In the Rewrite section of The Last Word Monday night, Lawrence O’Donnell exposed the “lazy and compliant” Washington media, including a Salon article that promised a  full accounting.   A member of the committee that is investigating the IRS “scandal,”  Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D) Texas, acknowledged in a committee hearing that Lawrence O’Donnell is correct [and has been all along]  in countering the seemingly unalterable, established media narrative by getting this story right.   Here is a sampling of Lawrence just getting started on the Washington media which we have found to be true time and time again.

“Once the political media has latched onto the paradigm of a scandal,  once they’ve collectively fixed its frame around what they think are the relevant elements of that scandal, it is inescapable from that point forward, that frame.  The media is incapable of processing any new information that can show the political media just how wrong they’ve been.”

It is becoming cliche to criticize the media, but O’Donnell has earned the right. He happens to be one of the few TV pundits who actually does know what he’s talking about on policy matters (and media).  He has served as Chief of Staff of the Senate Finance Committee, Senior Advisor to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and Chief of Staff to the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works.  Most people already know that among other media credentials, he was executive producer and writer for “The West Wing,” the Emmy Award-winning TV series.

This is a must-see video clip from Monday night’s show.  Let’s hope Lawrence doesn’t go the way of Keith Olbermann.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640