Sirotablog

Real-world wisdom from outside the beltway.

In the lead up to and wake of Bill Moyers’ much-anticipated mega-dunk on the Washington press corps this week, we are seeing the ugliest side of Beltway culture - the meltdown, damage-control freak out. Only what’s new is that instead of politicians melting down, it’s reporters themselves. And never underestimate the desperation that comes when Establishment Washington unifies to try to defend itself.

Over here we have professional power-worshiper Chris “It Doesn’t Matter Where Political Money Comes From” Cillizza attempting to defend Tim Russert, and in the process insulting the recently deceased journalistic hero David Halberstam. Yes, Cillizza - clearly begging for an invite on a Meet the Press panel - is out there saying that “modern journalists are doing their very best to emulate that sort of reporting” that came from Halberstam, and that “Tim Russert is one of the best examples of that kind of accountability journalism.” I guess turning over NBC’s airwaves to a Vice President spewing lies, ignoring the solid reporting of Knight Ridder that debunked those lies, and having panel discussions laughing hysterically with fellow pundit friends over predictions for when the war would start is, under Cillizza’s warped Beltway definition, “accountability journalism” from Russert (who, I’m sure, Cillizza would also have us believe is just a “blue collar guy from Buffalo,” despite Russert’s multi-million-dollar salary and quaint Nantucket summers). MORE

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