Just briefly, the overwhelming part was the part where you laid out the organization of an actual plan by leadership of the media to remain left. and that if reporters went to much to the other side they were fired. Overwhelming because conspiracy theories like that are too hard for me to get my head around. I happen to believe the left slant to the media has more to do with liberals more often wanting to do that kind of work. Republicans aren't going to journalism school... That the slant is much more accidental based on the type of people usually interested in the work.
Kind of amusing, really. I came up with the hypothesis of a concentration of power in the hands of people with simular backgrounds and interests to explain the phenomena that I was seeing without a conspiracy!
The point that I was trying to make, was that no conspiracy is required because the OldDominantLiberalMedia is so concentrated, that only a few people at the top need to have essentially the same philosophy and interests for the entire culture of the OldDominantLiberalMedia to develope its own, self regulating system that systematicly works for a leftist agenda.
I see this as more of a culturization process than anything else. There is of course, selection of people who have the right views in the first place. Then there are all sorts of cultural pressures to develope and show the "correct views" or be ostracized, including having your carreer sidelined. "Bias" talks about this. I had one close friend who told me, after he got out of reporting (he had worked his way up to a major market, Minneapolis) that he just got tired of having corruption stories about Repulicans make front page, and corruption stories about Democrats being spiked. He could not take it any more, and got out.
Finally, for those who won't take the hint, their contract is just not renewed.
Hell I don't know. That just seems more true to the way people I know act.
He!!, I don't know either. This is just a working hypothesis that best explains this part of the Universe as I have observed it. Does this still seem like a conspiracy theory to you? I am pretty sure that the top few people in the business socialize together and have common interests. Even at the top, it is likely that people become culturated. I think of Ted Turner. Quite a few years ago, he seemed pretty conservative. Then after he married Jane and became part of the larger Media Culture, he moved more and more to the left, so much so, that CNN became known as the Clinton News Network on Freerepublic.
It always makes sense for me to bounce my views off of someone who has a different mind set who can think. If you don't have time to correspond on this, just say so. I will not be offended.
Wow.... How can I turn down an offer that is that charming?
I have all kinds of time... Let me think. I have a productive response in here somewhere! - But I have to put it together, and tonight I feel a bit muddled!