Liberal Media
March 6, 2007
Russ
I have no problem with "advocacy" journalism as long as it clearly identified as "opinion" or "commentary". The problem with "journalism" today, and its a huge problem, is the lack of basic fairness in the traditional broadcast and print media. It is simply indisputable that the alphabet networks and the largest major daily newspapers have become so leftward partisan that many Americans simply do not believe them nor trust them to report fairly anymore.
Did you know that more Americans have been murdered in the state of New York than have been killed on the battlefield since we invaded Iraq? As the media spouts the lastest Democrat talking points about the "quagmire" and "failure" that is Iraq, the fact that over 220,000 Americans have been murdered or killed in auto accidents on America's streets during the same period is not news. For a media that dutifully reports every single negative aspect of the Iraq conflict and each night tells us the total number of soldiers killed in Iraq, it seems quite incredible that there is so little interest in the fact that nearly 60,000 American have been murdered in our own cities during the same period. Nobody should be surprised as advancing murder and automobile accident death statistics is not nearly as beneficial to the Democrat party as depicting the Iraq war as an abject failure.
The example above is a lesson on how "context" can be used to add perspective to an issue. While the traditional media usually does not make up facts out of whole cloth, they are perpetual liars just the same. Factual omissions, the reporting of selected facts, and the absence of context are the tools the liberals at ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN use to advance their own beliefs and their own agenda. Watching CBS then researching the "facts" they present is by itself and object lesson on media partisanship
Watch any "60 Minutes" Bush-bashing program on CBS and then research the facts and people they presented to make their broadcast. You will find purposeful reporting of only selected facts, manipulation of the context to favor one position, opinion treated as material fact, old news re-packaged as new "revelations", all presented by people with an axe to grind, of whom CBS often neglects to identify their interests, political affiliations, or historical bias.
It is truly staggering, the dishonesty and naked partisanship of, much of the so called "mainstream media". CBS is the worst as far as the networks go. I despise CBS so much I can barely contain my anger when discussing them or the news. And I am joined by lots of people that I come into occasional contact with who communicate the same anger to me. They have noticed what I have. CBS News is partisan, rabidly anti-conservtive, and takes every opportunity on every issue to slant the news to favor the left.
Knowing that so many of us feel this way, the fact that CBS would replace the disgraced Rather with Couric, whose own left-wing partisanship was on display almost daily, is mind-boggling. Can they not find a single person who is not openly partisan to read the headlines of the day? It points to a much larger problem at CBS, one shared by all the big-city liberal news organizations, a failure to understandwho most Americans are, what they believe, and why they believe it. This is why so many of us have stopped watching all network news and have stopped buying newspapers. We simply refuse to sponsor or patronize organizations that work against our interests and our chosen leaders.
Partisanship in the media is not just bad for Republicans and conservatives, it is bad for America. When there are no universally-accepted honest arbitors of news and fact, then people will gravitate to the news source that most closely parallels their own worldview. This has already happened to a large degree.as evidenced by the rise of the new media and the decline of the old. The peril inherent in the subsequent balkanization of public opinion is the inability to solve any major problem as long as it can be exploited for maximum political advantage by one side or the other. The most dangerous manifestation of the "Us versus Them" media construct is the general cynicism and distrust it spawns in the hearts and minds of the public. How can a Republic govern itself well when their are no longer some absolutes truths to which we can all agree.
As far as today'a media is concerned, where truth meets dogma, so far, dogma is winning.
Charles McFarling
cmcfarling@mcfarling.com
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21 Comment(s)
Mr Mcfarling,sums up my opinion of the national news media today, perfectly. I have stopped watching most network news shows and gave up on the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News years ago.
--by on 3/6/07 Lives: Detroit area
Years ago the conservatives controlled the media via men like W.R.Hearst. Today the media is controlled by liberals like Ted Turner. But the tide is shifting thanks to FOX news and radio talk shows.
--by on 3/6/07 Lives: Michigan
That is the most pathetic posting I've read on this site to date. Basically, you are saying that ALL the media (except one or two well known conservative outlets)is wrong in depicting the war in Iraq as going badly? Did it ever cross your mind that maybe that was because it IS going badly (to say the very, very least)? When one starts complaining that everyone's opinion except their own isn't correct, they better take a real good look at their OWN opinion. Comparing car accident deaths to needless war deaths? This site seems to be non-stop bashing that the media is "too liberal". Is it a coincidence that most of the posters and postings are of conservative nature? I personally feel that the press is way too lenient on the entire Bush administration's utter abuse of power. It has been proven by ALL SIDES that they lied (misled is being nice) to us about the reasons to go to war and how much it would cost. The jurors from the Scooter Libby trial said immediately after todays trial "We openly asked - WHERE WAS CHENEY? WHERE WAS ROVE? - They should have been the ones on trial". Oh, I suppose they were liberals too. The biggest problem with the media in this country (oh yeah, Russ Gibb thinks that the BBC is too liberal as well) is that the media hasn't been TOUGH ENOUGH on the conservatives in Washington. But if you want to get to the real root of the problem, the people who voted them in really are. I hope the air gets fresher in your little conservative cocoons so you can someday smell the real world.
To J. Tyler:
That's great to hear that you stopped reading the Free Press and the News AND stopped watching "most" network news. You must have a real informed opinion on things. LOL.
--by on 3/6/07 Lives: Michigan
Keep up the good work Russ you have got the Liberal Democrates all roiled up. They still belive the BS of the media. Hey, his phonie name should be PR INFIRM.
--by on 3/6/07 Lives: Dearborn
Mr Gibb, Why is it that people like PR Firm who post on your site can't keep to the topic at hand and always end up as Bush haters ? Very sloppy thinking.
--by on 3/6/07 Lives: Detroit area
Poor PR Firm , You must learn to read carefully. Mr Gibb did not say the BBC was to liberal , he said that in one of their own internal surveys of BBC stories, that they found the majority to be anti american.
--by on 3/6/07 Lives: Dearborn
Mr. McFarling, I couldn't have said it better. Even some of my left-wing friends and relatives can see the bias.
I now have to get most of my news online. We buy a weekend Detroit paper for the sports and comics, throw the rest of it away because it's not trustworthy.
What a shame.
--by on 3/6/07 Lives: Dearborn
Laylo. Hit the nail on the head.. The Detroit News and the Detroit free Press are both Not trustworthy...Now both,nothing but shrills for those of liberal persuaions. Their news pages have become the comics.
--by on 3/6/07 Lives: Michigan
If there are so many Americans who think like you, why aren't there more media outlets that cater to your brand of politics? News organizations are just corporations in search of a profit; if they weren't making money with their current way of reporting the news, don't you think they'd change tactics?
Said Chris McFarling: "It points to a much larger problem at CBS, one shared by all the big-city liberal news organizations, a failure to understandwho most Americans are, what they believe, and why they believe it."
Most big cities in this country fall in what you could call "Red States" (30 of the 50 largest cities). So I don't understand who you think these "big city" news organizations are or are not catering to.
If most Americans feel the same way you do, then why would "big city liberal" news organizations risk alienating "most Americans" with a "bias" that goes against most Americans' core beliefs? Not to mention, most of this country's wealth is in the hands of conservatives/Republicans. Why would news corporations choose to purposefully alienate the viewers with the most amount of disposable income?
Sorry; you're not the victim of some conspiracy. This media that you're bitching about today is the same one that basically gave the Bush administration the green light three years ago when he claimed it was imperative that we go to war. This, despite every liberal in America crying for the media to stand up to Bushco and demand proof of any sort of danger Iraq posed to us. This "liberal big city" media did not question the president, did not point out the lack of diplomatic measures, and was as pro-Bush as any modern-day media has ever been toward a president.
The thing I can't stand most about right-wingers: your incessant whining about how victimized you are by the rest of America. If there are so many of you in this country, why aren't the media corporations catering to your brand of politics? Because there aren't as many of you as you think.
To LOL: Ad Hominem attacks do nothing for your argument.
To Darlene: You wanna talk sloppy? Straw Man Arguments are the second-sloppiest type of argument there is (behind ad hominem attacks). You should really try to avoid them.
--by on 3/6/07 Lives: USA
Jake, Must work in the goverment as a lawyer. He likes to accuse everyone of "Straw Man Arguments and ad hominem attacks". He should know as he uses them on most of his comments. Jake ,You should really try to avoid them. They are blowing your cover as a Liberal Democrat. Did they get you a job ?
--by on 3/7/07 Lives: Detroit area
I don't under stand why Jake and his ilk get so upset about the media. We all know that it is Liberal and generally a mouthpiece for the ultra left in the Democratic party. The party that wants America to be defeated in Irag.
--by on 3/7/07 Lives: Michigan
If the numbers of murders and car deaths in America were Hyped by the media like the American death toll in Iraq, the Liberal media and their "non profit "buddies would soon be demanding the end of the autombile.
--by on 3/7/07 Lives: Michigan
Allen, do you REALLY believe that the Democratic party wants the United States to be defeated in Iraq? That is absurd. There is a big difference between believing we shouldn't have gone in the first place, a belief apparently shared by a majority of voting Americans if the results of the last national election are considered, and a desire to lose. The problem is that the current administration has shown no indication that they know how we can win there, and I don't think ANYONE has that insight. It's an impossible situation, where you have Iraqis killing each other to get rid of us.
--by on 3/7/07 Lives: Detroit area
What I believe or do not believe is not shaped by what I read nor by what I hear but by my own sense of right and wrong. The world doesn't change, just the players at any given time in history.
I am always amazed by the name-calling and hysteria that comes across so many times by the readers of this column. I know that it is Russ' job to make us think; but, maybe, we should think in a more rational way.
I am not a goody-goody, and I try to be an informed person. I do believe, however, that the world would be a much better place if each of us would just try to improve our own immediate world. I am a great believer is "pay it forward".
--by on 3/8/07 Lives: Dearborn
Mayor Hubbard said it best: "if we would each just sweep our own doorstep, The world would be a better place." Please. dont go into a snit about his politics, just think about the meaning of what the man said. Thanks Claudia for your thoughful comment.
--by on 3/8/07 Lives: Dearborn
Mayor Hubbard was one of the best, no less. While he is hammered for his personal views that were condoned at the time (but justifibly out of tune today), he never took a bribe or kickback.
If Orville was still around, we wouldn't have our financial crisis which is getting worse everyday.
--by on 3/8/07 Lives: Dearborn
Sorry Growing Old, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t judge people moreover by their words while ignoring their actions. Actions speak far louder than words.
The quote you’re so fondly refer to, much like its counterpart regarding keeping Dearborn Clean takes a whole different meaning when used by you in 2007, vs. Orville Hubbard in 1970. You would do well to make your own argument as opposed to bringing the example of Orville Hubbard into the frey. A lot of people like me look upon the "Hubbard days" as kinder gentler times. Not because of who ran Dearborn and how he did so, but because of how Dearbornites treated each other. Dearborn was FAR less diverse back than and the newcomers back then spent their lives improving their surroundings, making a better life for their kids and fitting into and embracing the American lifestyle. Those days are long over and gone never to return. The current situation has people who are not content to fit in and respect the people who lived here all their lives, but rather want to force their lifestyle on us all either in sheer numbers or by exploiting our legal system.
Much like the post industrial Michigan economy you would do well to stop living in the past and start embracing and navigating the landscape of our city and state in its evolving form. Trying to make it what it once was will only usher in catastrophic consequences. If you need an example of this, look at what our Governor is doing. She is trying to turn Michigan into the high tech center of the world when Texas has us beat cold as opposed to just using what we have at our disposal to turn our economy around.
--by on 3/8/07 Lives: Dearborn
Support your claims.
I haven't relied on traditional media for news for years, not because its too left, or too right, but because its too SHALLOW. If you want to get to the meat of the issue, focus your research and dedicate yourself to a topic, and draw your own conclusions independent of distorted party bickering.
Mr. McFarling is anti-liberal, so Mr. McFarling will automatically TEND to dismiss anything he deems too liberal. My father is very much the same way, and it's an easy trap to fall into, this partisanship. I'm guilty of it too (and I usually fall to the right when I do), though I'm working to change that.
I'm a young man, and I have high hopes for the bright future of me and my peers, but it won't be fully realized if we fall into the destructive rhetoric of left vs. right.
--by on 3/8/07 Lives: Detroit area
What's wrong with the Democrats ? Say the word Bush and some of them go crazy. I was not a Clinton fan, but I would show the man respect because He was the President of the United States of American. Maybe it's time ALL citizens show more respect for our country and less for political parties.
--by on 3/8/07 Lives: Michigan
Growing Old and Hubbard’s Cupboard,
You’re both right. The newcomers in Hubbard’s time spent their lives improving their surroundings, sweeping their own doorstep, making a better life for their kids, and fitting into and embracing the American lifestyle. While many newcomers do the same today, sadly many, many others ‘work the system’ and violate our laws with the blessing of our elected officials.
Orville Hubbard promoted gentler times by upholding the laws. Orville had genuine support from all residents because he upheld the laws. Most importantly, Orville Hubbard never ever took bribes and kickbacks. However,some in todays city government officials pit neighbors against neighbors much to the chagrin of the majority. We thank God that Russ Gibb is still jumping up & down and speaking for us.
Yes, we agree that the current situation has too many people who are not content to fit in, never happy regardless of what they have, and rarely respect others except when forced to do so. And unfortunately for the law abiding vast majority, too many ‘bad guys’ would rather push their misguided lifestyle on us by exploiting our legal system and city hall.
--by on 3/12/07 Lives: Dearborn
What has happened in our society where stepping over the neck of your neighbor has become and accepted method of getting ahead? Americans are so fixated on money, drugs, violence, alcohol and sex to see that our attention is being derailed away from the real issue
War
Poverty
Spreading disease
Government corruption
and many many more.
The question we should be asking ourselves is WHY? Who would wish us to place our aspirations on everything except the most destructive and costly aspects of life in America and keep us killing ourselves to attain?
When any of you can answer this question, you will see why Democrat or Republican means exactly the SAME thing today. Corruption and control, nothing more. Michael Moore says that when people are afraid you can talk them into anything. What are we afraid of today? Unemployment, our health, war, poverty, where we are going to get our next sack of dope from, the list goes on and on. Who is overcoming their installed fears and looking at what is REALLY going on in out city, state and federal government? A society that lives continuously in paralyzing fear is a society which will eventually crack. Look what is gong on around us every day. Drug abuse, children in Detroit being executed, people shooting up high schools and malls, people paying more attention to what Paras Hilton or Brittney Spears is doing than our free falling economy. Think for a moment folks.
Democrats and Republicans all pedal the same snake oil, fear and mistrust while they do what they wish and become powerful and wealthy off of your suffering.
--by on 3/14/07 Lives: Dearborn