I’ve been saying that WMUR has been drifting Leftward for a while. Part of that comes from the stories they cover – and in how they cover it. From a political standpoint, it has become clearer and clearer from the way the station has covered political rallies or protesters on both the Left and the Right.
Often, a small number on the Left for a given issue will get much more glowing coverage than those of a larger number on the Right.
Never fails.
This past Sunday, it came out in full force as Adam Sexton, the erstwhile Political Director at WMUR, couldn’t bring himself to demand a proper answer from NH Democrat Party Chair Ray Buckley. I had DVR’d it and just watched it a few minutes ago. I sat in complete wonderment.
Isn’t it the purview of a “professional” journalist not just to ask a question but demand that they actually answer the question? Otherwise, wouldn’t that just be an in-kind campaign contribution?
If the question is asked for one issue but the returning answer has nothing to do with it, why does Sexton just sit there and take it?
He said nothing a couple of times – just went to the next question. WHY even bother asking a question when it doesn’t get answered?
Buckley sure was all giddy when he realized he could go in any direction he wanted – there was no accountability from Sexton to ensure his audience was getting the answers for which they were listening.
And with such, Adam Sexton now has made himself the object of the news instead of Buckley or NH GOP Chair Stepanek making the news.
Question 1: Top news: Trump declining to accept a peaceful transfer of Power. Sununu: not acceptable. Do you agree, Stepanek? And then to Buckley – if Trump wins, will YOU accept that result?
Buckley: Laughs, never answers the question, and throws shade against Sununu that HE might not accept a Biden win.
Question 2: Buckley, aren’t you worried of a replay when Gore paid little attention to NH and lost? And that Biden is staying away?
Buckley: Smiles, never answers the question. Went into a deflection on Trump’s nomination of ACB and seeing that Obamacare and abortion will be taken away. Followed by insinuating Sununu ISN’T filling the NH Supreme Court.
Question 4: Hard to unseat a popular 2 term Governor. What’s the spark Feltes will use for an upset?
Buckley: Never answers the question – only “we’ve learned some lessons” and then goes and attacks Sununu.
Question 5: FITN is in danger – Buckley, can you two work together on keeping NH’s First in the Nation primary?
Buckley: Just has a bovine excrement eating grin throughout his entire answer as he said that he worked quite well with Steve Duprey and others in the past. He knew he was dissing Stepanek in real-time and couldn’t care less. So no, he didn’t answer the direct question.
Stepanek actually answered the questions – Buckley didn’t. Very similar to the national level as Trump answers questions and Biden refuses to even talk to reporters and refuses to answer questions (like about SCOTUS packing) as well. And Adam Sexton just sat there like a good little puppy.
This is what news has devolved to – ask a question and never ensure that the answer you get actually pertains to said question? And people go to COLLEGE to be able to produce news in this fashion? He looked silly, he looked supine….he looked rather stupid. This is the behavior of “can’t ask hard questions and demand answers or I’ll loose ‘access’ to those people”.
Well, Adam, sorry, that’s NO access at all! Access is getting real answers to your questions. What you did was just give Buckley mic time. What you became was window dressing as almost any high schooler that follows politics (and they do exist!) could have done exactly the same you did – but I bet they’d say “but you didn’t answer the question“.
So why DIDN’T you utter that line?
Closing note: the NH GOP has got to get a better Internet connection. Not a good look when the audio keeps freezing and glitching – people aren’t going to take the answer seriously if they can’t hear it in the first place. And for GOSH sake, stop looking at the monitor that seem to be off to your left and downward – keep your eyes on the camera!
And both of them should be thinking about sound deadening their “broadcast” rooms to get rid of the echo. Either that, as a multi-million dollar operation, couldn’t WMUR afford a simple plug-in to get rid of it?
And if you can go to Walmart, you can do a two-person interview. After all, your colleagues are ALWAYS patting themselves on the social distancing schtick so WMUR has the capability of having guests into the station. Certainly, you could have…
…as I noticed that you effectively had three empty chairs showing on stage at the end of the show.
