Salon published its “War Room Hack Thirty” the day before Thanksgiving. The list features Salon’s “least favorite political commentators, newspaper columnists and constant cable news presences, ranked roughly (but only roughly) in order of awfulness and then described rudely.” According to Salon, “Criteria for inclusion included writing the same column every week for 30 years, warmongering, joyless repetition of conventional wisdom, and making bad puns.”
The Washington Post’s Richard Cohen topped the list that included David Brooks, Mark Halperin, Maureen Dowd, Peggy Noonan, Bill Kristol, David Broder, Tina Brown, and Howard Kurtz. The assessments were not kind. Of Cohen, Alex Pareene writes, “He’s not so much an old liberal who grew conservative as he is a simplistic old hack who believes his common prejudices to be politically incorrect truths and his Beltway conventional wisdom to be bracing political insight.”
In response, Greg Mitchell at The Nation asked readers to vote for their “30 Media Heroes.” Unsurprisingly, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow topped a list featuring Amy Goodman from Democracy Now!, Keith Olbermann, Glenn Greenwald, Naomi Klein, and man-of-the-hour Julian Assange.
Today, we’re asking readers to take a look at both lists and vent. Who was unfairly besmirched? Who dodged a well-deserved dart? Who has no place on that heroes list? And, for those in the holiday spirit, who does?
Let us know what you think below. Enough responses, and we might be able to post a list of our own.
Fun idea, but remember, The Nation "Heroes" was simply a vote of MY readers at their site AND at Twitter. Not the mag's picks.
#1 Posted by Greg Mitchell, CJR on Tue 7 Dec 2010 at 01:04 PM
Joe Klein was unfairly besmirched, Michael Kinsley dodged a well-deserved dart - I had him at #10 on the Hack 30 list.
As for the "Media Hero" list, I'm glad for Mr. Mitchell's clarification because it really, really left me scratching my head. But hey! It's Greg's List!
#2 Posted by James, CJR on Tue 7 Dec 2010 at 03:09 PM
Media heroes like Robert Scheer, Helen Thomas, Mike Malloy, and anyone even distantly related to Stalin propagandist in chief Claude Cockburn? Chris “I get a hard on watching Greek anarchists light bank tellers on fire” Hedges?!? What the hell is wrong with these people! I know it’s The Nation magazine and all, but for goodness sakes!
As for Salon’s list, it reads more like a “liberals we grew tired of for their wavering orthodoxy” and “conservatives we always despised”. Whats with S.E. Cupp being “TV ready” … is that dork left wing speak for wont talk to me after two pitchers and a bottle of rohypnol?
#3 Posted by Mike H, CJR on Tue 7 Dec 2010 at 05:14 PM
How could they ignore Charles Krauthammer, who is predictably, invariably, inevitably against everything that Obama says or does. Often wrong, but never in doubt.
#4 Posted by Leonard Boasberg, CJR on Wed 8 Dec 2010 at 11:47 AM
Mickey Kaus was unfairly tagged by Salon. It's weird, because Salon's staff recently noted a 2009 post by Kaus that predicted with remarkable accuracy the events of the past political year. Hacks don't think outside the box. Kaus is a Democrat who makes fun of his own party's orthodoxies from time to time.
Re above, Krauthammer is a former Democrat. He actually wrote speeches for Walter Mondale in 1984 against Reagan. It's usually interesting to read people who have been on both sides of the political barricade. Hacks, by contrast, seem to have minds that froze up when they were young (my guess is 1968 or so, re the hackish majority of liberal baby-boomers - we have "classic politics" the same way we have "classic rock" radio stations) and have successfully avoided learning anything new ever since.
#5 Posted by Mark Richard, CJR on Wed 8 Dec 2010 at 12:24 PM
I cant believe Keith Olberman isn’t #1 … perhaps if the poll of Nation readers was taken after his recent tweet sending readers to an article written by a Holocaust denier who was attempting to slime Jullian Assange’s (alleged) rape victims, it might have been enough to put him over the top!
#6 Posted by Mike H, CJR on Wed 8 Dec 2010 at 03:33 PM
I thought Salon's list was excellent, though Krauthammer was also at the top of my list of those who should be included. But anyone who thinks Michael Kinsley deserves to be on a list of media hacks doesn't seem to know anything much about media, or hackery. He's merely been routinely brilliant and insightful for about 30 years.
#7 Posted by John Ettorre, CJR on Wed 8 Dec 2010 at 03:36 PM
I don't always agree with him but I think Bob Somerby of The Daily Howler should be on the Nation's media hero list. He is always challenging and real smart. I think his archives are a national treasure.
#8 Posted by John Donovan, CJR on Thu 9 Dec 2010 at 06:43 PM
perhaps the list, rather than Media Heroes, should be titled something more like, Favorite Media Celebrities.
With some honorable exceptions, the list includes few mentions of working reporters -- you know, the folks who dig up the facts that powerful people want to cover up, and provide the fodder that the Media Personalities later pontificate on.
All this points up to fact that our media culture is more about posing and posturing than it is about investigating and analyzing . . . .
#9 Posted by mwh, CJR on Fri 10 Dec 2010 at 12:11 PM