Still recovering from coverage of Obama’s First 100 Days? Brace yourself. It’s time for the media to assess Obama’s Second 100 Days. CNN, for one, would like viewers to help grade the president (and lawmakers) in a range of subjects (health care reform, economy, foreign affairs). If it’s any incentive, viewers also get to “grade the performance of the media,” which led to this promotional plea from AC360’s Erica Hill Tuesday night:
You can also grade the media. I hope you give us a great grade.
And last night, the admission/preview (full results later this week) from CNN’s Tom Foreman that thus far viewers aren’t exactly giving “the media” (or anyone) top marks:
C’s and a lot of failing grades in here. The president is not alone when you look at some of the other numbers here. Congress gets failing grades across the board here. The media, us, failing grades across the board…
(It can’t help that CNN’s blurb inviting viewers to grade the media is a tad confusing, wondering as it does whether “the media” has “been too critical or not critical enough,” while also wondering if Obama has “overexposed” himself with all of his media appearances. Who/what are viewers grading?)
Liz Cox Barrett is a writer at CJR.