From CBS:
"There's two press people in this gallery," Kennedy yelled during a debate over an anti-war resolution. "We're talking about Eric Massa 24-7 on the TV, we're talking about war and peace, $3 billion, 1,000 lives and no press? No press."
"You want to know why the American public is fit?" he continued. "They're fit because they're not seeing their Congress do the work that they're sent to do. It's because the press, the press of the United States is not covering the most significant issue of national importance and that's the laying of lives down in the nation for the service of our country. It's despicable, the national press corps right now."
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While I appreciate the passion, the job of the Congress is supposed to be to serve the people of the country. Complaining about whether there is press coverage doesn't help get that done. There are over 40,000 people who are going to die this year because they don't have health insurance. Where is the press coverage for those people. There are millions of people who are out of work. Where is the press coverage for those people. I'm sorry Rep. Kennedy. Do your job and stop worrying about whether the press is covering you or not. Getting press coverage is not part of your job description.
ReplyDeleteMyCue: This was only the tail end of his speech. The rest of it had to do with Afghanistan and was quite good. I don't at all think that HE personally wanted press coverage. He rightfully was telling the press they needed to get their priorities straight - instead of 25 covering Masa, they should have been covering the debate on Afghanistan. I think many of us have complained about the same thing kind of thing.
ReplyDeleteI am the first to agree with Kennedy that media coverage of the “news” today is despicable. I just read a report on this on CNN’s Political Ticker. Apparently Kennedy was upset because there were only three reporters in the press gallery. The report went on to say most reporters covering Capitol Hill work at their desks in the building where they have access to live TV coverage of proceedings and to their computers for taking notes. That makes sense to me. In other words, gallery presence was not a factor in actual press coverage.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't even thought of that. Good point.
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