Sure, it's important to cover Obama's jobs plan thoroughly, but WaPo tends to like to write non-stories and then publish them on the front page, as if it's reminding readers that "Hey, remember, this is happening?"
The Washington Post based this entire article - which is essentially identical to articles printed days prior - off of the quote, "We'll get to that."
Filler is one thing, but to waste valuable inches on what was essentially a blow-off Harry Reid gave your reporter? Not exactly hard-hitting. Intelligent readers would have given up on that story by the second graf. People who still read newspapers already know that Obama is touting his jobs plan, and that it takes time to pass bills in Congress.
Given the way this article reads, the reporter was clearly told to go get a quote from Harry Reid, couldn't get a good one, and instead decided to go off on a tangent. Unfortunately, given that "the aide predicted the Senate will debate the jobs plan sometime in October," it sounds like we'll face weeks and weeks of this filler.
Not to mention the fact that, when they couldn't get the quote they wanted from Reid, they went for an anonymous source who could literally be anybody. Senate aide on the hill? That could be me if I worked on the senate side lol
ReplyDeleteThe suspense, breaking coverage, and hard-hitting questions probably made Harry Reid and his staff shudder.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the way the media keeps talking about Chris Christie as a possible candidate even though he has repeatedly said he is definitely not running.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-28-2011/indecision-2012---indecision-edition---chris-christie-s-answer
The question is the "I'll get to that" in the first quote - was that the same as the "I'll get to that in the second quote?
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it's building an article off a single quote as much as it's the feed of horse race politics interfering with legislative politics - so it's not just elections that are a horse race but also legislation.