Posted on 12/09/2004 9:35:25 AM PST by RatherBiased.com
The owner of Nonviolence.org, Martin Kelley, said he got an interesting phone call yesterday from a CBS News publicist for--you guessed it--Dan Rather's "60 Minutes Wednesday", the same program that carried the infamous bogus memos.
"Yesterday I got a call from a publicist for CBS News's 60 Minutes. They're running a story tonight on 'Deserters,' U.S. military personnel who have fled to Canada rather than serve in Iraq. She was requesting that I talk up the program on Nonviolence. In nine years of publishing the peace site, I can't remember ever getting a call from a publicist before. I've talked to reporters from major news networks and papers, and I've talked a booking agent or two to arranging appearances on radio shows, but never a publicist."
"So now CBS News publicists are courting bloggers. That's great: hey, if y'all want to buy me that new Treo Smartphone or a gift certificate to Gohn Bros I'll say Dan Rather is hotter than an armadillo sunning himself between the yellow lines on the interstate"
Despite saying this, Kelley says he agrees with the message of the "60 Minutes" report and complied with the publicist's request to talk up the program with a seperate post "CBS News Covers New Conscientious Objectors."
Other liberal/anti-war bloggers who have talked about the upcoming story in preparation for tonight's broadcast include No Capital, Daily War News, Bankrupt Artist v.3.
UPDATE: Some bloggers seem to be of the opinion that we think CBS's marketing scheme is wrong. Not so. Just that it belies the network's claims to objectivity, especially since they have a well-established record of only reaching out to lefty sites and organizations. For further proof, see this post from Tim Blair on how a commenter at the Washington Monthly site ended up on the "CBS Evening News."
Eugene Volokh has some interesting comments on this story that are worth considering.
UPDATE II: Oh, the irony. On the very day that RatherBiased.com posts on how CBS is using blogs to get out its message, CBSNews.com has an article up accusing the Senate campaign of Republican John Thune of using sites like South Dakota Politics and Daschle v. Thune as a "proxy" to get its anti-Tom Daschle message out.
"Some blogs could become new vehicles for the old political dirty tricks," CBS's David Paul Kuhn writes. He also seems to be concerned that blogs are not regulated by the government, which is even more ironic considering that he works for the company that has insisted for years on its right to run the Howard Stern show.
It looks like CBS is going to war with the Bush administration rather than clean up its act. Let's hope it costs it dearly in ratings and revenue.
Let them go to Canada and get their a$$es taxed off.
The only problem is we would get a pansya$$ed president like Carter who would let them back.
Why am I not surprised. This week has been one bash the military,pentagon,bush, Dum fest. Even been working overtime on FR.
BTTT
Hasn't CBS (Constant Bullsh*t) gone out of business yet?
Yes, indeed. But somehow I don't think anyone from CBS will be courting opinion on FR. For some reason. Can't imagine what it would be...
Oh...the Bash-Bush list is long and growing. From Rice, Rumsfeld and Thomas...to the new Homeland Security director, the mediacrats are out in full force. It's as if they learned nothing from this last election...as they continue to be the party of obstructionism and division.
I'm listening to Rush describe how the Marine who asked Rummy those questions was coached by an embedded media personality. It's almost as if the media has decided that the Democrat Party is impotent and that they are going to do their work for them (as if they haven't been for the last few decades).
Agree completely. They really do think we are stupid.
Nice work. It's really ugly to see the old media in action, standard operating procedure. Such (SUCH!) a lack of regard for the truth.
Certainly, they picked up very early on this story at the warren of anti western, anti Bush, anti War on Iraq diatribe at the "Our World Forum" at Asiawind.com. Perhaps that blog's owner, S.L. Lee, was contacted?
You'd think that after Rathergate and sinking ratings CBS News would wise up. They better not mess wih the bloggers or they will be faced with a pajamahad.
I tried to post this as a guest at Volokh Conspiracy but it wouldn't work.
I think we could sway this whole development with just some simple comments posted on these leftist agenda sites. All we have to do is ask if the comment came from the person's own beliefs or if they were driven by some unmentioned publicist. It plants the seeds of doubt that makes their position even more untenable, being caught between 2 tough choices. Choice 1: They would find themselves defending the biased leftist media as if it were unbiased. Choice 2: They admit leftist media bias and lose even further credibility. None of the conservative sites are being asked to push Fox's stories. And even if sites such as FR were asked, there is already an open acknowledgement that Fox is biased right.
Another wave of Zogbyism.
In my opinion, this points up how far CBS has fallen in the ratings. They are resorting to publicists calling 'liberal friendly' bloggers to get some viewers.
wasn't this the same girly man who went to Canada to protest
the War in Iraq? The one my gay sons "freinds" say has
"kissable lips" Isn't this the clown who said there would
be "nothing honorable" in turning himself in and taking
whatever punishment he might recieve for desertion.
Canada can keep him-- or send him to France.IF he comes back to America-- I can gaurnetee I will supply the blankets-- and GI Brushes -Lets Party!
This deserves more attention.
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