Is Howard Kurtz indulging in useless speculation about whether journalists are indulging in useless speculation?
It’s true, we all love the workaholic and fair-minded media maven Howie Kurtz. But this week he went off on an inexplicable tear against the media, pushing the notion that the media looked dumb for predicting a Rehnquist resignation and indulging in “useless speculation” about SDO’s successor. Wha?
His guests said “wha?” too, like so (abridged to make my point but check the full transcript here):
KURTZ: Isn’t it a big embarrassment for everyone to kind of have stampeded into the notion that it was Rehnquist who was going to step down this week?FRANK SESNO, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: No…I don’t know how much of an embarrassment it is….
KURTZ: Lyle Denniston, Sesno is being too polite here. Yes, Rehnquist was 80, and he suffers from thyroid cancer and he still might step down, but there was a rush to judgment here, was there not? (Ed. Oh, yes, those craaaaazy speculating journalists!)
LYLE DENNISTON, SCOTUSBLOG.COM: [saying that "the truly informed specialists" only figured Rehnquist would stay starting earlier in the week] ….[I]t was a surprise that anyone departed when the announcement was made on Friday. And that was a surprise, apparently, even to Sandra O’Connor’s sons, who hadn’t been told.
KURTZ: Byron York, now we’re hearing about so-and-so is expected to be on the short list, and being mentioned as a possible successor. Isn’t this the same useless speculation from the people who were wrong about Rehnquist?
BYRON YORK, NATIONAL REVIEW: Actually, I don’t think it’s useless at all…
KURTZ: Well, but we don’t actually know who the president is going to pick.
SESNO: … none of this is useless. This actually matters. This speculation matters. Whoever goes on the Supreme Court, and especially if they change the dynamic of the Supreme Court, is going to affect people’s lives from their bedrooms to their front gate. And that really matters, so go for it.
KURTZ (pouting): No one is underplaying the importance of the decision here with the Supreme Court. My point is that journalists have this irresistible desire to forecast and predict who a president is going to nominate, and often that’s not — they don’t know.
SESNO: Of course they don’t know. But this is a case where the press should get in it, and mix it up. And if there’s speculation, as long as it’s informed speculation, go for it, because people need to understand the stakes.
Of course they do! Howard Kurtz what have you been smoking? Never mind the lip-service you pay to the Karl Rove allegations (“This is an explosive story, but we’re not going to explore it, really”)(more on that soon). A very disappointing edition of “Reliable Sources,” and a disappointing and perplexing stance by someone who should understand and support the media a bit better. Hmph.
p.s. Kurtz wasn’t really pouting, but stage directions make transcripts way funnier.
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