Lura Thoughts

And Back to Things that Make Me Nuts...

What's up with those news crawlers at the bottom of the 24-hour newscasts like MSNBC or CNN?  If I recall correctly, they came about right after 9/11, when people were craving any news or updates on the situation in New York, and yet the news media felt that they had to cover other breaking news. 

However today I was watching Barack Obama give a speech on Reverend Wright and race relations in America.  This is a very important speech that could make or break Obama's run for the Presidency.  And what is the all-important news being flashed in the crawler along the bottom?  Brittney Spears has been ordered to pay her ex (I assume that's K-Fed) $375,000 for lawyer fees in their child custody case.

Come on, MSNBC.  Maybe it's time to lose the crawlers.

Crying, the media, and Hillary

Why is it that the media always gets things so wrong so often?  Even the YouTube video of Hillary crying is called "Hillary Clinton Crying."  But I often find that the best way to get my facts straight is to go to the source.  I watched the Hillary thing on the news, and at the time, I thought it was a nice moment.  Then I heard it called, "Hillary Crying."  Democrats and Republicans alike, pundits, even my mom, all characterized what happened during that question and answer session as crying.  But watch it:

Hillary gets emotional, her voice cracks, but does she cry?  She doesn't lose control.  She doesn't weep.  There are no tears, and she doesn't wipe at her eyes.  This isn't crying, people!

But try telling that to the news media, who like to make something out of everything.  I watched Jon Stewart refer to Hillary as "crying", Keith Olbermann, Tim Russert...it seems as if anybody I watch on TV refers to this little clip as "crying."  At least Mike Littwin of the Rocky Mountain News called it "near-tears," which is a little closer to what really happened.

It's possible that by showing a little emotion, Hillary may have saved her campaign.  But let's be a little more precise with our language so that people who don't watch the actual clip don't come away with a distorted view of what really happened when Hillary got emotional.