Mark Finkelstein has written some of the loopiest, most paranoid posts at NewsBusters, from speculating that Matt Lauer was a Palestinian sympathizer for wearing a checkered scarf to declaring that a soccer to hyperventilating over how a soccer ball on the cover of Time looks suspiciously like the Obama campaign logo.
Now, Finkelstein shows off his latest example of MRC-approved “media research”: Eliot Spitzer is sitting too close to Kathleen Parker on the set of their new CNN show.
No, really. That’s it.
Seriously, we’re not kidding:
What were the Parker Spitzer producers thinking? If there was one guy you’d want to keep at a decent distance from a female co-host, it’s Gov. Love Potion #9. But tuning into the show, for the first time, tonight, I was shocked to see the way the pair had been virtually thrown into each other’s laps.
A bit of inside TV baseball: I host a local TV show in my hometown. I’m always struck by how, when I’m sitting what feels quite close to a guest, we appear miles apart on camera. So for Parker and Spitzer to appear so close on TV, they must literally be rubbing, well, elbows.
I can’t say Parker looked particularly ill at ease with the set-up, though at times she appeared to lean away some. But it certainly made me, and presumably a chunk of viewers, uncomfortable to see a guy with Spitzer’s track record getting so up close and personal.
For the love of Pete, put Spitz behind Plexiglass!
Maybe NewsBusters should try that with Finkelstein to keep him from writing more banal posts like this.