Tuesday, November 27, 2007

McBride's gossip matters

Capper points out that Jessica McBride has no problem passing along (or making readers aware) of unsubstantiated rumor, inuendo and gossip about Democrats or outgoing Republican senators despised by the right.

But in comments in a post at her blog about Obama telling high school kids he had used cocaine, McBride actually pretends to have standards. Challenged on what she thinks about Bush's alleged -- and never denied -- cocaine use, McBride replies:

How do I feel about Bush and his "cocaine use"? I will weigh in on it when it's proven. I don't steadfastly believe he didn't do it, but I haven't seen any evidence, either. Obama admitted it. Big difference.

Drawing the line!

As a side note, McBride -- unlike Giuliani -- condemns Obama for admitting something he's admitted previously (although if he had just smoked pot, she'd have been cool with that). Read with awe this sentence in which McBride explains how Obama is secretly telling kids it's OK to do coke -- maybe he's sending semaphore via rapid movement of his eyelids:

I acknowledge Obama's encouraging them NOT to do it, but I think his drug confession tacitly tells them it's OK TO do it because the penalty will not be too high, and you can go on to run for president and be a media star even if you do. So, I think he should have kept his mouth shut in front of the kids.


Ponder: Jessica McBride (who entered this topic four full days after Sykes broached it on his radio show) teaches journalism at UW-M.

3 comments:

  1. Here's a question to ponder: If a reporter is writing about someone's personal life and behavior, is scrutiny of their personal life and behavior fair? It would be interesting to see Jessica McBride offer guidance on this point. I'm sure she'd prefer to preserve her prerogative to be inconsistent. I hope there are some free thinkers in her "class" who turn her BS back upon her.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Like I said over at McBride's blog, this is one of those, "damned if you do and damned if you don't" kind of situations. If Obama admits to his past drug use, then he's "implicitly condoning" that behavior - or worse - but if he isn't truthful, then he's dishonest.

    Someone needs to tell Jess she can't have it both ways.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am on the EDGE OF MY SEAT in anticipation of Jessica McBride "weighing in" on this matter. She is our MOST INFLUENTIAL BLOGGER and we are hanging on HER EVERY WORD!

    ReplyDelete