Those darn elites. TNR blogger and professional optimist Gregg Easterbrook tells Howie Kurtz "that establishment journalists are obsessed with bad news because the elites they serve benefit from fear-mongering." One elite the establishment journalists are not serving? The lowly President of the United States, whose announcement of new environmental policy was given "short shrift": "The New York Times ("E.P.A. Drafts New Rules for Emissions From Power Plants") put the story on Page A24; The Washington Post ("EPA Aims to Change Pollution Rules") on Page A2." Says Easterbrook: "The proper placement for this story was Page 1 -- where the anti-Bush environmental stories always run -- and the proper headline was, BUSH ORDERS DRAMATIC POLLUTION REDUCTION." In order to prove our own independence from fear-mongering elites, Wonkette will strive to cover today's stories with this in mind. A quick glance at some headlines and their proper spin:
| Headline As Is | Easterbrooked! |
| Cow's Meat Reached Retailers in Eight States [WaPo] | MAD COW'S MEAT ABSENT FROM 42 STATES |
| Rain to Hamper Calif. Mudslide Search [ABC] | RAIN PROVIDES WATER FOR FLOWERS IN CALIF. |
| Hope Fades For Quake Survivors [CBS] | QUAKE VICTIMS IN A BETTER PLACE NOW |
Bad News Bearers: Up To No Good? [WaPo]
