NEW YORK – There were plenty of familiar faces on-screen during TV coverage of President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan, people like James Carville, Laura Ingraham, Karl Rove, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Joe Trippi and Dick Morris.
What it lacked, some critics suggest, were people with real expertise in what the $787 billion plan will mean for the economy and for communities and individuals. In short, it was treated like just another political battle.
Of the 681 people who appeared as guests on a dozen cable news and four network Sunday morning talk shows in the three weeks that ended last Sunday, only 41, or 6 percent, were economists, said the liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America.
That count alone indicates a lack of effort in tracking down what was most important about the story, said Erikka Knuti, the organization’s spokeswoman.
„Hearing whether or not this package is going to work is more important than who has the snappiest quip,” she said.
Media Matters didn’t keep track of interview subjects on the most-watched newscasts, the broadcast network evening programs, but the conservative Media Research Center did. About 13 percent of the people interviewed on economic recovery between Obama’s election and final passage of the bill were economists, the group said.
That’s almost one per substantial story, but Dan Gainor, vice president of the MRC’s Business & Media Institute, said that ratio was „appalling.”
Piling on the criticism, the Center for Economic and Policy Research said the media had „badly failed” to inform the public about what the stimulus plan means. The group said news organizations also didn’t keep things in perspective, focusing on criticisms of the bill that were a very small part of the pricetag.
To a certain extent, networks could be accused of unimaginative bookings, going to people they know very well. Media Matters counted 19 separate appearances by CNN financial correspondent Ali Velshi during the three weeks. The three people who opined most about the bill on Fox News Channel were regulars Morris, Rove and Juan Williams, the group said.
Even some of the economists used were familiar to viewers, like Web site maven Arianna Huffington, former game show host Ben Stein and Paul Krugman, columnist for The New York Times.
Two shows the group monitored, hosted by CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Campbell Brown, had no economists during the three-week period. By far, the most economists on any show (10) were on Fox’s new Glenn Beck show.