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Thoughts on coverage of the Democratic convention - VIDEO
by Allison Waldman, posted Aug 28th 2008 2:20PM
Watching the coverage of the Democratic convention has caused my old carpel tunnel syndrome to act up. I've been doing so much channel surfing; going from channel to channel to find just the right coverage has been a chore. Good luck finding a balance between astute punditry, quality reporting, over-hyped production and clear coverage of the activities on the floor and stage by the political party. It's not easy. Here's some things, good and bad, that I've noticed in these first three days:
1) The Obama family are the Huxtables
After Michelle Obama's speech on Monday night, her two daughters -- Sasha and Malia -- rushed onto the stage and Barack appeared via video hook up to speak with them and Michelle, congratulating her for the speech. It was a perfect TV moment. As good as her speech was, the image of the family was even better. In a voice that reminded me of Rudi Huxtable, Sasha talked to her father and chirped, "I love you, Daddy." The Obama's became The Cosby Show. If that doesn't connect to the TV audience, nothing will. (Check out the video below.)
2) The networks have completely dropped the ball
Remember when the news divisions of NBC, CBS and ABC were the class of the TV industry? No anymore. How can you take the network news seriously when they don't choose to devote more than an hour to covering a national political convention? Edward R. Murrow should be spinning in his grave for the way CBS is handling its responsibility. It's not Jeff Greenfield and Bob Schieffer's fault. It's not Katie Couric's fault. They would probably love to be on from 8-11 E.T.
But no, just the ten o'clock hour. It's the same with ABC and NBC, although in the latter's case they have MSNBC handling the bulk of the coverage. Still, with only an hour, the Big Three are not upholding the proud tradition of network news reporting. Reruns of Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother are not more important than convention coverage.
3) The CNN coverage
Wolf Blitzer gets on my nerves and Anderson Cooper seemed uncomfortable as the referee amid all the action in the post-speech reaction round-up, but thank goodness CNN hires people without regard for age or looks. I'm speaking of two people in particular, Candy Crowley and James Carville. They're political experts and smart observers of the process, not 8x10 glossies. I appreciate that they're included and I rely on their information. On the other hand, Glenn Beck is a joke and I'm not sure if Larry King is alive or a robot?
4) Is that MSNBC or the WWE?
I think the problems with MSNBC's coverage starts with the production set up. Who's idea was it to put Matthews and Olbermann in front of a train station where real trains are departing regularly? Who's idea was setting up another platform for insider coverage in front of screaming protesters? The on air personalities are fighting the elements just to be heard, and that's leading to the on air fighting amongst the personalities. Joe Scarborough is snippy on a good day and he's out of his mind this week. Mika Brzezinski has never seemed more meek. Olbermann only plays nice with Dan Patrick as his partner; you can tell he doesn't feel like he needs motor-mouth Chris Matthews at his side. Pat Buchanan is on the verge of popping a blood vessel he's so red in the face and screechy. Taking MSNBC on the road but not putting them in a studio was a mistake.
5) Let's hear it for...
PBS! Yes, the best coverage has been on public TV. They're in a studio, for starters, so there's no screaming. Jim Lehrer is a calm, fair and assured anchor, as is Gwen Ifill. They have independent voices as commentators, including Michael Beschloss a presidential historian. One other really great thing about PBS coverage is the lack of banners, crawls, promos and other mishegoss (Yiddish for craziness) on the screen. When the Spielberg film, a tribute to the U.S. veterans, aired, you could see it full screen on PBS.
6) Brian Williams
Speaking of mishegoss, last night I actually heard NBC's anchorman Brian Williams use the word mishegoss to describe the media build up about the Clintons. Perfect use of the word! I loved it, especially because I know that Yiddish is not Williams' mother tongue.
7) Instant analysis
After Senator Hillary Clinton's speech, the reactions from the media was immediate and nearly all positive. Olbermann called it a grand slam. Carville said he expected her to do a great job and it was a bad night for Republicans. All around the dial, Hillary was getting thumbs up. Six hours later, I turned on Morning Joe and the talking heads were all tearing apart the speech, accusing Hillary of not delivering a compelling reason for Obama to be the next president of the United States. Seems to me the instant reaction was the real one. The Monday morning quarterbacking smacked of "talking points" delivered via the McCain campaign to rip Hillary's speech. Speaking of the McCain camp; why are they horning in on the Dem convention? Couldn't they have sent Romney, Guiliani and other G.O.P. representatives to campaign elsewhere? There's no respect for the other side anymore.
8) Fox
I did turn on Fox News for some analysis from the right. When Chris Wallace said he liked Hillary's speech, however, Brit Hume told him -- in no uncertain terms -- that Hillary had failed. Wallace backed down at that point.
9) CSpan
Another way to watch the coverage is unfettered at CSpan. It's a little dull, but pure. In the post speech coverage last night, I heard one guy call in and complain that he wants the Democrats to offer a list of what they'll do for the country, like Newt Gingrich's Republican "Contract with America." That was more of a bumper sticker than a real set of initiatives that they delivered, but it shows you that bumper stickers work. That's what the Democrats need for Obama, a bumper sticker. Maybe the Hillary line -- No way, No how, No McCain.
One last thought, I'm really looking forward to the coverage today of Obama's speech at Mile High Stadium. The night is fraught with historical implications because it's the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Let's see if the networks -- broadcast and cable -- rise to the occasion.
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