Posted on 04/10/2010 6:26:25 AM PDT by Kaslin
While many Americans believe the national press is biased toward the left, a more damning charge is now being debated: Are U.S. media outlets actually corrupt? Those who believe they are point to the cheerleading of Barack Obama's presidential campaign and to the recent reportage on the Tea Party movement.
As you may know, the Tea Party people have been branded in some media quarters as a bunch of racist, far-right loons. TV commentators on MSNBC and CNN have actually called the Tea Party folks dirty names on the air -- all in an attempt to diminish the growing influence of the movement.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the gutter. Regular Americans have apparently opted to decide for themselves about the Tea Party, and the polling is interesting. Despite all the rhetorical madness on TV, a new Gallup poll says 28 percent of Americans support the movement, 26 percent oppose it and 38 percent have not yet formed an opinion about support or opposition. Thus, there is a persuadable factor in play, and that is what the liberal media fear the most.
This time last year, there was no Tea Party. Now, it is perhaps the most vibrant political force in the country. If millions more Americans sign on, liberalism will take a huge hit. By the way, Gallup also reports that the Tea Party movement breaks down this way: 49 percent Republican, 43 percent Independent and 8 percent Democratic. The issue that binds the Tea Party folks together is fear of big government.
When the Founding Fathers granted the press privileges beyond those of everyday citizens, they did so with some trepidation. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, opposites in political thinking, both loathed the early press in America because it often operated irresponsibly; that is, it was not unusual for money to change hands in the production of a news story.
But Jefferson, Adams and their peers understood that the people needed information in order to make informed decisions at the voting booth. Therefore, the greater good was served by allowing a free press in the hope that the honest journalists would outnumber the dishonest ones.
Today, we have a problem in America. Entire news operations are devoting themselves not to reporting events honestly, but to promoting a certain ideology or party. The Fox News Channel, where I work, has been accused of this. But a study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs found that FNC's coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign was tough on both candidates, while most other news networks blatantly favored Obama.
Now we have a systematic media campaign to demean the Tea Party movement. At first, organizations like The New York Times ignored the movement. Then they mocked it. Neither worked. As the rallies grew larger, the liberal press got meaner. There was little reporting being done -- it was all about bashing.
This isn't bias; it's corruption. News organizations are supposed to be watchdogs, not attack dogs. The Tea Party should be scrutinized like every other political movement. But that's not what's going on here. A large part of the national media is out to destroy these folks. And that's flat-out wrong.
Does the Ursine omnivore defecate in an exurban environment?
The MSM is not biased to the left.
They ARE the left.
You mean Obambi’s Cheerleaders ?
Where?
Where in the Constitution does it define that my personal website or Free Republic is not part of the "press"??
I say we have every right to be the "press" as much as anyone in the MSM.
exactly
bttt
NOW being debated???
Just because the thought finally penetrated that granite block you call a head it is only now worthy of CONSIDERATION that there are possibly, potentially, arguably, indications that they might be left-wing psychofants (sp?) of the RAT Party?
Begone, O'Reilly!
OBAMA OPEN TO NEWSPAPER BAILOUT BILL (9-20-09)
By Michael O'Brien, THE HILL
The president said he is “happy to look at” bills before Congress that would give struggling news organizations tax breaks if they were to restructure as nonprofit businesses.
“I haven't seen detailed proposals yet, but I'll be happy to look at them,” Obama told the editors of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Toledo Blade in an interview.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) has introduced S. 673, the so-called “Newspaper Revitalization Act,” that would give outlets tax deals if they were to restructure as 501(c)(3) corporations. That bill has so far attracted one cosponsor, Cardin's Maryland colleague Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D). . .
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/59523-obama-open-to-newspaper-bailout-bill
Yeah, we’re protected by the First Amendment, even though we don’t work at ABC, CBS, CNN, etc...
I've read it and there's nothing in it that can be construed as granting "the press" privileges beyond the everyday citizen.
As a former print and radio journalist, I didn’t even read beyond the headline before coming to this conclusion, based on evidence after two decades in the media trenches:
“Yes.”
No doubt about it.
It might have been helpful had BOR come to this conclusion during the campaign for the presidency.
Bill is always focused on his market. This is great. He is pulling ‘moderates’ in the right direction.
Count O’Reilly as amongst the most corrupt. He’s an attack dog on those bringing up valid questions about Obama’s natural-born status, and he actively aids and abets the coverup.
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