BARACK OBAMA - WAS COURIC AT BECK'S BECK AND CALL?

WAS COURIC AT BECK'S BECK AND CALL?

Katie Couric was able to land Glenn Beck as her first guest for her online interview series @katiecouric on Tuesday because they share the same publicist, Time magazine indicated on its website Wednesday. Beck, who ordinarily keeps the "mainstream media" at arms length -- and has persistently accused it of liberal bias -- commented during the interview that "John McCain would have been worse for the country than Barack Obama" and that he would have preferred Hillary Clinton over both of them. Other than that, the interview produced little fireworks. One TV critic, Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times , said that he was "amazed" that Couric failed to ask Beck follow-up questions -- and listed a number that he said ought to have been asked. She barely laid "a glove on him," Deggans suggested, adding, "Considering how rarely Beck talks to journalists, it was disappointing to see Couric prepared with so little specific information on what he actually does on his shows or why critics are concerned about his words." Time 's revelation that the two share the same publicist would appear to underscore Deggans's perceptions and raise conflict-of-interest questions about the tractable nature of Couric's interview.

24/09/2009