Liberal Media Attempting to Understand Conservatives

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the perceived bias of liberal media in their coverage of conservative viewpoints and issues. Participants explore the implications of this bias, the representation of conservative narratives, and the challenges faced by media outlets in balancing coverage. The conversation includes references to specific media figures and events, as well as the broader impact of media bias on public perception.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that the New York Times acknowledged its bias by assigning a reporter to cover conservatives, suggesting that their coverage of liberals is already comprehensive.
  • Others argue that many stories categorized as 'conservative beat' are trivial or nonsensical, pointing to examples like FEMA camps and the 'War on Christmas'.
  • There is a contention that the media's focus on conservative crackpottery overshadows any liberal examples, leading to a skewed perception of the prevalence of such views.
  • Some participants assert that the media treats certain liberal positions as mainstream, while others challenge this by asking for specific examples.
  • A discussion emerges regarding the portrayal of a Times Square bomber and the media's exploration of potential financial motivations behind radicalization, with differing views on whether such speculation is valid or crackpottery.
  • One participant emphasizes that the direction of causation in discussions about radicalization and financial distress is crucial to understanding the issue.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature and extent of media bias, with no consensus on whether the media's treatment of conservative or liberal viewpoints is more problematic. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the validity of specific claims about media coverage and the examples provided.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific media figures and events, but there is a lack of agreement on the implications of these references. The discussion includes assumptions about media bias and the motivations behind reporting, which are not universally accepted.

  • #181
planck said:
It's always about intentions with the leftist media. Those who disagree are never well-intentioned, just intolerant bigots.

There is liberal media. There is conservative media. Both are biased, in a greater or lesser manner.

Then we have the audience, which suffers from the so called "hostile media bias". They all believe that the "opposing" media is hostile, and will see this hostility even when there is none or very little. No one is immune to this bias. No matter how much they pride with their rationality, hostile media biases stays with them.
 
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  • #182
DanP said:
There is liberal media. There is conservative media. Both are biased, in a greater or lesser manner.

Then we have the audience, which suffers from the so called "hostile media bias". They all believe that the "opposing" media is hostile, and will see this hostility even when there is none or very little. No one is immune to this bias. No matter how much they pride with their rationality, hostile media biases stays with them.

From my point of view, I think what's remarkable is how much the mainstream media agrees. That is to say, there will be sharp disagreement, but the areas of disagreement are well defined, and in a sense, fairly shallow.
 
  • #183
planck said:
You'll love the new cover of Time magazine regarding the ground zero mosque. "How islamophobic are we?"

It's always about intentions with the leftist media. Those who disagree are never well-intentioned, just intolerant bigots.
Time's descended into Jokedom. They're not long for this world now, just like Newsweek. I believe they intend to make Lady Gaga person of the year, likely via some weird logic that if they appeal to teenagers they can stay relevant. Maybe they can devote a dozen pages to boy bands. FAIL.
http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20100830,00.html
 
  • #184
mheslep said:
Time's descended into Jokedom. They're not long for this world now, just like Newsweek. I believe they intend to make Lady Gaga person of the year, likely via some weird logic that if they appeal to teenagers they can stay relevant. Maybe they can devote a dozen pages to boy bands. FAIL.
http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20100830,00.html

I was actually fairly annoyed when TIME didn't make Osama Bin Laden its man of the year IN 2001 and caved into political pressure, naming George Bush. Nevermind that man of the year was not meant to be an honor, simply an acknowledgment of the person who for better or worse had the most influence on the world, and that previous men of the year have included hitler and stalin.

As far as Newsweek, I couldn't have been happier they folded. That magazine was always a propaganda rag, and Johnathan Alter personally lied to me in a condescending manner when i was working for Ron Paul's campaign.

What's the jist of this Islamophobia article?
 
  • #185
Galteeth said:
...
What's the jist of this Islamophobia article?
Given the inflammatory title and that it is a TIME article I'm really not interested in what it says.
 
  • #186
mheslep said:
Given the inflammatory title and that it is a TIME article I'm really not interested in what it says.

Just out of interest, why do you think it is inflammatory?
 
  • #187
vertices said:
Just out of interest, why do you think it is inflammatory?
Is/does everyone in your country __________________? Pick one: a racist; beat their women; ignorant; fat; smell bad; selfish, etc. Hey its just a question (not).

The point is, that like the above, I find the TIME title to be an unfounded accusation condescendingly hiding in a question.
 
  • #188
mheslep said:
Is/does everyone in your country __________________? Pick one: a racist; beat their women; ignorant; fat; smell bad; selfish, etc. Hey its just a question (not).

The point is, that like the above, I find the TIME title to be an unfounded accusation condescendingly hiding in a question.

That's one way of interpreting it. That implies that "islamophobia" is a bad thing (which is probably the pov of the article, but which isn't clear from the title in and of itself)
 
  • #189
Galteeth said:
That's one way of interpreting it. That implies that "islamophobia" is a bad thing ...
The intention of affixing 'phobia' as a suffix to anything is to connote it as bad or at least undesirable, as by definition a phobia is an irrational or unthinking fear. It's a culture war tactic. TIME and others are not engaging in debate by using the term, they're trying to end it by saying from the outset that the other side is irrational and fearful.
 
  • #191
mheslep said:
The intention of affixing 'phobia' as a suffix to anything is to connote it as bad or at least undesirable, as by definition a phobia is an irrational or unthinking fear. It's a culture war tactic. TIME and others are not engaging in debate by using the term, they're trying to end it by saying from the outset that the other side is irrational and fearful.

Those debatophobes!
 
  • #192
brainstorm said:
Those debatophobes!
:approve:
 
  • #193
Well, here's the Time article (abridged version).

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2011798,00.html

But I'll save you the time from reading. Basically, the fact that nearly 3/4 of us toothless, slack-jawed, neaderthals who opine for the days of segregation and pre-women's suffrage--do not support this GZ mosque. And this REALLY upsets the enlightened media because it's very "intolerant" and "bigoted." Hence the reason why the brilliant Katie Couric was forced to pedantically remind us all of our misgivings:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500803_162-20014479-500803.html

*eyes frickin roll*
 
  • #194
planck said:
///

But I'll save you the time from reading. Basically, the fact that nearly 3/4 of us toothless, slack-jawed, neaderthals who opine for the days of segregation and pre-women's suffrage--do not support this GZ mosque. And this REALLY upsets the enlightened media because it's very "intolerant" and "bigoted." ///

*eyes frickin roll*

I LOVE it when you talk dirty, Max.

I suppose that I am, like you, a Neanderthal, and a slack-jawed one at that...that is, to hear the media talk.

Say, did you hear about Newsweek leftist magazine being sold for $1.00, plus existing debt?

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of leftists, I tell ya.

Oh, and USA Today is cutting 20% of its staff too!

:::Happy times, are here again...::::
 
  • #195
  • #196
planck said:
"Scientific studies confirm: Men are visually stimulated by female cleavage"

Do you have a link to that study?
 
  • #197
Galteeth said:
Do you have a link to that study?

Ever since I was first allowed to read studies like this in the 70s, I've come across more than 100 of them throughout the years, and from many different sources.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WNP-49MF08F-B&_user=10&_coverDate=10%2F31%2F2003&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1452953909&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=32786998fcc8c96fecef419265f774fb&searchtype=a"...

My Google search on "study visual sexual cues in men" revealed 45,000+ hits, the first ten of which are from Neuroimage, interscience, psychological bulletin, Neurobiology, sagepub, royal society publishing, and again from interscience.

I am not trying to "shame" anyone here (so apologies in advance, Galteeth), but I do have to ask: Did you bother doing a search before asking your question? The above search took about 18 seconds. It took five minutes to type up this post.

Getting back to the OP, I am trying to say that I'm rather disgusted with the practice of "questionno para linkum" as a means of argument, delay, or obfuscating the issue, and my point on this is NOT directed at you, Galteeth, but at either liberal or conservative media "attempting" to understand the other side, as per the OP.

I don't find it difficult in the least to understand either side, and often the only understanding that's required is that they're either ill-informed on an issue, or being idealistic rather than factual, or that sometimes they're just wrong.

I believe the fix for side-errancy is simple: Gather the facts. A conscientious search to ascertain what it is the other side is talking about before responding is a good start. Sadly, many folks never make a good start. Instead, they jump into their foxholes and begin firing whenever they believe they recognize the rhetoric of the "enemy," which doesn't do anyone on either side any good whatsoever. If we were to map it out on an MRI, I think we'd find it's akin to certain addictive behaviors, rather than any sort of rational response.
 
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  • #198
mugaliens said:
Ever since I was first allowed to read studies like this in the 70s, I've come across more than 100 of them throughout the years, and from many different sources.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WNP-49MF08F-B&_user=10&_coverDate=10%2F31%2F2003&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1452953909&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=32786998fcc8c96fecef419265f774fb&searchtype=a"...

My Google search on "study visual sexual cues in men" revealed 45,000+ hits, the first ten of which are from Neuroimage, interscience, psychological bulletin, Neurobiology, sagepub, royal society publishing, and again from interscience.

I am not trying to "shame" anyone here (so apologies in advance, Galteeth), but I do have to ask: Did you bother doing a search before asking your question? The above search took about 18 seconds. It took five minutes to type up this post.

Getting back to the OP, I am trying to say that I'm rather disgusted with the practice of "questionno para linkum" as a means of argument, delay, or obfuscating the issue, and my point on this is NOT directed at you, Galteeth, but at either liberal or conservative media "attempting" to understand the other side, as per the OP.

I don't find it difficult in the least to understand either side, and often the only understanding that's required is that they're either ill-informed on an issue, or being idealistic rather than factual, or that sometimes they're just wrong.

I believe the fix for side-errancy is simple: Gather the facts. A conscientious search to ascertain what it is the other side is talking about before responding is a good start. Sadly, many folks never make a good start. Instead, they jump into their foxholes and begin firing whenever they believe they recognize the rhetoric of the "enemy," which doesn't do anyone on either side any good whatsoever. If we were to map it out on an MRI, I think we'd find it's akin to certain addictive behaviors, rather than any sort of rational response.


The "link" thing was intended as humor. Actually, the poster did send me a pm link to the studies. It wasn't a serious contribution to the conversation. Sorry if i derailed the discussion. Carry on.
 
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