I assume Diuguid is referring to our Constitutional Republic and not a democracy. It survived well before organized media came about. In fact, it was birthed amidst small, independent writers much like today's Swift Boat Vets.
Posted on 08/27/2004 4:53:14 PM PDT by Huntress
Criticism of the media often hijacks the Diversity Coalition meetings at the Minority Museum.
David Shapiro brings people together to discuss ways that people in this multicultural community can better get along. But the news media have drawn a lot of fire since the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy.
People's disappointment in the fourth estate escalated this month when one person played her copy of “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism.” We'll watch the rest of it when the group reconvenes at 7 p.m. Sept. 7 at 89th Street and Wornall Road.
The film adds to the mea culpa in May by The New York Times and one this month by The Washington Post. Stories shamelessly promoting President Bush's charges that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and would use them on America made the front pages of those newspapers and others nationwide.
So did articles linking the terrorist attacks, Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida to Iraq and Saddam Hussein. Stories that challenged that information ran on the back pages of newspapers, if at all.
Washington Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. said in the Aug. 12 Post article that nationwide, “the voices raising questions about the war were lonely ones. We didn't pay enough attention to the minority.”
No joke. A media feeding frenzy built around the big story of war. The public is eating the bill in billions of dollars and in lives lost.
The “Outfoxed” film shows how that shady news network that calls itself “fair and balanced” also manipulates the information to herd the public. That's not good in a country that depends on the free press to give people news so they can make the best choices for the nation's well-being.
“The media is the nervous system of the democracy,” said Jeff Cohen, former MSNBC/Fox News contributor. “If it's not functioning well, the democracy can't function.”
“Outfoxed” quotes media watchdog groups and former staffers to show how the nation's most watched cable news network manipulates the news to get viewers to buy the conservatives' agenda. The film also shows the enormous reach of Murdoch's media holdings in newspapers, television stations, cable and satellite TV companies, and magazines.
It told how journalists at those stations regularly receive corporate directives to boost the appeal of conservative Republicans like Bush and downplay and even smear Democrats. Fox News purposefully trashes the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Sen. Ted Kennedy, the film reported. It also makes liberals look ineffectual, unappealing and wimpy.
To compete with Fox as the ratings leader, other news media are using similar “tricks” and becoming more conservative, too.
“Outfoxed” showed Bill O'Reilly, Fox News' biggest star, to be a bully. The talk show host berates guests, telling them to “shut up.” The film also pointed out how Fox “journalists” use the manipulative phrase “some say” to inject opinions into the news. “Outfoxed” showed how the network's staff must comply with corporate edicts to slant the news or face termination as well as being blackballed from the TV news industry.
All of this threatens our democracy, especially when 83 percent of Americans get most of their news from television, according to The State of the News Media 2004.
It said: “Reliance on television increases even more, according to the surveys, in times of crisis such as the war in Iraq or immediately after Sept. 11. Television use goes up and everything else seems to drop, particularly print, though the shifts are temporary.”
But like Fox, the control of the news media increasingly is concentrated in the hands of a few owners. That gives the 10 biggest companies owning 30 percent of all TV stations the ability to reach 85 percent of all television households in America, the report said.
Also, 22 newspaper companies have 70 percent of the daily circulation, 73 percent on Sundays, the report said. That diminishes the diversity in coverage, opinions and voices that the media offer in our democracy.
But people aren't stupid. Many today have less trust in the media.
“Public attitudes about the press have been declining for nearly 20 years,” the report said. “Americans think journalists are sloppier, less professional, less moral, less caring, more biased, less honest about their mistakes and generally more harmful to democracy than they did in the 1980s.”
That credibility abyss is not good for the news industry, our government or our democracy.
Lewis W. Diuguid is a member of The Star's Editorial Board. To reach him, call (816) 234-4723 or send e-mail to Ldiuguid@kcstar.com.
Ping
I think this guy is taking the Kerry approach - please, don't criticize us. Please make them stop.
Lewis W. Diuguid is the quintessential KC (Red) Star's elitist voice on the left - he still hasn't recovered from the fact that despite his dire warnings we now have Right to Carry here in Missouri, and none of the hysterical predictions he made have come true. In any case, any correlations between Mr. Diuguid's perceptions and reality are purely coincidental.
...just another example of the MSM trying to explain their utter ineptness to inform the American people. It's not their fault that many average Americans can no longer stand Rather,Jennings,Brokaw with their bias accounts of the present administration.
A great example of them losing control..their starting to "blame" others.
Doogle
Best literary opening sentence since "Call me Ishmael..."
And if you are in favor that day, they may grant you your wish.
Distrust of media makes "democracy" (I hate democracy, let's say "self-government" or "republic" instead) stronger, not weaker. When people distrust, they tend to think for themselves. The author of this piece is a putz.
If I am reading this correctly, it seems the whining leftist nutjobs are complaining that any national media allows a Republican voice to have any credibility. I am so sick of these b*st*rds!
Whats to "distrust? The middle east has aljazeera. We have cbs, nbc, abc, cnn, and public tv and radio. Surely no one distrusts them. LMAO
Wow, you'd think a journo would know better than to shoot the messenger. Tsk, tsk, tsk...
Its great news! The media's arrogance, laziness, boredom, and sloppiness is affecting their work. Along with their extreme partisan tilt. The clymers are in full panic mode.
Its great news! The media's arrogance, laziness, boredom, and sloppiness is affecting their work. Along with their extreme partisan tilt. The clymers are in full panic mode.
This is one of the most poorly written columns in recent memory.
I assume Diuguid is referring to our Constitutional Republic and not a democracy. It survived well before organized media came about. In fact, it was birthed amidst small, independent writers much like today's Swift Boat Vets.
The media wing of the democrat party puffs on.
The real title should be
"Media's Lack of Concern for the Truth endangers Democracy"
This guy is so far to the left he makes Ralph Nader look like the founder of the John Birch Society. He spews his Prozac ramblings in the K.C. Star once a week. It is the only part of the paper that wont compost. Even the germs turn their nose up at his writing.
Apparently the school of "journalism" that graduated the author of this piece cared more about leftist indoctrination than about teaching even the basics of persuasive writing.
He also seems to take for granted that his audience shares his barely-concealed vitriolic hatred for anything or anyone to the right of Lenin, Stalin, or Pol Pot. Again, lack of persuasion.
Now I can see why people around here refer to that rag as the "Kansas City Red Star".
Yet another indymedia screed. The writer lost me right off the bat with the yawn inducing "Diversity Coalition" and "Minority Museum" and "multicultural"....
Leftists are nothing but slogans. Jibber jabber.
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