The Media: Liberal or Conservative?

[Taymelo]

Tay does another outstanding job of making a long post, nearly unreadable, trying to sound smart and authoritative, and then just hopes you back down. Good work.

I keep telling Taymelo that he needs to sound less Republican.

LMAO.

Exactly, though, Mxy.

The other problem that goes a long way towards creation of the liberal media myth is really nothing more newsmen covering politics and current events - nothing more, nothing less.

In other words, conservative republican Bush is in the White House, so if there is a negative article to write about what's going on in the White House, it will implicate conservative republicans. Conservative republicans will ignore this fact, and claim it is because of a liberal bias (seemingly forgetting how HORRIBLY liberal democract Clinton was treated by the same "liberal media").

Conservative republicans run the Congress, so if there is a negative article to write about what's going on in Congress, it will most likely implicate conservative republicans. Conservative republcians will ignore this fact, and claim it is because of a liberal bias (seemingly forgetting coverage of Cynthia McKinney on CNN, Patrick Kennedy on CNN, etc.).

Conservative republicans run the appellate and State Supreme Courts. So if there is a negative article to write about what's going on in the courts, it will implicate conservative republicans. Conservative republicans will ignore this fact, and claim it is because of a liberal bias.

Conservative republicans run the lobbying industry and have for more than a decade. So if there is a negative article to write about what's going on with lobbyists, it will implicate conservative republicans, like Tom Delay. Conservative republcians will ignore this fact, and claim it is because of a liberal bias (ignoring that CNN has been all over the William Jefferson scandle).

Conservative republicans intentionally sent our country into an illegal war in Iraq, in which roughly 100 people die per day, every single day. So when the media tells stories about the Iraq war, it is a constant reminder of who sent us to war, the lies he sold us, the real reasons, the toll in money and lives, the loss of international "capital" as Bush would say, etc. Conservative republicans will ignore this fact, and claim that it is because of a liberal bias tht we focus on what TRULY are war crimes by Bush.

So what happens is this:

1. Conservative republicans have their hands in everything we do. They run our lives.

2. They are not doing a good job.

3. The news reports focus on it, just like they did when Clinton ran our lives.

4. All the sudden, its some kind of "liberal media" to simply tell people the bad things that are going on in our conservative-run world.

The one area I can see how conservatives can be duped into thinking there is a liberal media is by watching Fox News, which intentionally avoids negative information about republicans. They spent about 5 minutes talking about Tom DeLay, etc. They gloss over it, or ignore it alltogether. And its probably better if they just ignore it, because if they gloss over it, it is with a propagandist agenda. They cheerlead for Bush at the same time they're telling the story about how many people died in Iraq today. "Its a good thing we have a strong president like Bush, who can make these tough decisions", they say, while showing pictures of a 9 year old blown to bits.

For someone who watches news like this, with all the flag waving, patting republicans on the back, propaganda, "I'm a good american" crap, it must be difficult them (i.e. Crusott) to turn to CNN, see innocent children being blown up in Iraq, and having a newsman simply tell them the truth, with no propaganda - that Iraq is worse off now than before we invaded.

If I were indoctrinated and brainwashed into loving republicans, and I watched a tv channel that never says anything bad about republicans and tells its viewers it will find out where they live if they bash the administration (Bill O'Reilly), and I turned to CNN and for the first time in my life actually saw - gasp - bad news about things that republicans are responsible for in life, I'd call it a liberal bias, too.

In other words, if CNN tells Cruscott that 100 people died in a car bomb in Iraq, and FoxNews runs a story about the birth of a panda instead, Cruscott will point to CNN's choice of story as a liberal bias (but deny that it was a conservative bias that made Fox News ignore the 100 dead and go with the ever so important panda birth story).

[Taymelo]

Anecdote:

I was flipping channels last night, and I saw General Wesley Clark on, of all places, Hannity and His Bitch, on FoxNews, as one of their "military contributors" or something like that.

Typical Hannity. Typical FoxNews. This is how Hannity framed his very first comments and question to Clark, and I'm not making this up:

Now, general. I know that all you do is bash George W. Bush every chance you get... but if you could do me a favor and just put your military hat on... what do you think of x?

So, he's got a former presidential candidate and decorated general on his show, and he not only disrespects him in his first question, he also uses his first question to discredit anything Clark might say that is negative toward the conservative republican administration.

He's telling his audience "listen to this guy, but remember, he's a liar who hates republicans, so his views, while interesting to listen to, are fraudulent and not worthy of debate, no matter WHAT he talks about."

I compare and contrast that with Wolf Blitzer and/or Larry King on CNN. I think about when they interview the Don Rumsfelds of the world, and I honestly cannot remember a single time I've ever seen someone on CNN not only insult such a high level guest, but also discredit them before they even talk.

It DOES NOT HAPPEN on CNN. PERIOD!!! However, is it because (a) CNN is more professional and impartial than FoxNews, or because (b) if CNN is critical of the conservative republican administration, it will lose all access to the every member of the conservative republican political machine that is running our country, and will lose viewers actually who want to see Rumsfeld interviewed to FoxNews?

I think the answer is both. First, CNN is more impartial and fair than Fox. They don't have an agenda to get a certain party elected like Fox. They tried their hardest to impeach Clinton, and they bash Bush.

But on top of that, second, they know they have to treat these guys with kid gloves, or they will not be able to interview them or get any cooperation in the future. Whoever controls access to information controls the flow of that information. If CNN wants any information from the US government, whether its executive, legislative, or judicial, they have to kiss republican butt.

[Glenn]

We need a thread called "The Taymelo Monologues".



(just kidding, I enjoy reading your rants, I picture your face getting more and more red as you type)