is un-Christian and un-gentlemanly.
Dixie Pixie| 9.21.11 @ 5:33PM
Let me respectfully disagree Mr Lord.
One of the most vile tactics of the MSM Left uses is slandering the political opposition while claiming it is not doing so.
The tactic is to associate a person with a vile act usually sexual.
Then amplify the slander by denouncing the entire matter in the strongest possible terms.
Then spread the slander as “News” so far and wide that the blind, deaf and dumb in Timbuktu knows about it.
(Object) + (Vile Act) + (Media Denouncement) = (Successful Slanderous Attack)
There is no physical evidence to suggest anything other than Sarah Palin is a honorable and devoted wife and mother.
Not one photo, love letter, document or recording exists to prove otherwise.
What Tucker Carson did would be considered unacceptable behavior among common streetwalkers.
He tried to further propagate and amplify the slander on Gov. Palin by claiming the latest angle as “News”.
He then tried to CYA by amplification by denouncing the comments in the strongest possible terms but never denouncing the original slander thus implying the slander is true and worse than described.
Greta Van Susteren and Fox News was far to light on Tucker Carlson.
He should have been fired on the spot for cause.
But then Fox News hired Juan Williams when he was fired for a far lesser offense.
The issue is not information suppression but slander in the first degree by deception.
The offense is further aggravated by MSM inversion by claiming the offense is not furthering the original slander.
Harry Kanigel | 9.22.11 @ 1:29AM
"[T]his is news." Why? Why is it news when a low-life boxer, "a convicted rapist to boot --" makes "vile and disgusting...remarks about a prominent female politician"? This is news? Greta was exposing Tucker's cheap trick to turbocharge advertiser clicks. The story was unworthy of a serious news site. Further, a miscreant's remarks are not comparable to actual actions (or even alleged actions) of JFK, Clinton or Gore.
UnrepentantCurmudgeon| 9.24.11 @ 12:12PM
Greta was wrong, but she has something of a history of jumping into confrontational interviews, which she usually handles badly. She's much better when she sticks to probing questions. I thought her face-off with Carlson was embarrassing to her, simply because she really was not giving him any chance to say anything and it was pretty clear right from the start that she just had it wrong. She really needs just to stick with what she does best.
greg| 9.26.11 @ 9:55PM
im sorry, but please name one thing you can possibly like about sarah palin that any of the other candidates dont offer? She's a bimbo who struggled to graduate from community college and try to build a $300M bridge to nowhere. Just because dumb uneducated red necks can relate to her doesnt make her qualified to be president. And lets be honest, if a democrats daughter was pregnant as young as bristol palin was, ever republican known to man would be going nuts about statutory rape and how jesus doesnt approve.