Posted on 09/04/2005 4:49:33 PM PDT by ElCapusto
The word went out on August 8th that Peter Jennings, an icon of American mainstream media, had died at the age of 67. In this day and age, 67 is well below the average life span in America, and it is unfortunate that the ABC News anchor died prematurely due to lung cancer.
Often when someone dies, the initial commentary is rather flattering, as people with the smallest amount of good taste will not speak ill of the dead, especially before they’ve been put in the ground. There was plenty of news coverage of Jennings death, and there were a lot of kind words said about the man. I have no doubt that some of those kind words are true. Of course some of the grander statements made about Jennings were made by his friends in the old media, so their views and statements tended to be a little biased (as are most of their views and statements when reporting the news).
But now that some time has passed, we can take a more sober, less emotional look at the long-time anchor for ABC News. Jennings’ accomplishments as an establishment mainstream media ‘newsman’ are clear and unquestionable. He rose to the pinnacle of his profession and stayed there for literally decades.
But let’s face it; the term ‘talking head’ didn’t come about as a mere joke. By his own admission, Jennings was grossly under educated, dropping out of high school, thus hardly making him qualified to critique people, whether they be public or private individuals, offer analysis or pass judgment on our society, our form of government or the views and moods of Americans. Yes, yes, yes, he had his First Amendment right to free speech, but to pass himself off as an authority figure by sitting in that chair in front of the camera every evening was practically fraudulent. Not to place too much emphasis on formal education (which can be over rated considering today’s educational institutions), but for Peter Jennings to think his education of ‘life experiences’ made him better qualified to pass judgment on people and events, which he did, is plain arrogance. He was a pretender. Jennings was typical of the current mainstream media elites. He was removed from true mainstream America, going around in his own circle of leftists who hadn’t a clue as to what was really the views of the average American, and not really caring, as he was all about attempting to tell us what to think and how to interpret events.
In an interview once with the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Jennings was quoted as saying, "When it's clearly an emotional experience for the audience, the anchor should not add his or her emotional layers." Seeing this quote, what comes to mind is how Jennings conducted himself during the returns of the 1994 mid-term elections, when the Republicans took over the House of Representatives. Jennings was on the verge of having a literal fit. He declared the American public had gone out and voted, acting like ‘children having a temper tantrum.’ In fact, it was Jennings who was having the temper tantrum, as again he was totally out of touch with the average person, and so engrossed in his socialistic ideology that he was caught flat-footed at the turn of events for Democrats. He never saw it coming, didn’t like the outcome in the least, and his comments and emotions on TV showed it.
Peter Jennings once told author Jeff Alan, " I subscribe to leaving people with essentially a rough draft of history. Some days it's reassuring, some days it's absolutely destructive." Of course, this ‘rough draft of history’ was colored by Jennings’ interpretations of events. I can remember when I was no longer seduced by Jennings’ smooth, genteel manner of delivery. I started to listen not only to what Jennings was saying, but how he was saying it. The combination of his phraseology and voice inflection could twist the facts, making truth sound like a lie, and myth sound like the truth. I soon realized that if I wanted the news and not propaganda, I’d have to go somewhere else. I paid little to no attention to Peter Jennings after about 1989.
In his position as the anchor for a national news program, Jennings often filtered what news was given to him, deciding what was news worthy and what wasn’t, always leaning to the far left. It is ironic that Peter Jennings had such an impact on how the news was delivered in America since he was a Canadian. Growing up in a society far more in line with socialist Europe than traditionally liberty-oriented, conservative America, Jennings brought his good looks and slick-talking ways to the American airways, fitting in with the left-leaning elitists that dominate mass communication outlets in our country.
Jennings was committed to his career and his ideology, but like most leftists, he didn’t let his socialist ideology stop him from making millions in our capitalistic society as the lead newsman for ABC, and it wasn’t until 2003 that he finally decided for dual citizenship. Yes, we basically had a foreigner on our airwaves, attempting to tell us what to think, how to interpret the news, and what was right and wrong for us.
While Jennings’ condescending approach to delivering the news was offensive, I don’t think it was as offensive as his various ‘specials’ he did on ABC, especially in the last 5-6 years. Jennings took it upon himself, an uneducated foreigner, to conduct a ‘search for America,’ as if he could actually tell Americans who we are and what we are about. In addition, he led the ‘documentary’ ‘The Search for Jesus,’ a grossly misinformed presentation of distortions and half-truths. It didn’t qualify for the description ‘documentary,’ but should have been labeled ‘atheistic propaganda.’
I will say that there was one truly great feat that Peter Jennings had a part in, and is worth remembering him for if nothing else. He helped steer the mainstream media, and specifically the traditional ‘big three’ evening news shows, into irrelevancy. Instead of responding to the public’s disapproval of his approach to delivering biased information, Jennings, along with Rather and Brokaw, kept pounding his ship into the icebergs of leftist ideology, being the sounding board for Democrats and their host of whacked out liberal special interest groups. By refusing to correct his course and present honest, unbiased news, Jennings helped propel cable news and the internet to prominence. In the end, Jennings had a big hand in de-legitimizing the traditional evening news. If we must remember Peter Jennings, let’s remember him for that.
And that, to those of us who occasionally watched, was glaringly obvious.
Jennings is dead. The MSM is dead. They're all going out together, all at once, like the tide, or more correctly like a bunch of hot air escaping the burst balloon.
A respectful period has passed. I guess it's okay to tell it like it is.
I will never forget the disrespect that Jennings showed President Bush in the first hour of 9-11. It was not Jennings "Finest Hour".
Never watched any of those bastards, I knew they were mostly fools when I was a child.
I doubt any will be missed in this house.
While Jennings may have played a large role in the death of the MSM, I believe that honor (?) should go to none other than Dan Rather and CBS News. With the attempt to pass off fraudulent documentation as the real thing in order to torpedo the reelection of a sitting president, the MSM sunk to an all time low.
You are absolutely right to point out Rather / CBS. That was when the levee broke.
MSM and the far left always manage to take the position or actions that most undermines the President. They are taking his talking points straight out of al-Qaeda training manual and are helping al-Qaeda.
Main Stream Media would have to be FOX! I do not watch CNN,ABC,NBC (except for football)and I can't get fox. What is a media poor person to do but FR!
The totally insanity of the MSM tv outlets and printed mediots have had during the Katrina coverage is costing them big time. They lost the Cindy Sheehan war and are losing the Katrina war with GW and those who support GW.
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DAVID SHAW, 62, Dead. LIBERAL Los Angeles Times Media Critic
http://www.Freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1455410/posts
DAVID SHAW: RATHER's work 'Shoddy, Slipshod' not LIBERAL..?
http://www.Freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1227809/posts
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That stone is awesome! MSM, RIP.
What I saw on the CBS morning show was surreal today. On the one hand I was in total shock at what they were letting people say on the air about Bush and racism etc. On the other hand I was rejoicing at the crack up. They are destroying themselves.
Thanks. Meekonegop and another freeper did the basic work on the stone with a couple of suggestions for me.
I love to send a copy to the boards and heads of ABCNNBCBS when they screwup or try to push a Dan Blather as the truth.
Below is another example of how the Pseudo news agencies of America are incapable of ever getting anything correct.
Earlier we had horrible news that 6 contractors were killed and 2 others by thugs.
That was totally wrong. Apparently the police killed thugs who were shooting at the contractors. Finally AP had to kill their first story:
To: lightman
AP Kills Katrina Shootings Story
Sep 04, 2005 (AP Online) -- EDITORS:
Two versions of BC-Katrina-Shootings-HK1, V3170 and V3182, have been killed. The Army Corps of Engineers says the contractors were shot at, then police shot fatally the gunmen who fired on the contractors. The contractors were not killed, the Army Corps said.
A kill is mandatory.
Make certain the story is not used.
A sub was filed as V3187. All subsequent versions may be published.
The AP
Copyright 2005 Associated Press, All rights reserved
Post time: 18:24 ET.
7 posted on 09/04/2005 5:20:52 PM PDT by seamole (Non occides.)
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Peter Jennings at his worst could be seen when he was editorializing how poor and cowardly George Bush was a President when he was expaining the immediate aftermath to the attacks on 9/11. I heard him a couple times on various radio shows...as a special reporter. He attacked Bush as breaking news. Great Caesars Ghost, what a worthless human being that guy was!
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