The New York Times’ Frank Rich writes in Sunday’s paper about the cablers and their coverage of the WHCD. “This annual Beltway fete, once safely quarantined on C-Span, has now mutated into a poor man’s Golden Globes on all three cable news networks,” he writes.
Rich was most critical of MSNBC, which he targeted for tardiness to the Times Square bombing story the evening of the big dinner. “Whether this was due to ignorance, ineptitude or an unwillingness to play party pooper is a distinction without a difference,” he writes. “Real-time coverage of Leno bombing (since when is that news?) mattered more than any actual bombs.”
Rich also finds fault with CNN and Fox News, describing cable news during a breaking story as “often a pick-your-poison situation.” He concluded:
As we venerate the heroic street vendors who gave America its reality check last weekend, we should remember that they were the first to report what was happening in Times Square and that those covering and attending the White House Correspondents Dinner were the last.
Related: TVNewser’s recap of the cable coverage that night.