Debate Over Whether Networks Should Stop Interviewing Kellyanne Conway

[HAB911]

Kellyanne Conway is a very polarizing figure in the media landscape. She is both renowned and reviled for her ability to spin absolutely anything Donald Trump does into a positive. Saturday Night Live regularly guts her for it, but now, so, too, does everyone else. What was a semi-respectable skill during the election is now a terrifying White House reality for reporters who value the truth.

Today, GQ reported that New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen has suggested simply not interviewing Conway anymore. During a recent podcast appearance, he said this:

[T]he logic is, this is a representative of the president. This is somebody who can speak for the Trump administration. But if we find that what Kellyanne Conway says is routinely or easily contradicted by Donald Trump, then that [rationale for interviewing her] disappears. Another reason to interview Kellyanne Conway is, our viewers want to understand how the Trump world thinks. But if the end result of an interview with her is more confusion about what the Trump world thinks, then that rationale evaporates … No, it’s not just lying or spin or somebody who is skilled in the political arts of putting the best case on things or not answering a question, which is a pretty basic method of doing politics. It’s that when you are done listening to Kellyanne Conway, you probably understand less. That’s a problem.

Lots of journalists are on-board with his suggestion.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/there-is-debate-over-whether-networks-should-stop-interviewing-conway-altogether/

[JustAnotherGen]

1. I'm on board with it

That would will get on TV and tell anyone who listens that the people who went down with the Titanic actually had a really good time.

[marybourg]

34. And that a hundred more ships

sank under the Obama administration . . . .

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. Conjob should be the start. Ignore them all - boycott the SpicerLieFests

I would love the media collectively to shun the whole cabal - that is one thing that narcissists loathe - being ignored.

[leftynyc]

16. It's the job of the white house press corps

to sit and report on those press conferences every day. Let's not blame those reporters. What should be done is that they should NEVER be carried live. Only after a tape delay and after everything the administration mouthpiece claimed is checked out thoroughly. If he lied, call him a liar.

[jeanmarc]

3. KremlinAnne's mic should be cut

...because all she does is lie. Why allow all these blatant lies on your network?

[atreides1]

4. Press/media Boycott

Of both the White House and Congress!!!

[Freethinker65]

5. Perhaps she can prerecord a 5 minute "deflection of the day"

That all cable news networks can play as propaganda at the same time. Perfect opportunity to tune in if you desire, or turn off. It is not like she ever answers questions anyway, but it gives the administration the air time they feel they are entitled to. Afterword the networks can decide if they want to devote extra time to her babble.

[world wide wally]

23. Exactly right!

She shows up for interviews with a prepared speech and segues into it no matter what the question is.
I wish some interviewer with some balls would just say, "get the fuck off my stage".

[workinclasszero]

6. This is easy. If you want to hear lies..book her

If you want to hear the truth from the Trump/Russian organized crime group, you are shit out of luck news media.

The Frankenstein you willed to power don't have any of that...ever.

[Tanuki]

7. Anyone who interviews her should be prepared to call her out on her lies.

The sycophants who let her get away with using their interviews to spread propaganda without vigorously challenging her are unworthy of being considered journalists.

[Cha]

8. She thinks it's a "positive".. I call it bullshit.

she told chucky.. "the Women's March was protesting President Obama.. blotus hasn't been in for even a day, how could they be protesting him?"..

That's glaring Bullshit and she was busted for her "alternative facts" ... she's super whiny and toxic.

I'll never listen to her again. That was my one and only time.

That would be too good to be true.. her LIES Finally catching up with her?! she's a big time waster as they all are

[rainy]

9. The question is why did they let her

lie and mislead the people when it really mattered; before the election? They never called her on her BS.

[workinclasszero]

15. Les Moonves: Trump's run is 'damn good for CBS'

http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2016/02/les-moonves-trump-cbs-220001

There's the answer to your question.

[n2doc]

10. No no no- Keep the spotlight on her

She is doing tremendous damage to Trump. Let her keep flailing and call her out on every lie.

[GoCubsGo]

12. Yep. The same with Comrade Spicer.

Let 'em spew on and keep throwing tantrums. And, digging themselves even deeper.

[Javaman]

20. +1 nt

[jmg257]

11. ha ha - media networks pass up any chance at ratings and controversy? Not likely.

They thrive on this shit!

[Stellar]

13. Everybody in Trumps Cabinet is polarizing including BLOTUS

[smirkymonkey]

14. The sooner they muzzle her, the better.

I can't stand listening to that whiny, lying "I can't say what I'm thinking".

[OldRedneck]

17. NO, don't stop . . .

. . . keep it up.

She says some stupid shit.

Spicer corrects her with more stupid shit.

Trump gets pissed, raises hell with both of them, charges out and utters some REALLY stupid shit.

Meanwhile, anonymous White House and Congressional staffers leak to the press descriptions of how everyone in the WH is at each other's throats.

And the freak show continues.

[HopeAgain]

26. +1

[Ligyron]

43. +2

[llmart]

46. +3

[Tree-Hugger]

47. +4

[Bettie]

18. I think that any reputable news organization would not have her on at all

or anyone from the admin.

Starve the beast. It would drive him nuts if no one wanted to talk to any of his minions.

If all reporting was investigative, imagine how different the narrative would be.

[Eliot Rosewater]

30. Trump seeks adulation, if we keep him from that he will go nuts and harm us greatly

but it may be the only way to get rid of him.

Then Pence comes in and destroys everything we have worked for our entire lives, our benefits, freedoms, civil rights, all of it gone, ALL of it.

[Bettie]

48. Yeah, either way we are totally fucked

And either way we end up in a theocracy.

Might as well make Dear Orange Leader's life a living hell while we lose it all.

[Eliot Rosewater]

49. FBI is now on board fully, denying there is any issue with Flynn and Russians.

America is over, the problem is will we have a nuclear war.

We have to focus on that, but your benefits and rights are gone.

[Bettie]

50. And the CIA has a new guy in charge

who will stop any inquiry from that quarter.

We're wholly owned by Putin. Not even Russia, but Putin personally.

And there is no fucking way out.

[Eliot Rosewater]

51. Yep, fascists win. Democracy and patriots lose.

[Bettie]

59. I keep hoping to see a ray of hope

and it just gets worse every day.

[politicaljunkie41910]

58. I agree. No one should be listening to Conway and her 'alternative facts'. Turn it off.

Also when you turn it off, you should let the network know specifically why you are turning it off, and mean it. If they see their ratings starting to drop and people are letting them know why, then we will see change. If not, at least you preserved your sanity. Also, if you automatically record these shows on a DVR, stop it. If you record a show on a DVR, it counts in the ratings, whether or not you ever watch it. And finally, if you are a news junkie like I am, DU can be your alternate source for news and information, bypassing the networks. If it ain't on DU, it probably ain't worth watching or hearing about. If I miss something in the news, I look for it here, first.

[ck4829]

19. They should have stopped on the 20th, the Trump 'government' is not legitimate

[treestar]

21. Why do they have such a hard time

limiting themselves to the facts. They have to get in on the spin. Why should the WH get to argue its side to the media and not the opposition. We can make up our own minds if we simply knew what he was voting on, going to veto, etc.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

22. YES! Stop interviewing her! I sometimes think they do it just to pass...

the time in their program slots, though.

That's easier than real journalism, after all.

They might as well fill the time with cat videos, as far as I'm concerned.

[world wide wally]

24. I wonder if Les Moonves and his cohorts have considered the incredible ratings they would

get during impeachment hearings.

[ProfessorPlum]

25. Reminds me of this

"What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul."

[LovingA2andMI]

27. No Debate Necessary...

Delete the Bobblehead, #AlternativeFacts, Liar, Extraordinaire Completely From The Contact List for Major Media Networks or Print Media Coverage. Plain and Simple.

[Blue Idaho]

28. An Easy Litmus Test for the Media...

If any spokesperson tells a lie - they are no longer considered a reliable source for the President and his administration. Period. No more interviews.

[appleannie1943]

29. The very first time she skirts around answering a question they should say "Since you won't answer

the question, there is no sense in talking to you" and turn off the camera and walk away, leaving her standing there with her mouth moving while not saying anything. Be damned if I would waste my time trying to interview her.

[cbdo2007]

31. The media won't boycott her, her craziness is a ratings gold mine.

[lindysalsagal]

37. Yes. She's the new crazy trump, while he acts predidential..

He still wants to headline every news cycle. She's a puppet, and always was.

[csziggy]

40. That's true - remember Orly Taitz and how her insanity was hard to miss?

This interview with Tamron Hall and David Schuster was like watching demolition derby:

Finally Lawrence O'Donnell couldn't take her any more and threw her off his show:

After that she didn't appear on MSNBC again so far as I know.

[Cryptoad]

32. No News to be had ,,,,

interviewing her,,,,, So Cultures had traditions of pretending people like her did not exist. They were completely shunned ,,, thats her ticket!

[spanone]

33. sunday she let the world know she deals in 'alternative facts'

that alone made her opinions irrelevant

[BigDemVoter]

35. I am 100% on board with this.

I have said since the very beginning that giving that idiot an audience serves NO purpose, as she answers NO questions, says NOTHING true or of value, and it just gives her a platform to spew her lies. She is one of the biggest liars I have ever seen.

[underpants]

36. Has anyone else ever had a PR rep AND a WH spokesperson?

Sure actual admin people would do interviews but she really isn't in the admin. I guess Rove would be closest to this. Axelrod wasn't everywhere nightly.

[IronLionZion]

38. "when you are done listening to Kellyanne Conway, you probably understand less"

The worst part is Kellyanne probably knows better but just has no self-respect.

[procon]

39. Never happen. The press will converge on her like sharks on a feeding frenzy.

With all her stupid remarks, the gaffs and outright lies, she's a walking, talking headliner for the media.

[ffr]

41. But it's a media reality show spectacle! Ratings. The damn ratings! They need the ratings!

$$$

[democrank]

42. Why should networks help spread propaganda and lies?

If Kellyanne's lips are moving, she's lying....so how do we benefit from that total waste of time?

[randr]

44. They should hold her feet to the fire, make her answer directly or say goodbye.

She is the queen of spin and it is time to banish spin from civil discourse.

[Vinca]

45. I'd rather see a mass exodus of journalists at Baghdad Sean's press conferences when he lies.

[zipplewrath]

52. I've said it for years

I understand having to allow various elected and appointed people on the shows because of the positions they hold. However, once you get beyond that to various "surrogates" and "spin masters", I would think that you would want to keep some sort of record, and once it had been demonstrated that they were dishonest in their appearances, or grossly unfamiliar with the facts, they'd go on some sort of "unreliable" list and you'd just stop having them on. If their bosses want to come on and be wrong, or lie then, well, that's something worth viewing. But having some lackey on doesn't contribute to the national dialogue at all, and in fact really undermines your program and pisses off half of your potential audience.

[Paladin]

53. If the MSM won't walk away from trump's liars, we should abandon the MSM.

Flagging ratings may be the only weapon we have to wean the compromised, chickenshit MSM away from lying creeps like Conway and Spicer. I've been doing my part, since election day.

[Doreen]

54. I ALMOST feel more sick to see and hear her than Trump.

Note I said almost. She is vile just like Trump.

[SeattleVet]

55. Every time she starts her Gish Gallop routine, cut the microphone.

Leave the video feed with no sound until she is actually answering the question with a Chyron crawl explaining why there is no sound, leaving her looking like a fish out of water with her mouth going, but nothing coming out of it. Make it clear to her that she must answer the question that was asked if she wants to be heard.

[demmiblue]

60. I like this approach.

[asiliveandbreathe]

56. Reporters - value truth?? -

Love that debate -

What was a semi-respectable skill during the election is now a terrifying White House reality for reporters who value the truth.

Now, if they stop interviewing the Conway..and feed us so called truth - does that make it true??? - When will we know??

[Eleanors38]

57. I doubt MSM will stop interviewing Con-way; more likely, tRump will stop dealing with MSM...

His concerns over legitimacy reveal his limitations in using social media. Though he is better at it than anyone else at this time, he doesn't realize that legitimacy grows from national/community agreement, which in turn and heretofore has been the provence of the mass media model (pre Revolutionary times up). tRump is on the cutting edge of how to use social media to coalesce a movement, but he doesn't yet know how to legitimize through it.

In a sense, the "left" (a threat to both parties) is in the same boat. The marches -- an awesome event still unmeasured in significance -- was a harbinger back to the old ways of legitimizing, and it worked to de-legitimize tRump. But the new left-of-center coalition will face the same dilemma the Pretender does: How to legitimize a movement in the post MSM era. No one has a prototype model for replacing the old MSM model in this new time.

[ecstatic]

61. Regardless, I'll never listen to her again. She belongs in a circus exhibit alongside trump.

Her off the wall deflections aren't amusing in this setting; they're offensive & insulting to everyone's intelligence.