“Analysis:” AP-Speak for “Hagiography”
posted at 10:52 am on April 23, 2009 by Slublog
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Ron Fournier and Trevor Thompson have done what I once thought impossible – they have actually broken new ground in media adulation for the president.
Behold, the new gold standard:
WASHINGTON (AP) – For the first time in years, more Americans than not say the country is headed in the right direction, a sign that Barack Obama has used the first 100 days of his presidency to lift the public’s mood and inspire hopes for a brighter future.Intensely worried about their personal finances and medical expenses, Americans nonetheless appear realistic about the time Obama might need to turn things around, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. It shows most Americans consider their new president to be a strong, ethical and empathetic leader who is working to change Washington.
Now, this is marked ‘analysis,’ which I suppose makes reporters think they can put stuff like this in a story, instead of scrawling it on the backs of their reporter notebooks encircled by hearts.
Nobody knows how long the honeymoon will last, but Obama has clearly transformed the yes-we-can spirit of his candidacy into a tool of governance. His ability to inspire confidence — Obama’s second book is titled “The Audacity of Hope” — has thus far buffered the president against the harsh political realities of two wars, a global economic meltdown and countless domestic challenges.
In a previous life, I worked in public relations. The first few paragraphs of this story are more gushing than even the most shameless PR hack would write on behalf of his or her employer. It’s certainly not what one should reasonably expect from two professional reporters. And no, I don’t mean that last sentence to be ironic – journalism is a profession, and I think we should expect professionalism from those who practice it. The founders of this country felt a free press was so vital to our republic that they gave it constitutional protection. Watching the modern press eagerly debase that right in their transformation from watchdog to lapdog is disheartening.
The excessive happy-talk seems especially egregious when they actually start discussing the details of the poll:
*While there is evidence that people feel more optimistic about the economy, 65 percent said it’s difficult for them and their families to get ahead. More than one-third know of a family member who recently lost a job.
* More than 90 percent of Americans consider the economy an important issue, the highest ever in AP polling.
* Nearly 80 percent believe that the rising federal debt will hurt future generations, and Obama is getting mixed reviews at best for his handling of the issue.
Considering the lopsided partisan mix of those polled (D+18), some of the numbers in the poll (full results here) seem a bit soft for The One.
But Fournier and Thompson don’t spend much time on those icky details before getting back to their “analysis.”
So far, Obama has defied the odds by producing a sustained trend toward optimism. It began with his election.
I know many have become immune to this sort of thing, but we shouldn’t be. The press is too important to be ignored, and when the AP churns out a story this over-the-top in its praise for a political leader, their lack of professionalism should be pointed out. The founding fathers intended the press to hold politicians accountable, not sing them hosannas.
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Sometimes I think I’m being irrational, my disgust with the media is so deep and so wide. I don’t want to suffer from Media Derangement Syndrome. Then I hear about this crap and realize it’s perfectly appropriate – deranged would be accepting this crap at face value.
Laura on April 23, 2009 at 11:06 AM
Until I read Goldberg’s Bias, several years ago, I used to argue that it was not there.
Oh my, it is so prevalent now that they even brag about it!
kybowexar on April 23, 2009 at 11:39 AM
You know this was written on 1/21 with a few poll numbers throw in there to make it seem relevant.
lorien1973 on April 23, 2009 at 11:39 AM
O/T right now the ads are for Obama wear – is that not perfect for this topic!
kybowexar on April 23, 2009 at 11:39 AM
Rasmussen has him tanking
jp on April 23, 2009 at 11:44 AM
New Rasmussen poll: 58% of Americans think releasing the CIA memos endangers national security. Only 28% want the administration to move forward with trials.
BardMan on April 23, 2009 at 11:45 AM
Goebbels is envious of al-AP
jukin on April 23, 2009 at 11:46 AM
Well, there’s a bright spot.
RushBaby on April 23, 2009 at 11:47 AM
Where are all the ads from the RNC?
They need to tear that slimey bastard apart at every level.
It seems to be up to Limbaugh et al, but time is critical as their agenda gets ramped up.
Negative advertising works and needs to be massive, since the MSM is so in the tank for this traitorous administration.
Just run the Obama-Chavez kissy-face and the down-on-his knees for the Saudi King, for openers.
TexasJew on April 23, 2009 at 11:49 AM
Hey! The AP is still holding George W. Bush accountable!
calabrese on April 23, 2009 at 11:49 AM
Ah, the Obama Chorus is warming up again. Thousandth verse, same as the first.
NebCon on April 23, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Not for long.
ElectricPhase on April 23, 2009 at 11:55 AM
The synoptic gospels are not quite that up on Jesus, IIRC.
Beagle on April 23, 2009 at 11:57 AM
Yeah? So is prostitution.
I have about as much respect for either “profession”. In fact, I respect prostitutes more, since they are at least honest about what they do and what they are.
Michael in MI on April 23, 2009 at 12:02 PM
I hear you experience a sense of euphoria right before you suffocate to death.
29Victor on April 23, 2009 at 12:02 PM
I almost expected them to call him Dear Leader there…
Ferris on April 23, 2009 at 12:07 PM
I know it’s hard for the far-right to understand, but Obama is quite popular with the nation as a whole. Poll after poll bears this out.
This story reflects the polling data. I know you dont like it when reporters report facts that you dont like, but it’s good journalism.
I mean, what part of the first section you quoted is not borne out by the results of the poll?
You quote “For the first time in years, more Americans than not say the country is headed in the right direction, a sign that Barack Obama has used the first 100 days of his presidency to lift the public’s mood and inspire hopes for a brighter future.” What about that is false?
Also:
“Intensely worried about their personal finances and medical expenses, Americans nonetheless appear realistic about the time Obama might need to turn things around, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. It shows most Americans consider their new president to be a strong, ethical and empathetic leader who is working to change Washington.”
If you can find data in their polling that contradicts this, then you have a point. However, you didnt pull out any data which contradicts this. So I’m left to believe that you simply dont like the results of the poll.
Hey, I didnt like the fact that Bush won the 2004 election. But I didnt call the press biased for the fact that they reported it.
orange on April 23, 2009 at 12:08 PM
Polls are facts now?
We’ll remember that when Obama’s numbers start slipping.
Slublog on April 23, 2009 at 12:14 PM
When you don’t get the answer you like, simply keep asking more Dems until you get it.
OTHO, I think people may finally be waking up. The sub shop down the street from my Mother-in-Law’s used to have an Obama pic behind the counter. I noticed it after the innaguration when we were helping my Mother-in-Law out with some house stuff (I said to Mrs. Crazy Legs, “It’s going to be a LONG four years”). This past week-end we were back at my Mother-in-Law’s and at the same subshop. The Obama pic had been replaced by one of the campaign pictures with “PROGRESS” printed underneath. Only someone had written “NO” next to Giggles’ face.
crazy_legs on April 23, 2009 at 12:15 PM
I know it’s hard for the far-left to understand, but cooked polls that oversample Dems by double-digits don’t mean that Obama is “quite popular with the nation as a whole.”
crazy_legs on April 23, 2009 at 12:36 PM
Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts.
LibTired on April 23, 2009 at 12:38 PM
Riding home from the gym yesterday morning here in SE Michigan, about 20 minutes West of Detroit, I came up behind a car which had the following sign in it’s window:
A picture of Obama as a puppet which read: “Got Remorse? You Will.”
On the side it read: “Marxist Puppet”.
This was a very, VERY welcome thing to see, considering every morning I go to the gym, there is a car there with the following bumper stickers:
“Impeach the $%!#^% Bastards!”
“Obama ‘08″
“Support the Troops”
And then, underneath the “Impeach…” one, the following one was recently added this week:
“Convict Bush. No one is Above the Law”
I’m guessing they wanted to make clear that they didn’t want the *current* bastards impeached (they’re apparently hunky dorey with the Obama Administration dopes), just the Bush Administration bastards.
Michael in MI on April 23, 2009 at 12:45 PM
All Hail Obama!
All Hail the State!
Bevan on April 23, 2009 at 12:48 PM
Actually the spread is Dems +19.
Dems 46
Repubs 27
Don’t Know 19
Independent 7
Look at the internals again. AP did the math wrong on Repubs (Strong Repub 9, Moderate Repub 9, Leans Repub 9 = 27 (not 28).
And don’t forget that they included 19% of Don’t Knows (i.e. Urban/Youth Obama Voters).
Presto: Dems 46 + Don’t Knows 19 = Obama Approval Rating (65).
kevinkristy on April 23, 2009 at 12:50 PM
Have been trying to find the site, or the actual data, so many things on my desk to do today, so little time….but in passing last night I heard that 70% of Americans believe that the environment has improved greatly since January…the implication being that the Obama Administration has done something to cause this to happen.
In fact, nothing has been done any different than what was being done in December, or last summer or last year, or a couple years ago. A lot of trees died to print new legislation, new regulations, and such, but in terms of actual on the ground wholesale sweeping changes….zip.
But, perception is at times reality…and on what those 70% base their belief that the environment has improved since January is beyond me.
An energized gullible public will believe anything so long as it is put out there with some semblance of authority from the proper, approved, accepted circles, and corresponds to what they wish it to be.
In this, there is grave danger.
coldwarrior on April 23, 2009 at 12:53 PM
They will continue to lie and distort until the wheels come completely off the economy. Even as impeachment hearings are under way and democrats are thrown out of congress in massive numbers, the press will be saying Obama has yet ‘to find his legs under the massive problems left for him by the failed Bussssssssh presidency’.
Maybe next time the dumbass republicans will consider finally reworking their primary process so moveon.org and kos kids don’t select their candidates for them?
This is the best chance ever for my Libertarian party to make its move. What are they doing? Loading up the bong and grumbling about conservatives and their social issues. When your the party in power, then you can work on your hard core issues. First, get elected.
Falconsword on April 23, 2009 at 12:55 PM
The first part may be true — I guess it depends on whose numbers you want to use and how many years are important. According to Rasmussen, for instance, 37% believe the country’s moving in the right direction vs. 57% on the wrong track, “at its highest level since October 2004″ (vs. Jan. 04 for the AP survey). The second part is conjecture. I could as easily say it’s a “sign” that the media has been successful in their shepherding of the public opinion.
VerbumSap on April 23, 2009 at 1:09 PM
Um… isn’t that honeymoon your narrative? Why don’t you tell us how long it will last?
Scrappy on April 23, 2009 at 1:09 PM
How in the world do they write that article summary based on the trends on Page 2?
CUR2/CUR3: Approve/Disapprove Obama’s job as President
Since the election:
So, based on that, the whole “Right/Wrong Direction” thing seems to not be based on Obama’s performance. It might be based on the fact that the people of the nation are waking up and seeing Obama and the Democrats for what they are (ie Tea Parties happening). Maybe respondents are basing the “right direction” vote based on how they see the American people getting their heads out of their @sses about Obama?
What doesn’t make sense is the CUR4/CUR5 (Approve/Disapprove Congress) results
Since the election:
What on earth has Congress done in the past 5 months to gain favor with the American public besides spend spend spend spend spend our money and our children’s and grandchildren’s money???
Michael in MI on April 23, 2009 at 1:10 PM
[sound of re-emergent breakfast ensues]
I, too, at one time in my distant past, slummed at writing ad copy.
bandarlog on April 23, 2009 at 1:26 PM
Why should anyone like the results of gamed polls?
The sample shows a +18% Democrat party affiliation lead. Funny, because Rasmussen’s polling — which has shown itself to be consistently accurate, down to nailing the Obama/McCain numbers — finds that the Democrat party affiliation lead has fallen to 6% nationally, down from 8% in January.
So, nationally, 6% more Americans identify themselves as Democrats than as Republicans; yet this “poll” has 18% more respondents who identify as Democrats than as Republicans…a 12% point difference.
Now, let’s look at the opposing numbers between AP and Rasmussen on the question “Is the nation heading in the right direction?”
AP, with it’s 12% point party affiliation shows 48% answering “yes” to the question.
Rasmussen’s results? 37% answering “yes”.
A difference of 11% points.
12% party affiliation over sample…11% point “right direction” discrepancy.
The purpose of this “poll” isn’t to report public perception…it’s to create it.
rvastar on April 23, 2009 at 1:28 PM
The headline for all this propaganda gushing out today should be:
“The State of the Cult is Strong”
econavenger on April 23, 2009 at 1:56 PM
That thought is as accurate today as back in 2001. I hope we don’t repeat the mindlessness of the last 8 years.
Chimpy on April 23, 2009 at 2:16 PM
The problem is that this went straight into the foreign news. “Americans love Obama. Finally they have a president they can love.”
Phoenician on April 23, 2009 at 2:23 PM