Sunday, April 08, 2012

TV critic slamming Sarah Palin's co-hosting gig on Today Show: " Was another case of Today cheapening the journalistic brand of NBC News."

Courtesy of Mediaite:

 “It showed how frightened they [NBC] are by the move that GMA is making on them, number one. I also think the fact that GMA and ABC said, ‘Hey, we can throw Couric out here occasionally,’ scared them and rattled them. But more importantly, bringing Sarah Palin on that show, even if it got you a little ratings bump for the day she was on and it deflected some attention from Katie Couric, was another case of Today cheapening the journalistic brand of NBC News, which runs that show.”

Obviously I could not agree more. I am not always in agreement with David Zurawick, but this time he is spot on in his disgust over this ridiculous and potentially damaging stunt.

For those who are interested, here is David Zurawik's original article from April 3, the day after Palin wrung the last bit of journalistic integrity out of the Today Show.

47 comments:

  1. Martha again2:34 PM

    Off Topic: http://front.moveon.org/tina-fey-on-the-success-of-sarah-palin-in-one-super-shareable-graphic/?rc=fb.rp

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is It Over Yet?8:20 PM

      Martha...again.

      Thanks for the link. Lots of good stuff there in the sidebar on the right.

      Delete
  2. Randall2:38 PM

    Whatever little journalistic integrity The Today Show might have had is gone now: whored away for ratings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, it's all about the money, anyhow. ALL about the money.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous2:50 PM

    I e-mailed them last Tuesday that after watching the Today Show for 20 years, I'll never watch again. Giving that lying piece of shit Sarah Palin a platform was the last straw for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:40 PM

      Me too 50 years of Today, Goodbye, Matt!

      Delete
  4. Anonymous2:53 PM

    O/T: How Is This Possible?

    My history of finding and following IM is probably similar to many here. Watching SP give her acceptance speech to the RNC whilst her baby was being passed around, as so often it is characterized, 'like a sack of potatoes', I was APPALLED that such a person would be given a national platform. I felt as though I was treading the border of 'Bizzaro World'. Did no one else see what seemed so clear to me?
    (...Insert your own string of adjectives ...)

    Within a day or two, hearing of the 'Wild Ride' only confirmed my impressions...then I found Gryphen and at least was reassured I was not alone.

    The past few years have only reaffirmed my impressions regarding 'Bizzaro World', only any attempt at finding humour in it is getting more and more problematical.

    And, now, again, a screed like this:
    http://conservatives4palin.com/2012/04/guest-submission-sarah-palin-radio-hosts-ron-devito-on-gov-palins-leadership.html

    How is it possible that there can be such divergent impressions of her? what has happened to analytical thinking?

    How does she have so much power? who profits from her power? and the fear/negativity that she creates?

    And how can we, daily, neutralize the poison that she has injected into our body politic?

    I now know that I come to IM daily, in the hopes that an answer to these questions will appear. Sometimes I find myself annoyed and frustrated by silly stories and disputes that take up time and space...

    It just seems urgent that we are vigilant in opposing her and her minions in our own communities and on-line. They cannot be allowed to prevail.

    And yet, 'they' feel the same way about us! so again I wonder, Who Profits?

    (well, that was way more than I had intended to get into...I just have a very bad feeling about what she is up to...)

    Aurora

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All the more reason to keep the pressure and spotlight focused on the crimes committed by "All of them, any of them."

      Start with Todd and his crimes as a Pimp. ( Boys will be Boys by Shailey Tripp is a GREAT book!)

      And of course Sarah has yet to release Trig's Birth Certificate!

      Delete
    2. You said it, Aurora. She's like the Energizer Bunny, still ticking away at the expense of our country's reputation, Gabby Giffords, and a host of other insults to our collective intelligence.

      Truly, if she were a Democrat, she never would have been given a second thought. Even the great book and movie Game Change has not penetrated the thick crust of ignorance surrounding her supporters.

      Is she really the "false prophet" of the biblical predictions? I'm beginning to wonder.

      Delete
    3. It's all about the money. Nothing else. Follow the money. Journalistic integrity in the corporate media? Ya gotta be kidding.


      $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

      Delete
    4. Anonymous8:09 PM

      She is a troll, attracting our attention, distracting us, while ALEC and the Teabaggers and the GOP destroy our country.

      Delete
    5. comeonpeople5:56 AM

      I hear you Aurora, share your pain. My thought is to keep on the medical/legal aspects of the wild ride. Keep challenging CBJ's credentials to be a high risk OB (she didn't have them). Keep questioning MatSu allowing a high risk fetus to be induced (didn't happen). Eventually someone has to save their reputation publicly.

      Delete
  5. Poor Baldy....she just can't catch a break! Her BaldyPac coffers are....LOOOWWWWW...damn near empty! I'm waiting with bated breath to see what other stunt she has planned to confuse her bots even more.

    One thing I've noticed...since Baldy appeared on the Today Show quite a few of the patients from the Insane Asylum aka "Crazies4Palin" have stopped taking their mandatory Baldy Amnesia medicine and have jumped the wall and taken off to parts unknown!

    I did hear of some admitting that they were heading towards "Frothy Mixture"...but I believe the majority are thisclose to just ending it ALL!

    The one's that are still left...the OLD ass and possibly hard of hearing...along with bad eyesight... men...are apparently the only demographic that she's managed to hang on to...LOL!!

    But I'm sure if another report came out...that Baldy dabbled with ANOTHER piece of fine chocolate B-Ball player (HINT HINT for the Turd Blossom) she'll be DONE!

    Oh and as an aside...."Crazies4Palin" posted the most bogus ass numbers about the ratings that Baldy received...it's been widely reported that the Today Show only garnered an additional 23,000 viewers...well those dummies said Baldy garnered 100,000 more viewers! Liars...just like Baldy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:42 PM

      GinaM you are so WITTY. Thank you for your TRUTHFUL POSTS.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3:46 PM

      They can't help it, their all sick just like their Queen of Mean.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous4:25 PM

      The SarahPac Gravy Train is coming to its end.

      Sarah is probably working on one more Palin family summer vacation before the funds disappears into a secret account nobody knows about.

      Delete
    4. AnonymousApr 8, 2012 04:46 PM

      They can't help it, their all sick just like their Queen of Mean.

      That is so true! I mean look at Kristy...poor thing was put on BLAST today...but she kept right on posting her insane rantings until Gryphen gave her the heave hoe(waves at Beefy!) or she finally felt some kind of embarrassment! I'm hoping it's the latter and not the former!

      AnonymousApr 8, 2012 04:42 PM

      GinaM you are so WITTY. Thank you for your TRUTHFUL POSTS.

      TRUTH....YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!! Sorry I couldn't resist...LOL!!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous5:10 PM

      Yea, and she is enticing the older, white, fat, Republican men that have to take Viagra to get it up. Only Sarh would continue to give them the come on! She's the worst example of a wife, mother, friend, sister, aunt or child (and, she's never passed her teenage years in thought!)

      What a farce!

      Delete
  6. Anonymous3:12 PM

    Sarah Palin is getting slammed constantly now and it serves her right. It couldn't be happening to a more deserving idiot from Wasilla! She truly is a horrible embarrassment to the State of Alaska!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous3:23 PM

    Oh no!

    It was a "potentially damaging" stunt

    So stop whining and boycott the advertisers like an outraged liberal.

    Or maybe you're just "potentially outraged"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:52 PM

      Sarah Palin was too ignorant to see that the topics were directed at her. All of NBC'S Staff is laughing.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:31 PM

      We won't have to boycott advertisers. We can just not watch "Today" and the advertisers will get the message. You know, free speech and free markets. Sarah can rant and rave all she likes, and you can eat it up, but the sane among us can just ignore her antics.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous6:27 PM

      Oh, RAM...will you ever get a life?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous6:52 PM

      That same thing even happened on Fox news and they all laughed at her!
      Ha, do you think the pregnancy weight gain question was a accident? And her answer "I'd punch them in the throat"! REALLY?
      And the shrink talking about reality shows....and moms & daughters? Ya think that was directed at HER? You Betcha!
      And like all of it. Were "gotcha" you idiot questions!!
      Sarah Palin is a National idiot! And Todd is a National PIMP!
      Why did Levi and Bristol name Tripp after Shay Tripp Toads fave "Juicy woman"?

      Delete
  8. There once was a lady who had a sister died of breast cancer - she started a charity (from which she earned big $$) and then it got political and came crashing down.

    Sarah Palin, after the losing GOP race of 2008 - had the world's best opportunity to fund raise and support a charity to help children with down syndrome - and of course, their parents - most of whom struggle every day both financially and with striving towards the goal of helping their children live independent lives. She could have made a difference - and she could have made a $. She could have been mixing with all the big names of business and government in a major fundraising and charitable way.

    Her bitter and twisted self, however, couldn't see beyond the end of her nose & her hatred of President Obama. She chose her current political course with a stirring of celebrity. All downhill, one day at a time - the politicians don't want her and she has proven she is no celebrity in the making.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:44 PM

      Precisely. Sarah Palin wouldn't take the "High Road" if it was paved with gold bricks. She's too angry to see its worth.

      Delete
    2. Hear, hear.....

      Delete
    3. All Sarah had to do was release Trig's Birth Certificate, and then advocate for DS children! Easy, right?

      Unless... Trig is a political prop...which would explain her LACK of advocacy.

      Hmmmmmm, I wonder what the truth is...?

      Delete
  9. Anonymous3:58 PM

    If giving Sarah a voice on NBC cheapened them, what does that say about Fox?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:54 PM

      Fox was already trash.

      Ivyfree

      Delete
    2. Boscoe5:25 PM

      -That Fox never had any "journalistic integrity" to lose?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous5:29 PM

      Fox was already the gutter.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous4:37 PM

    The amazing part of this entire Palin fiasco is that Wasilla is a small town, Alaska only has 700,000 residents, yet Palin thinks THAT qualifies her to run a country of 300 million people? I seriously think that they STILL doi not realise how vaste the country is, and think they can get away with the things they got away with in Alaska. Up there, maybe they could bribe a few people, threaten a few people, pay off a few people. There are WAY too many of us in the rest of the country who see right through them, and the ignorance they represent. Talk about "biting off more than you can chew" It amazes me that Palin thinks she can get away with faking a pregnancy, covering up her husband's pimping, her daughter's multiple pregnancies. Those children WILL grow up and be full of questions, plus their neighbors will be curious as to why they suddenly showed up after being hidden for so long. There is much to be said for honesty and integrity, qualities sadly missing in every single Palin.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Tis their lies that bind them as a family. Unfortunate, at best.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous4:39 PM

    Dunno, but I think that TV critic missed some of the finer points of Sarah Palin's Today show gig. For example, to any reasonably intelligent viewer with a few babygate facts, the discussion of pregnancy weight gain was hilarious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:28 PM

      And the screen shot of Palin with the scroll about a prostitution ring right under her. And the discussion about 'raising teen girls' with Sarah and the professional women who actually care about more than which reality show their daughter gets paid for, and how many children they can have out of the puboic eye. The whole thing was a setup.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous6:29 PM

      That's right. You could see the glint in Matt and Ann's eyes.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous5:31 PM

    From the article:

    ...And then, there's Sarah Palin scheduled to co-host the “Today" show Tuesday morning."Today" is also a production of the glorious NBC News.

    It's an election year, and Palin, the vice presidential candidate in 2008, has made it clear she is still hoping for enough chaos at the GOP convention to be considered a candidate. And NBC News is putting her on the air as a co-host of one of the highest rated shows on TV -- the highest-rated mainstream (oh, I'm sorry, Sarah, I mean lamestream) show on morning TV.

    Talk about going out of your way to politicize and debase your journalistic brand.

    Why in the world would you do it if you cared a lick about journalistic integrity – or respected the responsibility of the free press in a democracy to provide voters with information that they can trust?

    Because ABC's"Good Morning America,"which has been closing the gap on "Today" in ratings, has Katie Couric co-hosting this week, and Couric is terrific in morning TV.

    (Man, did she light up the screen Monday. That furrowed brow that defined her on the CBS Evening News was nowhere to be found; she absolutely dazzled.)

    But, of course, as her former employer, NBC News can't let Couric and ABC News get away with that, even though Couric, who once owned morning TV for NBC, is now a legitimate employee of ABC News.

    So, how can NBC News counter? I know, we'll have lock-and-load Sarah on Tuesday. Maybe she can track an elk through the superscope on her high-powered rifle and shoot it dead for viewer entertainment Tuesday morning -- just like she did on her fabulous reality TV show on the slimebucket TLC channel. Top that, Katie.

    (And don’t post any empty headed comments here about killing that animal for sport or meat. She did it for the entertainment of an audience sitting in front of their big flat screens eating nachos and looking for a new cheap TV thrill. And Alaska Annie delivered the sick, sick goods.)

    That is the person NBC News chooses to cast its lot with Tuesday morning.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous5:43 PM

    Palin is a shit magnet. Her faithful are dumber than shit. It is that simple. I live in Alabama. I have many Repub friends, as you can imagine. We have thoughtful discussions about politics and without fail they feel she has helped to destroy their brand by her obvious ignorance. The stereotype of Southerness aside, she has not helped, but hurt their party. They want her to STFU!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous5:54 PM

    Rick Warren's Not Willing To Call Mitt Romney a Christian
    http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/rick-warrens-not-willing-call-mitt-ro

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous6:05 PM

    $arah Palin didn’t give the ‘Today’ show a ratings “bump.” The ‘Today’ show may have beaten ‘GMA,'(like they always do) but the show only got 26,000 extra viewers,(which is pathetic). The 'Today' show also got a spike in ratings from teen girl viewers, who tuned in to see Ryan Seacrest, and the 'Today' show ratings were actually down from February. It’s this kind of laziness from people like this David Zurawick person, that gives $arah Palin her swollen ego.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:11 PM

      It was only 23,000, according to the WaPo

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8:15 PM

      GMA got the highest rating on the day Palin was on Today Show. So Couric beat Palin out. Do your research.

      Delete
  16. lostinmn7:03 PM

    Yeah, I'm boycotting NBC from the moment they announced she was going to be on. Too bad, I kind of liked Brian Williams but to bring the grifter onto the Today Show was just wrong

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous8:01 PM

    I'm thru with NBC!

    That wasn't right to put that retard on their show.

    ReplyDelete
  18. WHEN I WAS A LAD
    When I was a lad the To-day show
    Fea-tured good important things to know
    Frank Blair gave us weather and McGee the news
    And Barbara Walters did good in-ter-views
    (And Barbara Walters did good in-ter-views)
    But now with Sarah Palin on the show
    To-day is just the biggest media ho'!
    (But now with Sarah Palin on the show
    To-day is just the biggest media ho'!)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anita Winecooler8:17 PM

    I think Sarah sunk the ratings on her own. Bryant Gumbel and Star Jones already said much the same as this clip conveys.

    Couric is slated to have a regular daytime television talk show of her own, how could Sarah (with a six year degree in "journalism") put a dent in their ratings? This was a one shot deal, and if you noticed Matt Lauer's face, he was holding back a full on laugh in her face more than a few times.

    Come on, Sarah, get a talk show in the same time slot as "The perky one", nbc LOVES you and they owe you one!

    ReplyDelete

Don't feed the trolls!
It just goes directly to their thighs.