Barrett Rainey's Second Thoughts

So.

Our President called a reporter “a dumb son-of-a-bitch” after a White House briefing. Yep, he did.

He was caught on an open microphone. Yep, he was.

Basic rule when around microphones: they’re “hot” at all times. Yep, they are.

The “reporter” in question was – in fact – acting like a “dumb son-of-a-bitch.” Young Peter Doocey, representing Faux News, had asked a couple of questions – and made a couple of misstatements – showing he either wasn’t listening to the information being discussed or it went right over his head.

This was not the first time Doocey had acted that way. Fellow news types are used to him asking dumb questions or trying to put the Faux News spin in statements responding to the issue at hand. And, I suspect, he’s been referred to as that “dumb S-O-B” more than once by other members of the D.C. press corps.

I’ve sat in that briefing room on several occasions when accredited to the White House as a backup reporter for WTOP Radio/TV. “Backup” meant, when the primary White House correspondent wasn’t available for some reason, I – the “kid from Idaho” – filled in and was told to “sit quietly” and try not to “screw up” when subsequently reporting what went on and what was said.

White House-accredited reporters, then, were assumed to have some knowledge of current affairs dealing with politics and, often, economic issues of the day. I remember being drilled with questions on current issues by the News Director before I “quietly” attended my first couple of White House briefings. He wanted to make sure I was prepared. Or, wasn’t likely to embarrass our employer.

Richard Nixon was the guy who removed the press briefing room from the first floor of the White House to the basement. He simply covered up the swimming pool used by some of his predecessors. Nixon had an oft-expressed disdain for all media and felt the basement was the best place for them so he wouldn’t be running into them in the labyrinth of White House hallways during the day.

But, back to the S-O-B. Doocey isn’t alone in his ignorance of current political issues, international affairs or economics. Sadly, much of the subsequent reporting out of the D.C. press “club” is either read from a news release or someone “winging it.” Too often, there is no depth, no relevance to previous reporting or just plain understanding of what was said.

Doocey has made a habit of trying to regurgitate the briefer’s words with a Faux News spin. And, current Press Secretary Jan Psaki has often had to take time to set him straight or just plain rebut his statements. I’m sure Biden had seen the Doocey “act” on TV after previous briefings and uttered the “dumb S-O-B” more than once. The difference, this time, was that the President was in the briefing room to see and hear Doocey do his act first-hand. And, the old “open mike” was there to pick up the President’s unedited reaction.

Biden was caught uttering a gut reaction to what he had just seen and heard. Compare that to the routine, sweeping condemnations of all media by his predecessor, setting off a cascade of threats from his supporters. Often death threats. I’ll take “Uncle Joe” anytime.

Though certainly not alone, Faux News represents one of the greatest threats to our democracy today. The steady, right-wing flow of deliberate misinformation to an audience of “believers” is a cancer doing real harm to the country. Murdoch and company – Hannity, Ingraham, Carlson, Rivera and, yes, Doocey – may be the “righteous media” for some. But that “some” is a declining audience.

Reporters, producers and other former employees say they were told to “slant” reporting to appeal to a “conservative” audience. It’s no secret. But, some of the bilge emanating from Faux “news” often goes way beyond that instruction. Dangerously beyond.

Doocey doesn’t get to share the limelight accorded to Carlson and the rest of the herd. But, he’s got his own little niche. He gets to perform from time to time.

And, based on that performance, I’ve got to agree with our President. Doocey really is “a dumb son-of-a-bitch.”
 

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