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Bill Moyers' Speech On Freedom Of the Press
Society Of Professional Journalists ^ | 2004 National Convention | Bill Moyers

Posted on 09/18/2004 7:04:55 AM PDT by shrinkermd

"...They helped me relearn another of journalism’s basic lessons. The job of trying to tell the truth about people whose job it is to hide the truth is almost as complicated and difficult as trying to hide it in the first place. Unless you’re willing to fight and refight the same battles until you go blue in the face, drive the people you work with nuts going over every last detail to make certain you’ve got it right, and then take hit after unfair hit accusing you of “bias”, or these days even a point of view, there’s no use even trying. You have to love it, and I do.

I remember what Izzy Stone said about this. For years he was America’s premier independent journalist, bringing down on his head the sustained wrath of the high and mighty for publishing in his little four-page I.F. Stone’s Weekly the government’s lies and contradictions culled from the government’s own official documents. No matter how much they pummeled him, Izzy Stone said: “I have so much fun I ought to be arrested.”

(Excerpt) Read more at spj.org ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bias; freedom; media; mediabias; moyers; of; thepress
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Comment #21 Removed by Moderator

To: Californiajones

"The job of trying to tell the truth about people whose job it is to hide the truth"

Sooooo .. am I to assume the people he's talking about "whose job it is to hide the truth" is meant to infer either corporate America or the American government ..??


22 posted on 09/18/2004 7:52:24 PM PDT by CyberAnt (Sen.Miller said, "Bush is a God-fearing man with a good heart and a spine of tempered steel")
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To: rabidcitizen
Moyers, posing absurdly as an “analyst,” He hissed, “When you see the South voting Republican like this, that’s racism.” ie., when liberals keep telling the same lies eventually their goal is to have the sheeple believe it as truth.... Liberal evil laughter ensues.
23 posted on 09/18/2004 8:14:50 PM PDT by SunnySide
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To: Californiajones

Excellently said, again, Cal. Refreshing for me in this corruption-filled world, to communicate with someone intelligent, insightful, and who desires good. It seems that this website has several such people.
Yes, "worldly intellectualism", sophistry, calcified liberalism, (I would add "socialism", which I hate with a passion; "humanism", as churches like to say): all this adds up to pride, doesnt it: humans thinking they are more than they are, just like their father, the devil, thought, when he said, "I will raise my throne above God." As the Bible says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." I can see why: These pride-filled punks, who think they are so great, in reality, are so disgusting. But as you said, our right response is probably to pray for them. Sometimes I do. I'm especially disgusted with the ones in authority, who spread their pollution over the U.S. and the world, such as the epitome of how stupid they are in their great pride, scum judges promoting the idiocy of queer marriage: what a laughable example of how stupid the highest authorities have become, in their bubbling-over pride; as i like to say to everyone: "Even most young children can tell the difference in the sexes; these "brains" in authority cant even manage that, in all their glorious brilliance." One need look no further to know that what Jesus said is very true, "You can do nothing but by Me." They have shown in their zeal to rid the country of God, that they cant even do the simple thing of telling the difference between the sexes. What a great example of their prideful idiocy. My usual prayer for them is, "God I ask You that he (or she) either repent immediately, or you either remove him from authority immediately, or you exterminate him immediately." (the extermination request is when I am especially fed up.).


24 posted on 09/19/2004 9:04:35 AM PDT by paulz
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To: shrinkermd

I got so bored with it, and felt it such a waste of time, I couldnt bear to finish it in one reading. The reason I started reading it was your comment about "capturing the mindset of pro jornalists". I have lately become curious as to what that mindset is: Just why do they love corruption so much? I think pride is the answer. The top attribute of their father, the devil, is pride: "I will exalt my throne above God." In their zeal to follow their father, the devil, they increasingly show their utter stupidity and love of corruption.
As to the length of Moyers' article, i've also found it typical that the "brains" of the world take a million words for their rambling bullshit to say what could be said in 500 words, or less. Of course, there is some real content in the world, in some places, such as in the Bible. But I felt that these Moyers babblings were in the former category. Not surprising, whatsoever, that his worshippers gushed over his babblings.
Kerry is another example. After I heard his lies and push for increased U.S. socialism, once or twice, that was enough. I dont need to waste time on hearing how many ways he can propose to ruin the U.S., furthering the garbage that Clinton was able to heap on the U.S. for 8 years. I heard Clinton say with his own corrupt mouth, "I'm seeking to change the foundations of the country." Yes, exactly: more lies, more baby-killing, more homosexuality, more socialism, more promise-breaking, more unfaithfulness, more selfishness, etc. Yes, he was able to ruin some of the fiber of this country, and now the country has been paying for it, and continues to pay for it. And pitifully, about half the country is stupid enough and corrupt enough to want more of it, with Kerry. I suppose their next desire will be Hillary Clinton. If corrupt idiots like these are able to continue to have their way, how can the country possibly survive. I am already looking for China to easily surpass the U.S. in every way: from morally, economically, and all the way down the line. China seems to have wised up to a better way to go than the nonsense they've been living in for a long time. I think it will be easy for them, now. Whereas many idiots in this country are determined to take this country down the Russian road of socialism. It wasnt enough for them to see Russia collapse under dumb socialism; they are determined to cause the U.S. the same collapse. Fine for them. They'll get what they deserve. My resentment is that they will drag innocent parties down that road with them.


25 posted on 09/19/2004 9:31:18 AM PDT by paulz
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To: Uncle Vlad

You got it, Uncle: The brilliant priorities of mainstream media, demoshits, socialists, and other embeciles polluting the face of the earth.
I sure, sure, sure hope you are right that such embeciles can be overcome in this country. It strikes me as absurd that so many want scum like Kerry as president: a testimony to how much obvious stupidity that humanity is filled with. By my figuring, Kerry logically, would get about 10% of the vote: 5% would be people released from the insane asylum; the other 5% would be only the very worst, most stupid of the corruption lovers (Even the rest of the corruption lovers would vote for Bush, because Kerry is such an obvious lying embecile, that even the majority of corruption lovers would realize that the country will get much worse for everyone, if this piece of trash is elected.). Of course, it doesnt work logically among humans. I'm 58 years old, and for a long time, I was frustrated at how few people are interested in logical common sense and/or goodness. I finally came to realize that the only interest to most is what they think will immediately add more to their selfish desires. Thus, ridiculous short-sightedness, no interest in truth, little or no interest in good and right, the big focus: immediate, selfish gain (without regard to who is cheated, to get it, or how much, or how long). I've come to realize these attributes are what I can expect from much of humanity. It's all the more clear when TV shows the Muslim punks, bouncing up and down, brandishing their weapons, eager to see how much more ruination they can cause, rallied by their corrupt, idiot scum leader, Al Sadr (for example. Oshita Bin Asshole has stayed in the background a little more, recently.). I'd love to be able to reach into the TV and smash all their damn asses to a pulp. But then, I know that is not my job, and I pray that God do His job. I know it's also good that I'm not president. I admire Bush for many things, that I think he has been trying to righteously deal with. But especially admirable is his great patience and optimism. Those are 2 characteristics I no longer have, at this time, as more and more garbage continues. Perhaps, I will get those characteristics again, some day. But maybe not in this world: The Bible says Christians will be raptured, and then the Great Tribulation will start. I can easily believe the Great Tribulation will start, having seen what I have from humanity. As for the rapture, I'm hoping, but even my Christian faith has been severely rattled by so much bullshit. I havent even said the half of it, and I wont take a lot more time here to say it, but briefly, how aboout the stock market cheating me out of about $100,000 (especially because of trusting the liar financial analysts); and how about a wife that left me twice, and went to my bank account and stole $21,000 after the second time (my reward for trusting her with a joint bank account- the Biblical "one flesh" bit; yes, as I've said, even my faith has been assaulted.); how about finally leaving the house of her choice that I bought her in upstate New York, after suffering there for 15 years, with my feet cold most of the time (with winters, e.g. 6 straight weeks of -20* every day); how about coming to warm Florida (ahh, what a relief), and now damn hurricanes banging at me, August through who knows how long; and on and on through my existence in this stupid world, especially since I married that bitch, 17 years ago. I've told God, "If you want to wreck my little house here, go for it, but please, not without killing me, too." Yes Uncle, I've cried Uncle to this disgusting world!!


26 posted on 09/19/2004 10:37:41 AM PDT by paulz
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To: Uncle Vlad

You got it, Uncle: The brilliant priorities of mainstream media, demoshits, socialists, and other embeciles polluting the face of the earth.
I sure, sure, sure hope you are right that such embeciles can be overcome in this country. It strikes me as absurd that so many want scum like Kerry as president: a testimony to how much obvious stupidity that humanity is filled with. By my figuring, Kerry logically, would get about 10% of the vote: 5% would be people released from the insane asylum; the other 5% would be only the very worst, most stupid of the corruption lovers (Even the rest of the corruption lovers would vote for Bush, because Kerry is such an obvious lying embecile, that even the majority of corruption lovers would realize that the country will get much worse for everyone, if this piece of trash is elected.). Of course, it doesnt work logically among humans. I'm 58 years old, and for a long time, I was frustrated at how few people are interested in logical common sense and/or goodness. I finally came to realize that the only interest to most is what they think will immediately add more to their selfish desires. Thus, ridiculous short-sightedness, no interest in truth, little or no interest in good and right, the big focus: immediate, selfish gain (without regard to who is cheated, to get it, or how much, or how long). I've come to realize these attributes are what I can expect from much of humanity. It's all the more clear when TV shows the Muslim punks, bouncing up and down, brandishing their weapons, eager to see how much more ruination they can cause, rallied by their corrupt, idiot scum leader, Al Sadr (for example. Oshita Bin Asshole has stayed in the background a little more, recently.). I'd love to be able to reach into the TV and smash all their damn asses to a pulp. But then, I know that is not my job, and I pray that God do His job. I know it's also good that I'm not president. I admire Bush for many things, that I think he has been trying to righteously deal with. But especially admirable is his great patience and optimism. Those are 2 characteristics I no longer have, at this time, as more and more garbage continues. Perhaps, I will get those characteristics again, some day. But maybe not in this world: The Bible says Christians will be raptured, and then the Great Tribulation will start. I can easily believe the Great Tribulation will start, having seen what I have from humanity. As for the rapture, I'm hoping, but even my Christian faith has been severely rattled by so much bullshit. I havent even said the half of it, and I wont take a lot more time here to say it, but briefly, how aboout the stock market cheating me out of about $100,000 (especially because of trusting the liar financial analysts); and how about a wife that left me twice, and went to my bank account and stole $21,000 after the second time (my reward for trusting her with a joint bank account- the Biblical "one flesh" bit; yes, as I've said, even my faith has been assaulted.); how about finally leaving the house of her choice that I bought her in upstate New York, after suffering there for 15 years, with my feet cold most of the time (with winters, e.g. 6 straight weeks of -20* every day); how about coming to warm Florida (ahh, what a relief), and now damn hurricanes banging at me, August through who knows how long; and on and on through my existence in this stupid world, especially since I married that bitch, 17 years ago. I've told God, "If you want to wreck my little house here, go for it, but please, not without killing me, too." Yes Uncle, I've cried Uncle to this disgusting world!!


27 posted on 09/19/2004 10:48:01 AM PDT by paulz
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