Liberal Media Attacks Stephen Colbert

Some people say that the liberal media is not so liberal anymore because they have been so supportive of the President until recently and because of the existence of Fox News. But the way the media has gone after conservative commentator Stephen Colbert for the speech he gave at the White House Correspondents dinner is all the evidence you need that the media has reverted to its liberal ways. Colbert attacked the liberal media and praised the President and for that he is being excoriated.

The White House Correspondents dinner is an annual event that Washington journalists give to say thank you to the President for giving them access and providing quotes "on background" from members of his administration. It is a testament to the warm relationship they have forged since the misunderstandings they had during the Nixon Administration. Usually the event features an inoffensive comedian who gently digs at the press and the President but never lands any hard blows, which would ruin the atmosphere of comity the dinner tries to foster. The only exception was the year Don Imus crudely attacked President Clinton in what many felt was a breach of decorum.

The dinner began, as it does every year, with a speech by the president of the group, who always says that since the press is attacked by both the left and the right, they must be doing a good job. Of course, they never tell you if there were an equal number of attacks from the left and right nor do they mention how many attacks they received from the middle. Bad weather is attacked by both the left and the right, too, but that doesn't mean it's a good thing.

Then President Bush was introduced but instead of the President a Bush impersonator named Steve Bridges and another Bush impersonator who was not identified, played dueling Bushes, neither of whom were very presidential. The point of this demonstration was, I think, to show that in a democracy you can make fun of the President without going to jail, though not too much fun.

Finally, Stephen Colbert spoke and he immediately laced into the liberal media and commended the President, which probably annoyed the media even more. The media is apparently not used to having the tables turned on them and the nervous laughter soon died away.

The next day the media was in universal agreement about Colbert's performance, saying that he "bombed," an unfortunate metaphor to use during wartime. Many in the media seemed to feel that because Colbert was their "guest" he was supposed to pull his punches and give them a big wet kiss. Some in the media simply ignored his performance as if they were embarrassed by what he said. Surprisingly, even Fox News panned his performance (despite the fact that he singled them out for praise), which just goes to show you that when it gets right down to it the media circles the wagons and protects its own. Perhaps because he is not from Washington he didn't realize that no one in this city can really afford to risk offending someone because dinner party invitations would dry up.

While I certainly believe that it is important to be polite, I am surprised that some in the media seem to feel that good manners is more important than the truth. Journalists nowadays seem to feel it is more important to make friends and advance their careers than it is to do a good job. Even many in the blogosphere are attacking Colbert perhaps trying to curry favor with the mainstream media which they seem to secretly want to be a part of.

I had never heard of Stephen Colbert before this event but he seems to be a very articulate and sincere conservative. Some are even saying he is courageous for facing down the liberal media the way he did. I'm not sure I would go that far. Is it really all that courageous to do your job? Have we sunk so low that merely having convictions makes one a hero?

Jon Swift, Stephen Colbert, Steven Colbert, Bush, White House Correspondents Dinner, Journalism, Fox News, Media, Politics, Liberal, Conservative, Comedian Jenée: People are Idiots OTA #7