The Mechanical Voices of the MSM

Special to Free Republic ^ | 20 November, 2004 | John Armor (Congressman Billybob)

[Congressman Billybob]

Like Confederate General Jubal T. Early, I make occasional raids into Washington, D.C. The raid this week included a visit with some of my children and grandchildren, meeting Judge Robert Bork, and assorted other pleasures. But the most telling moment of the trip came in a deserted corridor of Reagan National Airport on Sunday morning. Then and there I understood the mechanical voices of the MSM (Mainstream Media).

It was a politico-religious experience, a secular epiphany, if you will.

I took a wrong turn and wound up in an empty hallway. There were moving walkways on both sides, but they were out of service and marked off with orange cones. Still, every five seconds a female mechanical voice said urgently, “Caution! Moving walkways are ending!”

In that moment I suddenly understood a talk show I’d seen an hour before, starring Chris Matthews, Andrew Sullivan and Sam Donaldson, among others. (I’m not picking on these gentlemen. Most other talking heads – with or without bad hairpieces – would have filled the bill.)

I realized there is no significant difference between these “live” talkers on the MSM, and that disembodied voice in that empty airport hallway. Before the election the MSM thought the Democrats might win. After the election, when the Republicans had won, the underlying message did not change. In thousands of words the talking heads of the MSM are repeating, ad nauseam, the same seven word message. It is:

“Caution! Republicans are bad! Democrats are good!”

Try this experiment for yourselves. Pick any talking head show. Choose any MSM print outlet; the New York Times will do nicely, thank you. Take whatever apparent story they’re talking about, and boil it down like Vermont maple syrup in the fall. When you reduce the story to its essence, beneath the level of the apparent facts of the day, see whether any political story in the MSM has any core message other than the “Caution!...”?

Bias is usually subtle. Pay attention to the verbs. I read a story right after the election on the thousands of state legislative races. The article consistently referred to seats “won” by Democrats, but seats “claimed” by Republicans. Is it any surprise that the reporters writing that were primarily Democrats? Or, pay attention to the adjectives. Others have researched to a fare-thee-well the respective use of “left-wing” and “right-wing.” Republicans often get the second label; Democrats seldom get the first one.

Are there more right-wingers than left-wingers in American politics? Check out the websites of the Congressional Black Caucus, or of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, or of almost any union (but especially the National Education Association). See if you conclude that the left wing is alive and well. Its label disappears because the MSM reporters don’t perceive the left as being “left-wing.”

When the MSM had a monopoly, facts they chose not to report simply did not exist. The monopoly has ended. Facts get reported in the alternative media. The MSM no longer controls the agenda; it can only embarrass itself by pretending that it still does.

TV requires, of course, more than just words. There has to be something to point a camera at, the apparently live and sentient pundits sitting in their chairs. But is that any more than window dressing? Does that make the content of the political shows any more substantial than that mechanical voice in the airport?

The MSM are dying by degrees in the quarterly Arbitron reports on audience shares. The MSM are dying because they insist on producing vacuous bias in their political coverage. This task will be unsettling, but I recommend it. Read the MSM, listen to them, watch them with more care than they think “dumb” Americans can bring to the task. See if you reach the same conclusion, that you’re hearing repetitive, mechanical voices from the MSM.

When the voices are clearly mechanical, they may be annoying but they seem less threatening. The true menace comes from voices which present the illusion of being real. Think of Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, and the Hal 9000. Don’t the first three need the same cure as Hal got in the movie, 2001? Don’t they need to be deprogrammed, back to a time before they learned to lie, or worse, learned to believe their own lies?

Don’t they all need to go back to Urbana, Illinois, in 1992? Shouldn’t they all be asked to sing us a song before they fall silent? “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer true ....”

[EdReform]

Would this be a good time for a GI ping?

;o)

[MeekOneGOP]

hehe! Thank you, sir! :^D

[The Drowning Witch]

OUT-EFFING-standing metaphor, John.

That part of 2001 where Dave slips into the mainframe in a spacesuit in total vacuum and slowly shuts down HAL's brain, and his voice slows to an indistinguishable drone is a perfectmetaphor for what the New Media is doing in the Instant Information Age.

Here's a Bucket Full of Pride...cheers.

Witch

[MeekOneGOP]

The Mechanical Voices of the MSM

Excerpt:

Try this experiment for yourselves. Pick any talking head show. Choose any MSM print outlet; the New York Times will do nicely, thank you. Take whatever apparent story they’re talking about, and boil it down like Vermont maple syrup in the fall. When you reduce the story to its essence, beneath the level of the apparent facts of the day, see whether any political story in the MSM has any core message other than the “Caution!...”?

Bias is usually subtle. Pay attention to the verbs. I read a story right after the election on the thousands of state legislative races. The article consistently referred to seats “won” by Democrats, but seats “claimed” by Republicans. Is it any surprise that the reporters writing that were primarily Democrats? Or, pay attention to the adjectives. Others have researched to a fare-thee-well the respective use of “left-wing” and “right-wing.” Republicans often get the second label; Democrats seldom get the first one.

Are there more right-wingers than left-wingers in American politics? Check out the websites of the Congressional Black Caucus, or of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, or of almost any union (but especially the National Education Association). See if you conclude that the left wing is alive and well. Its label disappears because the MSM reporters don’t perceive the left as being “left-wing.”

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[MeekOneGOP]

Yeah. :^D

[Congressman Billybob]

I agree. I liked that graphic very much when it first appeared. I like it even better with its update. Fine work.

Billybob

[MeekOneGOP]

Thank you, sir! :^D

[EdReform]

LOL! You guys are great!!

[MeekOneGOP]

haha! Thanks.

Grampa came up with idea to 'correct' that pic. :^D

[Congressman Billybob]

I just call 'em as I see 'em and let the chips fall where they nay. Is that what you meant?

Billybob

[Grampa Dave]

The MeekOneGop and Grampa Dave team come with great ways to skewer the MSM and the lunatic liberals.

[MeekOneGOP]

Yeah! Let's keep it up. :^D

[Grampa Dave]

"Yeah! Let's keep it up. :^D"

You bet!

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

I don't even waste my time on TV or Cable news anymore.
They all refused to expose Hanoi Kerry for the traitor he really is.
They never once asked why he didn't sign Form 180.
BUT they all did tell you about the Bush National Guard "documents"
AND they ALL told you about the "missing" 380 tons of explosives in Iraq.
AND they ALL made sure the phony exit polls were "leaked".
Just like Gore "won" FL in 2000.
Instead of calling for Hanoi Kerry's impeachment from the US Senate
they would rather bash the Military.
Screw the liberal big 5 media!

Please take the time to read this article.

http://www.augustafreepress.com/stories/storyReader$28503

How long till the next attack on the military by Hanoi Kerry?

ABC, AP, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, NBC, NY Times
will be sure to bring you Hanoi Kerry's latest propaganda.

Then ask your US Senator why Hanoi Kerry is still a US Senator.

Timeline of Hanoi Kerry

http://www.archive-news.net/Kerry/JK_timeline.html

I VOW to the 58,000 + Brothers and Sisters on
The Viet Nam Wall who never came home
and to those who died at home from injuries and
from broken hearts.

"I will do everything I LEGALLY can
to expose Hanoi Kerry once and for all.

I will not tire, I will not falter,
and I will not fail.

I solemnly vow to do all I can to restore your honor
until I give my last breath on earth."

---

EXPOSE HANOI KERRY!

Distribute these url's!

http://tonkin.spymac.net/hanoikerry1.html

There is a backup site
if the 1st url is unavailable.

http://stophanoikerry.150m.com/

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[Soaring Feather]

bump!!!! and Fire!!

[Texas Deb]

Bump!

[relictele]

Spot on. Had to laugh at a NYT headline that grumped about GOP 'blocking' a (deep voice) Intelligence Reform Bill.

Since when are the Dems concerned about Intelligence? Is reform ALWAYS good? What kind of reform? Is it possible that the GOP is examining the bill for the kind of pork and pointlessness that has marked 99% of legislation over the years?

[Robert A Cook PE]

Nice!

Thank you for your time, kind sir.

[Congressman Billybob]

Thank you for your comment. That's exactly what I had in mind. But I had the column written four days before I realized that the Hal 9000 metaphor belonged in it.

Billybob