ddoubleez

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I ask where is this liberal media, because people will always tell me the media is so liberal, but they have reciently been challanged for beating a war drum for the Bush Adminitration, which is certianly true.

It took CBS two weeks to fire Don Imus for calling a college women's basketball team "nappy headed hos," but it only took them two days to fire respected retired Major General John Batiste for speaking out against the president on the war.

Batiste, a Republican, commanded troops in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. He left the Army so that he could speak out against the president's reckless policy in Iraq, and CBS hired him as a part-time consultant to comment about it. Last week, he appeared in a VoteVets.org TV ad speaking out against the president on Iraq. Just two days later, CBS fired him.


CBS says they fired Major General Batiste because he engaged in advocacy—but they're holding him to a different standard than their other consultants.

For example, former White House communications director Nicolle Wallace is a consultant to CBS and consistently uses her position to push White House talking points. It was even reported that she was advising the McCain campaign, yet CBS did nothing when she appeared as a consultant on their network to promote his candidacy.

Plus, the Brookings Institution's Michael O'Hanlon also appeared on CBS as a consultant while advocating in favor of President Bush's escalation plan.

CBS is sending a message that you can't be a consultant to their network if you're critical of President Bush and the Iraq war. That's political censorship and CBS needs to hear groundswell of outrage from concerned viewers right away.

This is only one of many examples from a news orginazation that is not particularly know as one of the more conservitive.

Lazer

We all know the Media is not really the blood hungry search for the scoop, And truth the way it was back in the day. the news media is the politicians best friend.

jskateboard9

The media isn't just liberal or conservative, Its both. Some outlets are more liberal and others are more conservative. The media exists to make money, and therefore, it just reflects the opinions of Americans to get ratings. They buy into spin from both sides and report it as fact. So called "commentators" are simply political whores who keep things spinning. If you buy into everything a political party believes, then you are as ignorant and malleable as a sedated sheep. This country needs more dialogue between the parties. Rather than pointless bickering and mud-slinging, Americans need to graduate from 3rd grade and work towards real solutions to problems.

So long as we continue to buy what the media sells, the hostility between the left and the right will only get worse.

texman

Why are you so mad at CBS? If you want liberal news, watch MSNBC, of you want conservative news watch Fox. Instead of asking for a "groundswell of outrage", quit watching what you don't agree with - if it's truly the opinion of the public, their ratings will reflect that. The choice is yours.

Nothinghere

Imus brought in lots of money and was known for saying offensive things and getting away with it. Not surprising it took two weeks for them to dump him, though unfortunate.

It is not clear that Batiste is being held to a different standard. I bet a lot would depend on the text of his contract. You refer to Nicolle Wallace and Michael O'Hanlon pushing a White House agenda. I assume that you find them comparable to Batiste because they're putting forth partisan views while holding other jobs that advocate those same views. However, that is different from becoming a spokesperson for a movement. You may find the difference inconsequential, but CBS may feel it diminishes his credibility. Keep in mind that they hired him to express his views, which they knew were critical of the White House.

As has been said, media is conservative/liberal when it benefits them.

ddoubleez

First the advice is disturbing to me. Why would I only watch what I agree with, I watch and involve myself with a broad spectrum of news and information, because I want to learn not reconfirm what I 'know' because I want to be right. I am not personally angry with Imus either, he was constitutionally protected and should not have been fired, nor should a general that the president said he would listen to, but did not at an uncalcuable cost be fired either. But you are right about being mad at cbs. I am also angry at any other 'news' that has commercials.
I think I may have been less effective effective at my goal with this thread. I was trying to make a point that there is NO LIBERAL MEDIA, and I was trying to find other opinions of this, using the above original post to start the topic off.
White house agendas ARE being carried out through the media, and protected by special interest groups. Lobbing for media is increasing at an outstanding rate(nearly doubling every year), while the restrictions are disappearing faster. They are trying to alter the Internet, so sites like this will be buried under commerical versions. Why would google pay so much for You Tube? You have an alaska congressman doing everything possible to sell the rights to the internet to private companies for them to increasing the cost of doing business on the internet for their gain, limiting information and eliminating the only true example of a free market http://***.savetheinternet.com/=faq.... And that is just a sliver of a huge pie... Ever wonder what the ratio of pro-war reporting in 2003 was compared to anti-war reporting? It was a ratio of approx 4500 to three, in the US... Two of the three were UN inspectors begging us for more time and trying to explain what we all know now... One of these three stories, even though they were counted as anti-war, had a 'reporter' ask the UN inspector if he had been drinking the koolaid......
What lies behind the the media are companies. It is obvious when you watch your favorite program and over 35% of what you watch is commercials. What is not as obvious is what relationship these companies have with the organizations that are supposed to report and keep us informed. Fox's slogan is fair and balanced, and I would not tell you anything you don't already know by telling you they are not, but it brings an interesting point to the table. Fair and Balanced was the name of an act that the media lobbyist were so kind to have removed from the books in the late 80's. It seems people in congress used to think they needed to protect the legitimacy of the information we received, as well as make sure people were exposed to information contrary to what they may be hearing. When I bring this up, too often, I hear that people don't want congress to control their news. And with that I have to remind people that the airwaves are PUBLIC and therefore are OWNED by the citizens of the United States, and we are LEASING these airwaves to companies for OUR benefit, not theirs.
Let's look at ownership.... While criticizing Viacom, Congress last month voted to allow the company to own more television stations. Bowing to a veto threat from President Bush, lawmakers agreed to let companies like Viacom to own television stations reaching 39% of the viewing public, rather than 35%. Viacom already owns: Cable
MTV, MTV2, mtvU, Nickelodeon, BET, Nick at Nite, TV Land, NOGGIN, VH1, Spike TV, CMT, Comedy Central, Showtime, The Movie Channel, Flix, Sundance Channel, Film, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, Famous Music, to name the majors. They are suing google for 1 billion to shut down you-tube.
Let's look at another company, GE..... GE owns: Television
NBC Stations:
WNBC New York, KNBC Los Angeles, WMAQ Chicago, WCAU Philadelphia, KNTV in San Jose/San Francisco, KXAS Dallas/Fort Worth, WRC Washington WTVJ Miami KNSD San Diego, WVIT Hartford, WNCN Raleigh, WCMH Columbus, WVTM Birmingham WJAR Providence
Telemundo Stations:
KVEA/KWHY
Los Angeles,WNJU
New York,WSCV Miami,KTMD Houston,WSNS Chicago,KXTX Dallas/Fort Worth,KVDA San Antonio, KSTSSan Jose/San Francisco,
KDRX Phoenix, KNSO Fresno, KMAS Denver, WNEU Boston/Merrimack, KHRR
Tucson, WKAQ Puerto Rico, NBC Universal Television Studio, NBC Universal Television Distribution, CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo, Mun2TV, Sci-Fi, Trio, USA, Film, Universal Pictures
Parks, Universal Parks & Resorts, Paxson Communications (30%)
Other General Electric Businesses
GE Aircraft Engines
GE Commercial Finance
GE Consumer Products
GE Industrial Systems
GE Insurance
GE Medical Systems
GE Plastics
GE Power Systems
GE Specialty Materials
GE Transportation Systems
I want to take notice of the last group which is not media.. I added these to make the point, what if the last 10 businesses, that are owned by the same companies that own the news you look for for information to make good decisions, stood to gain nearly one billion in contracts if a war was to go through. Exactly how balanced would you assume the information you received was? I did not invent this seniero, it happened....... Now, effetely, one billion dollars, most of which we had to borrow, is no longer in the treasury, it is in GE's pocket, in trade for misinforming and burring the truth, nice trade off........
Clear Channel Communications, Inc., headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a global leader in the out-of home advertising industry with radio and television stations, outdoor displays and entertainment venues in 40 countries around the world. Including announced transactions, Clear Channel operates over 1,120 radio and 18 television stations in the United States and has equity interests in over 240 radio stations internationally. They have a huge list of 'topics' and songs that are not allowed on the airwaves. One song that was banned was 'Walk like an Egyption', I guess, because Egypt is in the middle east....

Now if you don't get anything out of the above, except the fact that companies are behind media, the only thing I ask is for you to find a liberal company and then maybe we could find some liberal media....

fmb

as long as we bicker over things such as this, we will never see the truth and DEMAND and GET real change. i've always equated this to the guy hiding behind the curtain in "the wizard of oz". keep people off the truth and they will never see it.

jskateboard9

msnbc just did a study that showed that journalists give money 9 to 1 to democratic candidates...but theres definitely no liberal media

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19113485/

ddoubleez

Excellent retort, and research... Do me one favor, can you explain how the journalist are in control of the media they work for. The are assigned work, not too many freelanced activists getting in print in major commercial 'news'....

I bet coal workers give to Democratic candidates too, does that make coal companies liberal?

ddoubleez

Still waiting on a responce to the previous post.... While you are at it, maybe you can tell me why all these LIBERAL journalists were inbedded in the Iraq and Afganistan wars.... When you are imbedded you are ushered around and shown and only see what the military wants you to see, so you are reporting and supporting what the military wants you to see........

I can get you a list of unembedded journalists, but most of them will be from the other countries, the same countries that have citizens that were informed way before you and I on how horribly thing have been going.....

ddoubleez

The following is a quote from the article, given to me, to perswade me that the media is liberal



Isn't this exactly how you would try to control a dissenting voice if it does not follow your own..... Sounds like conservitive media trying to protect it's own intrests, and thanks for the article!

ddoubleez

Well I was hoping that mainstay was reading and getting some fax together, but I guess he does not want to defend his point of view... He challanged my point of view while telling me that Fox News is only 'leaning to the rihgt'....

I still hope he meets me here for a debate....

ddoubleez

Follow this to an important documentary:

http://forums.webrats.com/showthrea...797#post2515797