Posted on Wed, Mar. 11, 2009 10:15 PM
COMMENTARY
Rush rant: Politics as usual
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As it relates to his talents as a comedian and entertainer, I’m an unapologetic Rush Limbaugh fan. In a radio broadcast booth, Air Limbaugh is as skilled as Air Jordan and as laugh-out-loud humorous as Richard Pryor.
When it comes to assessing Limbaugh’s journalistic integrity and/or criticism of the media, consider me one of Limbaugh’s harshest critics. The difference between Limbaugh and the Rev. Al Sharpton is purely financial. Sharpton pimps poverty for millions, and Limbaugh pimps politics for hundreds of millions.
Wednesday afternoon, I served as one of Limbaugh’s political props. During the second hour of his popular show, Limbaugh offered up my Sunday column about the need to question Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli as a “teachable moment” for his listeners and the national media.
As he has done throughout the political season and since President Obama’s inauguration, Limbaugh argued that the media are in the tank for Obama. Limbaugh criticized my column for ignoring that point. Basically, he contended that I wanted the Kansas City sports media to play by a higher standard of objectivity and fairness than national political journalists who cover the most powerful man in the world.
“Jason Whitlock is aghast that the media is laying down, has no interest, is not curious, is blindly accepting whatever comes out of the Chiefs’ front office,” Limbaugh said. “He wants to dig and find out what they’re trying to hide. He’s writing this about a football team! A football team which cannot raise your taxes; a football team which cannot take away your freedom; a football team which cannot tell you what kind of car to drive.”
Limbaugh went on to add: “Jason, the media is laying down and has checked its professionalism at the door with Barack Obama! The very demand, Jason, that you are making, that local media hold a football team general manager accountable, you don’t even think to reference the national media holding a president accountable? There’s no curiosity, there is blind acceptance of Barack Obama, Jason, right in front of your eyes. They’re stenographers.”
Before I respond to Limbaugh’s criticism, let me include a bit more context. What I’m about to insert will initially appear self-serving. Bear with me. It’s germane to my overall point.
Limbaugh opened his monologue praising my work as a columnist.
“(Jason) has written things in the past that we’ve quoted favorably on this program, other things he’s not been so favorably quoted on,” Limbaugh said. “But I like this man, and I think he’s really brilliant at times, and I think he’s very creative. In a clouded, clogged, overrun media community, Jason Whitlock still manages to write pieces that stand out. And he’s fearless. He has been fired from places like ESPN, which, to me, is a badge of honor. He has been fired for his outspokenness.”
Again, I respect and admire Limbaugh as a comedian, entertainer and performer. His radio talent is indeed on loan from God.
However, like the overwhelming majority of wildly popular and influential political broadcasters and pundits, Limbaugh has virtually no regard for truth, fairness or objectivity. He’s controlled by his political ideology.
While he lampoons the “mainstream” media for their “liberal” leanings, he conveniently ignores that he created the primary conservative “mainstream” medium — Fox News — which is now more pervasive and powerful than its left-wing competitors.
To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.
Posted on Wed, Mar. 11, 2009 10:15 PM
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