tv Media Buzz FOX News March 16, 2014 2:00pm-3:01pm PDT
2:00 pm
here on the fox news channel. >> give me that cookie, eric. on the buzz meter this sunday, television devoted hundreds and hundreds of hours to the saga of the missing malaysian plane. >> let's talk about the scenario of hijacking. could that account for the basic question here of an inability to have contact with the ground? yes, of course it could. >> that leads to the next question which is, okay, is it a single active terrorist as part of something greater or is it an accident that is part of a flaw that is in other planes? >> all the mistakes and the theories and speculation out of control or has this become a parlor game for ratings? cheryl atkinson, who has been investigating the obama administration quit cbs news in
2:01 pm
frustration after failing to get most of her hard-hitting stories on the air. >> three current fairley high ranking state department officials, an expert in security, an expert in counterterrorism and a top diplomate will in essence be contradicting the obama administration's accounts on benghazi. >> did the white house discourage her aggressive reporting? the new york media swooning over lina dunham .her girls. last week she hosted "saturday night live." >> there is an old saying if you're nervous about giving a speech, imagine the audience naked or imagine they haven't seen you naked. >> plus, bob costas is still battling controversy for battling politics and sports. is he considering hanging it up? i'm howard kurtz and this is "media buzz."
2:02 pm
it's on monk, noon and night. the malaysian plane that vanished without a trace has become one giant media mystery, drawing constant coverage, endless theories, troubling mistakes and no shortage of speculation. >> that's why it's so astonishing to think that this plane took off in some 40, 45 minutes after taking off that it went utterly silent. >> in you reports tonight that the plane's communication system was shut down manually and not because of catastrophic failure. that it was shut down manually. >> nothing seen like this ever before. that search area, it looks horrendous. >> could the plane still be out there, intact and simply diverted to at undisclosed location? >> there is no other way of saying it, in the disappearance of malaysian airlines flight 370
2:03 pm
developments today could change everything. >> i don't believe that this airplane crashed. i do believe that it was hijacked. i do believe it landed some place and i would start first looking in pakistan. >> the headline tonight is u.s. officials say it appears more likely that whatever happened to this plane was the result of human intervention, some sort of air piracy. >> are you obsessed with the mystery of flight 370 because the ratings suggest you are. >> in the absence of facts, we have to look at the possibility -- >> so why are you media boosting this story into the stratosphere? joining us now, lauren ashburn, craig crawford, and jim pinkerton, contributing editor at american magazine and a fox news contributor. i get that the story is endlessly fascinating, but what do you make of this tsunami of speculation? >> first, let's be very clear. for the people involved, this is a tragedy and it deserves
2:04 pm
coverage. the question that you asked at the beginning is is it out of control? and the answer is absolutely yes. it is overkill. we're getting ambiguous answers, we're getting speculation that doesn't happen everyone and it is being used as a ratings polling. >> jim, i hate to say this, but as i watch day after day and hour after hour, it almost seems like it's become a game for the media. it's a great detective story and i think maybe losing sight of the point that lauren just made that there are lives at stake here. >> yes. look, it's the kind of story that we can all relate to. everybody gets on airplanes and it's the news story that news is made for. you don't know what's going to happen next. jeff wise said every day we report something that would have been preposterous the day before and now it seems plausible and real. and if there's a value of this media overkill, if you will, or just kill, is that the malaysian government, for example, does not seem to be very responsive. .it's possible that the ma
2:05 pm
lashan government's disinterest in getting involved with this at the time the airplane was still in the air might have cost people their lives. >> you have to lay that against the reality of the networks going overboard on this, that there's all this airtime to fill and relatively too fast with which to fill it. it's disaster porn, and that always gets ratings. the international intrigue and mystery with this one, it leads to some very sloppy reporting. that's the problem here. you point out, jim, that there was retorting rumors the previous day that are facts today. well, what are the sources for these? right now, they're fingering the pilot. well, the sources for that i saw in the stories were officials with direct knowledge of the thinking of officials. that sounds like palm readers. we still don't know whether this could have been other people on board who did that. >> and i have to agree with jim.
2:06 pm
there has been good reporting. "the wall street journal" came out and said that the engines were transmitting and that the flight could have taken five more hours than we knew about. reuters came and said it could be in the indian islands and wire had a great piece. >> but none of those are named sources, none. >> but wired had a great piece. i think the speculation on television has been horrific. brendan connier came out and said as a terrorist in a hijacking expert, he gave his opinion on what could happen. and it wasn't salacious and it wasn't porn, as you put it, but it was an interesting piece. that's what's missing. what is missing is context. >> here is a fact that i did not know. here you go. clive irving at the daily baste pointed out that there's a european union registry of airlines not allowed to fly into the european union. it's hundreds of airlines. every country now must have
2:07 pm
their own airline, they're in business with a 757. you realize later after this they don't have the adequate infrastructure, safety and surveillance that we take for granted when we fly american or united. >> the mistakes and the false alarms, as i call them, they tend to vanish into the ether. there's all this that focuses on the passengers that have two passports. just picking out a couple, bloomberg suspected aircraft tail found floating in the gulf of thailand and it turned out to be a bunch of logs. these big oil slix off the coast of vietnam reported to be not from an airplane. just the other day cnn was rothing lithium batteries exploding could be responsible for a crash. we don't know what is right or wrong. cnn is well equipped to cover this kind of story because of its big international story, but at the same time, cnn is covering almost nothing else.
2:08 pm
i think that has opened the door for a lot of these speculation. >> well, of course it has. but cnn is primed for this. they have amazing news resources across the country that could cover this. but what's happeng is that cnn is taking it to the next level and it is becoming dominant, missing all other stories like the cia scandal. ukraine has been kicked off the page. i do turn to cnn because it is 24/7. >> when he was on the plane and as soon as he stopped, a reporter asked the question about rising deportation. they immediately cut away from that. i was actually interested in that answer. and went to a reporter in the field who ultimately concluded about this plane story they don't know, we don't know, nobody knows. >> cnn's ratings up nearly 67% in prime time, at least in the first few days.
2:09 pm
cnn anchor chris cuomo talked about the fact that there is this hot air about the story. the job in a situation like this is to have more questions than answers because simply not enough is known. if it seems like we're nibbling around the edges, it's because we are. how much of that is too much? >> look, there's a new player in this media mix, it's a chinese news agency. two-thirds of the people on that airplane were chinese. the chinese don't care, it was their people on the airplane and they want answers and i think they're going to make a major play in terms of forcing a better investigation out of cnn or the american media. >> one of the things that troubles me here, and i understand the great temptation, and people are genuinely interested. how does an airplane disappear out of thin air and all of that? but the fact that it is a plane that took off from malaysia,
2:10 pm
imagine if they had been a plane that took off from new york. i think there would be a lot more focus. obviously, there would be lots of interviews with the families of those on board. there's a lot more focus on the potential human toll here and instead it has become this sort of where in the world is flight 370? >> a tom chancy novel. >> yeah. and we live in a society where the microwave takes too long, we want the answers to every myste mystery. in this case, we're getting a few facts, but why can't we just wait? and in the news room, you know, talk about speculation, i remember today in the news room where a lot of those rumors and leads that didn't pan out stayed in the news room. now that they're shoved right out the door as soon as you hear them. >> you pursued them, but not on camera. you didn't feed the beast by talking about them on camera. and i understand your point, jim, that some of this reporting is helping us to understand and it's putting pressure on the malaysian government. and i must say this shows you why nooshgs like the "new york
2:11 pm
times" and "wall street journal" have aviation experts who provide the beat. they provide some of the best information. but even now, we're assuming because of the clues that have been pieced together, that it was -- something happened in the cockpit, that it was maybe one of the pilots, now the pilots homes are being searched. but we don't know that and we're reporting on speculation by u.s. officials and intelligence sources who may not know what they're talking about. >> but we are piecing together it probably was an understand in the cockpit. we probably have nailed that down, which is why the flight simulator guy, too. if this is a terrorist act, which is to say these pilots were somehow involved, which means now you have to investigate the community, the people of malaysia, their mosque, it opens up the -- the world has moved away from terrorism and the media follows the lead on that. this could bring it back in a big way. >> the facts or the theory on the pilot, other experts have
2:12 pm
said, well, the plane was veering and changing out. that actually is consistent with amateurs. >> let's not indulge in this ourselves. >> but this is overkill. i don't care if you're getting some facts, if you're not getting other facts, it is too much. this country has too many different problems to dominate the news by this craziness. >> well, i think there's been some speculation on fox as there has been on other networks. msnbc tried to stick with politics, but even msnbc is doing more plane coverage. but democratic senator dianne feinstein accuses the cia of spying on her intelligence committee but that was covered. >> and it's talking about waterboarding. >> and today we have this referendum in crimea. i'm going to go out on a limb and say yes, most people there are going to vote to affiliate with russia. and this was a story that two weeks ago we said was a huge foreign policy challenge, was going to be the biggest test of the obama presidency. >> this is a mistake, howie. >> this is a mistake, too? >> this is a mistake to not
2:13 pm
cover these stories. and you and i and all of us know that. >> and the reason for that is? >> because we're missing important news. >> so why does it focus remain on this missing plane, tragic ago it is? >> because it's almost a game now. it's a game at this point. everybody and their mother, including mine, has a theory about where this plane is. it's in the jungle, it's everywhere. >> it's like on the tv show "lost," we had to wait six seasons to find out what the smoke monster was. and once we get the results, it was kind of dissatisfying. i think a year from now, we'll -- how much will we remember about this story once we find out about what happened? >> if it's terrorism, we'll remember a lot. >> and your mother's theory is probably as good as anybody else's. don't forget to send me a tweet about this coverage, about this topic, about the plane, what do you think of the coverage? we'll read some of those at the end of the program. on when we come back, cheryl atkinson quit cbs news and tells me she hasn't been able to get her investigator stories on the air. and later, does america
2:14 pm
loves hbo girls as much as the manhattan media? there negotiating, most stressful part... of buying a new car. the experience that i had with truecar, you don't feel intimidated. it's extremely simple. save time, save money, and never overpay. visit truecar.com so i deserve a small business credit card with amazing rewards. with the spark cascard from capital one, i get 2% cash back on ery purchase, every day. i break my back around here. finally soone's recognizing me with unlimited rewards! meetings start at 11, cindy. [ male announcer get the spark business card from capital one. choose 2% cash back or double miles
2:15 pm
on every purchase, every d. what's in your wallet? i need your timesheets, larry! what's in your wallet? so our business can be on at&t's network for $175 a month? yup. all 5 of you for $175. our clients need a lot of attention. there's unlimited talk and text. we're working deals all day. you get 10 gigabytes of data to share. what about expansion potential? add a line, anytime, for $15 a month. low dues, great terms. let's close! new at&t mobile share value plans our best value plans ever for business. but when we put something in the ground, feed it, and care for it, don't we grow something more? we grow big celebrations, and personal victories. we grow new beginnings, and better endings. grand gestures, and perfect quiet. we grow escape, bragging rights, happier happy hours. so let's gro something greater with miracle-gro.
2:17 pm
2:18 pm
that? >> i brought investigative topics to the table and they could find no home at cbs in the past three years, or so. jim, what do you make of that explanation of why she quick after two decades? >> and before that at cnn, a serious-minded report who was winning emmys and covering investigative reporting and the obama administration happened and she said i will explain the same standard to the obama administration and i did to bush administration but cbs didn't want that, they didn't want her to go after the obama administration as hard as she went after other targets and so, even "politico" had to admit she ran into liberal bias at cbs which is why she is no longer there. >> sources will telling "politico" and this is more than a left right issue, craig, even before the administration giving the report on a republican congressman who had a charity
2:19 pm
with questions of a conflict and early reporting on bush's tarp program and iraq contracting, so, it is not just left to right but it is a case where she felt that it was almost impossible to get the tougher pieces on the air. >> i don't think there is any secret there is liberal bias at cbs back to when cronkite denounced the vietnam war and drove lbj out the white house. >> that was based on reporting trip to vietnam, i remind you. >> yes but it was a liberal point of view against the war, want it? >> i am not say it is wrongs i worked for cbs in the remainly show throughout the bush years and i guarantee almost no one there i can thing of voted for bush, i am sure. i didn't either, so, it didn't bother me. the point is, fess up. you will be as critical to those you support as those you don't. >> there is liberal bias in the media. i wrote a piece this morning talking about my time as a
2:20 pm
reporter where i didn't feel comfortable wearing a cross on air. this exists. whether it existed for kiss -- sharyl attkisson and the sources are correct, its doesn't undermine the fact it is there. >> factor she is work on a book which is "a reporter's fight for truth in obama's washington," and she could have goal stopped bit network and by the difficulty of getting information from the administration. it is rare to see someone walk away at that level with a record of accomplishment. >> good for her. good for sharyl attkisson doing i. >> does it tarnish cbs? >> they can say this is no liberal bias, there are tons of excuses or examples that you can point to that would say "no." >> it is also true that the washington media has been bias for obama since he first surfaced. back in the 2008 campaign, i thought a lot of media acted like schoolgirls cheering for
2:21 pm
justin bieber although it has waned. a little bit. i didn't vote for obama. i just said i didn't vote for bush. >> you didn't vote? >> i have to add, as having done a lot of investigative reporting it is not uneconomy for reporters to clash with bosses over difficult stories over what will be published but there is a pattern, and sharyl attkisson said it was throw years since she could get investigative pitch on the air. >> obama became president five years ago so, hard times of getting stories on the air started 457ing when they was drawing blood from the obama administration. that is no shock. hope she finds a career somewhere else with better cover stories treated fairly. >> it is a way to tarnish reporters when you say though lean one way or other when her
2:22 pm
record shows she has taken up both sides as well as corporations, not just political stories. >> do we really believe reporters can be october jacket -- objective? >> we believe they can be fay. >> exactly. that is a lot different than being bias. >> we don't check our citizenship at the door when we become journalists and the point is, fess up and show you are as tough on those you support as those you don't. it is simple. >> speak truth to power. power is the obama administration. it was the bush administration. now it is obama. reporters should be equally energetic. >> and not get too comfort. >> thank you for coming in today. >> and the new media's "it" girl but does most of the country care about her new show in and bob costas on whether he might
2:23 pm
retire. cer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ m'm... ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good.® smoke? nah, i'm good. [ male announcer ] celebrate every win with nicoderm cq, the unique patch with time release smartcontrol technology that helps prevent the urge to smoke all day long. help prevent your cravings with nicoderm cq.
2:25 pm
[ male announcer ] right now to alaska or the caribbeanday e that helps prevent the urge to smoke all day long. from just $549. that's seven days to either marvel at mayan ruins... savor the very best local flavors... or sail in glistening glacier bay. with a cruise line voted best in alaska. a seven day cruise to alaska or the caribbean from just $549. call your travel agent or 1.888.book.now for this limited time offer. princess cruises, come back new.
2:26 pm
lena dunhham is a media sensation. >> i came here to say i don't think we should see each other any more. i don't think we should see each other any more and it makes me feel stupid and pathetic picture to get a picture of your [ bleep ] to know that you meant it for somebody else and you don't have to explain. >> i put that question to our two panelists. >> joining us now from new york is joe concha. we're talking about "girls." you're a girl. i'll start with you. does lena dunham deserve a sers
2:27 pm
accolades for creating this? >> lena dunham was originally interviewed by the "new york times" when she was 11 years old about her fashion choices. this is a woman who has grown up among the media elite. she's receiving coverage and i think it makes sense. >> joe, i'm going to guess that you're not a big fan because you described her in print as largely unfunny and extremely self-important. and when she went on "saturday night live" as you point out, second lowest rating of the season. how come lena dunham gets so much media attention? as you mentioned, second lowest rating of the season for "saturday night live." "girls" gets about 800,000 viewers. compare that to "sex in the city," much more of an impact on its generation. game of thrones, 5 million. the audience isn't quite there. most of the manhattan media, obviously, lives and is around
2:28 pm
manhattan, they love the show, at least describes them as elise. the problem is, the rest of the country is not following lock step within them. and one final point, you bought up the "new york times" before doing a feature of her on age 11. since that time, according to the american prospector, lena dunham has been talked about or mentioned in the "new york times" alone 300 times. the problem is the audience is simply not following. they don't buy what lena dunham is buying. a lot of it is strictly for shock value and therefore the press comes running. >> what i would say is these new york media outlets constantly steal with each other's subjects and journalists, we've heard they're lazy and -- >> are you saying there's a certain pack mentality? >> i don't think i need to tell you this. you've covered it for years. the pack mentality knows lena dunham is a subject, she's dynamic, she's easy. -- >> and you're leaving out the most important thing. she takes off her clothes a lot and we like to write about that
2:29 pm
and she gets testy when she's candidate about it. she's featured in a lot of magazines like vogue. >> that's right. "vogue" has come under constant criticism for featuring only conventionally attractive women, faces and bodies, right? so lena dunham, by going on their cover, allowed "vogue" to garner a lot of press even though those photos were still air brushed. >> how much of this is incestus, you live in new york, you go to the same parties, and the hbo series "girls" still covers girls and it seems like they're all writing about each other. >> it's the bubble mentality. i should mention, by the way, at least mention air brushed. i am air brushed now, as well. i am wearing makeup. >> it's the only reason we let you on the show. >> thank you, howie. we see this time and again with media. let's say six inches of snow is heading towards manhattan. breaking news, they're going to
2:30 pm
tell us what kind of horror we're going to go through. let's say that storm hits philadelphia and miss is new york. you don't hear a thing about it. if the new york media loves "girls" they therefore think the rest of the country will love "girls" and simply the numbers don't add up. >> a lot of people called lena dunham self-absorbed. the media love writing about their own and that's what we're seeing here. >> i cannot argue with that. the one story, just to shift gears here that i thought would go ahead a lot more coverage, oscar pistorius's murder trying, he shot his girlfriend. it seems like it hasn't made much of a media splash. why is that? >> that's true. i believe it's because there haven't been very many lurid information from the courtroom. we should be hearing a lot more about his murder trial. >> joe? >> i think it's a matter of pecking order. you have a missing 777, what's going on in the ukraine, the
2:31 pm
problems with obamacare, and a south african murder trial where there's no race involved. add up all those factors and that's why it's low on the pecking order. >> i think there's a certain lack of drama because we know he shot and skilled his girlfriend and -- >> allegedly. >> well, no, he did shoot her. >> but not knowing his intent. >> but whether or not he is legally responsible, whether or not he thought it was an intruder. maybe not that many people are captivated by it. joe, pleased to be back. thanks very much for joining us. meanwhile, your tweets are coming in. it can make our own opinions about the validity of the speculation. after the break, more of my conversation with nbc's bob costas. is he thinking about calling it a career? salesperson #1: so again, throwing in the $1,000 fuel reward card
2:32 pm
is really what makes it like two deals in one. salesperson #2: actually, getting a great car with 42 highway miles per gallon makes it like two deals in one. salesperson #1: point is there's never been a better time to buy a jetta tdi clean diesel. avo: during the first ever volkswagen tdi clean diesel event get a great deal on a jetta tdi. it gets 42 highway miles per gallon. and get a $1,000 fuel reward card. it's like two deals in one. volkswagen has the most tdi clean diesel models of any brand. hurry in and get a $1,000 fuel reward card and 0.9% apr for 60 months on tdi models.
2:35 pm
>> gregg: north korea defying the west and launching more rockets into the sea. this would be just the latest round of short range missile tests in recent weeks. south korean officials estimating up to 18 rockets have been fired into the sea of japan. our state department says they are monitoring the situation as the west condemns the latest aggressive action. >> russia taking victory laps in crimea. 95 percent of the voters reportedly supporting leave ukraine and joining russia. the pro russian crowds packing the streets for victory celebrations but so far only half of the ballots have been counted and president obama spoke with russian president putin a short time ago as the united states and other western nations call that vote "illegitimate." >> back to "media buzz" with
2:36 pm
howard kurtz. news headquarters. now back to "media buzz." there has been a ton of reaction to myitown there has been a ton of reaction with my sit down with bob costas with some say he should keep out his thoughts on politics, and others like it. he may do only one more olympics so i wondered if he was thinking of leaving. first, here is more of what he said about athletes. >> i should is said, not talking here about anyone's responsible legal exercise of their legitimate second amendment rights but i am talking about a gun culture which pervades sports where gives carry guns not for protection of home and family, not for supporting purposes, not in a way i applaud a guy working a night shift at the 7/1 and he has to have a gun in a dangerous situation.
2:37 pm
the list, if you google "athletes and guns," the list of tragedies and criminality and folly outnumber the constructive use. is it possible that a defensive use could take place? yes. but it outnumbers the constructive use manies many times over. it was the gun culture in the nfl that i was talking about, misunderstood as something hostile to the second amendment or gun control speech and i never use those words but part of that is on me because the time was too short and i didn't recognize how truly sensitive and volatile the issue was. >> nbc pays billions to carry the olympics and pro football. you said if you had a son you wouldn't want him to play football but you are part of nfl broadcast s there a self-imposed pressure because your employer has the massive deals with the leagues and the sports organization that you cover? why do you think there are not
2:38 pm
more people speak out about steroids and violence and concussions in the nfl? >> it is a legitimate question. here is how i look at it. if i were to be on the periphery, writing an article a week or doing a commentary on npr or fox i i am not reach as big an audience. if once a year i can do a commentary or interview the commissioner, for the sake of context, four years ago i said in one of the half time segments, the nfl is going to face lawsuits coming out of this and many people discovered. we see the lawsuits keep coming. i asked roger can -- goddell, what would you tell the parents of a boy who are lifelong fans but knowing what we know we will not let our son play football. now we see as part of the
2:39 pm
general refers, hole polls show 50 percent of american paren whose not let their kid play football. >> is there a timidity of the people would work for the networks. >> you can get away with it. >> but they don't want to in the cliche bite the hand that feeds them? >> yes. yes. >> generally speaking yes, but with notable exceptions. "real sports" is the "60 minutes" of sport although there is no contract with nfl or major league baby. bob lee from espn is involved with all leagues and sports, they do a fantastic job. they should win a peabody. generally speaking, though, especially during the games themselves, there are not that many people willing to take it on the i am willing to take it on but here is the point. i will respect and enjoy the drama and theater of spots.
2:40 pm
does i talk about steroids in sports year and years before others? i did. but not with the bases loaded and the game on the line in the 9th. did i talk about issues that relate to the national football league that some people think are political? yes. when people say, right in the middle of the game...you never miss the play. it is at half time you didn't miss the last play of the second quarter or the kickoff of the third. >> there is a view that it is sacrosanct. >> i am sure people said that howard cosel should not say anything about billy jean king or arthur ashe or jason collins, or the football player from missouri who may be drafted in
2:41 pm
the national football league, or shouldn't say anything about public subsidies of stadiums which is an issue that intersects with sports. >> you said you will do one more olympics. are you looking forward to the hanging up of the long story for bob costas? >> until come a day. i know i will do 2016 in rio. there will come a day when there should be, you should leave before they yank you off the stage. that doesn't mean -- tom brokaw and i don't compare myself in establishment -- he is still part of the news. and vince gully is zip doing dodgers game as 86. i can see myself doing baseball or interviews but had comes a time and i am not sure where it is, where you are no longer "the" front and center guy and someone who is like i was but doesn't seem like that long ago to me, the young newcomer, that
2:42 pm
man or woman conserves their chance. >> always someone looking to take your job. >> the tweets are still pouring in on the missing plane. >> too much at cnn, overkill equals meaningless. some say teach at fox. time to of my on, crimea is more important. >> ahead, president obama is drawing mixed reviews for trying, trying, trying to be funny and he didn't get much applause from the pundits. gali. why he didn't get much applause from the pundits. [ female announcer ] a classic macaroni & cheese from stouffer's starts with freshly-made pasta, and 100% real cheddar cheese. but what makes stouffer's mac n' cheese best of all. that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. made with care for you or your family.
2:43 pm
2:44 pm
2:45 pm
the wireless quickswitch allows you to effortlessly move between carpets and hardfloors while its large high performance wheels move smoothly through even the thickest carpet pile the side brushes make cleaning up against edges easy its also got an amazing ultra-light magnesium alloy frae try our 30-day risk free trial and easy payment options if you don't love it, you don't keep it call, click, or drive to one of our 400 oreck stores nationwide order now the oreck magnesium rs
2:46 pm
there are two kinds of people in this world, those who think president obama should have done a video interview with zach galifianakis and those who think it was the dumbest idea ever. you've seen the clips, president obama trying to pitch obamacare by posing strange questions about obamacare. >> actually, i think it's a good idea. if i ran a third time, it would be sort of like doing a third "hangover" movie. it didn't work out very well, did it? have you heard of the affordable care act? >> oh, yeah, i heard about that. that's the thing that doesn't work. >> some credit iblgs, especially at fox, thought this was a low class move. >> but at the end of the day, this is way beneath the office
2:47 pm
of the presidency. >> i don't think he knew what he was getting himself into. >> it's cringe worthy. >> perhaps you should wait until the country is in better shape before you engage -- >> all i can tell you is abe lincoln would not have done it. >> galifianakis says abe lincoln wouldn't have gone on fox, either. but it's funny strange how it made people laugh at msnbc. >> it was so what laborious. what i loved about it is you run the risk on doing a video like that where it's so funny that you forget what the message is supposed to be. but not with this, man, they nailed it. >> president obama did something this week that was qualitatively unprecedented in terms of degrading the dignity of the white house. is that true or is that false? sorry, david gurgen, sorry, abc news, you're completely and totally wrong. >> my take is come on, it was fine for obama to attempt this given the traditions stretching back to richard nixon on laugh in and bill clinton on mtv and
2:48 pm
it did produce 32,000 referrals to healthcare.gov. the problem is, it wasn't very funny. i get that united states outside the demo with this sort of thing, but if you ask me, it was painfully awkward. maybe the president is thinking about his next career. more tweets on the missing plane, only the news media with k glob together endless speculation on 370 1k3 sell it as fact. an1k3 sell it as fact. d1k3 sell it as fact. sell it as [ female announcer ] we'll cook all day today, but we're not staying in the kitchen. just start the slow cooker, add meat and pour in campbell's slow oker sauce. by the time you get home, dinner is practically done. and absolutely delicious. everne is cooking wiew campbell's slow cooker sauces.
2:50 pm
2:51 pm
2:52 pm
weird and giving them a score on the xwuz-meter. "nightline" co-anchor dan harris was on abc this week plugging a book about his battle against panic attacks, one of which he had on "good morning america" a decade ago. >> i am about to freak out on national television. >> but it's too early to prescribe statins solely for cancer production. >> at this point i realize i'm helpless. so i bail right in the middle. >> that does it for news. we're going to go back now to robin and charlie. >> once the fear subsided, humiliation rushed in. >> and i say good, good, good for dan harris to bring this up, to talk about an anxiety disorder on air, to talk about mental illness, ander, he's writing a new book. >> he's writing a new book. it takes a lot of courage to replay your worst professional moment on the air. he talked about recreational drug use when he was trying to cope with this. but i'm going to subtract some points because he is in fact peddling a book. he didn't talk about this until he was peddling a book. so my score on the buzz-meter is
2:53 pm
6. >> well, i think you're completely wrong. i'm giving it a 9. good for you, dan, for bringing it up. >> not completely wrong. i'm looking at the whole picture. >> you're wrong. wrong, wrong. >> your turn. >> late night comedian chelsea handler was on cnn with piers morgan. you know, the guy who's losing his show at the end of the month. and she complained that he was tweeting during the commercial break and kind of tuning out. >> you can't even pay attention for 60 seconds. you're a terrible interviewer. >> well, you just weren't keeping my attention. >> but that's not my problem. >> that is your problem. >> this is your show. you have to to pay attention to the guests you invite on your show. >> you're not interesting enough. >> it doesn't matter how interesting i am. you signed up for this show. >> tvg does. >> well, maybe that's why your job is coming to an end. >> wow. >> chelsea's a comedian and that was as good a putdown i've ever seen of someone who's not immensely likeable. but it's a slight deduction for kicking piers while he's down.
2:54 pm
>> this is a running thing they've had with each other. they did this two years ago. they did it a year ago. this is all about ratings. and it's her being mean to him for being mean. which i don't think is a good idea. >> he's being mean. i'm giving it an 8. go, chelsea. >> 4. 4. stop being mean. >> not very generous. still to come, the one spelling mistake television should never make. and the "new york post" take on the
2:57 pm
2:58 pm
u.s. can go to mars but not find a 777. robert barry said i found it decent until they started doing conspiracy theories, stolen plane, landed on an island? silliness. dr. denny wilkins in the absence of substance talking heads will blather. and larry kelly says, "it's the ratings, stupid." >> absolutely, howie. but it's the ratings because people are watching. so if you think that it's overblown and you don't think that you want to hear about it anymore, turn the channel. >> it's a really important story. i think we need to cover it aggressively. but i could do without some of the conspiracy theories and speculation. now, i don't usually bother with typos on the screen. assuming they're made by some young staffer who doesn't know the difference between its and it's. drives me crazy. but come on, fox news, if there's one time you don't want to get the spelling wrong, it's on an item for a spelling bee. look at that. spelling be. b-e. that's as bad as "the new york times" running its usual daily list of corrections and then correcting it. an earlier version of these corrections misstated the date in which they appeared in print. now, that is embarrassing.
2:59 pm
finally, "the new york post" didn't exactly come out and say that o'barack obama's a grly man. but look at this headline. "i'll take the pink one. prez stuns shoppers at 42nd street gap." of course as the story points out he was buying sweaters for sasha and malia. pink sweaters. >> and i'm telling you, his pr department has to know that by hanging up or holding up a pink sweater he's going to get guff for it. >> you're blaming the white house for the fact that the president of the united states is doing a nice thing by shopping for his daughters? >> do you hear what he got his wife? a pair of socks. come on. his big cheerleader in chief. that makes me even more mad. >> okay. no pass on that. but sometimes i get on the "new york post" for these inflammatory front page headlines. this was funny, the story was accurate, he was holding up the pink sweater. >> then he's got to learn how to take his lumps. >> all right. you're blaming the president and not the paper. i think we're not too exercised over this one. that is it for this edition for "media buzz." i'm howard kurtz. go to our facebook page.
3:00 pm
i hope you'll like it. we conduct a lot of conversations there. and check out our new redesigned home page, foxnews.com/mediabuzz. we're back here next sunday morning 11:00 and 5:00 eastern with the latest buzz. on the gr to budget cuts. there are more than 30 air shows this year. fox news sunday coming up next. i'm chris wallace. more than a week after that malaysia airlines flight vanishes, it is now turned into a criminal investigation. as the search moves hundreds of miles to the west, there is confusion over data pings from the plane. investigators look into the possible of sabotage or hijacking. we'll have a live report on late-developments and talk with the chair of the house homeland security committee, michael mccaul and peter
291 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
Fox News West Television Archive Television Archive News Search Service The Chin Grimes TV News ArchiveUploaded by TV Archive on