Kersten and the conservative echo chamber: a brief case study
Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 10:59 am
- 22 Comments
About a week ago I was perusing Power Line when I came across a bit about an anti-abortion activist who was denied space for her speech at the University of St. Thomas — in part because the group bringing the speaker in was also responsible for a controversial visit by Ann Coulter. A day later a colleague forwarded to me a press release from the Young America’s Foundation about the same issue. I was surprised to see that press release reformulated into a column a few days later by Katherine Kersten, then a post about the Kersten column on Powerline, the originator of the story (personal friends of Kersten’s, as they often boast; the site’s authors call her Kathy). The episode demonstrates Kersten’s vital role in the right-wing echo chamber: Power Line => press release => Kersten column => Power Line.
Kersten’s column and the YAF press release are similar — one could even say remarkably similar. A quick review of passages from each shows that while Kersten was careful to paraphrase the points from YAF’s release, she was not exactly doing any intellectual heavy lifting:
From the press release:
“On April 21, 2008, Star — the best-selling author of numerous books — was slated to speak on campus about the devastating impact abortion has on minority communities.”
From Kersten’s column:
“Star Parker is a bestselling author who travels the country speaking to young audiences about the harmful impact of abortion, especially in minority communities.”
From the press release:
“Jane Canney told Katie and her sister, Amie Kieffer, a senior at St. Thomas and editor of the St. Thomas Standard, “As long as I am a vice president at St. Thomas, the Young America’s Foundation will not be allowed on campus.”
From Kersten’s column:
“Katie Kieffer, an alumna who helped plan Parker’s visit, says that Vice President for Student Affairs Jane Canney, who oversees the committee, blocked the way. “She told me, ‘As long as I’m a vice president at St. Thomas, we will not deal with Young America’s Foundation,’” said Kieffer.”
From the press release:
“Liberals speakers at St. Thomas receive full support from the school’s administration. Just this past year Canney’s Student Life Committee approved the appearances of Al Franken, the bombastic liberal commentator, and Debra Davis, a transgendered activist.”
From Kersten’s column:
“St. Thomas seems comfortable with speakers from the liberal side of the political spectrum. In 2007, for example, the school hosted DFL senatorial candidate and satirist Al Franken, who is known for harsh attacks and raised eyebrows in January at Carleton College for mocking the speech and gestures of a conservative student. Last year, the university also showcased transgender activist Debra Davis, a former male high school librarian who “transitioned,” as she says on her website, to the female gender and now speaks nationally about the experience.”
The story simply served to springboard a flurry of blog posts that ultimately forced St. Thomas to change its mind. St. Thomas will now fund the appearance by Star Parker taking the Young American’s Foundation out of the equation.
Below-the-jump bonus: Kersten is also, of course, a nationally recognized authority on the Muslim threat. Just ask CNN’s tub-thumping xenophobe, Glenn Beck. See video of her 2007 appearance on Beck’s show.
Continued: Click “Read More” Katherine Kersten on Glenn Beck, March 2007 (9:08)
Follow Andy Birkey on Twitter22 Comments
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 11:59 am
Conservative Convenience It’s mighty convenient for Kersten to make an issue of St. Thomas’ supposed bias against Star Parker rather than having to answer for Her’s and Parker’s own biases as hard-code conservatives.
Ms. Parker did not start out with neutral views on abortion until she noticed that it was harming minority communities. She was already anti-abortion and felt she needed to cobble together an argument blaming it for social problems in order to reinforce her attack on it.
Conservatives try to take advantage of the liberal principle of diversity of ideas while they themselves refuse to entertain diverse ideas. Conservatism is not some fresh new viewpoint deserving of a hearing, it’s the same old viewpoint that we’ve heard and heard and heard and that has been a millstone on the pursuit of truth and justice since the beginnings of civilization.
Conservatives act like every day is Day One of the debate and that they’re still entitled to the benefit of the doubt. They expect us to have forgotten what they demonstrated yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that: That conservatives are extemely biased, mean-spirited hypocrites.
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 1:23 pm
Good piece! The echo chamber stuff is spot-on, but the really damning thing is the rip-and-read from a press release. that might get an editor’s attention.
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 3:05 pm
Sadly… Sadly…there’s nothing new about this. Kersten’s editors know she rips from Powerline constantly and nothing has ever been done. But she riles readers, and even her detractors constantly scan her columns. She’s the Howard Stern of family values.
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 3:10 pm
Actual reporting After months of seeing obvious mouthpiece material appear in regurgitated form in Kersten’s Star Tribune column, it’s refreshing to see that someone did some actual reporting on this phenomenon. Who ever would have thought that “actual reporting” and Kersten could appear in the same sentence?
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 3:34 pm
Echo Chamber? Interesting.
So, Andy – a few weeks ago, when you were uncritically passing on talking points from “Citizens for a Supine “Safer” Minnesota”, that was better than what you allege Kersten to have done…exactly how?
Not to play “I know you are but what is she?”, which is the bane of any comment section, but being that the MinMon is basically a Soros press release machine, where do you (pl.) get off calling anyone else an “echo chamber”, anyway?
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 3:49 pm
AmEx *doesn’t blink*
It would help to also include just one background graph on KK’s AmEx tenure, which (incredibly) gave her some “legitimacy” as an expert on her made-up issues. AmEx was the foot in the door, now she’s pushing the merry-go-round around.
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 3:58 pm
… Classic: Change the subject and add your echo to the chamber (the bogus Soros charge). Well played, Mitch!
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 4:54 pm
Bogus?` Really?
Or have you adopted Robin’s old technique of “deny and scamper, giggling, away?”
But OK, let’s stay on “the subject”, Paul. I caught Andy repeating CS“S”M talking points about the “Stand Your Ground” bill (as well as catching Dan Haugen in a bit of comic ignorance that I’d suspect, with good reason, comes from having a purely talking-point-based conception of the issue). And then Anna Pratt, on the same issue, served as Heather Martens’ ventriloquist dummy.
Nothing but echoes! Both “articles” might as well have been press releases!
Better yet, perhaps? Molly P’s bit in which she “echoed” the snarky tittering of a bunch of knuckle-dragging leftyblogs about John McCain’s teeth. OK, so y’all apologized, although not until the “story” got national play. Fair enough…
Look – I don’t care where y’all get your info; Democrat Underground, TPM, brain implants from your sugardaddies, whatever. Mox nix.
But Kersten is “echoing” (allegedly) an issue that deserves some scrutiny. (And please don’t tell me that if the school were Catholic or Baptist that the Monitor wouldn’t be shooting steam out its’ institutional ears!…).
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 5:48 pm
press release First, your post linked above does not accuse me of writing off a press release, so that charge is new.
When I work from a press release I always state that my information came from a press release. So, if in the instance you describe, I referenced working from a press release, then I was working from a press release.
If not, then I was working from a news item, original sourcing, or providing editorial comment.
Kersten was clearly working from a press release and not attributing it.
My post that you reference was clearly (I saw clearly because if you reread the post, you will see where I got my info because I use links and attribution) about the introduction of the bill and one expert’s opinion about that bill.
You are comparing apples to rotten eggs.
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 6:18 pm
. I’ve always been forthcoming about our funding, as you well know, Mitch. A Soros foundation is one of 14 that donates to our parent nonprofit. The bogus bit is that we’re “basically a Soros press release machine.” The echo bit is that you keep saying the same thing….
Comment posted April 18, 2008 @ 5:33 pm
Hand in the cookie jar Nice work Andy. This is more proof of the increasingly blurry line between journalism and advocacy in the Star Tribune “news” paper. This shows why I increasingly get my news from places like Mn Monitor.
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 6:59 am
Conservative Convenience It's mighty convenient for Kersten to make an issue of St. Thomas' supposed bias against Star Parker rather than having to answer for Her's and Parker's own biases as hard-code conservatives.
Ms. Parker did not start out with neutral views on abortion until she noticed that it was harming minority communities. She was already anti-abortion and felt she needed to cobble together an argument blaming it for social problems in order to reinforce her attack on it.
Conservatives try to take advantage of the liberal principle of diversity of ideas while they themselves refuse to entertain diverse ideas. Conservatism is not some fresh new viewpoint deserving of a hearing, it's the same old viewpoint that we've heard and heard and heard and that has been a millstone on the pursuit of truth and justice since the beginnings of civilization.
Conservatives act like every day is Day One of the debate and that they're still entitled to the benefit of the doubt. They expect us to have forgotten what they demonstrated yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that: That conservatives are extemely biased, mean-spirited hypocrites.
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 8:23 am
Good piece! The echo chamber stuff is spot-on, but the really damning thing is the rip-and-read from a press release. that might get an editor's attention.
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 10:05 am
Sadly… Sadly…there's nothing new about this. Kersten's editors know she rips from Powerline constantly and nothing has ever been done. But she riles readers, and even her detractors constantly scan her columns. She's the Howard Stern of family values.
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 10:10 am
Actual reporting After months of seeing obvious mouthpiece material appear in regurgitated form in Kersten's Star Tribune column, it's refreshing to see that someone did some actual reporting on this phenomenon. Who ever would have thought that “actual reporting” and Kersten could appear in the same sentence?
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 10:34 am
Echo Chamber? Interesting.
So, Andy – a few weeks ago, when you were uncritically passing on talking points from “Citizens for a <strike>Supine</strike> “Safer” Minnesota”, that was better than what you allege Kersten to have done…exactly how?
Not to play “I know you are but what is she?”, which is the bane of any comment section, but being that the MinMon is basically a Soros press release machine, where do you (pl.) get off calling anyone else an “echo chamber”, anyway?
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 10:49 am
AmEx *doesn't blink*
It would help to also include just one background graph on KK's AmEx tenure, which (incredibly) gave her some “legitimacy” as an expert on her made-up issues. AmEx was the foot in the door, now she's pushing the merry-go-round around.
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 10:58 am
… Classic: Change the subject and add your echo to the chamber (the bogus Soros charge). Well played, Mitch!
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 11:54 am
Bogus?` Really?
Or have you adopted Robin's old technique of “deny and scamper, giggling, away?”
But OK, let's stay on “the subject”, Paul. I caught Andy repeating C<strike>S</strike>”S”M talking points about the “Stand Your Ground” bill (as well as catching Dan Haugen in a bit of comic ignorance that I'd suspect, with good reason, comes from having a purely talking-point-based conception of the issue). And then Anna Pratt, on the same issue, served as Heather Martens' ventriloquist dummy.
Nothing but echoes! Both “articles” might as well have been press releases!
Better yet, perhaps? Molly P's bit in which she “echoed” the snarky tittering of a bunch of knuckle-dragging leftyblogs about John McCain's teeth. OK, so y'all apologized, although not until the “story” got national play. Fair enough…
Look – I don't care where y'all get your info; Democrat Underground, TPM, brain implants from your sugardaddies, whatever. Mox nix.
But Kersten is “echoing” (allegedly) an issue that deserves some scrutiny. (And please don't tell me that if the school were Catholic or Baptist that the Monitor wouldn't be shooting steam out its' institutional ears!…).
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 12:48 pm
press release First, your post linked above does not accuse me of writing off a press release, so that charge is new.
When I work from a press release I always state that my information came from a press release. So, if in the instance you describe, I referenced working from a press release, then I was working from a press release.
If not, then I was working from a news item, original sourcing, or providing editorial comment.
Kersten was clearly working from a press release and not attributing it.
My post that you reference was clearly (I saw clearly because if you reread the post, you will see where I got my info because I use links and attribution) about the introduction of the bill and one expert's opinion about that bill.
You are comparing apples to rotten eggs.
Comment posted April 17, 2008 @ 1:18 pm
. I've always been forthcoming about our funding, as you well know, Mitch. A Soros foundation is one of 14 that donates to our parent nonprofit. The bogus bit is that we're “basically a Soros press release machine.” The echo bit is that you keep saying the same thing….
Comment posted April 18, 2008 @ 12:33 pm
Hand in the cookie jar Nice work Andy. This is more proof of the increasingly blurry line between journalism and advocacy in the Star Tribune “news” paper. This shows why I increasingly get my news from places like Mn Monitor.
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