SF CHRON ON FR: FReep This -- How The Right Wing Is Making Itself Heard

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | January 30, 2003 | Joyce Slaton

[L.N. Smithee]

Something strange happened during the 2000 Gore-Bush election fiasco you may have missed.

CNN, which was running 24-hour special election coverage, hosted a program with conservative columnist Bob Novak shortly after the disputed election results were returned. Novak was adamant that Al Gore should quit trying to steal the election and concede. To bolster his point, he brought up the results of CNN.com's public-opinion poll "Should Al Gore concede?" Poll results showed that a full 89 percent of the thousands of people who had visited CNN.com and voted had agreed -- Gore should give up the ghost.

[1Old Pro]

The author can add the followint to the list of peaceful freeper successes:

Schenectady County Community College DISINVITES PEDOPHILE RITTER !

COLLEGE TRUSTEES O.K. RITTER SPEECH. E-MAIL ACTIVISM NEEDED !

[Mo1]

That picture shows the difference between the left and the right ..

The right does not condone destroying other people's property

[PJ-Comix]

Did you see "Chicago?" That ventriloquist routine was the FUNNIEST musical bit I've ever seen. It should be redone with Pitt as ventriloquist and Slayton as the DUmmy.

[Political Junkie Too]

FReeping polls does serve one noble purpose. When we FReep a poll from a local TV news site, we often screw up hit pieces they'd planned. Some local stations will post a push poll and then use the predictable results in a "story" that night. The point, of course, is to allow the reporter to express his or her own political opinion disguised as a straight news story.

They do this even though they know the polls aren't scientific and have no statistical value. All these polls clearly say that they are for entertainment purposes only.

Perhaps it's time for truth in labeling laws to force newspapers to print "For Entertainment Value Only" on their mastheads every day.

-PJ

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

I wish I could believe that these people (on the left) are benign and harmless, but I know better. That's an act. They are dangerous.

[Political Junkie Too]

The elections FReeped? I'm shocked! Shocked, I tell you.

Now, if you want to draw an analogy comparing Freeping polls to election voting, then look at all the absentee ballot scandals involving Democrats for the comparison.

Talk about Freeping an election, let's talk about Tim Johnson in South Dakota.

-PJ

[Plutarch]

It starts worse! This is how the article is listed on the SF Gate front page (emphasis added).

Beware The Grim FReepers
Small, right-wing, passionate bunch have used a few scary tactics to air their views. Joyce Slaton. SFGate

Beware. Grim. Scary. Interesting choice of words.

Joyce, if this does not qualify as so-called media bias, pray tell, what would?

SFGate (Chronicle)

[Bernard Marx]

Plagiarism happens when someone steals someone else's words and claims them as their own. I once had the eerie sensation of reading an article supposedly written by someone else, and recognizing my own work word for word. That kind of literary theft is plagiarism. If someone had taken the ideas from my article and put them into their own words, that's called "research."

If she put her by-line on someone else's writing with that person's permission, no big deal. It doesn't speak well for her ethics (or the newspaper's) but we already know about that. The legal basis for plagiarism is damage or loss suffered by theft of intellectual property. But intellectual property can be given away like any other property. A big function of the public relations industry is to write hand-outs that are distributed to reporters.

Good reporters do their own fact-checking and writing. Lazy and sloppy reporters (the majority these days it seems) write their stories by borrowing in whole or in part from the hand-outs. The hand-outs represent the views of the people who pay for them, of course.

[Kip Lange]

If she put her by-line on someone else's writing with that person's permission, no big deal.

No, no big deal because she's a lib. Big deal if she was a conservative. Tossed out on her butt in two seconds a la Jeff Jacoby and the Boston Globe (and Jeff didn't even *do* anything, they just fabricated bs and rode him outta town so they could have him away during the 2000 elections).

--CWL

[Political Junkie Too]

Did you notice how the linked article at LA Weekly referred to this site as "FreeRepublic.com, a hard-right anti-government site?"

-PJ

[Kip Lange]

Gee, think they're trying to make us all out to sound like Tim McVeigh? ;-) Just a *tad*.

*puke*

--CWL

[snooker]

>>>The online polls must be freeped.

... and the purpose of freeping the polls is to render the on-line polls useless. Who needs a poll of what CNN readers think about anything. Don't we already know what CNN readers think. Don't need no reader poll to confirm that liberal gibberish.

the libs may never figure it out.

snooker

[Kip Lange]

On another note, seems like part of a broader Dem strategy for 2004-2008. Attack talk radio, attack the internet, attack wherever they know conservative views are being freely and coherently expressed. Get them to "lunatic fringe" status as fast as possible. Claim *we're* "Big Media" and unfairly influencing people. Rush, us, who else will they jump on?

I guess if you can't beat the the Rep. elected officials, it's time to start badmouthing the people who support them (ah yes, the business of dividing the country and fostering an us-vs-them mentality -- the bread and butter of the Democrats).

--CWL

[Ditto]

I have no doubt most FReepers are honest, law-abiding people. It's just the lunatic fringe I worry about.

I have no doubt that most San Franciscans (pick any community) are honest, law-abiding people. It's just the lunatic fringe I worry about.

I think far too many see FR as some sort of monolithic entity. But it is not that at all. It is a virtual community and not at all monolithic on any given issue. Yes, outspoken liberals are likely not to last long here. Just as outspoken conservatives are not likely to have their voice heard in San Fransisco.

[weegee]

When the numbers don't support their position, they must seek out ways to bend the numbers in their favor.

[weegee]

Zippy claimed at one point that his mother was Yma Sumac. Then again that's one delusional pinhead...

[weegee]

I wonder if either of these leftist critics of FR spoke out against Alec Balwdin's statement about how "we" should stone a member of government and his family as well for nailing Bubba Clinton on the Lewinsky matter. Talk about chilling behavior...

[anymouse]

They only hate us because they envy our success. :)

I hope the FReepers at CPAC print this screed out so attendees can read how much the left fears us.