Why diss Katie and not CHARLES GIBSON?

Gibson has just been chosen as ABC World News Tonight anchor. Here is another morning show host who has spent a lot of time interviewing diet book authors and two-bit celebrities. But there seems to be absolutely NO reaction to his being chosen to replace Peter Jennings. Once again, real deal journalists like Amanpour get overlooked.

I just saw a commercial trying to beef this guy up--probably in competition to Katie--and I've gotta wonder why there's been so little reaction to him. Don't get me wrong: I'm no fan of Couric. But I really wonder about the choice of Gibson.

and otherwise mug the camera and flirt with his co-hosts and interview subjects?

which is something I did on 11/3/04. The surprising part is that I haven't missed it a bit. I certainly haven't missed yelling at the TV or the feelings of cognitive dissonance and hopelessness having such an unrealistic viewpoint blatted at me night after night caused.

I really don't care which bland bobblehead is reading the White House talking points and reciting the litany of celebrity horse shit. I confess to a mild curiosity about whether or not Couric will shed that perky girl next door persona to do hard news, but not enough curiosity to tune in.

I mean, it's not like they're there to inform us of anything particularly important.

I also filtered Spanish, religious, children and shopping programs which is just as unnecessary for me as the corporate propoganda impersonating journalism on the cable news networks. I am a much happier person now believe me!

because so much commercial TV is total crap and PBS is always begging and showing garbage instead of their regular programming to do it.

Try watching Hollywood movies dubbed into Spanish some time, they can be hilarious. Also, I can watch soccer while I can't watch other team sports, and the Spanish stations always seem to have a soccer match on.

Univision and Telemundo both have great variety shows, too. My Spanish isn't quite good enough for their chat shows, not yet, but I can generally manage entertainment very nicely.

I'm beginning to think I'm about to crack and get staellite. This begging period has been particularly obnoxious and started a week early on the local station. WHY do they think sucky programming will garner them more contributions? It's one of life's mysteries.

It was that moment of cheerleading the Illegal invasion of Iraq highlighted in Fahrenheit 9-11 that has stayed with many of us here with Couric. At least that when she got on my list. Has Gibson been that vapid and supportive of Bushco?

So it's not because Katie is a woman. Lauer also would bomb on a nightly newscast. As for Gibson, he might do okay.

Tammy

He came to GMA from the News Division many years ago. I kind of compare him to Tom Brokaw, who hosted Today for many years and then went to news.

While I can think of many more "serious" journalists, I'd take Gibson's track record over Couric's any day. Gibson's been around awhile.

He just doesn't strike me as serious news.

It's not like a Maury Povich, say, who went from Inside Edition to The Maury Povich Show to MSNBC.

Gibson has the skills. He can cover hard news just fine. The skills don't "rust out" that quickly or irrevocably.

You could have said the same thing of Brokaw, who spent many years as the Today host. I believe he went there in the mid-70s after his stint as WH correspondent, and stayed there until Bryant Gumbel came on in the early 80s.

ON EDIT: Here is Gibson's bio, FWIW.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/story?id=128148

Give that position to someone that has been doing real journalism, not some tool that's been doing fluffy bullshit for the past ten years

During the 1970s and 1980s, Gibson covered the House of Representatives and the White House for ABC News. Prior to anchoring ABC's morning show, Gibson worked as a reporter for World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. He sometimes co-anchored World News Tonight when Peter Jennings was reporting on location. He also occasionally substituted for Ted Koppel on Nightline. On October 8, 2004, he moderated the second presidential debate between George W. Bush and John Kerry.

Gibson graduated from Princeton University where he was news director for the university radio station, WPRB-FM and a member of Princeton Tower Club. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Gibson

Since I don't have cable, PBS will soon be my only TV news option.

when he was on vacation and that extended period when he was sick and so people got familiar with him delivering the evening news. I'm reserving judgement on Katie but her comments since getting the evening news job does cause pause.

to a lot of people. Look at how Sen. Clinton is attacked in this forum...