Eric Boehlert: How the press needs to deal with Marjorie Taylor Greene

[babylonsister]

https://pressrun.media/p/how-the-media-needs-to-cover-marjorie

How the press needs to deal with Marjorie Taylor Greene
It's simple
Eric Boehlert
59 min ago

snip//

There’s a simple solution to this riddle — be far more aggressive when covering Greene and use the proper language to describe what she’s doing. What she wants is a ton of coverage that depicts her as somewhat controversial and antagonistic towards liberals and the media. What she likely doesn’t want are headlines labeling her a racist, anti-Semite, stalker, and an unstable buffoon, all of which are accurate. News outlets should use that language without reservation.

The only thing stopping news organizations from posting accurate headlines such as, “Anti-Semitic Republican Lies About Holocaust,” is the media fear of a GOP backlash.

When members of the press raise concerns about giving Greene too much time and attention, what journalists are really worried about is giving her too much time and attention within the narrow confines of how the Beltway press treats elected Republicans. They’re acknowledging that they’re boxed in, by their own design, and they’re not willing to rethink how to aggressively cover a public menace like Greene.

Right now, there’s too much tap dancing around the truth. “CBS Evening News” this week referred to her as a Republican “firebrand.” Webster’s dictionary defines firebrand as, “one that creates unrest or strife,” which in many political instances can be viewed as a redeeming quality.

snip//

Reporters, producers, and editors all understand the danger Greene poses. Just like reporters, editors and producers all understood the danger Trump posed to democracy for four years, yet spent their time playing pointless word games so as to not be accurate and honest. The question is will journalists learn from their Trump errors?

Also, the press should constantly stress Greene’s obvious QAnon roots in the straight news coverage. There’s lots of media mentions of Greene “conspiracies,” but that’s entirely inadequate in terms of describing her beliefs. The press needs to be transparent that the Republican member of Congress believes in a cult-like political movement that insists Democratic elites are murderous pedophiles who worship Satan, and that Trump is the chosen one sent to cleanse America’s sins. And also remind news consumers that the FBI has declared QAnon to be a domestic terrorism threat.

The GOP has crossed over into the abyss and the press needs to change the way it covers some of the party’s maniacs.

[empedocles]

1. So obvious. traitortrump took advantage of media 'reserve' so much.

MSM media has gotten stronger against traitortrump. Now come his cohorts.

[Pacifist Patriot]

2. I could not possibly agree with him more.

The media needs to get brutal with honesty.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. I'm so glad Boehlert is calling the media to task relentlessly these days. . . . nt

[Hortensis]

4. As long as it ties her around the neck of the GOP she exemplifies. nt

[jmowreader]

5. No, that's not how they should handle her

They should do what my managing editor does and not put her insanity in the paper, or on television. There is absolutely no requirement to cover a crazy, insignificant troll, no matter what her job title is.

There are about 385 members of the House that are doing actual legislative work. Every television news outlet has a finite number of minutes in the day, and every newspaper has a finite number of press towers. If MTG no longer gets minutes or column inches, she’ll eventually decide this job isn’t fun anymore and decide to go home.

[Thunderbeast]

6. Racist wingnut language makes her more money.

Like her mentor, she is a grifter, not a legislator.

Her public persona is designed to separate her like-minded followers from their money.

It seems to be working.

Ignore her the way we ignore any other irrelevant back-bencher.

[dlk]

7. Once again, it's our profit-based, corporate media that has fallen short

When profits are the ultimate goal, news reporting gets watered down so certain groups of consumers aren’t offended, and our democracy suffers.

[world wide wally]

8. She should be referred to as "the talking piece of furniture at the Capital"

But she accomplishes less.

[MurrayDelph]

9. I looking forward to her being described as

"Former Congresswoman and failed OnlyFans model."

[moondust]

10. Like Trump,

Last edited Thu May 27, 2021, 01:31 PM - Edit history (1)

she has no business in government but they both went there because, unlike most everything else, the media MUST cover government to keep the voting public informed. It's the narcissistic publicity hound's dream: "They can't ignore me now."