Brownie points for Asman?
Reported by Nancy - July 20, 2004 -
David Asman deserves special notice for one segment he did on today's FNL.
At 11:35 am EDT, citing a poll in the magazine Marie-Claire that was allegedly about what issues concern women, Asman interviewed Myrna Blyth for 5 minutes. Aside from such conversational gems as Blyth: "Abortion isn't their [women's] main concern" - Asman: "You'd never hear *that* from the media!" the "interview" was entirely predictable. It didn't focus on the poll at all, simply gave Blyth a podium from which to air her opinions ("Young women are assumed to be liberal") & Asman the opportunity to get in a little liberal-bashing & sexism ("Are women easy to manipulate?").
Comment #1: Why didn't Asman interview someone from Marie-Claire about the poll?
Comment #2: Why did Asman interview Blyth, specifically? He introduced her as a "former editor-in-chief of Ladies' Home Journal" -- which is not untrue, but which hardly tells the whole story. She is also author of "Spin Sisters: How the Women of the Media Sell Unhappiness and Liberalism to the Women of America" (St Martin's Press, March 2004) & was all over the media hyping her book a couple of months ago.
And, from her own website (http://www.myrnablyth.com/pages/3/index.htm) -- which possibly hasn't been updated in a couple of months:
Myrna Blyth was the editor-in-chief of Ladies' Home Journal from 1981 to 2002 .... She was also founding editor-in-chief and publishing director of MORE magazine. She has won numerous awards .... She is currently a Commissioner on the President's Commission on White House Fellows and a member of the Advisory Committee for the Office of Research in Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health.
Upcoming Appearances:
*Heritage Foundation Luncheon, Washington DC March 12
*Repubican Women's Club, Manhattan, April 19
Comment #3: Gee, has Myrna got an axe to grind? Or a specific, biased point of view? Maybe her book sales are down? Maybe her website has in fact been updated & she doesn't have any "upcoming appearances"?
