Is the Media Really Liberal? A Closer Look

[Dissident Dan]

Now why would I think that. The television news networks, ABC, CBS, NBC are all liberal. Most newspapers in the USA run bylines from the New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post; Miami Herald, liberal all. Taxpayer funded National Public Radio, liberal. Each day we get a endless stream of negativity from this bunch telling us what a miserable failure this administration is and how conditions in the military theater are worsening. This is the same crap we heard from the left media during the Viet Nam conflict. Hell, Cronkite was telling the America public that the U. S. military lost the Tet offensive.

As I said before, the liberals aren't the ones trying to scare everyone into thinking that the world is about to end. As far as media goes, try tuning into fox. "TERRORISM ALERT" DUM DADA DUM DUM!

In general, the media is sensationalistic, not liberal. If the media was liberal, they'd:

-Call the bush admin on its bull**** claims for the reasons for the iraq war
-Call out bush when he failed to respond to the planes crashing into the WTC
-Take note of the FTAA protests in Miami
-Take note of the Sudan situation a long time ago, and if they were biased and liberal, they'd use it as a reason to criticize the bush admin
-Report on how the admin is trying to roll back air and water pollution laws
-Show more clips of bush making a fool of himself
-Make a bigger deal of cheney's secret energy meetings
-Report on bush's ties to Saudi Arabia
-And many other things. If I had $5 for every time something important came up that wasn't in the mainstream media and I said, "So much for the liberal media..."

---------------

When you've got an administration that screws things up as much as this one, you've got reasons to be negative. Right-wingers keep pushing that liberals are negative. They say it so many times that people believe it and are swayed by these emotional appeals. If a person, say John Kerry, notes one negative thing (which he wants to fix, so he's being positive about the future while he's noting negative things about the present, but that's conveniently ignored by the propogandists), the propogandists will harp on and on about it over and over, as if that's the only thing the person (Sen. Kerry in this case) has to say. It's hard for any amount of negativity from said person to match the doomsday harbinging that the right does.

 

[studentx]

Negative, Dan , is when you only mention the bad things. Kinda like you just did. Tell me what good would come from any of your suggestions?
Dont you think creating a satanic image of Bush is going to make America a popular target for decades after the Bush admin is gone?

I think there is a choice between being constructive and destructive, you should snap out of your anger and be constructive.

 

[russ_watters]

When you've got an administration that screws things up as much as this one, you've got reasons to be negative.

So, you agree that liberals are negative?

I'm just busting your chops there, but there is a pretty simple reality here: Bush is in office and they want him out. In order to get him out, they have to be negative about the way things are going (whether things really are bad or not is irrelevant). Otherwise, there wouldn't be any reason not to vote for Bush again.

It works both ways of course, DD - Clinton got elected because the Republicans were not able to convince the public that the country was doing poorly. That said, with the economy booming again, the Dems have their work cut out for them.

 

[FZ+]

So, you agree that liberals are negative?

Liberals tell the truth. And when the world is going to sh*ts, it's a positive development for someone to point out the impending cliff just ahead. Not to say that this admin hasn't done some good things. Bush has managed to ignore some of the far right, hasn't yet banned evolution, is reasonably good towards hydrogen research, and is at last approaching the right way of dealing with Iraq. In some ways, his economics is good - at least for some people. That makes him slightly better than satanic.

Constructive? Get Bush out, and put someone else in. There you go.

 

[ray b]

there is no independant media, they are all owned by somebody, and it is allways a rich somebody

"""There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history, in America, as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinion out of the paper. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job. If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of the paper, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone. Or quite possibly, I'd be dead."
"The business of journalists is to destroy the truth; to lie outright; to pervert; to vilify; to fawn at the feet of mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread. You know it and I know it. What folly is this, toasting to an independent press? We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping jacks; they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes, whores. Nothing more."
John Swinton, the former Chief of Staff for the New York Times at a New York Press Club toast to independent press, 1953""

and this gem from hitler chapter 10 mien kampf 1924

"" Did it [the press] not fight with all possible means against every effort to give unto the state that which is the state's? Did it not belittle the army with constant criticism, sabotage universal conscription, demand the refusal of military credits, etc., until the result became inevitable?

>>The so-called liberal press was actively engaged in digging the grave of the German people <<

and the German Reich... their function is only to break the people's national
and patriotic backbone """

------------------
Question wonder and be wierd
are you kind?

 

[Dissident Dan]

Negative, Dan , is when you only mention the bad things. Kinda like you just did. Tell me what good would come from any of your suggestions?

People would realize what a disaster this administration has been and vote for Kerry, thereby averting further disaster, increasing our world reputation and better protecting air and water quality, among other things.

As of late, the bush admin has done some good things, such as handing over sovereignty in Iraq 2 days early and, after much pants-kicking by Congress, finally done something about the Darfur, Sudan situation.

An honest person will readily point out the problems he sees. Rarely can you fix a problem without recognizing it. There is no need for reverence for the president.

Dont you think creating a satanic image of Bush is going to make America a popular target for decades after the Bush admin is gone?

I think that the real effects of this administration's policies are all to visible to the victims. They don't need me pointing it out.

I think there is a choice between being constructive and destructive, you should snap out of your anger and be constructive.

Being constructive is getting rid of bush. Being constructive is real healthcare reform. Being constructive is improving environmental regulations, not undermining them.

----------------------

Once again, no matter how negative liberals can be, it can't be as negative as the chilling predictions of this administration. They'd make James Cameron proud.

 

[studentx]

Once again, no matter how negative liberals can be, it can't be as negative as the chilling predictions of this administration. They'd make James Cameron proud.

This is what I am talking about. Cheap remarks like this. Chilling predictions, what chilling predictions?

 

[studentx]

after much pants-kicking by Congress, finally done something about the Darfur, Sudan situation.

What has been done about the Sudan situation?
Isnt it true that nothing can be done by the US because we've all seen what the world thinks of Americans fighting arabs without UN approval?

 

[Dissident Dan]

The "chilling predictions" were the comments such as "the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud". All the crap that the admin has been saying to try to scare everyone into submission. There are plenty of people who are genuinely very worried about such things because of the administration's "death is imminent" propoganda.

I don't know what you considered my remarks cheap. Perhaps because I did not elaborate enough?
--------------------
As far as Sudan goes, Colin Powell is over in Khartoum issuing an ultimatum to disarm the militias within weeks. I don't think anything concrete has come of it yet, but I'm hopeful. Powell and Kofi Annan have both visited refugee camps recently.
The ultimatum is not about military intervention but sanctions and embargos. The Sudanese government has promised to do this, but they are not exactly trustworthy.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20040704/wl_nm/sudan_dc

 

[studentx]

The "chilling predictions" were the comments such as "the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud". All the crap that the admin has been saying to try to scare everyone into submission. There are plenty of people who are genuinely very worried about such things because of the administration's "death is imminent" propoganda.

I don't know what you considered my remarks cheap. Perhaps because I did not elaborate enough?

I read it differently, i thought you were saying that keeping this administration for another 4 years would have horrible consequences/ chilling predictions.

As far as Sudan goes, Colin Powell is over in Khartoum issuing an ultimatum to disarm the militias within weeks. I don't think anything concrete has come of it yet, but I'm hopeful. Powell and Kofi Annan have both visited refugee camps recently.
The ultimatum is not about military intervention but sanctions and embargos. The Sudanese government has promised to do this, but they are not exactly trustworthy.

The sudanese government made 4000 refugees disappear overnight to prevent them from talking to Annan. Ofcourse they can't be trusted. Its genocide and Annan needs to get the word out of his mouth
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/chitribts/20040702/ts_chicagotrib/unofficialsstunnedtofindrefugeecampemptiedinsudan

 

[Will]

I won't get into any politics right now, but I must say that its is refreshing to see some disagreement, yet everyone has some thing thoughtful and intelligent to say. Unlike AOL message boards where every one that can type spews out mostly idiotic, hurtful venom. Its the only worthwhile thread I have ever read about the state of our nation.

 

[loseyourname]

Those AOL boards are horrible. There are just too many posters. I'm glad to be off of those.

 

[russ_watters]

In general, the media is sensationalistic, not liberal. If the media was liberal, they'd:

-Call the bush admin on its bull**** claims for the reasons for the iraq war
-Call out bush when he failed to respond to the planes crashing into the WTC
-Take note of the FTAA protests in Miami
-Take note of the Sudan situation a long time ago, and if they were biased and liberal, they'd use it as a reason to criticize the bush admin
-Report on how the admin is trying to roll back air and water pollution laws
-Show more clips of bush making a fool of himself
-Make a bigger deal of cheney's secret energy meetings
-Report on bush's ties to Saudi Arabia
-And many other things. If I had $5 for every time something important came up that wasn't in the mainstream media and I said, "So much for the liberal media..."

I've seen treatment of all of those issues in the media (though "make a bigger deal out of..." can mean whatever you want it to).