Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Akways the Answers, Never the Questions

Here's AP's take on tonight's Republican debate.

Notice anything? It's a small but perfect example of media manipulation. The entire article is a litanny of individual candidate's talking points -- those pithy, quotable statements created by handlers well in advance of any actual questioning. AP carries the candidates' water by quoting what they said -- in almost every instance without even the context of the questions theses stamements obstensibly refer to.

In this case, little harm done. And you could argue that what candidates say -- not what they are asked or how they differ -- is the news out an event like tonight's.

But they why call it a "debate"? Why not just aknowledge it a publicity vehicle for third party dissemination of competitive messages?

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