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Thread: American Media (or, Where's the Rage?)

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    Default American Media (or, Where's the Rage?)

    During the Bosnia conflict, the Clinton Administration told us that American forces would be home by Christmas 1997. Almost seven years later, they're still over there, and we don't have any liberal complaining--no hearings demanded, no calls for a "plan" or an "exit strategy" or references to Vietnam or the asinine use of the term "quagmire". Yet after less than a year they're whining about Iraq.

    Charles Pickering has been waiting more than two years for confirmation to the Fifth US Court of Appeals, and is still being Borked. There's a filibuster out because of his support of segregation. Never mind the fact that this 'support' consists of a paper he wrote in law school wherein he spoke of but didn't protest Mississippi's anti-miscegenation (anti-mixed-race marriage) law. Never mind the fact that he testified against the KKK in the 60's. (Testifying against the KKK in southern Mississippi in 1967 wasn't exactly safe...), nevermind that he's got vigorous support from black folks in his home state--he's gettin' Borked. Meanwhile, Robert Byrd (D-KKK-WV) who used the term 'nigger' in an interview and excused it by saying he was 'raised that way'--and, by the by, used to be a Grand Kleagle for the KKK--is still high up in Democrat leadership.

    The LA Times showed its support for Gray Davis by searching for women to accuse Shwarzenegger of groping them--at least one, according to the LA Weekly, came forward at the "urging" of a close colleague of Gov. Grayout Davis. Edtitorials featuring the title "Win One for the Groper" have come up, and Gary Trudeau, further proving that he hasn't had a grip on reality since 1963, referred to him as "Gropenfuhrer" in his nationally syndicated comic--combining the engineered accusations with the typical liberal tactic for when your opponent realizes you have jack for evidence: Compare Your Opponent to Hitler. Clinton, however, recieves no such condemnation for Kathleen Willey, Paula Jones, etc., etc., ad nauseum, nor for the rape accusation standing against him. So where were the feminists screaming that Schartzeneggers accusers must have had a book deal, that it doesn't affect the way he does his job, that it's all about sex, or that it was just his private life? And people wonder why we don't take these broads seriously....

    School vouchers are the Antichrist, according to the Democratic party--yet these same democrats send their own kids to private schools. Public teachers in urban areas are far more likely than the average parent to choose private schools for their own kids (At the bottom of this page, cited). Algore, who's children attended the exclusive St. Alban's, made opposition to school vouchers a cornerstone of his campaign. Biilzebubba, who vetoed a voucher proposal while Chelsea was attending Sidwell Friends, had the same thought in mind, apparently--choice is good for me, but bad for the peasants. And, of course, he (and they) gets a free ride on it from the press.

    In the 200 primary, President Bush decided to forego the federal matching funds, which meant he also didn't have to follow the spending caps. The press went nuts. The Washington Post commented that he was "Thumbing his nose" at the campaign finance system, and Gore's media consultant claimed "He is running rough-shod over it and the American people will see that." In November, 2003, Democrat candidate Howard dean chose to forego the federal matching funds--now the Washington Post says, "One can't fault Mr. Dean--or any other dandidate--for opting out." Strange, they were able to fault the Republican candidate just fine...

    House Speaker Newt Gingrich accepted a $4.5 million book deal. Politicians and the liberal media hounded him relentlessly until he gave up the advance. Senator Hillary Clinton recieved not 4.5, but $8 million from Simon and Shuster for her White House memoirs--the deal signed a few hours before she was sworn in as a senator. And the rage... just didn't flow. The same guys who were so pissed at Gingrich didn't have any problem at all with Shrillary.

    But now, on to name recognition...

    In October of 1998, a homosexual man named Matthew Shepard was murdered because of his lifestyle choice--beaten nearly to death and left tied to a fence in the Wyoming winter for the elements to finish the job. Probably you heard about it--after all, he was all over the news. Maybe you heard people blaming Christianity for the attack, such as Deborah Mathis on Inside Washington on October 17--"The Christian Right per se and some particular members on Capitol Hill have helped inflame the air so that the air that these bad people breathed that night was filled..." Or heard Katie Couric on the Today show asking Elizabeth Birch, head of the Human Rights Campaign, "Do you believe this campaign ? this ad campaign launched by some conservative groups ? really contributed somehow to Matthew Shepard's death?" and Birch's reply, "I do, Katie." (Interview with Janet Folger of the Center for Reclaiming America and Elizabeth Birch of the Human Rights Campaign Fund by Katie Couric, October 13, 1998. ). Or, perhaps, the piece in Newsweek, reading "Well, the consequences of condemnation can turn out to be death.... But just as the white racists created a climate for lynching blacks, just as hate radio created a climate for militias, so the constant degrading of homosexuals is exacting a toll in blood.... Discerning clergymen and moralists can hate the sin and love the sinner; but by the time the homophobic message reaches the angry guys sitting in the bar, that distinction has been lost." (Jonathan Alter, "Trickle-Down Hate," Newsweek, October 26, 1998.) (and another by Couric here, if you can watch .ram movies) But have you heard of Jesse Dirkhising? In September of 1999, Jesse was kidnapped, repeatedly raped and sodomized with objects, and then left tied in a position where he couldn't breathe while his two tormentors took a break. Said one of his rapists in this story quoted by a homosexual-advocacy news source, "I'm sorry that Jesse is dead. Jesse was a very good boy." Just try to read that and not shudder. But back to the original point, where was the media outcry? For that matter, where's the outcry about Jeffrey Curley, who was murdered during an attempted rape by two homosexual men? (Here, and commentary here and here.) Where's the media outcry over it? In fact, where's the media MENTION of either of these two? If you have access to LEXIS-NEXIS, then by all means, do a search on these three names and see how the numbers run.

    While you're at it, take a look at the name James Byrd. I'm sure it's familiar--the black guy who was dragged to death by three white thugs down in Jasper, Texas. The NAACP even used his death for political gain in national ads. But have you heard of Ken Tillery? Within 5 years of James Byrd, also brutally murdered because of his race--in fact, within a couple miles of where James Byrd Jr. was murdered... in fact, pretty close to the same procedure. Ken was hitchhiking, picked up by three guys who offered him a right but instead drove him to a remote area and murdered him by dragging him beneath their car's undercarriage. The reason you saw Byrd's name all over the media and not Tillery's? Byrd was a black man, murdered by white thugs. Tillery was a white man, murdered by black thugs.

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    lomas de chapultepec Recognized Member eestlinc's Avatar
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    I don't trust much of what the media say or do. They just like to tear people down. I don't think the media have a major liberal bias (although some do, while others have a conservative bias) but more they just like to go for what they think will be the big story. When liberals are in power they think liberals are popular so they tend to lean more liberal. When conservatives are in power they tend to lean more conservative. Neither side should really consider the media to be on their side.

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Redneck
    During the Bosnia conflict, the Clinton Administration told us that American forces would be home by Christmas 1997. Almost seven years later, they're still over there, and we don't have any liberal complaining--no hearings demanded, no calls for a "plan" or an "exit strategy" or references to Vietnam or the asinine use of the term "quagmire". Yet after less than a year they're whining about Iraq.
    Whens the last time u heard of an American soldier dying in the Bosnian Conflict, was it even close to the blood shed going on in Iraq. Not even a comparison. Vietnam however is ALMOST a comparison in terms of blood shed, but its alot closer than the Bosnian conflict ever was.

    And when u enter a war, for all the wrong reasons, and no we dont give a damn about the Iraqi people, or else we might have went in to stop the genocide going on in Darfur , Then i think people have a right to complain. Not that we should abandon the Iraqi people, but the President still hasnt admitted to even making a mistake.

    Also if u think the media is too liberal, watch fox news, if they arent conservative enough for u... well u might just be a right wing radical, only alot more radical.
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    First of all, the Vietnam War involved 50,000 American deaths. To claim that Vietnam is almost a comparison to Iraq in terms of bloodshed is just.. unfathomable.

    And in Darfur we're going through the United Nations--same thing we tried to do in Iraq before we realized that France and Germany were going to defend Sodom do the end for their sweet oil contracts... whaddaya know, blood for oil....

    And finally, if you don't think the media is liberal, then go to the library and run the LEXIS-NEXIS searches on them names.

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    So what? Most people, especially those that are centrists, conservatives, or libertarian, already know that most of the mainstream media is biased. It's only some of the liberals that don't see the liberal slant. The only thing that has a right-wing bias to it is talk radio, mainly because that involves responding to calls from listeners and liberals would just sound too silly if they insulted EVERYBODY that called in to challenge them.

    Vietnam is nowhere near Iraq. And there's no need for Bush to admit making a mistake when it wasn't a mistake to go into Iraq. He's already said that we didn't find the caches of WMDs we expected to find, what else do you want?

    FOX News is as slanted to the right as CNN is to the left, MAYBE. But that still doesn't account for NBC, ABC, and CBS. Do you have any examples of right-wing bias by FOX News?

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    Do you have any examples of right-wing bias by FOX News?
    Please note, FOX NEWS. Quoting Bill O'Reilly means absolutely jack, because he's supposed to be biased--he's not very conservative, but he makes his living as a conservative show host, not as a journalist, just like Larry King makes his living as a liberal host, Sean Hannity as a conservative host, Alan Combes (sorry if I got the spelling wrong) as a liberal host, etc.

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    My biggest problem with the media is the love fest it has with itself right now, on either side. All the news networks in the US treat themselves as the be all and end all when it comes to news, never factoring in human error or bias, one way or the other. Stating that your news is "fair and balanced" when the slant is obvious is just as bad as stating that its "unbiased and complete" (one of CNN's taglines).

    Yet the deeper issue, is that the media has helped to fuel the polarization of this country in that we are now pumped full of talking heads that just say what their side wants them to say and nothing else.
    The screaming, arguing and bickering does little to solve any of the real problems that this country and world face, yet draws ratings because right now, it feeds into the frenzy that is happening everywhere.

    We are a nation greatly divided, and this divide will only get worse if we feed into our differences and allow those on the far right and left to define the course of action for the country, when most of this country is actually closer together than we seem to realize on a great deal.

    Take care all.

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    Gamecrafter Recognized Member Azure Chrysanthemum's Avatar
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    I am a student of the media, so to speak, and aspiring journalism. Much of the problem is what will and will not sell. The media is not a socialist function, and thus it must be capable of supporting itself. Thus, the media is overtaken by what sells, and given the level of education and emphasis on higher thought we have in this country, the media can only sell itself through things people want to see, which tend to be sensationalistic trash (see: Anna Coulter and Michael Moore).

    Journalistic integrity is still being taught, fortunately, but it seems it keeps getting trampled by the bottom line.

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    I always laugh when I hear people say the media is "bias left-wing liberal". If only it were true.

    Who's been more opressed through the history of this country: Whites or Blacks?

    I thought so.

    What's been a more common occurence: Persecution of Homosexuals by Heterosexuals or the other way around?

    I thought so.

    That will answer your question. Do I think it's right? No, I wish we could all just get past all the bull and live...but unfortunately, we still have a ton of racist, narrowminded redneck bastards. They are the reason things like the NAACP, Affirmative Action, and differences in what makes news and what doesn't exsist.

    But then, is the news not interested in what will gain more attention? For some reason I do think a black guy being killed by two white guys, and a gay guy being killed by some other guys because he's gay would gain more attention, because they're involving big issues at hand and subcultures within our society. Plus I mean, be realistic about what happens more often. It makes me remember a few months ago when the first gay divorce was filed, a bunch of anti-gay people were like "SEE LOOK! THEY DON'T TAKE MARRIAGE SERIOUSLY! IT'S JUST A GAME AND THEY ARE DEFILING IT NOTHING MORE!"....but yet the millions of heterosexual divorces are just peachy?

    I don't even watch the news, because I think it's all crap personally (save the BBC), plus it's on television...and don't even get me started on television.
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    DMKA--
    Congratulations; black people have suffered more abuse than white people, and heterosexuals beat the hell out of homosexuals than vice versa.

    What this has to do with the media's obvious underrepresentation of news that doesn't fit their agenda is still unknown, but I'm sure those are important parts of many other debates that have nothing at all to do with this thread.

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    Redneck, I think he means that the media tends to take the stance against homosexuals, and in the the past, took the side against the blacks. At the moment, they are also taking the side against the Mexicans. CNN, MSNBC, and FOX news all seem to adhere to these rules. I cannot comment on any other news stations because I don't think I get them, and have thuse, never seen them. Also, at least around here, ALL local news stations seem to have a conservative bias.

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    A local Newspaper called The Daily Oklahoman is so damn biased mainly because the Gaylord family owns it and it kinda pisses me off how its so censored.They also somehow own our boradcasting stations.

    You rememebr that episode of saturday night live with Al Sharptin hosting it?

    Well in oklahoma no one got to see it.Instead we were shown a rerun.Now for me I was pissed because everyone has been talking aobut how funny it was.Another thing i was pissed at was how the media didnt catch this.But hey who cares about censorship?

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    While in the past the media often did take an anti-black stance--unfortunately, most of the nation did, after all--I disagree wholeheartedly that they do so now, nor that they take an anti-homosexual stance.

    In fact, as I mentioned earlier--run the numbers on those names, and you'll see exactly the opposite.

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    While in the past the media often did take an anti-black stance--unfortunately, most of the nation did, after all--I disagree wholeheartedly that they do so now, nor that they take an anti-homosexual stance.
    I will agree that they no longer take an anti-black stance, and neither does the majority of our society. However, I must disagree with you about the anti-homosexual stance. The media does have an anti-homosexual stance, and so does the majority of our nation.

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    nik0tine -- How is the media taking a stance against Mexicans? Are you confusing that with the topic of illegal immigration? I would disagree with the anti-homosexual stance, as well.

    DMKA -- As The Redneck pointed out, your post has nothing to do with the topic at hand. The utter ignorance of the statement concerning "racist, narrowminded redneck bastards", though not surprising, is completely irrelevant here, as is the mention of the NAACP or Affirmative Action or how they've well outserved their purpose. There are other posts here for such topics. The past oppression of black people has nothing to do with modern media bias.

    You did, however, mention the media focus on the first homosexual divorce. Why did they focus on this? Because homosexual marriage is a relatively new thing, as would be the divorce, making it, well...news. The first homosexual marriages were also a big media focus, does that make them pro-homosexuality? No, because either way, it was news.

    Again, does anybody have an example of how FOX News is biased, since I've seen quite a few accusations of such? As The Redneck pointed out, make a reference to their news reporting, not their commentary shows. (Which, when you look at it, are biased and balanced at the same time... Though Bill O'Reilly is conservative, he's followed by Sean Hannity and Alan "Puffy" Colmes , who are conservative and liberal, respectively, and Greta Van Sustren, who I believe is liberal.)

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