Media Turns Its Back On Experts Who Blame GOP For Political Gridlock

[leftofabbie]

REPORT:*Who? Media Turns Its Back On Experts Who Blame GOP For Political Gridlock | Media Matters for America

Thomas E. Mann, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Norman J. Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, are well-respected centrist congressional experts who are often cited by the media. But their recent conclusion that Republicans are responsible for political dysfunction -- laid out in an April 29 Washington Post op-ed and their recently released book -- has been largely ignored, with the top five national newspapers writing a total of zero news articles on their thesis.

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During The Year Before Publishing Their Op-ed, Mann And Ornstein Were Cited 35 Times By The Top Five Newspapers. A Media Matters review of the top five national newspapers in the U.S., the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, between April 29, 2011 and April 29, 2012 reveals that the congressional experts were either cited by these papers or published articles within these papers 35 times.

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Here's the Washington Post's coverage of the book...

Let’s just say it: The Republicans are the problem. - The Washington Post

Let’s just say it: The Republicans are the problem.

We have been studying Washington politics and Congress for more than 40 years, and never have we seen them this dysfunctional. In our past writings, we have criticized both parties when we believed it was warranted. Today, however, we have no choice but to acknowledge that the core of the problem lies with the Republican Party.

The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.​

So why do the right-wing owned newspapers have a black-out on this book? Not one single article? Why don't think their readers would be interested, after thinking these guys worth reporting on 35 times in the previous year?

 

[tecoyah]

If you had a wart on the end of your penis, would you tell the hot blonde at the end of the bar?

No one points out their own weaknesses if it can be avoided.

 

[ARealConservative]

the GOP is shifting towards a political ideology that opposes previous policies of both democrats and republicans.

I know these groups like to claim bi-partisanship, but that doesn't apply in this case because the group they claim is the problem has been accusing these people of being the problem as well.

 

[Mycroft]

Well, first of all, the top five newspapers mentioned are generally liberal-biased entities. I wonder if you can show support for your contention that they are "right-wing owned".

Now, let's talk about these two gentlemen, Mann and Ornstein. They make some bold statements about the GOP. Quite bold. In fact, I would characterize their statements as hyperbolic. Also, when talking about compromise, perhaps they should talk about Reid and his total dismissal of the bills sent to him by the House. Now THERE is a prime example of one who will not compromise. Since these gentlemen seemed to, in my opinion, go off the deep end in respect to the GOP while ignoring the antics of the Democrats, they earn my dismissal. Perhaps those five newspapers feel the same?

 

[mpg]

Plenty of other people have said the same thing about the GOP in the MSM. What if the right complained about the MSM's lack of coverage of Joe Schmoe's comments about Rev. Wright?