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Gore criticizes war coverage (He also invented TV!)
Sidelines Online (Tennessee State University Paper) ^ | 3/27/03

Posted on 03/27/2003 10:06:33 AM PST by areafiftyone

Former Vice President Al Gore criticized the media and the current administration's war on Iraq and suggested an "unhealthy relationship" between the two at Tuesday's Seigenthaler Lecture.

"I admire these journalists who are covering this war who are embedded, but I don't want the owners of the companies they work for to be in bed with the government," Gore said.

Citing the continued deregulation of the media industry as a major problem, Gore held the media responsible for the role it played in the months leading up to the war.

"The relative intolerance of dissent on the part of the media in America led to a completely inadequate debate prior to the beginning of this war," Gore said.

A majority of the lecture dealt with the issue of entertainment media's impact on American communities and society, which is an issue Gore and his wife Tipper know well.

Tipper Gore, who was invited but did not attend the lecture, was a spokeswoman for the Parents' Music Resource Center, the group that effectively persuaded record companies to place parental advisory labels on material considered offensive in 1985.

Gore fielded many questions from the audience about the ethical problems of labeling music as offensive.

"I would not want someone else telling me what they think my child should see or hear," said Laura Fischer, wife of recording industry professor Paul Fischer and mother of two. "I might object to what they think is appropriate for my child."

Gore replied that the label process was a compromise reached between the record companies and the PMRC.

"I think the imperfect voluntary system is better than no system and better than one that would be more intrusive," Gore said.

Many stores like Wal-Mart refuse to stock compact discs with parental advisory labels and, because Wal-Mart is one of the largest music sellers in the country, music consumers have a harder time finding some CDs, which creates indirect but undeniable, censorship.

"I think there may have been some excesses that have taken on the superficial character of de facto censorship," Gore said.

Still, the Gores have many supporters in MTSU's College of Mass Communication.

Rich Barnet, professor of Recording Industry Ethics, teaches about the PMRC and parental advisory labels in class, but has found some students have misconceptions about what Tipper Gore wanted to do.

"I did a lot of research into Tipper Gore and the PMRC," said Barnet, who co-wrote a book called Controversies of the Music Industry with MTSU journalism professor Larry Burriss.

"The more I read about it the more I realized that she wasn't for censorship," Barnet said. "She was for more information."

Throughout the speech, Gore kept referring back to the idea that entertainment mass media is no longer about good music or a good product, but simply making money.

"Parenting is a tough job," Gore said. "And in a mass culture where the dominant source of information ... comes from corporations sending messages into society for commercial purposes to children, that makes it an even tougher job.

"There is an unfettered riot on the part of some giant corporation that wants to make a little bit more money by peddling it to young children, to just cram it down that child's throat as a part of a mass marketing campaign."

Gore touched on a number of problems in American society he considered direct effects of the mass entertainment industry.

His points included over- consumption of material goods by the American public, a childhood obesity epidemic from playing video games and watching television, lack of voter participation and a lack of diverse viewpoints.

"All of this, I think, has been accentuated by an accelerated trend towards the concentration of ownership of the mass entertainment media in the hands of an ever-smaller number of large companies," Gore said.

While it was clear that everyone in the audience, from journalists to mothers to faculty and students, could not agree on the issues brought up, Gore urged for a greater tolerance for diversity of opinion.

"Our country faces dangers we should not be facing because our best protection ... is free and wide-open debate," Gore said.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: lockbox; riskyscheme; runslikeagirl
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1 posted on 03/27/2003 10:06:33 AM PST by areafiftyone
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To: areafiftyone
"I admire these journalists who are covering this war who are embedded, but I don't want the owners of the companies they work for to be in bed with the government," Gore said.

Yeah, they should only be in bed with the government when there's a Democrat in the White House.

2 posted on 03/27/2003 10:07:32 AM PST by dirtboy (Rally For America - Steps of PA State Capitol, Harrisburg - March 29 at high noon)
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To: areafiftyone

Gore makes yet another campaign pitch (Oh, you didn't *really* think that he wasn't running for office next year, did you?!)...

3 posted on 03/27/2003 10:08:08 AM PST by Southack (Media bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: areafiftyone
This is humour, right?

Michael

4 posted on 03/27/2003 10:08:10 AM PST by Wright is right! (Have a profitable day!)
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To: areafiftyone; dirtboy
Can someone PLEASE, PLEASE post the pic of Gore in the hottub from the SNL live skit?
5 posted on 03/27/2003 10:10:29 AM PST by ken5050
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To: areafiftyone
"I admire these journalists who are covering this war who are embedded, but I don't want the owners of the companies they work for to be in bed with the government," Gore said.

AlBore seems to be obsessed with the word "bed." Mebbe Tipper has had a "headache" for quite a while now (since maybe December 2000), if you get my drift.

I think he also believes that embedded journalists contribute to global warming.

6 posted on 03/27/2003 10:10:41 AM PST by TheBigB (How do I set a laser printer to stun?)
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To: dirtboy
You are right. Did Gore complain recently when one of Klintoon's kneepadders(can't recall his name) took a high executive job (V.P.) at one of the networks recently?
7 posted on 03/27/2003 10:10:42 AM PST by JeeperFreeper
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To: areafiftyone
The relative intolerance of dissent on the part of the media in America led to a completely inadequate debate prior to the beginning of this war," Gore said.

What in the world is this crack-pot been smoking? Does he really believe this? He can't believe this? His remarks belong in the same trash heep as Daschle's. They're planned, deliberate, and intended to kow-tow to "D-base."

8 posted on 03/27/2003 10:10:55 AM PST by nfldgirl
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To: areafiftyone
Gore? Gore? Nope, sorry, I don't recall anyone by that name.
9 posted on 03/27/2003 10:12:01 AM PST by mtbopfuyn
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To: areafiftyone
"I admire these journalists who are covering this war who are embedded, but I don't want the owners of the companies they work for to be in bed with the government

LOL!!! Hey, CNN!!! Al wants you to know that the media shouldn't be in bed with the gubmint!!

10 posted on 03/27/2003 10:13:01 AM PST by zarf (Republicans for Sharpton 2004)
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To: areafiftyone
Gore criticizes war coverage . . . but omits criticizing Al Jazeera????
11 posted on 03/27/2003 10:13:51 AM PST by bcoffey (When Paula Zahn left FNC for CNN, the average IQ of both organizations soared)
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To: ken5050
Don't have that one, but will this one do?


12 posted on 03/27/2003 10:17:54 AM PST by Howlin
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To: Mean Maryjean
Re#8 Amazingly stupid or dishonest or, most likely, both. Gore is truly a leopard who can't change his stripes. ;^)
13 posted on 03/27/2003 10:18:16 AM PST by eureka! (Bless our Troops and Allies.........)
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To: areafiftyone
Tipper Gore, who was invited but did not attend the lecture

Hmmm. SHE was invited, but HE shows up instead?
Where I come from, that's bad form...

14 posted on 03/27/2003 10:22:56 AM PST by Izzy Dunne (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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To: mhking
Graphic needed over here ...
15 posted on 03/27/2003 10:23:53 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer (Let's Roll)
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To: areafiftyone
Gore suggesting an "unhealthy relationship" between anybody or anything is just the absolute and ultimate oxymoron. Get thyself into couselling, Goreud.
16 posted on 03/27/2003 10:24:18 AM PST by exhaustedmomma (It's not Unilateral, stupid. It is a coalition... can you READ the LIST ?)
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To: areafiftyone
I read this 3 times. Is it just me or did algor say absolutely NOTHING?
17 posted on 03/27/2003 10:24:25 AM PST by Conspiracy Guy (eif eit smells eits french)
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To: areafiftyone

18 posted on 03/27/2003 10:26:08 AM PST by mhking
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To: areafiftyone
"a completely inadequate debate prior to the war"

Gore is simply looney. This war was vociferously debated for months. How long was Kosovo debated before we went in?
19 posted on 03/27/2003 10:34:08 AM PST by Steve_Seattle
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To: Steve_Seattle
Gore is upset with the coverage, because it shows the truth.

Dems hate the truth!
20 posted on 03/27/2003 10:36:22 AM PST by JFC
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