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Biased Media
Townhall.com ^ | September 30, 2020 | John Stossel

Posted on 09/30/2020 4:54:41 AM PDT by Kaslin


Source: Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour

"A pioneer devoted to equality."

That was The Washington Post's headline about Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

But when Justice Antonin Scalia died, the headline was, "Supreme Court conservative dismayed liberals."

When the founder of ISIS was killed, the headline was: "Austere religious scholar at helm of Islamic State, dies."

But when President Donald Trump's brother died, the headline was, "younger brother of President Trump who filed lawsuit against niece, dies."

At news conferences, Vice President Biden gets softball questions. After an article in The Atlantic claimed Trump called fallen military members "losers," one reporter asked Biden, "What does it tell you about President Trump's soul?"

"It's not even softball!" complains The Hill's media reporter, Joe Concha. "It's T-ball, except when you put a beach ball on the tee!"

Trump does get nastier questions.

What we used to call "mainstream media" is now "woke" media. Many don't even try to be objective. That's the topic of my new video this week.

Watching CNN during this summer's protests, I noticed that reporters kept calling protests "mostly peaceful," even when reporting violence. CNN posted the words, "Mostly peaceful protests" on the screen when flaming cars were on the street behind their reporter.

CNN defended itself, citing a study that said "93% of protests were... peaceful."

But that's silly. When planes crash, we don't put "99% landed safely" on the screen. As Concha puts it, "When people start dying and losing their businesses, that's your story!"

I push back: "Most people who work there consider themselves journalists. They try to get it right."

"I don't know if I agree with that, John," Concha replies. "More and more are playing to a crowd."

CNN once tried to look like a neutral news network. No more. Now it does whatever it can to scare people or make Trump look bad.

In March, CNN sneered at the president for misleading people by claiming the U.S. did more COVID-19 tests than any other country. They, correctly, pointed out that per capita, "South Korea and Italy tested many times more."

CNN was right to adjust for population. But then, to make Trump look worse, CNN suddenly stopped adjusting for population.

They scolded the president, saying, "The U.S. had more coronavirus cases than any country in the world!"

But that's just wrong! Adjusted for population, 28 countries, including France, England, Ireland and Norway had more cases.

CNN sneers at Trump all day.

I asked their spokesperson if CNN considers its reporting objective. No response.

During the Democratic National Convention, CNN didn't bother fact-checking Democrats' speeches. But during Trump's speech at the Republican Convention, CNN suddenly put up a black ticker tape "fact-check" across the screen.

Why not fact-check the DNC, too? "There's a reason we didn't fact-check Democrats!" said CNN's Chris Cuomo. "They are not lying the way Trump does."

But they lie, too.

Democrats were deceitful enough that the AP and BBC found a need to fact-check.

For example, Michelle Obama complained that under Trump, "children are torn from their families and thrown into cages!" But that border-control policy began under her husband's administration.

CNN's Van Jones admits that CNN overtly favors Biden, saying after Biden's acceptance speech, "As long as he didn't embarrass himself, we were going to come out here and praise it."

"Maybe CNN's just being honest," I say to Concha. When I was at ABC, everyone pretended to be apolitical (but nearly all were on the left).

Concha replies, "CNN's prime-time lineup, Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon, have the title of anchor, not opinion maker."

Fox at least calls its prime-time anchors "opinion" hosts. News hosts like Chris Wallace and Bret Baier play it pretty straight.

It's clear that most reporters don't like Trump -- or even Republicans. Last election, 96% of journalists' political donations went to Hillary Clinton.

Why?

"Our national media are in two cities, New York and Washington," says Concha. "When you're surrounded by everybody else in a city and newsroom that goes the other way, it's almost impossible not to start to conform."



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bias; factcheck; joebiden; mediabias; trump2020

1 posted on 09/30/2020 4:54:41 AM PDT by Kaslin
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Yes, yes... CNN
Or perhaps MSNBC...

But never are the owning/controlling, federally licensed telecom providers held accountable...

Guessing the subscribers/investors would rather bitch about the whore than the pimp.

CNN is ATT
MSNBC is Comcast

ATT is the nation’s #1 telecom provider
Comcast is the nation’s #3 telecom provider

Don’t be a complacent telecom chump


2 posted on 09/30/2020 5:06:14 AM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Kaslin

A good list.

Trump has made “Fake Media” his mantra. He needs to do something about it.

When the crap is piling to the rafters in other areas, Conservatives often see deregulation as a way to break a market free. America needs an alternative to Leftist screed.

Set America free, Mr. President.


3 posted on 09/30/2020 5:08:54 AM PDT by Empire_of_Liberty
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To: Kaslin

Stossel should stop being a Libertarian.

Trump is not an existential threat to freedom.
The Left is clearly an existential threat to freedom.

Now is a time for choosing.


4 posted on 09/30/2020 5:14:21 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
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To: Kaslin
"Our national media are in two cities, New York and Washington," says Concha. "When you're surrounded by everybody else in a city and newsroom that goes the other way, it's almost impossible not to start to conform."

Do they have that backwards? If the media openly favors the Left then won't people in New York and Washington who want favorable media coverage tend to skew Left? And what about Hollywood? Do you really think all those Hollywood stars are on the Left? Many are, yes. But some just want to stay employed, so they say what they need to say in order for the media to like them.

The media isn't conforming to the Leftist environment. The media is creating the Leftist environment. They drive the bus.

5 posted on 09/30/2020 5:19:10 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
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To: Kaslin

The US media, including social media, is so biased that its CEOs deserve to be jailed.


6 posted on 09/30/2020 5:28:34 AM PDT by I want the USA back (Journalists Take Bits of Reality and Slot them into the Existing Script. -Friedman.)
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To: I want the USA back
You spelled "executed for treason" wrong, didn't you? Trump ought to investigate and then sandbag them by name live on the air when he comes across one accepting payments from Soros / Red China.
7 posted on 09/30/2020 5:30:12 AM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change with out notice.)
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To: Kaslin
Biased Media

"Corrupt and criminal media" would be more accurate.

8 posted on 09/30/2020 5:35:48 AM PDT by JesusIsLord
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To: Kaslin
NY Slimes / Wa ComPost future headline:

WORLD ENDS TOMORROW

Women and Minorities Hardest Hit

9 posted on 09/30/2020 5:36:27 AM PDT by Feckless (The US Gubbmint / This Tagline CENSORED by FR \ IrOnic, ain't it?)
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To: Empire_of_Liberty

He needs to switch from calling it “fake media” to calling it “corrupt corporate-owned media”


10 posted on 09/30/2020 5:39:16 AM PDT by jersey117
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To: I want the USA back

I agree. They deserve to be jailed.


11 posted on 09/30/2020 5:39:20 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: jersey117

No. He needs to DO something about it.

America needs a Free Press.

It doesn’t have one, and the Constitution can’t protect what isn’t there.


12 posted on 09/30/2020 5:49:08 AM PDT by Empire_of_Liberty
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To: Kaslin


13 posted on 09/30/2020 6:03:51 AM PDT by Vlad The Inhaler ("All men and women created by - go - you know, you know - the thing")
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To: Kaslin
News hosts like Chris Wallace and Bret Baier play it pretty straight.

Not exactly

14 posted on 09/30/2020 6:05:28 AM PDT by 1Old Pro (FILL THE SEAT)
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To: Kaslin

“93% of protests were... peaceful.”


That’s an awful lot of non-peaceful protests, even by their standards.


15 posted on 09/30/2020 6:27:13 AM PDT by lepton ("It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into"--Jonathan Swift)
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