We're getting some real insight in to how the right wing, led by the White House press office, manipulates the media. Last week's testimony in the Libby trial by Cathie Martin, a top White House aide, showed how the Bush team plays the big name reporters, like Russert, for the fools they are. Martin is an ultimate Bush insider. Her husband, Kevin, is the Bush-appointed Chair of the Federal Communications Commission. Martin's trickery was analyzed this weekend by the Associated Press
No one served up spicier morsels than Cheney's former top press assistant. Cathie Martin described the craft of media manipulation - under oath and in blunter terms than politicians like to hear in public.On the end of the right wing smear machine is "The Insight" -- a publication owned by Reverend Moon's cult, the Unification Church. Today's NY Times looks at that "publication" and its ability to spread false stories throughout the right wing smear machine. The Times examines how the Moonie-owned publication was able to spread the fake story about Obama's grade school. The last paragraph really sums up how the right wingers work:
The uses of leaks and exclusives. When to let one's name be used and when to hide in anonymity. Which news medium was seen as more susceptible to control and what timing was most propitious. All candidly described. Even the rating of certain journalists as friends to favor and critics to shun - a faint echo of the enemies list drawn up in Richard Nixon's White House more than 30 years ago.
After Insight posted the article on Jan. 17, Mr. Kuhner said, he was disappointed to see that the Drudge Report did not link to it on its Web site as it has done with other Insight articles. So, as usual, he e-mailed the article to producers at Fox News and MSNBC.As usual.
Cathie Martin and The Insight do the dirty work of the Bush team and the right wing. They seem to have the same standards for getting stories out. And, the traditional media plays right in to their hands.
