Imus vs Couric by Technorati Graphs

CBS has been in the spotlight lately due to the gaffes of Don Imus and Katie Couric. Clearly, the Imus “Nappy-Headed Hoe” issue has been bigger than the Katie Couric Video Notebook plagiarism issue, but how much bigger?

Technorati’s records of blog site postings that mention “Imus” vs “Katie Couric” give some indication from the perspective of the blogosphere.

The upper graph to the right shows blog postings that include “Katie Couric.” It shows a small baseline of activity surrounding a couple of spikes in the range of 300-400 hits per day. The second spike is a result of the library card story taken from a piece by Jeffrey Zaslow that appeared in the Wall Street Journal.

The lower graph shows blog postings that include “Imus.” It shows little or no baseline of activity, but a huge surge reaching nearly 14,000 at its peak.

So, “how much bigger?” The Imus story was about four to five times bigger than the Couric story at the peak…. assuming the Couric story has played out.
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Katie Couric and CBS Perpetuate Undercount of Iraqi Civilian Deaths

So, how many inaccuracies can be found Katie Couric’s Video Notebook? Here’s another.

On March 19, 2007, Katie Couric reported 50,000 Iraqi civilian deaths, despite the well-known Lancet study citing an estimated 654,965 additional deaths in Iraq between March 2003 and July 2006 (the low end of the estimated range was about 400,000).

A Johns Hopkins School of Public Health web site states:

The mortality survey used well-established and scientifically proven methods for measuring mortality and disease in populations. These same survey methods were used to measure mortality during conflicts in the Congo, Kosovo, Sudan and other regions.

The Guardian reports:

Scientists at the UK’s Department for International Development … concluded that the study’s methods were “tried and tested”. Indeed, the Johns Hopkins approach would likely lead to an “underestimation of mortality”.

The Ministry of Defence’s chief scientific adviser said the research was “robust”, close to “best practice”, and “balanced”. He recommended “caution in publicly criticising the study”.

We know that people are buried quickly in the Islamic tradition, leading to lower reporting of deaths to officials. We know that the mass media is unable to report on vast areas of Iraq due to increasing violence, again leading to under reporting.

So, why does Katie Couric and CBS continue to report a number that is an order of magnitude lower than the best available estimate? Partly because of the human capacity for denial. Partly because corporate media insiders live in a celebrity bubble; they and their wannabe helpers are isolated from realities that would allow them to believe the numbers of additional civilian deaths could be so high. Perhaps to avoid accepting responsibility as a democracy for such a gross crime against humanity.
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Another Couric Video Notebook Error?

Noted as “A sign of the declining modern media,” among other things, d-day blog finds another Katie Couric Video Notebook misrepresentation (no video on this one). How many more are there?

On April 13, 2007, d-day blog reports, in Zombie Lies that Katie Couric’s video notebook repeated the rumor that Barack Obama had been educated in an Islamic madrassa. Compare the original and revised versions. This was reported on by media matters. In particular, they expose CNN’s Glenn Beck for perpetuating the rumor.

Sources:

Katie Couric Notebook Entry Obama’s Background, April 11, 2007: Note it has been Corrected.

Huffington Post, Eat the Press for the before and after comparison.
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Couric: Faux Journalist Reflects Twilight of America

It is one more sign of the decline of America.

CBS News said this week the April 4 installment of “Katie Couric’s Notebook” consisted mostly of passages lifted verbatim from a Wall Street Journal column by Jeffrey Zaslow that was published in March.

Rigor and professionalism has given way to false appearance and the bottom line. For a highly-paid news anchor to blunder into plagiarism is unacceptable in a first-rate nation, which is the point. The U.S. is fading in the same way Rome, Spain and Britain faded from preeminence.

Morris Berman, and others, are writing books on the decline of the American Empire. A review of Berman’s “The Twilight of American Culture,” sums it up:

Morris Berman discusses the decline in American life, evidenced by growing class inequities, the deterioration of literacy, and the pervasiveness of anti-intellectualism.

The deterioration of literacy is exemplified in this case by a failure to recognize plagiarism. Couric didn’t even write the video essay, despite the impression given that she does.

Here’s another example of the decline, a failure of accountability:

The producer responsible for Couric’s piece was fired on Monday night, hours after the Journal contacted CBS News to complain.

“Couric’s” piece? First, it was phony theater, foisted on the American public; Couric wasn’t mouthing a memory about her library card. She was mouthing someone Else’s memory about their library card, written by an as-yet nameless producer (UPDATE: Now named as Melissa McNamara).

Second, if it’s truly “Couric’s piece,” isn’t she also responsible? Apparently not in the twilight of America, where it’s OK for CBS to give the impression that it is “Couric’s piece.” It was faked, like most of what passes for journalism on corporate media as the American Dark Ages approach.

Sources:

Reuters, April 12, 2007, CBS says Couric unaware video essay plagiarized.

Melanie Ho, Review of Berman’s “The Twilight of America.”

See Also:

Regret The Error, a blog that was cited in the Reuters article.

The Daily Background, a blog that was cited in the Reuters article. Raises the question of double-plagiarism. What The Daily Background calls “double-plagiarism” I call “phony theater.”

High Tech Parent on Couric

On the ligher side, gotta take a look at the visual on Milk Was a Bad Choice

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