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What Is Howie Kurtz's agenda at WaPo?

Eric Boehlert at Media Matters:

Attentive readers of Howard Kurtz's washingtonpost.com weekday media column may have noticed that on the fifth and final page of his 3,000-word December 6 post, Kurtz finally addressed the media controversy that erupted when Salon.com blogger Glenn Greenwald highlighted an egregious error made by Time magazine columnist Joe Klein. Klein had mocked a supposed Democratic legislative maneuver in Congress for being "well beyond stupid" and stressed how Democrats remain soft on the war on terror.[..]

The story, which raged online for more than two weeks and was commented upon by virtually every major liberal blogger, unfolded at the intersection between politics and media -- the same intersection that Kurtz writes about for a living as perhaps the most-read media writer in the country. Yet for weeks Kurtz remained silent about the Klein story; nothing in the Post, nothing in his online daily column, and nothing on CNN's Reliable Sources, the weekly media program that he hosts.

The deafening silence was baffling. As Greenwald noted in an email to me, "The story involved the most-read political journal in the country and one of the best-known pundits. It entailed numerous key media issues which Kurtz is assigned to cover, including the corrupt use of anonymous sources, uncritical reliance by reporters on partisan spin, and a media outlet's refusal to correct its errors honestly and clearly."

Unsurprisingly, nearly 3 pages of Kurtz's 5 page post was about either Bill or Hillary Clinton, neither getting particularly flattering coverage.

About Nicole Belle
Nicole Belle's picture
Mom, Wife, Media Critic/Political Analyst, Blogger, Austen Fanatic, Unapologetic Liberal NicoleBelle@crooksandliars.com
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25 Comments
Darth_Cheney's picture
RagingGurrl's picture

Yes - Kurtz is a putz. He loves to go rooting through the Clinton underwear draws, especially if he's chatting to Chris Matthews. What is up with their obsession with Hillary? These guys must be whipped a home, if you know what I'm saying.

Don Lowell's picture

Kurtz is a manipulator,idiot, neocon putz liar!!

Lindy

Darth_Cheney's picture

Fun little site....enjoy

http://pabulumadnauseam.blogspot.com/

Dr. Acula's picture

Howare "The pro-neocon waterboy" should be waterboarded. Because, hey, it's NOT torture!

rend's picture

Agenda:

whatever it is, it is decidedly not good. I wish he would cut his hair,, it is misleading.

Dr. Acula's picture

Whoops, that's Howard.

Old Billy's picture

What is Howie Kurtzs agenda at Wapo?

Ummm... to continue getting paid by his corporate masters?

don't hate me's picture

When the history of this era is written I bet it'll show that THOUSANDS of "journalists" were on the White House or CIA payroll.

TadAllagash's picture

You guys have to realize. Howie is married to a Republican spinster and is, himself, the ultimate insider.

Also he will never attack a fellow major journalist. Look at how hard he has been rooting for Don Imus' return.

Once in the Old Boys Club, ALWAYS in the Old Boys Club.

We have to shoot down the assumed and pseudo-impartiality of partisans like Howard Kurtz.

don't hate me's picture

OT - The fact that Dennis Kucinich is being excluded from today's debate is an OUTRAGE. I guess the requirement(s) to be included in today's Democratic debate are:

(1) Voted for the Patriot Act 1 and 2
(2) Voted for the hideous Military Comissions Act
(3) Given Bush authorization for Iraq War
(4) Funded the war without question
(5) Taken bucketloads of money from Corporate Donors
(6) Make sure insurance companies make billions from your health insurance plan
(7) Refused to Defend the Constitution and uphold your oath

** If you haven't met ANY of these requirements you cannot particpate in an Iowa Democratic debate.

ysbaddaden's picture

Could be worse. Today in the Dallas Morning Nudes they ran a column in the editorials by michele (gri)malkin.

Samson-'s picture

don't hate me @ 12:

OT - The fact that Dennis Kucinich is being excluded from today's debate is an OUTRAGE. I guess the requirement(s) to be included in today's Democratic debate are:

(1) Voted for the Patriot Act 1 and 2
(2) Voted for the hideous Military Comissions Act
(3) Given Bush authorization for Iraq War
(4) Funded the war without question
(5) Taken bucketloads of money from Corporate Donors
(6) Make sure insurance companies make billions from your health insurance plan
(7) Refused to Defend the Constitution and uphold your oath

** If you haven't met ANY of these requirements you cannot particpate in an Iowa Democratic debate.

sorry to continue the OT, but i did not know Dennis was banned from the debate... what gives? whose decision was that? not the des moines register, was it? seeing as crazy man keyes was a part of the GOP debate yesterday...

consider me angered

CoIntelPRo's picture

no surprise. kurtz is scum. he is just as much an enemy of progressives as his bunkmate.

rachel maddow had him on her show last week and thanklfully he had no room for his usual wankery.

Batocchio's picture

Sigh. I left a comment with similar sentiments when Kurtz wrote the piece. It's nice he finally covered it, but why the delay, and why so little focus? Were he not a hack, it would have been the focus of at least one column.

jr's picture

Howie's a dinner party circuitist who thinks allowing repubs to lie is "balance"

don't hate me's picture

Samson- @ 15:

don't hate me @ 12:

OT - The fact that Dennis Kucinich is being excluded from today's debate is an OUTRAGE. I guess the requirement(s) to be included in today's Democratic debate are:

(1) Voted for the Patriot Act 1 and 2
(2) Voted for the hideous Military Comissions Act
(3) Given Bush authorization for Iraq War
(4) Funded the war without question
(5) Taken bucketloads of money from Corporate Donors
(6) Make sure insurance companies make billions from your health insurance plan
(7) Refused to Defend the Constitution and uphold your oath

** If you haven't met ANY of these requirements you cannot particpate in an Iowa Democratic debate.

sorry to continue the OT, but i did not know Dennis was banned from the debate... what gives? whose decision was that? not the des moines register, was it? seeing as crazy man keyes was a part of the GOP debate yesterday...

consider me angered

The excuse is that his campaign chair in Iowa works from home. They claim his chair must have a rented office. This is nothing more than an excuse thought up at the last minute to censor him. If you're pissed here's a link to an article with phone numbers to call.

http://blog.pdamerica.org/?p=1521

John Samsonite's picture

do people really still care about print media opinion dopes? their entire universe is disintegrating, so i'm not sure it's even worth worrying about. dopes like Kurtz just don't really matter anymore.

Liberal AND Proud's picture

Is that a rhetorical question, C&L? Hmmm...bring down the republic, self aggrandizement, graft taking, kickbacks, aids in successful self abuse?

I don't know.

Coop's picture

The same as it's always been - Whatever benefits Howie the Hack and the friends and family of Howie the Hack.

Coop's picture

There is no possible justification for added the psychotic, coalition of the clueless likes of Alan Keyes and subtracting Kucinich.

Of course, there's no possible justification for any of these sham debates as they've been conducted so at the end of the day, what the hell difference does it make. It only serves to further illustrate the complete and utter absurdity of the entire process.

On a brighter note, at least Pat Leahy finally issued Contempt Cites to Rovesputin and Boltneck. It's about fookin' time.

In the spirit of the season, they should rip off their fookin' heads and shite down their necks just to limber up and get the blood flowin'.

Ron's picture

and what do KURTZ and KLIEN have in common?

pc's picture

and this is news ... how? Howie is a Mole.

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