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Archives 2000

TRUCULENT PUNDIT'S TRUNCATED POSTING! Michael Kelly absent-mindedly left out some context. Joe Conason put it in for him:

Our current howler (11/29/00)
Perpetually-furious Michael Kelly forgot to provide simple context.

WE GATHER TOGETHER! This Thanksgiving Day, both sides have valid points. Eat your turkey—and stop the name-calling:
Our current howler (11/22/00)
The angry-men may sweep us away. So why does the Post publish Kelly?

STATE OF SUSPENSION! We suspend our review of the election's last days to bring you these crisp Daily updates:
The Daily update (11/14/00)
Times like these call for cool clear sense. George Will has been tried—and found lacking.

The Daily update (11/15/00)
Michael Kelly picked up where Will left off. In so doing, he revealed a Key Rule of the campaign's bogus coverage.

The Daily update (11/16/00)
We're developing our info the old-fashioned way—by rumor, spin, error and deception.

The Daily update (11/17/00)
Imus began to get some answers. But why had the press left him hanging?


TALK FROM THE HAND! For archives of our "Howlings" columns, you know what to do. Just click here.


THIS ELECTION WAS ALL ABOUT CHARACTER! Stumbling along toward the Day of Decision, our top players never broke character:

Our current howler (part I) (11/13/00)
Katharine Seelye continued her nonsense right through the campaign's final weekend.

CLUELESS LIKE ME! As we stumble on to Election Day, we cover a few hazy topics:
Our current howler (part I) (10/30/00)
Do you understand George's SS proposal? Here at THE HOWLER, we don't have a clue—thanks to some Dick-and-Jane coverage.

Our current howler (part II) (10/31/00)
The press corps passed on two major topics. But maybe it's all for the best.

The Daily update (11/02/00)
What exactly was wrong with that doggy pill story? Thanks to a Bush ad, the nonsense is back.

Our current howler (part III) (11/03/00)
The crackpot culture of the celebrity press corps gets played out in the DUI uproar.


DAILY UPDATES! The analysts are struggling to get all caught up. In the meantime, a week of cool updates:
The Daily update (10/23/00)
Hay-yo! Tony Snow wondered why Gore doesn't joke more. Brit Hume showed why he doesn't.

The Daily update (10/24/00)
No, dear friends, that isn't a misprint. When Alan Simpson dissembled about Gore, Chris Matthews—the same—got it right!

The Daily update (10/26/00)
The pollster's panel was "uncommitted." But what of the pollster himself? (NOTE: See our postscript on some must-Z-TV.)

The Daily update (10/27/00)
Phew! In back-to-back evenings with Bill O'Reilly, Dick Morris showed that integrity counts.


DAILY UPDATES! Amusing ourselves with those small tics and flaws, we provide you a week of "Daily updates."
The Daily update (10/16/00)
How long did Westmoreland chat with Gore? Melinda Henneberger has been playing the numbers.

The Daily update (10/17/00)
Still no word from Melinda H. Will we hear tonight from Jim Lehrer?

The Daily update (10/18/00)
Correcting his error (but saying too much), Jim Lehrer (almost) got it right.


HOWLER HYSTERICS! Our entire staff has been performing at the Washington Improv. One dispatch from Debate II brought some laughs.
Our current howler (10/13/00)
Broder and Connolly gave us the dope about how those bad boys were behaving.

THE EMBELLISHMENT WARS! A pair of stories in the Times and the Post extend the Embellishment Warfare:
Our current howler (10/09/00)
Berke embellished some tales and he beat on Gore’s mom. It’s what happens When Pundits Attack. (A companion to today’s "Howlings.")

Our current howler (10/10/00)
David Von Drehle said good-bye to Love Story. Jonathan Alter helped hype a replacement.

Our current howler (10/11/00)
Pundits were clucking about Bush’s childhood books. As usual, the pundits were wrong.


EXTRA! FROM THE WORLD-FAMOUS HOWLER EMBROIDERY BUREAU! When Russert told Imus about the veep’s sighing, the truth somehow wasn’t enough.
A Howler EXTRA (10/06/00)
When Russert told Imus about the veep’s sighing, the truth somehow wasn’t enough.

BUT WHO WILL GUARD US AGAINST THE GUARDIANS? Our press corps is a hapless elite. Be careful when they "interpret" Tuesday’s forum:
Our current howler (part I) (10/02/00)
Cokie Roberts accused Gore of "distorting" Bradley’s record. But the distortions—real groaners—came from her.

Our current howler (part II) (10/03/00)
It’s a big, big week for Gore and Bush. But it’s also a big week for spinners.

Our current howler (part III) (10/05/00)
When Fallows said Gore was stretching the truth, it was a good person saying odd things.

Our current howler (part IV) (10/06/00)
Dissembling freely about (gasp!) the farm chores, John Leo puts the pitchfork to democracy.


FROM OUR "LOOK WHO'S TALKING" DEPARTMENT! We've noticed some character problems in the current campaign. But alas! They belong to the press corps:
Our current howler (part I) (09/25/00)
Writing about those new Gore e-mails, the Washington Times showed its character problems.

The Daily update (09/26/00)
Seper’s bogus Washington Times story got bruited all around the Fox channels.

Our current howler (part II) (09/28/00)
Sean Hannity won’t stop misstating Love Story. Will he do and say anything to win?


REVIEWING THE DAILIES! Two "Daily updates" finish the week. And see daily "Howlings" at SpeakOut:

The Daily update (09/21/00)
A pair of scribes got some cheerleading practice, spinning hard about "new" polling data.

The Daily update (09/22/00)
Misdirection is a powerful force. This week, it’s even grabbed William Kristol.


A DAILY HOWLER TWO-DAY SPECTACULAR! The Washington press corps controls the press. That's why we need more E. R. Shipps:
Our current howler (part I) (09/18/00)
Our analysts came right out of their chairs. Shipp got it right—once again!

Our current howler (part II) (09/19/00)
Why was the coverage of Gore getting better? Ceci Connolly had a humorous theory.


GLOBE IN AUTUMN! In a pair of articles, the Boston Globe indulges its penchant for spinning:
Our current howler (part I) (09/11/00)
Whoa! It's almost as if the Globe's Glen Johnson is calling Al Hunt a Big Liar.

Our current howler (part II) (09/12/00)
Johnson could have provided a service if he had simply spelled out the key facts.

Our current howler (part III) (09/13/00)
In today’s Post, Mike Allen offers some new information. But he doesn’t try to spin about "character."

Our current howler (part IV) (09/15/00)
Curtis Wilkie’s review of the M & N bio embellished about those embellishments.


KESSLER GETS IT RIGHT! Two papers have fumbled the size of those cuts. But this morning, one scribe gets it right:
Our current howler (09/08/00)
Who Da Man? Experts have differed. But new evidence now points to Glenn Kessler.

BRILL’S, LACKING CONTENT: A hopeless piece in a mag we like really does call for some comment:
Our current howler (part I) (09/01/00)
We’re sorry to drop our rollicking style. But Homey don’t play certain ball games.

Our current howler (part II) (09/05/00)
The most striking thing about Mnookin’s piece is the fact that it turned up in Brill’s.

Our current howler (part III) (09/06/00)
Has Mnookin even read THE HOWLER? There’s no way to tell from his piece.

Our current howler (part IV) (09/07/00)
To Mnookin, the reporters in question are grizzled old pros. We’ve found things to be somewhat different.


RELIABLE FORCES! The Washington press corps controls the press. On Reliable Sources, the conflict does show:

Our current howler (part I) (08/29/00)
Does the celebrity press corps try to set up a "horse race?" Jay Nordlinger never heard such a thing.

Our current howler (part II) (08/30/00)
Most Washington reporters don’t report on the press. On Reliable Sources, it shows.

Our current howler (part III) (08/31/00)
When the Washington press corps critiques itself, the glass often seems mostly full.



OFF TO THE LAKE! Our entire staff is off to the lake. As we leave, a big paper has been mind-reading:

The Daily update (08/23/00)
While the Post floundered with basic facts, the Times did some basic mind-reading.


TALK FROM THE HAND (8/21/00): We pen an epistle to the Post concerning a Cohen column: Just click here.


WHAT’S THEIR MOTIVATION? As our entire staff decamps for L.A., we return to a favorite theme--motive:

Our current howler (08/11/00)
Everyone swore that Gore’s choice was "bold." They ought to just stick to the facts.

HOWLER ALERT! It's late in the game to be making these errors. We incomparably say, "Lay out the facts!"
Our current howler (part I) (08/9/00)
O’Reilly was wrong about LaBella and Gore. Tonight, he should lay out the facts.

Our current howler (part II) (08/10/00)
According to Fox, they report, we decide. Last night, that process got sidetracked.


THE PROSECUTION NEVER RESTS! Pundits praised Tim Russert’s performance. At THE HOWLER, we weren’t all that sure:
Our current howler (part I) (07/25/00)
Margaret Carlson praised Russert’s questions. They were like what you’d hear in a dorm!

Our current howler (part II) (07/26/00)
Carlson said Russert tried to "prosecute" Gore. It’s not hard to see why she said it.

Our current howler (part III) (07/27/00)
When Russert discussed the Buddhist temple, he mangled what the real gumshoes said.

Our current howler (part IV) (07/28/00)
From e-mail to Arlen, Russert played cop—and badly disserved the public interest.


ASK JEFF JACOBY! Should a political writer sound like Ann Landers? To the press corps, it made perfect sense:
Our current howler (part I) (07/18/00)
Should political columnists sound like Dear Abby? To the press corps, it made perfect sense.

Our current howler (part II) (07/19/00)
When Jacoby wrote about Big Liar Gore, it was more of the same "same-old-same-old."

Our current howler (part III) (07/20/00)
Jacoby’s May 11 column concerned things that do matter. It shouldn’t have run in the Globe.

Our current howler (part IV) (07/21/00)
In 1998, a Jacoby column showed how far the corps’ standards have fallen.


OOPS! MICHAEL KELLY HAS DONE IT AGAIN! The Atlantic's cover shows Gore with a fang. Its article is instructively toothless:
Our current howler (part I) (07/11/00)
The Atlantic’s cover shows the schoolboy level to which our discourse has fallen.

Our current howler (part II) (07/12/00)
Fallows reports one clear-cut lie. Oops! It was told about Gore.

Our current howler (part III) (07/13/00)
For Dems, 1988 was the war of the all against all. But Fallows singles out one combatant.

Our current howler (part IV) (07/14/00)
Fallows suggests that Gore "invented" a charge. We think you’ll soon say: Look who’s talking.

Our current howler (07/17/00)
In other sectors, work like this is known by a legal term: "Fraud."


A DAILY HOWLER BIG PICTURE REPORT! Simply put, the "character problem" of the election to date has been that of the Washington press corps.
A DAILY HOWLER Overview Report (07/11/00)
What kind of campaign coverage will we see in the fall? So far, the signs are all gloomy.

WELCOME BACK! RETURN FROM THE FOURTH! As the analysts returned from the Fourth of July, they found that some things never end:
Our current howler (part I) (07/5/00)
We welcome you back from a holiday weekend. And no, it never ends.

Our current howler (part II) (07/6/00)
The New York Times can say what it likes. But at long last, Robert Wright had enough. (Note: DO NOT MISS today’s "Daily update.")

Our current howler (part III) (07/7/00)
When Seelye spent a week reporting on Bush, that "cynicism" cleared up real fast.

Our current howler (part IV) (07/10/00)
Invite George Lardner over for lunch. You can charge him as much as you want.


CLUELESS, ALL TOO CLUELESS! Gore’s Hsi Lai statement was extremely old hat. As usual, troubled scribes hadn’t heard:
Our current howler (part I) (06/27/00)
Pundits were flummoxed by Gore’s distinction. It’s been explained again and again.

Our current howler (part II) (06/28/00)
Anywhere else, it’s a firing offence. What makes it OK in the press corps?

Our current howler (part III) (06/29/00)
On Sunday, LaBella’s statement was false. But given the setting, who knew?

Our current howler (part IV) (06/30/00)
Gore ain’t a "normal person," Williams says. We wonder how many she knows.


SPIN TRANSCENDENT! Pundits bowed to the great god, Spin, in reporting Gore’s new "Soc Sec plus."
Our current howler (part I) (06/20/00)
Katharine Seelye offered a hopeless account of "Social Security Plus."

Our current howler (part II) (06/21/00)
Discussing Gore’s plan, several scribes seemed to say, "Stop us before we spin more."

Our current howler (part III) (06/22/00)
The great god, Spin, is a merciless god. He’s been driving the press corps all week.

Our current howler (part IV) (06/23/00)
When Michael Kelly is getting his stuff from Tim Russert, the mighty god, Spin, roars with pleasure.


THE HOWLER’S INCOMPARABLE TRIVIA WATCH! Whose sinks are stopped up? Who’s fun on the plane? A set of stories shows the press corps’ love for trivia and hopeless misdirection:

Our current howler (part I) (06/15/00)
Al discussed issues instead of George. Maureen Dowd had a word for it: Bor-ring.

Our current howler (part II) (06/16/00)
Howard Kurtz reported life-on-the-plane. But he buried the one part that mattered.

Our current howler (part III) (06/19/00)
Dowd and Seelye clowned about Gore. Only Bill Safire played grown-up.


6/13: A HOWLER EXTRA! HILL AND THE YANKS! A reader brought us out of our seats with an e-mail that blew up a fable. You know what to do. Just click here.
6/14: A HOWLER SEQUEL! Just click here.


GORE CORRECTION WATCH! The wave of correction may be starting off-shore! We strongly recommend an article in Monday’s Guardian, a London paper. You know what to do. Just click here.


MAKE-OVER CRAZE! Pundits swore that Al had been reinvented. But they had a different outlook on George:

Our current howler (part I) (06/7/00)
Our analysts groaned and covered their ears when David Gergen gave the One Standard Story.

Our current howler (part II) (06/8/00)
Someone else was telling the pundits’ One Story—Jim Nicholson, over at the RNC.

Our current howler (part III) (06/9/00)
Al was "reinventing himself," Gergen said. But George had just "moved to the center."

Our current howler (part IV) (06/12/00)
Pundits could ridicule Bush for "reinvention," too. So why don’t the scribes want to do it?

The Howler epilog (06/14/00)
The press corps disapproved of Gore’s tactics, O’Donnell said. So they thought up some tactics themselves.


May 9-June 2
The pathology of the press corps: a special report


 
WEEK ONE! BOSTON GLOBE IN THE SPRING! The Globe said Gore is inclined to embroider. But the article was riddled with errors:
Our current howler (part I) (05/9/00)
The Globe’s problem was easy as 2 + 5. So why in the world was it published?

Our current howler (part II) (05/10/00)
Twelve years ago, on one occasion, Dukakis said Gore bungled facts.

Our current howler (part III) (05/11/00)
Gore fibbed about where he went to school, the Globe said. But the evidence says something quite different.

Our current howler (part IV) (05/12/00)
Gore fibbed about his dad on race, the Globe said. But then we read Maraniss and Nakashima.


WEEK TWO! ON THE COVER OF GEORGE! How easy is it to call people liars? Real easy. They prove it in George:
Our current howler (part I) (05/16/00) 
These days, almost anyone can call public figures Big Liars. Peter Keating proves it in George.

Our current howler (part II) (05/17/00)
How does Keating know that Bush is a liar? He played a game: "Surrogate says."

Our current howler (part III) (05/18/00)
Comparing Bush and Gore with angelic opponents, Keating crafts odd fairy tales.

Our current howler (part IV) (05/19/00) 
Keating said a slick magic word when he claimed that a Gore ad was false.


WEEK THREE! GLOBE IN WINTER! As New Hampshire approached, the Globe fumbled abortion. And it raised an old icon--Love Story.
Our current howler (part I) (05/22/00) 
The distinction was easy as easy can be. In New Hampshire, it baffled Globe writers.

Our current howler (part II) (05/24/00) 
Robinson and Scales fumbled Gore on abortion--and misstated a much-Loved old Story

Our current howler (part III) (05/25/00)
The Love Story tale has been wrong for three years. So why won’t the press corps correct it?

Our current howler (part IV) (05/26/00)
No one corrected the farm chores deception, raising a question: Why not?


WEEK FOUR! IN SEARCH OF THE ELDERS! When the press corps’ elders refuse to speak up, lesser figures take over the discourse:
Our current howler (part I) (05/30/00) 
Penelope’s suitors defiled once-great halls. So with some in today’s troubled press corps.

Our current howler (part II) (05/31/00)
Jacob Weisberg, recumbent, don’t read much no more. It’s part of what’s wrong with our discourse.

Our current howler (part III) (06/1/00) 
Doing the unthinkable—critiquing the Globe—the StarTrib’s Eric Black got it right.

Our current howler (part IV) (06/2/00)
The need for standards has long been known. But where are the press corps’ elders?


DAILY UPDATE! During our series, we'll keep you posted on news of the day. For this week's “Daily updates,” click here.


POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD: Life on the road isn’t easy for scribes. We offer a trio of snapshots:

Smile-a-while (05/3/00)
Forced to pander for all he was worth, Governor Bush gave us Bruni Restored.

Our current howler (05/4/00)
Conducting "random" interviews with town hall survivors, Ceci Connolly got across favorite points.

Our current howler (05/8/00)
Transferred (we surmise) to the Bush campaign, Ceci Connolly sang a new tune.


A TALE OF THREE PANDERS! Three recent examples of candidate coverage show why the press corps should steer clear of motive:
Our current howler (part I) (04/27/00)
When Bush met with gays on April 13, the press corps chose not to yell “pander.”

Our current howler (part II) (04/28/00)
Two hopefuls had the very same stand. But only one hopeful had pandered.

Our current howler (part III) (05/01/00)
Stu and Charlie knew the hopefuls’ motives. But they didn’t know what the hopefuls had said!

Our current howler (part IV) (05/01/00)
Given the standards of the press, you can count "panders" any way that you want.


BACK TO THE FORGES! MORE WORK ON THOSE SCRIPTS! Seelye and Connolly show us what happens when the news is rearranged to fit scripts:
Our current howler (part I) (04/19/00)
Katharine Seelye is "puzzled" by Gore’s decision. Back in March, she explained it quite clearly.

Our current howler (part II) (04/20/00)
Katharine Seelye came up with a slick formulation. And guess who was using it first?

Our current howler (part III) (04/21/00)
Ceci Connolly said Gore had been shifting positions. Her prose made it quite hard to tell.

Our current howler (part IV) (04/24/00)
Why did Koenninger think Gore had changed his stand? Maybe he’d been reading the Post.

The Howler wrap-up (04/25/00)
Seelye and Connolly tell the stories they like. We suggest you avoid their "reporting."


HOWLER POSTSCRIPT!  PREZ CALLS HIS SHOT!
A Howler postscript (04/18/00)
Clinton said the press corps wouldn’t report what he said. Four days later, it seems he was right.


WE USED TO WRITE LAZY BOOK REPORTS TOO! Reviews of Conason and Lyons’ new book shows how the press corps responds to direct criticism:
Our current howler (part I) (04/12/00)
Peter Jay reviewed Gene and Joe’s book. But we weren’t all that sure he had read it.

Our current howler (part II) (04/13/00)
In large part, The Hunting of the President concerns the press. Two reviews didn’t much seem to notice.

Our current howler (part III) (04/14/00)
The Hunting of the President describes astounding misconduct on the part of the press. Lewis knew enough not to tell you.

Our current howler (part IV) (04/17/00)
Neil Lewis’ one example of error is a perfect example—of the way today’s press corps does business.


A DAILY HOWLER TWO-DAY WONDER! HAMMERING OUT THIS YEAR’S STORY! CelebCorps scripted the ’96 race. They may be scripting Y2K as we speak:
Our current howler (part I) (04/7/00)
The Times and the Post were both puzzled by Gore. They explained it in two different ways.

Our current howler (part II) (04/10/00)
Clinton lacked character; Dole was out of touch. All events had to fit this great template.

Our current howler (part III) (04/11/00)
At the Post, two page-one stories told familiar old tales. Then we got to some well-buried facts.


FROM OUR "THERE THEY GO AGAIN" DEPARTMENT! Over-excited by the Elian flap, the pundits showed off their bad habits:
Our current howler (part I) (04/3/00)
Steve Roberts obeyed the pundits’ great law: Always talk first about motive.

Our current howler (part II) (04/4/00)
Pundits bore the ugly word. Gore was pandering. They never said how they knew.

Our current howler (part III) (04/5/00)
Bob Herbert described one principal’s state of mind. He begged the dispute’s central question.

Our current howler (part IV) (04/6/00)
What is it actually like in Cuba? Few pundits bothered to say.


THE HOWLER READER! One of our workers holds court in CapStyle. We present his incomparable text:
The Howler reader (03/30/00)
One of our workers holds court in CapStyle. We present his incomparable text.


NATTERING NABOBS OF NEGATIVITY WATCH! Upset by what those dim voters did, some pundits have decided to go negative:
Our current howler (part I) (03/28/00)
Roger Simon said the hopefuls were a pair of "dim bulbs." We decided we’d try to find others.

Our current howler (part II) (03/29/00)
Puzzled scribes at the New York Times were struggling to limn new conundrums.

Our current howler (part III) (03/30/00)
Marjorie Williams helped us see that the hopefuls are hopeless on character.

Our current howler (part IV) (03/31/00)
Welcoming McCain back from Bora-Bora, Howard Fineman found welcome relief.


GIVING GOOD STORY! Press corps accounts of the Hsi Lai luncheon are remarkably slick with basic facts:
Our current howler (part I) (03/22/00)
The Philadelphia Inquirer—boasting New Documents!—left out what Richard Sullivan said.

Our current howler (part II) (03/23/00)
Excited scribes questioned Gore’s credibility. But they had a few problems themselves.

Our current howler (part III) (03/24/00)
Are pundits always wrong on the facts? Michael Kelly—irked again—made us wonder.

Our current howler (part IV) (03/27/00)
Sullivan and Strauss explained the Hsi Lai event in detail. Some scribes preferred mystery thrillers.


AND PLEASE COME FOR LUNCH! The guilty verdict in Maria Hsia’s trial touched off general election scandal coverage:
Our current howler (part I) (03/16/00)
When a tabloid talker discussed a big trial, a key fact just never got mentioned.

Our current howler (part II) (03/17/00)
A tabloid talker ranted and raved. In the process, he left out one fact.

Our current howler (part III) (03/20/00)
Jeff Birnbaum reviewed Gore’s correspondence with Hsia. The conclusions he drew were "extraordinary."

Our current howler (part IV) (03/21/00)
Under oath, Richard Sullivan explained the Hsi Lai event. His testimony was quickly forgotten.


ONE DAY ONLY! GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT! We bid adieu to the primary race as the scribes show a rank Double Standard:
Our current howler (03/15/00)
When is 15 more than 20? When celebrities play Double Standard.

TELL US A STORY! Scribes have explored Senator McCain’s compelling life story. Often, they just tell us the parts that they like:
Our current howler (part I) (03/08/00)
Can you tell McCain’s life story to kids? Yes, you can—if you just tell the good parts.

Our current howler (part II) (03/09/00)
In telling Senator McCain’s life story, scribes have left out the parts they don’t like..

Our current howler (part III) (03/10/00)
Wild, crazy sex was back in vogue when scribes told McCain’s inspiring story.

Our current howler (part IV) (03/13/00)
Pundits drew a pleasing inference from McCain’s Hanoi years. They should have just checked out the facts.


ONE DAY ONLY! SHIPP GETS IT RIGHT! Boxing the ears of her colleagues (and citing real facts!), the Post’s E. R. Shipp got it right:
Our current howler (03/07/00)
Boxing the ears of her colleagues (and citing real facts!), the Post’s E. R. Shipp got it right.

TWO DAY ONLY! SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT! Governor Bush went to visit Bob Jones. And then the snake-handling got started:
Smile-a-while (part I) (03/03/00)
The press corps invented a brand new standard when The Dub went to visit Bob Jones. (Postscript: David Barstow breaks the rules on the bus.)

Smile-a-while (part II) (03/06/00)
Do southerners get to call northerners "bigots?" The press corps invented an etiquette rule in discussing Pat Robertson’s phone calls.


ONE DAY ONLY! TWO OF OUR FAVORITES! A tabloid talker—and the deft Spinner One—put their skills on full display:
Our current howler (03/03/00)
Chris Matthews asked McCain about those Michigan calls. We’re not really sure why he bothered.

GOT THEIR MOTORS RUNNIN’! LIFE ON THE BUS! Laughing at jokes and enjoying free doughnuts, the press makes democracy happen:

Our current howler (part IV) (03/01/00)
Joe Klein said you could call the bus the “Stockholm Syndrome.” He described a process that turned the press on its ear.

Our current howler (part III) (02/29/00)
We blush to see the topics discussed when the scribes ride around on that bus.

Our current howler (part II) (02/28/00)
Kurtz and Kalb tried to raise Nelson’s point. Two separate panels weren’t buyin’.

Our current howler (part I) (02/25/00)
Pundits “laugh and laugh” on John McCain’s bus. But one scribe said he wouldn’t go near it.


LIVES OF THE SAINTS—REPORTING JOHN! The press told a story it liked about John. The reality—no disgrace—has been different:
Our current howler (part IV) (02/24/00)
McCain has been “all over the lot.” But he’s called a straight-shooter. Why is that?

Our current howler (part III) (02/23/00)
Six weeks after Bush’s first complaint, Frank Bruni still couldn’t explain it.

Our current howler (part II) (02/22/00)
McCain, answering Bush, issued three separate stories. The press didn’t much seem to care.

Our current howler (part I) (02/21/00)
The press corps told us a story they liked. In South Carolina, reality bit them.


VALENTINE'S SPECIAL! We love the spinner—but hate the spin. Four examples of the corps' current spinning:
The Howler epilogue (02/18/00)
Valentine’s Week has come to an end. So has one scribe’s love for Bush.

Our current howler (part IV) (02/17/00)
When the Standard says that Gore has vile ways, we always think, "Hey! Look who’s talking!"

Our current howler (part III) (02/16/00)
Standards are low for calling certain folks liars. Matt Rees gives a current example.

Our current howler (part II) (02/15/00)
Newsweek’s Bill Turque does-what-it-takes to generate an exciting charge against Gore.
(Do NOT miss today’s HOWLER postscript!)

Our current howler (part I) (02/14/00)
Maureen Dowd said Bush was smearing McCain. In the process, she smeared Bush herself.


MANCHESTER MAYHEM! Bradley said that you can’t believe Gore! How did the press corps react?
The current epilogue (02/11/00)
Judy Woodruff said Gore was distorting those nursing home standards. Was she right? The celebs just don’t care..

Our current howler (part IV) (02/09/00)
When Jack Kemp encountered some engine trouble, we blamed the whole thing on the press.

Our current howler (part III) (02/08/00)
The press corps’ fervent love of the truth is an exciting but recent development.

Our current howler (part II) (02/07/00)
Talk about the right to choose! Pundits apply a sliding scale in judging the hopefuls’ honesty.

Our current howler (part I) (02/04/00)
Gore corrected a misquotation. The Boston Globe scolded him for it.

The Howler overview (02/03/00)
Flying home with Manchester musings, the analysts critiqued Uncle Walter.


ONE DAY ONLY! With the analysts away we threw this together. For detail-lovers only:
Our current howler (02/10/00)
Did McCain distort Bush’s budget plan? Two Times scribes won’t seem to tell us.

UNHEALTHY DISCOURSE! As citizens vote, they can’t possibly know what’s what with the Bradley health plan:
Our current howler (part IV) (01/27/00)
Manners triumphant! John Judis says that Gore is right. But so what—he still calls him "brutal!"  (PLUS: Pundit see, pundit do—postscript on Wed Dem debate.)

Our current howler (part III) (01/26/00)
GroupThinking pundits call Gore a demagogue. They don’t bother with any examples.

Our current howler (part II) (01/25/00)
Michael Kelly says voters are over-informed. We’d like to know what he’s been reading.  (PLUS: Imus and Stahl do Iowa. Do not miss!)

Our current howler (part I) (01/24/00)
Despairing of ever acquiring real info, our analysts finally ventured a guess about the Bradley health plan.


ONE DAY ONLY! THERE SHE GOES AGAIN! Katharine Seelye never stops inventing the news for her readers:
Smile-a-while (01/24/00)
Once again, Katharine Seelye—Spinner One—has been improving the news for Times readers.

ONE DAY ONLY! HOWLER UPDATE! Bradley coverage reviewed:
The Howler update (01/21/00)
Whatever happened to Bradley’s friendly coverage? Inquiring scribes want to know.

HOW COULD THE HOWLER’S CLAIMS BE TRUE? We begin to sketch an incomparable Big Picture for our exciting new millennium:
Our current howler (part III) (01/20/00)
There’s a second slight problem we humans have. Sometimes, we aren’t all that honest.

Our current howler (part II) (01/19/00)
We human beings don’t reason real well. But don’t trust us—look in the papers.

Our current howler (part I) (01/18/00)
How can the things we assert be true? We begin to sketch our incomparable Big Picture.


ONE DAY ONLY! Our incomparable analysts look at the conduct of the 1/6 Rep debate:
The Howler review (01/17/00)
It brings us no pleasure to report what we found when we reviewed the January 6 hopeful forum.


HOWLER EXTRA! ANOTHER NO-NO! Once again, the Post’s Ceci Connolly reports something Gore never said:
A Howler EXTRA (01/14/00)
Once again, the Post’s Ceci Connolly simply makes up a statement by Gore.


DESPARATELY SEEKING INFORMATION! Where do voters go for info? The press seems information-averse:
Our current howler (part IV) (01/13/00)
When Chris Matthews corrects spinning, we’ve really been spun. Once again, he corrects a Post spinner.

Our current howler (part III) (01/12/00)
When Russert interviewed Bush and Forbes, he treated just one as his buddy.

Our current howler (part II) (01/11/00)
Tim Russert asked about Bush’s tax record. The answer? We still haven’t heard.

Our current howler (part I) (01/10/00)
Battles rage about the future shape of the incomparable DAILY HOWLER.


INTRODUCING THE YEAR OF THE HOWLER! Call it Howler2000, or just "H2K." In a new year, we ask large meta-questions:
Our current howler (part III) (01/06/00)
Cuckoo’s Nest III? Richard Stevenson’s work on the surplus projection has gone down the memory hole.

Our current howler (part II) (01/05/00)
Fred Barnes wasn’t the only big scribe describing strange press conduct.

Our current howler (part I) (01/04/00)
A dead-on piece by the Standard’s Fred Barnes helps us ring in the Year of the Howler.