In yet another segment of Katie Couric’s seemingly endless interview with Sarah Palin aired Tuesday on the CBS Evening News, the Alaska governor refuses to name a single newspaper or magazine she regularly reads. Instead, the journalism major claims she reads “all of them, any of them” when Couric presses for specifics.
Wait a second.
She reads all of them?
Does that mean Palin reads The Colorado Independent? It’s available in Alaska, and, unlike the hectoring press, we don’t “buy ink by the barrelfull” — in fact, the only ink around here resides in a few ballpoint pens — so we’re not looking to pick a fight with the vice presidential nominee. So if you’re reading, Gov. Palin, we would like to issue a hearty welcome! And a reminder — about this story, and this one, or this one, maybe this one, certainly this one, not to mention this one — it’s not personal, we’re just doing our jobs.
A few possibilities:
• Palin really does read “all of them” (not likely).
• She reads the New York Times and Washington Post but can’t admit it because the McCain campaign is at war with those newspapers.
• She only reads fringe publications that affirm her worldview (probably not something she wants to reveal to Couric).
• Like Supreme Court decisions, she can’t discuss what she doesn’t remember.
• Palin doesn’t read any newspapers to “stay informed and to understand the world.”
Guess which reason is most likely.
Here’s the CBS transcript:
Couric: And when it comes to establishing your worldview, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?
Palin: I’ve read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.
Couric: What, specifically?
Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.
Couric: Can you name a few?
Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn’t a foreign country, where it’s kind of suggested, “Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?” Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.
