05
Aug
So Much Fail, So Little Time
No more videos for the #dickwhisperer:
The Washington Post has brought down the curtain on “Mouthpiece Theater.”Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli killed the satirical video series Wednesday after harsh criticism of a joke about Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, which had prompted him to pull the latest episode from the paper’s Web site Friday night. The Post staffers who appeared in the videos, Dana Milbank and Chris Cillizza, agreed with the decision and apologized in separate interviews.
“I don’t think the series worked as they intended,” Brauchli said. “It was meant to be funny and insightful and translate the superb journalism Chris and Dana do in print and online into a new format.”
Brauchli should win an award for understatement.
Miriam
Milbank does supberb journalism? Now that is funny.
Ash
Wait, does “superb” mean something other than what I’ve thought it’s meant my entire life?
Miriam
superb, sorry
NonyNony
As Scott Lemieux pointed out over at LGM, if “Mouthpiece Theater” was supposed to translate the “superb journalism” that Milbank and Cillizza “do in print and online to a new format” then I’d call it a success.
Ethan's Mom
I think you mean overstatement—superb they are not
donovong
The Gong Show was much funnier, more relevant and a better example of journalism than the bullshit Milbank and Cilizza put out. And The Gong Show SUCKED ASS.
GambitRF
As Homer did on the Simpsons, Dana and Chris also got more gongs than the break dancing robot that caught on fire.
Zifnab
Is there some kind of Pulitzer for noting the obvious?
Napoleon
Too bad Milbank wasn’t gonged right out of the media.
OT but Chuck Berris was on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me this weekend as the guest question answerer and did a pretty good job.
SGEW
@Ash: I think they meant “subpar.” It’s very easy to get the two mixed up, it seems.
beltane
So this was the video version of Dana Milbank’s “superb” journalism? Milbank has long been a hack; inviting people to watch-rather than just read-his lameitude does not do anything to improve it. At least it only took a single You-tube spoof to make them figure this out.
May I suggest that the New York Times start it’s own Mouthpiece Theater starring Tom Friedman and Ross Douthat? I want to see the spoof.
Scott
Cue Milbank whining about “online bullies” in 5… 4… 3… 2…
Trinity
TPM has the Milbank and Cilizza responses posted here http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.....heater.php
Demo Woman
This comment is from Cillizza’s blog “The Fix”
Zandar
Which is amusing because:
...is actually exactly what happened.
It’s just that the journalism’s new format was the same old bullshit, only in smoking jackets.
Morbo
What a shame, they were true uniters, not dividers, if you catch my meaning.
Quaker in a Basement
Whoa, whoa, whoa. You meant it wasn’t meant to be sophomoric, slapdash, and a total embarrassment to a once-great newspaper?
‘Cause it sure seemed like they were working pretty hard to make it all that and less.
James Hare
Man I love seeing that #dickwhisperer tag. Without a doubt, one of the funniest moments in political journamalism ever.
Joshua Norton
Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli killed the satirical video series Wednesday
Nobody “killed” it. It committed suicide.
“It was meant to be funny and insightful and translate the superb journalism Chris and Dana do in print and online into a new format.”
See The Fox 1/2 Hour News Hour for other hilarious examples of the comedic gold WaPo was trying mine.
Posted! ! !
EdTheRed
But…but…it was trenchant as hell!
JDM
Just a coupla Wild n’ KKKrazy Guys … too bad they’re still available (and paid) in print.
raff
Yeah, & I meant to become a millionaire by buying a lottery ticket. Alas none of those things, you know, actually happened.
MikeJ
Did you miss Tuesday’s episode? Yes, they released an ep just yesterday complaining about the mean old blogs.
http://www.cjr.org/the_kicker/.....itie_2.php
SGEW
They didn’t kill it because it was a steaming piece of unfunny shit. They killed it because (as Andy Cobb pointed out) it “inadvertently exposed the dark heart of [their] dying industry, two minutes at a time.”
It was simply too revealing.
media browski
The Washington Post isn’t even pretending to “do journalism” anymore, is it?
jibeaux
Well, for straight superficial horse race coverage, which is really all he purports to do, I like The Fix, although I haven’t read it since the election. And Cilizza put up a fairly genuine sounding apology. Re: Milbank, I have no defense there.
Scott H
Like the man said, dying is easy, comedy is hard.
arguingwithsignposts
Wait, it gets better. The last paragraph of Howie Kurtz’ column:
Cillizza should have had the brains not to get involved. (question for brauchli – so he’s followd and admired by a lot of journos and people in politics, what about the rest of the country?)
Milbanks should be kicked to the curb for the damage he’s done to the Post brand. Instead, he’ll keep getting his paycheck to be a douche.
SiubhanDuinne
Does anyone besides me think that Chuck Berris in that photo could be the twin of whateverhisnamewas that played Greg Brady?
MikeJ
Who would you trust more, someone admired by politicians or someone on Nixon’s enemies list? The saying used to be, “if you want a friend in Washington get a dog.” Now it’s get a Cillizza.
arguingwithsignposts
BTW, Chuck Barris was on Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me last week. hilarious stuff.
slag
@SGEW:
I totally read it as “subpar” initially. Do Freudian slips also pertain to reading?
jibeaux
@MikeJ:
Well, I’m not going to hang out here all day defending Cilliza, but his style is a niche. It’s not his intent to afflict the comfortable and rake the muck and get on enemies lists. He’s more of a tactics, polls, logistics, numbers, kind of guy, and I think there’s a place for that.
Chris
I would never have guessed that WaPo was aware of that video’s existence before it was released. Are they trying to ruin what’s left of their goodwill?
As guerilla theater it was amusing. But to find out those guys are on the payroll – just profoundly sad.
Anne Laurie
Can we carve this on Dana Milbank’s tombstone?
slag
@jibeaux:
Ummm…Isn’t the place for that currently like very goddamn media outlet in this country right now? I mean I can count the number of investigative journalists I can think of on one hand. The number of Chris Cillizas, however, seems infinite.
linda
translate the superb journalism Chris and Dana do in print and online
hahahahahahahahaha…. now, that’s funny.
chris cillizza is mr popular among the villagers, because he’s so eager to kiss their fucking asses. watch him lather up tweety sometime.
and speaking of tweety—man, he’s juiced tonite—the big dog is back on the scene and tweety’s obsessing over all the angles. ‘does bill look like he’s gaining weight’...
Johnny Pez
POST’d!
Singularity
Yeah, basically already stated but:
It wasn’t the “bitch” that killed it. T’was beauty killed the beast.
asiangrrlMN
Sub-par? I would agree with that. Oh, wait, superb. Hahahahahahaha! Big laugh of the day.
feebog
So where do I go to get my up to the minute sizziling political satire now?
gex
@feebog: Just listen in to 13 year old boys on Xbox live. They are just as able to call women bitches as these fine journalists.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
At least according to MSM mythology, during the Watergate scandal the WaPo took down a Republican President. They’ve been repenting of that act of lese-majeste and doing neocon penance (say a hundred Hail Reagan’s and take a cold shower in the morning, etc..) ever since – sort of like St. Augustine making up for his wild and mispent youth.
Veritas78
The only accurate aspect of it was the title.
JenJen
The schaden, it freuds itself. Feels good to have been gone all day, and to have read the news here first. :-)
oh really
Hmmm.
Huge UNDERstatement. (And much funnier than anything either Millbank or Cilizza said or did.)
Gigantic OVERstatement. (Again, I’m tempted to laugh, but the disgust I feel kills the humor.)
Huge UNDERstatement + Gigantic OVERstatement = Total BS
And the award goes to Brauchli for utter nonsense in a hopeless cause.