[Busby's response is visceral. A similar finding from Robert Lichter of the Center for Media and Public Affairs is factual. He records all the network evening news shows and analyzes them. Bush's presence is diminishing, that of Cabinet officers and other Administration spokesmen rising. The White House now is the focus of Administration news only about half the time, compared with 72% in the first days.] So far, ... the 'just folks' presidency is working. Bush gets less press but better press. Bush is far more visible to the press than he is to the public, just the opposite of Reagan, who was far more visible to the people than to the press. |
Assume that all estimates are self-interested and all estimates are too low, ... The government is like a contractor — whatever it says, triple. |
Assume that all estimates are self-interested and all estimates are too low, ... The government is like a contractor ? whatever it says, triple. |
Attracting highly regarded Jewish journalists suggests that they've been very careful in selling their message. It means they're very sincere, or they sound very sincere. |
Some journalists just got mad and let their anger be expressed. It turns out, that's appropriate. The great advantage of American journalism is that it has the power to move the public. |
The thing that really matters that we’ve seen in the past is when the president’s allies desert him, ... When reporters go to natural supporters and they provide the criticism, you’re a goner.... Right now it is the shock value. This is actually news. |
This is about reporters who fell in love with their story and couldn't view it objectively. That is the job of editors and senior staff, to dampen journalistic enthusiasm that can't be supported by the facts. |
We thought that nothing could top the O.J. Simpson story and this proved us wrong. |
We're in a bad-news cycle now where bad news builds on itself. Bush's press has gone from bad to worse, from critical to adversarial. The media opposition has gone from passive to active. |