Media

Hillary’s Post Mortem — Here’s a Preview

When Hillary loses (either in the primary or in the general) the editorials and post mortems will sound something like this explanation by Linda Mason, a VP at CBS News, who uses broad generalizations to justify the specific journalistic atrocity that is Katie Couric.

Mason: “I’m just surprised at how, almost 30 years after I worked on the Evening News as the first woman producer, that Katie is having such a tough time being accepted by the public, which seems to prefer the news from white guys, and now that Charlie’s doing so well, from older white guys. I guess they want the reassurance of a Walter Cronkite.

“I had no idea that a woman delivering the news would be a handicap. And I’m afraid that Katie’s paying a price for being the first woman. But I think it’s a great trail that she’s blazing, and I think if the broadcast continues to be as good as it has been, if we continue to break news, if we continue to tell interesting stories, people will start to watch. It takes time, I think. But I was surprised that there was an obvious connection between a woman giving the news, and the audience wanting to watch it.” (Public Eye, a CBSNews.com blog)