In a social media post on Thursday, Attkisson shared what she described as a “[q]uick story about govt. shutdowns and the theatrics behind them,” detailing how her team at CBS News struggled to find real-life impacts of the shutdown.
“When we couldn’t find any, that should have been part of the story. Instead, we kept trying to create the appearance of an impact,” Attkisson wrote, attributing this approach to a tendency among journalists to fit facts into predetermined narratives.
She claimed that the Obama administration collaborated with the media by staging scenarios, such as cordoning off public monuments in Washington, D.C., to create the illusion of shutdown-related consequences. “These monuments weren’t ‘manned’ to begin with,” she noted, describing this as just one example of what she characterized as political theater.
“There are other examples, but this is the one I remember the most,” she concluded.
Quick story about govt. shutdowns and the theatrics behind them. One year when I was reporting at CBS News during a govt. shutdown, I think 2013, we were sincerely searching for real life impact. When we couldn't find any, *that* should have been part of the story. Instead, we…
— Sharyl Attkisson 🕵️♂️💼🥋 (@SharylAttkisson) December 20, 2024
Attkisson, author of Slanted: How the News Media Taught Us to Love Censorship and Hate Journalism (2020), reflected critically on the incident, acknowledging it as emblematic of broader issues within both media and government. She highlighted two enduring themes: the media’s willingness to support Democratic narratives and the political establishment’s efforts to portray the federal government as indispensable.
She also pointed out that such theatrics underscore how shutdowns can highlight the bloated nature of federal government spending, with the wealthiest counties often clustered around Washington, D.C., benefiting disproportionately.
The episode serves as a reminder of how political narratives and media collaboration can shape public perception.
