The Question That Exposes Incompetent Reporters

[sufrommich]

While the source is not clear, someone developed a simple way to identify incompetent news reporters. If you hear a reporter ask people in President Obama's administration, ideally in a belligerent tone, "are the American people better off than they were four years ago?,"the reporter is trying to tell you that they are not qualified to do their job.

The reason we know that the questioners are incompetent reporters is that this is a pointless question. Suppose your house is on fire and the firefighters race to the scene. They set up their hoses and start spraying water on the blaze as quickly as possible. After the fire is put out, the courageous news reporter on the scene asks the chief firefighter, "is the house in better shape than when you got here?"

Yes, that would be a really ridiculous question. Hence George Stephanopoulos was being absurd when he posed this question to David Plouffe, a top political adviser to President Obama on ABC's This Week. Bob Schieffer was being equally silly when he asked Martin O’Malley, the Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, the same question on CBS's Face the Nation.

A serious reporter asks the fire chief if he had brought a large enough crew, if they enough hoses, if the water pressure was sufficient. That might require some minimal knowledge of how to put out fires.


http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/qare-americans-better-off-today-than-they-were-four-years-agoq-the-questron-that-exposes-incompetent-reporters


Please consider tweeting this article to your favorite media talking head moron.

[Tennessee Gal]

1. Yes, we are better off as a nation.

At that point in time this nation was hemorrhaging jobs and the auto manufacturers were about to go under.

There are now more private sector jobs in the United States than there were in January 2009, when President Obama took office and the auto industry is certainly better off.

The problem is in the public sector and that can be directly attributed to conservative efforts to slash funding for teachers, firefighters, and police.

Had Republicans not set out to fight everything this President proposed, this nation would be in even better shape.

Is it enough? Certainly not, but the President has reversed a course started by the GOP. That is why he deserves another term for his policies to continue and that is why it is critical to regain the House. Ideally it would be wonderful to have a filibuster proof Senate, but I doubt that is going to happen.

[watrwefitinfor]

2. I saw at least two other "reporters"

asking this identical question of various administration folks over the weekend.

First one I saw do it was Mike Wallace with Axelrod on Sunday morning Fox. Wallace, like Staphenopolis, asked it over and over and over ad nauseum. He even interupted a couple of times to ask it again. Obnoxiously.

It is so clearly coming down from wherever they all get their instructions that they should drill in on this one ridiculous "question". The goal is not to get an answer to the question. The goal is to get a sound bite they can then use to pummel the administration with for a week, and for the Repubs to use in some commercial.

This, to me, is the sure sign that there is one source for ALL the talking and asking points these "reporters" use, and it ain't anyone friendly to the Democratic Party.

Wat

[avebury]

3. K&R nt

[CrispyQ]

4. That's a great analogy.

A serious reporter would also ask the fire chief about "those firefighters who were actively working against the rest of the crew" - you know, the ones who said that their goal is to make sure the president doesn't get a second term.

That clip of McConnell should be shown every damned night during prime time.