“Mortalizing” Obama and other made-up words

Time Magazine tweeted

See TIME's list of most overreported news stories of 2010 | http://su.pr/3292tC #TIMEbestlists—
TIME.com (@TIME) December 13, 2010

I wanted to see what Time thought was over-reported.

Surprisingly, I agreed with many of the choices: Palin, bed bugs, O’Connel, the koran burner and a few more deserved their place on this list.

But then again when we get to number ten – it’s what I expected from TIME

This photo under the caption of “Nameless victim”

Charlie Riedel / AP

was what the media thought too much was made of. After all, we all know the Gulf is fine and 72% of the oil evaporated into thin air! Pouf! The ocean is very big as Tony Hayward schooled us.

As for this bird, is fine  and raising grandchildren! (prove it’s not!)

But that was not all I expected – and found on that list.

At number four – TIME makes up a new word

4. The Mortalizing of Barack Obama

Not sure what exactly they mean by that, but from the context, I’d hazard a guess: the media (wrongly) took the immortality feature of Obama (kind of like a vampire that suddenly turns alive, thus becoming mortal) .

In an ironical twist, the example they are using to illustrate this exaggeration is….the healthcare reform

In order to ensure congressional passage of a legislative foundation for health care reform, he disappointed progressives by choosing not to fight for the public option.

And how do they know that was exaggerated?

Obama’s Gallup job-approval rating never dipped into the 30% range, as it had done for two-term Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan during their first two years in office. Obama may never have been “the One,” as Oprah Winfrey dubbed him, but he might not be doing quite as badly as his headlines suggest.

First of all Obama’s polls numbers actually did dip into the 30s – 39 to be exact. In the Top of the Ticket blog, the accompanying photo was this

I guess it’s why TIME used Gallup specifically, as the 39 happened in the Obama friendlier Zogby polling.

Second of all, people tend to remember the “shellacking”  more than the Gallup polling – which was due in great measure to that very “exaggerated” abandonment of the public option – much as the media didn’t mention it at all.

And of course, given the universal disgust for Obama’s latest cave in, talking about “exaggerated mortalizing” is a joke in itself.

I am sure this was written before the reaction to Obama’s latest post-partisan achievement.

And for all these reasons, I refudiate the mortalizing arguments. I think TIME got wee-weed for nothing.

Tabloids: The wedding! Oil-kill – how clean is clean?

Chelsea’s wedding fascinates the media so much, the NY tabloids forgot to be bitchy

Even NY Post

Of course, the “paper of record” had to squeeze the story bottom page with an ambivalent headline

The “elbowing town” beams with pride in the local press (even if they were slow in getting the actual wedding pics)

On the oil-kill front, in the news embargo area, yesterday’s chest beating from BP is followed by softer headlines

and controversial outlooks

and there’s even a breach of perimeter with WaPo doing a Corexit story (bottom page)

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Tabloids: Kerry gives in, BP had alarms off, Bonnie uncertain

Yesterday fun stories continue: John Florida doesn’t count Kerry has no defense for tax evasion Boston Globe last year issues continue to be posted by Newseum – was the media’s fault then too?

On the more serious side, it was revealed BP kept the alarms off on rigs so the workers can sleep

and in the oil-kill news blockade, worries persist on Bonnie

and check those underwater oil clouds

in LA they think it’s still possible for the storm to pick up

while here, on the East Coast – we bake again.

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Tabloids: LA wants more oil, storm in Fla, heat and rats

Slow news day – or rather slow publishing covers. With only a few papers to work from:

You have to wonder who is financing this protest (and its publicity) – LA wants more drilling?

All their papers seem to carry this

In Florida, where a drilling ban failed to go to a vote, they fear a storm messing up the cleaning

In other weather related news, it’s been hot

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In other stating the obvious news, there are rats in the NYC subways

and war kills

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I didn’t mean to trivialize this, it’s just that I am frustrated about the lack of interest from those who should know better. Where is the anti-war movement? Blowing raspberries at Sarah Palin.

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Tabloids: UK, BP, US vs the Atlantic Ocean; Blago silent

Now that BP totally ignored US orders about the cap again, it’s time for the UK prime minister to set Jr.jr straight. Here’s a Moonie Times headline on it  DESPITE OIL SPILL ‘CATASTROPHE’ CAMERON STANDS UP FOR BP (why quotation marks under “catastrophy”? And why “oil spill”?)

and one in Metro NY (next to the Playboy story) AS GULF DISASTER UNFOLDS, OBAMA AND CAMERON TRADE NICETIES

Funny how those special relationships weren’t that special under Jr.jr until the need to cover for BP

Wall Street Journal thinks that US DRILLS DEEP INTO BP but they also thought the financial reform had teeth, so…

In reality, after being stomped all over by BP, Admiral Thad is trying to reassure people that it will be OK on BP’s terms

while in Florida, they were unable to pass the drilling ban – if not now, when?

And a shocker from Chicago: Blago has been silenced

out of character, notes the Tribune

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