Publisher Says RFK's Article Could Be Equivalent of "Downing Street Memo"

[kpete]

Friday, June 9, 2006
Associate Publisher:
Public interest in news topics beyond control of mainstream media

By KENNETH F. BUNTING
P-I ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER


The blogosphere has been abuzz. But in the days since Rolling Stone magazine published a long piece that accused Republicans of widespread and intentional cheating that affected the outcome of the last presidential election, the silence in America's establishment media has been deafening.

In terms of bad news judgment, this could turn out to be the 2006 equivalent of the infamous "Downing Street memo," the London Times story that was initially greeted by the U.S. media with a collective yawn.

Robert Kennedy Jr.'s Rolling Stone mega-essay is titled "Was the 2004 Election Stolen?" It focuses on widespread voting irregularities, questionable tallies and disenfranchising practices, particularly in Ohio, which President Bush won by more than 100,000 votes.

......................

It's too early to tell whether it will become big news in the same delayed manner the British intelligence memo did. But the titans of the news industry still have things to learn about how news becomes news in the present-day media landscape. Editors will always have responsibility for filtering, and helping readers understand the importance and credibility of news reports.

But nowadays, the American discourse is rightfully in hands other than ours.

more at:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/273283_bunting09.html

[BlooInBloo]

1. Meaning that it'll get no coverage and disappear from the public...

... consciousness without even so much as a McGlaugain (no idea how to spell his damn name) "BYE-BYE!!"?

Then I hope it's nothing like the DSM.

[MissWaverly]

3. do you mean Mr. McLaughlin of the McLaughlin group

Mr. McLaughlin came out heavily in support of Gore in 08 on his Memorial Day weekend show,
I was shocked, shocked I tell you. Also I was surprised that he said that there is lobbying
behnd the scenes to get us out of Iraq by having the Iraq government ask us to leave.

[BlooInBloo]

4. Thank you! I never comme anywhere NEAR getting his name right!

Can't believe he came out for such a bleeding heart liberal tho - that's fuckin awesome.

[MissWaverly]

5. he was really saying Global Warming is a fact

You can probably read the transcript of the show, it was May 28th, the problem is that everything is copyrighted there and you can't quote it.

[BlooInBloo]

6. I thought there was a thing called "fair use" that allowed...

... copywritten works to be quoted, in small parts?

Does that no longer exist? How on earth do kids write essays? lol

[MissWaverly]

7. Well, I think of them as the old guard

It says at the beginning of his website that nothing can be quoted in any form w/o permission.

[BlooInBloo]

8. Ah. gotcha.

[MissWaverly]

9. But that doesn't mean that they don't have influence

I think that the mainstream power brokers and the wealthy have moved away from Bush, of course,
he still has the support of those who have done all this manipulation to make a quick buck,
whoever they are. But these individuals are not the real power brokers, they were able to
use Bush's credibility to make a quick dime but now there is no credibility.

[eShirl]

16. bullshit

I mean, I believe they have that disclaimer, but they cannot render Fair Use null by it.

[pnwmom]

2. I think we should ALL be writing this guy and thanking him profusely

for this piece -- and asking him to push for more coverage.

What good is cynicism going to do us?


Thank you for posting this.

[jean]

12. How do WE push for more coverage? I'm calling and writing local outlets

Bobby Kennedy worked four long months composing this brilliant article. Surely we can push for coverage or at least get a huge buzz going about the it.

[pnwmom]

20. Ooops! I was forgetting the whole world doesn't live in Seattle

I, personally, am pushing the Seattle papers to cover the story. But you're certainly right that everyone should be pushing as many papers as possible!

[faithnotgreed]

10. kicking

[DrDebug]

11. K&R

[Cetacea]

13. K&R

With gratitude to RFK and Rolling Stone.

[Sabien]

14. yeah - they're both being ignored eom

[Sabien]

17. yeah you're right

what am I thinking?

Besides Trading Desperate American Survivor Housewives' Idols is on tonight -- back to the important things...

[killbotfactory]

15. Get over it!

What do you think this is, a democracy?

[NastyDiaper]

18. "Were we Duped, or just Apathetic"..

..is the question the media has to ask. Of itself. I think the media would rather have Colbert keynote their biggest conference.

Then there is the question that follows an understanding that in fact the election was stolen. "Ok, what do we do about it?"

Everyone is afraid of that question.

[oxbow]

19. If you remember, WE were the ones that resurrected the DSM

We refused to let it go dwn the memory hole. We called up our local news channels and newspapers and emailed the nationals. We helped collect thousands of signatures for John Conyers' petition.

I don't see anywhere near that kind of effort for Kennedy's article, and I take my part of the blame. I think it's time to start though...this is as important as the issues get, because none of the other ones can be solved unless we deal with this one first.