My Letter To Eric Burns Of Fox News Watch

Me | 2/15/04 | Brian Carey

[careyb]

Dear Eric,

As usual, I really enjoyed last night's (2/14) program.

However, I believe that there is an important media issue that could have been covered by your panel, but was not.

It is apparent that the mainstream media, by and large, are reluctant to report about the allegations that John Kerry has committed adultery. Mr. Kerry went on the Don Imus radio program and "denied" these allegations (I won't get into parsing his "there's nothing to report" response) and yet this gets very little coverage outside of the non-supermarket tabloids and the British press. To their credit, CNN's Capital Gang did touch briefly on this non-denial denial but I think that the mainstream media are ignoring what many Americans would consider an issue of credibility and character for a Presidential candidate.

I also think your panel would have had an opportunity to discuss this issue in contrast to the way that the media is handling the story regarding President Bush's National Guard Service. The media seem to adopt a "guilty until proven innocent" mindset regarding the allegations by Terry McAuliffe that President Bush was AWOL when he should have been serving with the National Guard in Alabama. In contrast, the media are strangely silent regarding these allegations that another Presidential candidate has committed adultery. Why is that?

I can imagine that I'm not the only viewer who would like to see your panel explore this issue.

Thanks again for providing a great program.

Cordially, Brian M. Carey Wake Forest, NC

[careyb]

Your comments are welcome.

[mewzilla]

All I can say is thank goodness for the internet. And this is just another reason why. The Fourth Estate may be well on its way to becoming irrelevant.

[jigsaw]

Good letter. Please let us know if you get a response.
It'd be nice if he addresses the issue on his next program.

[Procyon]

A watched kettle doesn't boil. If there's a story here it will come to a boil. Relax. But while we're waiting for the story, there must be other things to talk about besides the media talking about itself.

[Gringo1]

Eric Burns will respond to a well written letter.

[jigsaw]

Thanks. Maybe I'll write one to him also.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Nicely done... We enjoy the Fox Media Watch and especially Eric Burns. Jane drives me nuts sometimes but last night I thought Neal Gabler actually got it somewhat right for a change (I'll try to paraphrase): "the media have made the President's credibility the 'new story' at least for now" and the National Guard story and all the rest (David Kay, poll numbers falling, etc.) are now fitting that story.

So, Neal: is the media biased? How did this story get started (fat-mouth Michael Moore and Global Crossing's Terry McAuliffe promoted the charge and the media ran with it) and what does that say about the media? Why the contrast between this "story" and the Kerry mini-scandal (which Republicans are totally distanced from -- Drudge is no Republican shill and it sounds like this story emerged from either Wesley Clark's campaign [Chris Lehane]) with the media standing on the sidelines?

Maybe next week will have some new revelations... or maybe Neal can tell us when the media "are going to change the story."

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Nicely done... We enjoy the Fox Media Watch and especially Eric Burns. Jane drives me nuts sometimes but last night I thought Neal Gabler actually got it somewhat right for a change (I'll try to paraphrase): "the media have made the President's credibility the 'new script' at least for now" and the National Guard story and all the rest (David Kay, poll numbers falling, etc.) are now fitting that story.

So, Neal: is the media biased? How did this script get started (fat-mouth Michael Moore and Global Crossing's Terry McAuliffe promoted the charge and the media ran with it) and what does that say about the media? Why the contrast between this "script" and the Kerry mini-scandal (which Republicans are totally distanced from -- Drudge is no Republican shill and it sounds like this story emerged from either Wesley Clark's campaign [Chris Lehane]) with the media standing on the sidelines?

Maybe next week will have some new revelations... or maybe Neal can tell us when the media "are going to change the script."

[archy]

[nutmeg]

FoxFan ping!

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[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[careyb]

Yes, I agree with you about Neal Gabler's comments last night.

He mentioned that the media created a script (viz., that Bush is a non-server compared to Kerry as war hero) and are trying to find stories that fit that script.

We'll see what happens.

It would be nice if this script was: Bush is faithful to his wife, versus....

:)

[Nick Danger]

I think we might all be worrying too much about this. And that includes me. There are a lot of indications out there that the public understands the media's bias very well, and adjusts for it.

I don't think many people understand how difficult it is to do what Fox News did to CNN. Knocking off an incumbent with a 20-year head start is no mean feat. The boneyard is full of companies that have tried to do that. Virtually all such efforts fail. But given an opportunity to see something other than the same old same-old, liberally-slanted news, millions of people bailed from CNN and never looked back. There is a message in that for us about how "fooled" people were by CNN's leftist bias. They weren't fooled at all.

Then there's this: the Republicans have the White House, majorities in both houses of Congress, and a majority of the Governorships. Could that happen if the liberal wind blowing out of the media was actually effective at shaping opinion?

I think the media liberals have a little circle-jerk going on there amongst themselves, where they imagine that they are setting the nation's agenda. But there isn't much evidence that they have any effect at all.

I read somewhere that by the time an average American is even eight years old, he or she has been exposed to tens of thousands of television advertisements. Even children understand that television is a fountain of ax-grinders trying to sell things.

Truly, if Te is strong in one, all one needs to do is sit on one's ass, and the corpse of one's enemy shall be carried past shortly.

[careyb]

Good points.

I'd still like to see FNW cover the issue.

[dead]

They discussed "the unmentionable" accusations against Kerry on The McGlaughlin Group. At the end of the discussion, he asked everyone on the panel if they thought the story had legs ("Shapely ones, I assume," commented Tony Blankley) and even the two liberal chicks (Eleanor and some cute babe) had to admit that it does. Especially once the woman turns up.

Eleanor looked like she was having her tooth drilled when she said it, but she always looks like that.