Is Katie Couric Ignorant of American History?
Ever since I reviewed the “news” segments where Katie Couric accorded different treatment to the Democratic and Republican nominees for Vice President last fall, I have been wondering if the reason the CBSNews anchor chose to include the clip of Joe Biden telling us how Franklin Roosevelt went on television right after the market crash (you know the one that, in combination with increased government intervention in the economy precipitated the Great Depression) was because, like the misinformed Democrat, she too was ignorant of American history.
If she had known that back in 1929, presidents didn’t go on television and that, well, FDR wasn’t then president (the market crashed more than three years before that Democrat’s election and longer still before his inauguration), she would have certainly asked a followup. (Okay, okay she may well have done that, but just edited it out–so we have another argument for her to release the raw footage of her interview.)
Given that her segment was very favorable to the Delaware Democrat, it seems she wouldn’t have included the bit where Biden demonstrates his ignorance of American history. So, maybe she too is ignorant of American history. She didn’t know he got his facts wrong.
And if she did not that he was wrong—and didn’t press him on that, well, then we have another piece of evidence of her incredible bias. Any good reporter would have asked a politician to follow up on such a strange statement.
That is, if she knew it to be strange.
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I personally do not like Katie Couric, and I honestly think she knows better, but is going along with upper management at CBS. To keep her job, she has to do what her bosses tell her to do. Unfortunately, it makes her look like an idiot. I think a lot of news anchors are in over their heads. They are afraid if they stand up to their bosses, they will be out of a job, cause lets face it; Fox can only pick up so many of them. Tucker Carlson and Glenn Beck beat them to the punch.
Madalyn
Comment by Madalyn — December 8, 2009 @ 12:04 pm - December 8, 2009
Is the Sun hot?
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — December 8, 2009 @ 12:18 pm - December 8, 2009
Does anyone really think Katie Couric’s mind has anything at all to do with how she got to be where she is today?
Comment by V the K — December 8, 2009 @ 1:10 pm - December 8, 2009
Meh, this is a non-story to me. I don’t think anyone expects much from Mrs Couric anyway. It’s sad, but the business just doesn’t require a great depth on knowledge anymore. And I’m not dissing Couric either, as she was probably a very good beat reporter, when that was her job. As an anchor of a major news program, she’s…. I was going to say she’s out of her league, but when compared to the others holding similar positions, she’s par for the course.. This trend is squarely on the shoulders of the people who do the hiring and firing at the news networks. It’s not a Couric problem, or a Williams problem, or a Gibson problem. It’s an industry problem.
Comment by Sonicfrog — December 8, 2009 @ 1:25 pm - December 8, 2009
Sorry, I misspoke earlier. I should have put it like this:
I nearly LOL’ed at the linked article, where the Associated Press reports the Dear Teleprompter as seriuosly claiming that we must “spend our way out of this recession”.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — December 8, 2009 @ 1:30 pm - December 8, 2009
ILC: That’s got Krugman’s fingerprints all over it. There’s nothing Krugman likes to do more than take money away from people and give it to the central planners in D.C. to allow them to reward special constituents.
Obama’s personal pet job creation plan is “home weatherization”. Jon Stewart pointed out in a skit last night Obama has talked about weatherization as a stimuls plan many times over the past year, including at the jobs forum last week. He’s obsessed with it.
Who knew the road to propserity was through caulking?
Comment by Scott — December 8, 2009 @ 3:52 pm - December 8, 2009
More relevant than what Couric knows about American history is this: Sarah Palin was repeatedly mocked for saying that there is an island in Alaska from which you can see Russia. Which is true. Meanwhile, Barack Obama said he’d been to 57 states with one more to go, and Joe Biden said that FDR went on television right after the 1929 stock market crash, which is nonsense.
Comment by Conservative Guy — December 8, 2009 @ 4:16 pm - December 8, 2009
Unless this is a rhetorical question, the proper response is “duh-hoy”.
Comment by Phelps — December 8, 2009 @ 6:55 pm - December 8, 2009
Craig Crawford, Imus’s guest this morning on Imus In The Morning. Just In Time For Christmas “Listen Up Mr President” Craig Crawford FBN Video I tell my Democrat Friends not to underestimate Sarah Palin.
http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2009/12/i-fav-craig-crawford-sarah-palin-third.html
Comment by keyboard jockey — December 9, 2009 @ 12:11 pm - December 9, 2009