‘Gerbilists’ In The National Press Corps
By K. Daniel Glover | June 24, 2009
Doug Bates doesn't know it yet, but with the help of his daughter, the associate editor of The Oregonian has coined the perfect descriptor for journalism in the Age of Obama: "gerbilism."
Bates explained the genesis of the term Sunday in a commencement address to future journalists from the University of Oregon. As a child, his young daughter confused Bates' profession with the name of her favorite rodent in a school report about what her parents did for a living. "My dad Doug works at the newspaper," she wrote. "First he went to college to learn about gerbilism."
The punch line no doubt scored Bates a few laughs, but he segued into a serious point:
I've decided "gerbilism" is a pretty good word for what's been going on in the news media these days. Gerbilism is an apt term for something that's soft and warm and cuddly, safe and timid, with no sharp teeth and no bite whatsoever. Gerbilism, I've decided, is partly responsible for a lot of our nation's problems today.
Soft, warm, cuddly, safe, timid and no sharp teeth or bite -- yep, that sounds like much of the national media's coverage of Barack Obama.
Gerbilism is what you get when:
- A president coordinates questions with friendly reporters and snaps at independent thinkers in the White House press corps who don't pitch softballs;
- A national network agrees to a one-sided special report on healthcare policy at the White House and even goes so far as to reject advertising with alternative viewpoints;
- The editor of a major newsmagazine pens a love letter to the president and compares him with God;
- A national news anchor at another network bows his head before the president;
- The press fawns over everything from the president's dessert stops to his skill as a fly killer.
And those are just a few snapshots from the month of June alone. That kind of coverage has been commonplace for more than two years now and shows no signs of abating.
The national press does have some shining stars -- like Jake Tapper of ABC News, who broke into journalism at the liberal Salon.com but who has earned kudos from conservatives for his aggressive and balanced White House reporting. The media as a whole also has had some shining moments of critical coverage. Even the hopelessly liberal New York Times reported this week that Obama has broken his repeated promises to make the federal government more transparent.
But those moments are rare -- and it's not exactly courageous to criticize Obama for actions that have turned liberal bloggers against him. The press corps needs to get a backbone when it comes to covering Obama, and quick.
Bates understands the consequences if they don't. He was right to argue that today's press corps is contributing to the nation's problems, and he was right to admonish the next generation of journalists to "please join the fight to keep shallow, fluffy, worthless gerbilism from further weakening American democracy."
Let's hope they listen. The country needs journalists who cherish their historical role as watchdogs, not those who shirk their ethical duty because they happen to see the world through the same prism as the current occupant of the White House.
UPDATE, 6/25: An addition to the bulleted list -- gerbilism is when you publish drivel that portrays the president as the standard of perfection.
K. Daniel Glover is a project manager for Accuracy In Media. He has worked as an editor, writer and new media specialist in the Washington area since 1991, spending most of that time at National Journal and Congressional Quarterly.
33 Comments | Post a Comment
Did you hear Harry Smith closing his newscast by chastising the guy who asked the President about smoking? I think that Harry thinks that everyone’s being too hard on his man-crush Obama.
It’s a circus worthy of Stalinist Russsia
there is a whole dark side to gerbalism, save the gerbil now, no gerbaling in the white house
After 8 years of the worst Administration ever, now - NOW - you’re worring about coverage in the White House? All those years of FAUX, and NOW you’re worried? What did you have to say about, say, Armstrong Williams? And after the Jeff Gannon/Guckert/“Talon News” scandal, now - NOW - you talk about “gerbilism”??!?!?
Thanks for this post, which provide another example of the rightwing’s favorite excuse for their pathetic behavior: “that was then, this is NOW!!!”
Actually, given the MSM close attachment to the posterior of the president, the next step of gerbilism is altogether predictable.
Silvergoat: That just about says it all!!! Thanks for a mind giggle.
TwoPuttTommy -
Ah, yes. The tu quoque argument, or, as it is known in intro to logic classes, a fallacy.
Here, let me turn that around on you.
After 8 years of complaining about anything and everything that Bush did, NOW you guys don’t care if the President plants questiosn in press conferences? After complaining that the media parroted Bush’s line about Iraq, NOW you don’t care if ABC is running an infomercial for Obama’s healthcare plans?
Thanks for your post, which provides another example of the breathtaking hypocrisy of the leftwing scolds who won’t utter a peep against Obama for doing the same things they lambasted Bush for. “that was then, this is NOW!”
Do you see why tu quoque carries no weight?
Vlad,
TwoPuttTommy won’t acknowledge your argument. It’s a matter of quasi-religious belief and Manichean worldview, with the “rightwing” out there beyond the pale and in the dark.
But, why does anyone bother with network evening news programs anyway? Waste of time. It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen any of them that did more than present a superficial rendering of something I knew in greater depth from independent reading online and off.
TwoPuffTommy: look up “tu quoque”.
Also, as someone once said, enough of a quantitative difference becomes a qualitative difference.
James, I looked up “mandate” instead; it had a picture of Bush with Gannon. And they both had mighty wide stances.
Too late.
They have no credibility.
It’s over for them.
“he was right to admonish the next generation of journalists…”
We may be looking at the last generation now. One can argue, however laughably, that the media are as biased against the left (see TwoPuttTommy above), as they are against the right, but even the left aren’t buying newspapers. All the major papers are fading fast and people are turning to the blogs for whatever they are looking for, be it news, propaganda, or just interesting reading.
TwoPuttTommy:
It’s cute how you mention Jeff Gannon when the first bullet point above has the Obamassiah prearranging softball questions with a friendly reporter for a White House press conference. Ah, but suddenly it doesn’t matter so much, does it?
Sounds like TwoPutTommy is one of von Brunn’s left-wing pals.
Mr. L. - I’m guessin’ softballs aren’t the only thing Gannon was lobbin’ at Boy Blunder….
TwoPuttTommy:
The searing acumen and all-conquering logic of your arguments leaves me breathless.
Gosh, Scroggs - that was nothin’ - nothin’ at all. You can resume breathing again….or not.
Wow 2putt, I would have expected a picture of Barney Frank and the CEO of Fanney Mae. Again I see liberal projection.
TwoPuttTommy,
Don’t you think it’s funny, the number of homophobic slurs that emanate from the party that allegedly speaks for gay rights?
Don’t you think it’s funny, the amount of personal attacking and partisan sniping that emanates from the party that claims to be above partisan politics?
Don’t you think it’s funny, the willful blindness and wishful thinking that emanates from the party that claims to represent the “reality-based community”? (Or has “reality” gone out of fashion now that “hope” is all the rage?)
Damn, Alex, doncha hate it when Democrats act like Republicans??!?
FWIW - I was a GOPer for a LOT longer than I’ve been a Democrat; I didn’t attend my first DFL Caucus until 2002 - after watching what Boy Blunder And His Plunderers did to John McCain in South Carolina made me sick.
What I think is funny is how General Shinseki, who the GreedOverPrinciples party hates - he had the audacity to testify honestly at Congress - now is in charge of the VA. And that’s a good thing, after all the mismanagement by the neo-cons, the VA has a lot of fixing to do.
So - the party in power changes - and we go from “dittoheadism” to “gerbilism”. So what.
It seems journalistic “watchdogism” has been long gone - replaced by niche market developemnt and satisfaction, along with bottom-line maintenance. Apparently, “watchdogism” doesn’t have much of a current market nor much bottom-line potential.
Perfect descriptor for the majority of today"s journalists. Gerbalists, I Love it!
Gerbilists! Oh nice…this is going to stick, isn’t it? I shall start using it right away. To the tipping point everyone!
edh wrote, “I suppose that makes Obama, what, Richard Gere?”
No, the media and/or their public is Gere.
TwoPuttTommy wrote, “FWIW - I was a GOPer for a LOT longer than I’ve been a Democrat”
Come on, TPT. You don’t seriously think we’re THAT gullible, do you?
***
You don’t seriously think we’re THAT gullible, do you?
***
Well, sure! It’s amazing who and/or what you GOPers will swallow these days….
Oh - and here’s another guy that left the GreedOverPrinciples party - LTC Joe Repya. He’s real; look him up in Snopes. Here’s his story of why the small tent party just got smaller:
Funny how when 1 guy is in the tank for GWB it’s a national scandal and how when the MSM acts as the propaganda wing for the DSP it’s OK. ABC needs to get it’s collective mouth off of BO’s knob.
It’s not just shirking ones duty (a military term) it’s that they are on his team and in many cases against America. Obama is responsible for one good thing -he has take the leftist press our of the “maybe we’re liberal” stage and brought them cheering and drooling from the closet. Only a very mentally ill person would consider them journalists anymore -lousy cheerleaders would be closer to reality.
You must understand that watchdogs are necessary only when the Eeeeeeevil (if somewhat gutless) Republicans are in power. Otherwise, the liberal wingnuts of the media are free to make like lapdogs and do manly things like make sexual jokes about conservative women and their young children.
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The TV news is just entertainment. Become a “gerbillist” yourself: write for Examiner.com as a local Examiner for your city.
June 24 at 9:10 am | #1 | Link
I suppose that makes Obama, what, Richard Gere?