politics

You Reading the Same Stories as We Are?

August 11, 2005

In a story today about anti-war protestors in Crawford, Texas, and their home base, Peace House, USA Today‘s Oren Dorrell reports, “This month’s protests have dented White House efforts to produce a stream of positive stories about the president at work on the ranch, including meetings with his economic advisers on Tuesday and his national security advisers today.”

“Dented” — as in “made a dent in”?

Let’s take a look at some headlines on stories with Crawford, Texas datelines in recent days.

Over the weekend, MSNBC.com ran this: “Bush Credits Tax Cuts for Growing Economy.”

On Tuesday, we got: “Bush Pleased With Economic Data” from FoxNews.com, “Bush Upbeat About Steady Economic Growth” from MSNBC.com, “Bush: Economy is strong” from CNN.com (along with photo of a grinning, casually dressed Bush), and this, from the Associated Press: “Bush, Economic Team Gathers at Texas Ranch,” with this lede: “President Bush, upbeat about reports showing steady economic growth, is mapping out a fall agenda that includes reviving the debate over Social Security and pushing to overhaul the nation’s tax code. Bush and his economic advisers have good news to discuss Tuesday at the president’s Texas ranch …” (Tuesday’s Associated Press headlines also included this: “Bush Congratulates Shuttle Crew.”)

There was this, yesterday, from Reuters: “Bush says $286 bln highway bill creates U.S. jobs”

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And today, the news out of Crawford includes “Bush to Meet with Defense, Foreign Policy Teams,” with the lede, “President Bush is looking at world hot spots form Baghdad to Pyongyang without leaving Texas. Keeping up an annual tradition, Bush was to meet with his defense and foreign policy teams on Thursday at his ranch …” (FoxNews.com’s presentation of an AP story.)

Sure looks to us like a “stream of positive stories about the president at work on the ranch, including meetings with his economic advisers on Tuesday and his national security advisers today.”

We’re still looking for the dents.

–Liz Cox Barrett

Liz Cox Barrett is a writer at CJR.