help refuting claims of "liberal media bias"

[guitar man]

There is a blowhard on another board where I post spewing garbage about "liberal media bias" blah, blah, blah. I normally avoid discussing politics there, but this asshole is really getting under my skin and is in serious need of a reality check.

If someone could post some good links to help me dispatch this asswipe, I would really appreciate it. I know the media has been sticking it to us, I just haven't done the research myself to confirm what common sense has already told me.

Thanks

[bigbillhaywood]

1. Uh, not sure if you'll find what you're looking for here but

www.fair.org has some good stuff on corporate conglomeration in the media and pro-corporate, pro-government bias.

[kaitykaity]

2. Try these:

Eric Alterman's http://www.whatliberalmedia.com

http://www.takebackthemedia.com

David Brock's http://www.mediamatters.org

http://www.dailyhowler.com


Then talk about concentration of ownership, the corporate
nature of the news, the way Al Gore got Gored v. the candy-ass
treatment of Bush.

The list goes on and on and on.

[Room101]

3. Watch this ..........

The Myth of the Liberal Media – The Propaganda Model of News

'The mainstream media really represent elite interests, and what the propaganda model tries to do is stipulate a set of institutional variables, reflecting this elite power, that very powerfully influence the media'

Stream-
http://sf.indymedia.org/uploads/myth_of_the_liberal_media.ram

Download-
http://sf.indymedia.org/uploads/myth_of_the_liberal_media.rm

Also check out http://fair.org/

Of course the media is Liberal <insert sarcasm> how else would the majority of Americans believe Saddam was involved in 911, and used WMD's during the invasion. The Liberal media <insert gratuitous sarcasm> helped Americans have that perception to help this Neo-Conservative White house. 2+2=5 and don't you forget it.

[Guava Jelly]

4. When is a scandal a scandal

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/02/03/29_lies.html

"If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing it." - Edward Bernays, a nephew of Sigmund Freud, America's No. 1 Publicist in the 1920's

When is a scandal not a scandal? When a scandal appears to be connected with a member of the Republican Party, it is not reported as a "scandal." Only when a member of the Democratic Party has involvement in anything that broaches the questionable grey area is something "determined" to be a "scandal."

After an eight year-long investigation of William Jefferson and Hillary Clinton was concluded with "no evidence," it is still reported as a "scandal." That $70 million in taxpayer dollars and untold hours were devoted to finding something, anything, to throw at the Clintons has shown that there was nothing to throw. The media (and I mean the major corporate media) still consider it to be a "scandal." One that just won't go away. One that has to be lied about and drummed constantly into the psyche of the American public until something resonates. What is resonating are the words that have been repeated endlessly until almost everyone can recite them verbatim.

But let me tell you what was not a "scandal."

There was no "scandal" when Republican President George Herbert Walker Bush pardoned Caspar Weinberger with an indictment filed against him, thus avoiding any questions regarding the involvement of that same Republican President in the Iran-Contra Affair. There was no "scandal" when a partisan court appointed the highest elected official in this country.

There was no "scandal" when an intern was found dead of mysterious causes in Florida Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough's office. There was no "scandal" when Republican Mayor Philip Giordano of Waterbury, Connecticut was caught and charged as a sexual predator of young girls.

There was no "scandal" when the Republican President George Walker Bush nominated Theodore Olson (investigated for obstruction of justice and lying to Congress during the Superfund investigation) to the office of Solicitor General. There was no "scandal" when Florida Governor Jeb Bush's daughter, Noelle Bush, was charged with felony fraud in obtaining a controlled substance.

There was no "scandal" when Republican President George Walker Bush's daughters, Jenna and Barbara Bush, then 18, were convicted with using illegally obtained and false identification to obtain alcohol. There was no "scandal" when Mark A. Grethen, a Republican activist, nominated for "Republican of the Year" was convicted and is serving a more than 20 year sentence in prison for six counts of sex crimes involving children.

There was no "scandal" when Wendy Gramm, the wife of prominent Republican Senator Phil Gramm, approved illegal partnerships and waived the code of ethics for those partnership formations while on the Board of Directors of Enron. There is no "scandal" when Kenneth "Kenny Boy" Lay (Enron and Lay contributed $2.16 Million to Republicans in the 2000 election cycle) the largest contributor to the sitting Republican President, George Walker Bush, currently being investigated for leading one of the largest American companies, Enron, into bankruptcy following fraudulently filed earnings reports.

There was no "scandal" when Enron was allowed to price-gouge consumers and the sitting Republican President George Walker Bush refused to allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC) to impose price caps to control excess profiteering. There was no "scandal" when the current sitting Republican President George Walker Bush appointed Elliott Abrams (convicted of lying to Congress about the Iran-Contra affair) to the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations.

There was no "scandal" when John Ashcroft, the current Republican Attorney General, spuriously gave a "reprieve" and discontinued the lawfully entered agreement for damages to The Adams Mark Hotel, owned by Fred S. Kummer Jr, a personal friend and $25,700 senatorial campaign contributor, for charges of serious violations of racial discrimination.

There was no "scandal" when key figures, John Negroponte (complicit in the Honduran Death Squads), Richard Armitage (linked to illegal arms transfers and CIA drug-running operations), Otto Reich (propaganda operative), John Poindexter (convicted of conspiracy {obstruction of inquiries and proceedings, false statements, falsification, destruction and removal of documents}; two counts of obstruction of Congress and two counts of false statements) of the Iran-Contra Affair have re-appeared in official governmental positions by appointment by George Walker Bush, the sitting Republican President, the son of the former Republican President, George Herbert Walker Bush, for whom these men worked.

There is no "scandal" when the current Republican Vice President Richard Cheney refuses to release what should be public records of meetings held in the formulation of public policy (The Energy Policy) after being ordered to do so by three Federal Judges (U. S. District Judge Gladys Kessler, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan and U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman). There is no "scandal" when the personal fortune of George Walker Bush, the sitting Republican President, is being bolstered by governmental war contracts to The Carlyle Group, partially owned by his father, former Republican President, George Herbert Walker Bush.

The only exception to this "scandal" rule that you will be able to easily recall is the Watergate scandal presided over by Republican President Richard Milhouse Nixon, who was forced to resign his office in disgrace.

Don't worry about those "scandals," you know the "liberal" major media corporations (Rupert Murdoch of FOX - $30,033 to RNC... AOL/Time Warner/Walter Isaacson of CNN - $6,150 to RNC... GE/Jack Welch of NBC - $160,350 to RNC... Disney/Michael Eisner/ABC - $208,052 to RNC) are surely going to tell you every "scandal" that they want you to know.

They do not want you to remember Republican "scandals." It makes it easier to demonize Democrats. They do not want you to look around. They do not want you to question their version of the news. There are only Democrat "scandals". You can recite them as easily as you can recite the Pledge of Allegiance: Whitewater. The Blue Dress. Chandra Levy. Chappaquiddick. You know the drill.

As citizens of this once great country, we must demand the truth from our media. We must demand the truth from our politicians. We must demand our country back. Each of us, you and I, has that power and the right to make these demands. Call your local television station. Write your representatives. Our voices must be heard. And we must hear the truth.

[librechik]

5. here's a fair.org study

it sure beats that one that Rush & Co are always quoting (from 30 years ago!) which says reporters are Dems more than Pukkkes (and completely overlooking the extreme partisanship of owner/management at media outlets--you should look up the political contributions of media owners like Murdoch, Eisner, and Redstone-- not sure where to look for that, but they are big Republikans--try opensecrets.org


http://www.fair.org/press-releases/power-sources-release.html

"A study of ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News in the year 2001 shows that 92 percent of all U.S. sources
interviewed were white, 85 percent were male and, where party affiliation was identifiable, 75 percent were Republican.

Conducted for FAIR by the media analysis firm Media Tenor, the study shows that the big three nightly news shows rely heavily on society's most powerful groups when they report the news of the day. More than one in four sources were politicians-- George W. Bush alone made up 9 percent of all sources-- versus a mere 3 percent for all non-governmental advocacy groups, the sources most likely to present an alternative view to the government's.

Even before the September 11 attacks, Republicans made up a full 68 percent of partisan sources (which surged to 87 percent after the attacks). These figures should dispel the myth of a liberal or pro-Democrat news bias, but don't necessarily prove a conservative or Republican slant. Rather, they reflect a strong tendency of the networks to turn to the party in power for information. Sixty-two percent of all partisan sources were administration officials; when these are set aside, the remaining partisan sources were 51 percent Republican and 48 percent Democrat, suggesting a strong advantage overall for the party that holds the White House. "

I wouldn't expect to change the blowhard's mind though--conservative means you can't change your mind by definition.

[guitar man]

6. Thank you all!

This should set this neanderthal back on his heels, if he bothers to read any of it. If he doesn't, I'll expose him for the witless hack that he is.

Have a great day!

[Vickers]

7. Here is something I do lately about that: "OK, I'll name 15 well-known..."

"...neo-con folks in the media, and you name 15 liberal folks in the media."

I always "win" this one. Try it, you'll like it!

[Papa]

8. OOOOOOOOOOOOO that is excellent. Will use this line of attack on

My coworkers here at the office. Thank you.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Vickers]

11. Well sure YOU can do it...yer a Dem.

Right?

:eyes:

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Vickers]

22. That was a rhetorical question, honey.

:eyes:

[kaitykaity]

12. Wrong.

CNN--not liberal.

NBC--not liberal.

ABC--not liberal.

Juan Williams--not liberal.

Jennings--not liberal.

Brokaw--not liberal.




Get this weak stuff out of here man. :eyes:

[Vickers]

13. oops! I was making a joke about something you deleted

Sorry!

[kaitykaity]

16. The Cronkite thing?

I wasn't sure if I got him confused with Brinkley.
Sorry about that.

[Vickers]

17. Yeah, it was Cronkite...I was like, he died?

Man, I'm so out of the loop on all them librul journalists, ya know? I mean, they must be dropping like flies and I don't even bat an eyelash.

:P

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[guitar man]

21. "on the right"

The majority of the "people on the right" are suffering from coprophagia and have swallowed so much of it it has actually become palatable to them. It has certainly been a long time since they have been able to smell what they are being fed.

[SemperEadem]

27. ooh! I love it when I learn a new word!!!

thanks!

[guitar man]

35. yer welcome!

I love that word, it is so applicable to the consumption of the type of "media" they crave.

[Vickers]

15. Coombs is liberal?

:wtf:

Dude, who are you trying to fool?

[BeachBuckeye]

23. Instead of parroting a list from the Right-Wing

Why don't you provide some irrefutable proof that NBC, ABC, CNN, Sam Donaldson, Stephanopoulos, Cronkite, Jennings, and Brokaw are Liberals? I'll be waiting. I'd like to have a dollar for every Right-Wing fool who has tried your list on my show. Not a single Neo-Con caller has ever been able to meet the challenge of proving what you stated. Go ahead, make my day!

[Pobeka]

26. OK, I'm in this game. George W. Bush is a liberal.

See -- I said it, that makes it true. I can say it a lot, and it will make it more true.

George W. Bush is a liberal.
George W. Bush is a liberal.
George W. Bush is a liberal.
George W. Bush is a liberal.
...

Do you understand why we don't just say things, and expect everyone to believe their veracity?

[Democat]

28. NBC, ABC, and CNN? Are you joking?

You must be joking.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

10. Turn on a TV or radio or open a paper.

That ought to do it.

[catzies]

14. Here's a Bartcop.com rebuttal to Rush "Lying Nazi Whore" Limbaugh

Whining from the vulgar Pigboy

"How come ABC can air these photos of our prison guards poking around at dead Iraqi corpse, but we can't -- Oh, no, we can't air!"

Pigboy - what are you trying unsuccessfully to say? What does "We can't air" mean?


"It's too shocking! It's just too horrible! -- not only can we not air, not only can we not see, not only can we not broadcast the execution of Nick Berg, we can't even talk about it?"

Rush, you're lying again.
Who told you you can't talk about Berg's execution?
Aren't you the boss at your Nazi radio network?
Did the government tell you you weren't allowed to talk about Berg?
No, you're just making shit up for those gullible idiots who don't realize you're a lying Nazi whore.

Sean Hannity (I've been told) aired the audio from Berg's execution - was he arrested, Rush? No, because that's legal under a thing you once enjoyed called the First Amendment. Why are you lying and telling your sheep you're not allowed to even talk about this subject?


"It's not even in the news anymore. It's not even second tier. It's not even third tier, but what remains at the top of the stack? Abu Ghraib." --Rush Limbaugh, Attribution

I feel so sorry for the right-wing apologists for the out-of-control federal government.

They're trying to get their message is out and besides Bill O'Reilly and
Sean Hannity and
Eva Von Zahn and
The Beltway Boys and
Brit Hume and
Tony Snow and
Juan Williams and
Mara Liason and
John McLaughlin and
Chris the Screamer and
G. Gordon Liddy and
Laura the Whore and
Paul Harvey and
Michael Medved and
George (Judas Maximus) Steffi and
George (dumb as a chimp) Will and
Bob Scheiffer and
Tim the Whore and
Ollie North and
John Hockenberry and
Robert Novak and
Tucker Carlson and
Paul Weyrich and
Brent Bozell and
MSGOP's Brian Williams and
Wolf the Whore and
Bill Schneider and
Candy Crowley and
John Stossel and
Howie Kurtz and
Ann Coulter and
Laura Ingraham and
Kelly Anne the Whore and
Glenn Beck and
Randy Humphries and
Peggy Noonan and
Andrew Sullivan and
William Safire and
the networks and
the major papers and
the weekly magazines - they have nobody.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

37. I don't think John Hockenberry is on the right - unless he's changed...

n/t

[yankeedem]

18. Use freeper "logic" against him

Ask the freeper these questions-

"Do you believe that Republicans are better for business?". The freeper will say yes.

"Do you believe that Republicans are better for the military?". The freeper will snort yes.

The punchline: "So how, then, do you say that the media companies would allow talk against their own interests on the air?" See now you've got the freeper in something called a logic trap. If he says that the employees dictate the policy, he's an idiot, because the media conglomorates can fire them. If he says that the reporters need freedom to report the truth, then he's admitting that "liberal bias" is only reporting truth.

I suspect this freeper won't engage you anymore after this.

[guitar man]

31. I got him

I posted the links the good people here at DU were so kind to help me out with, then asked a simple question. I asked, "If the media is so "liberal", how come a search of the major news outlets archives turns up only one lonely little story on the PNAC? and that story ran late night on Nightline. Wouldn't a "liberal" media make the PNAC front page news? so far, nothing but the sound of crickets :evilgrin:

I am waiting for anybody on that board to pop up and ask the obvious. "What's the PNAC?" I don't know if they can handle the truth.

[voice of reason]

24. no media bias

I actually don't believe there is any large-scale media bias in either direction. But I do believe there is large-scale media incompetence.

v.o.r.

[never cry wolf]

25. Here's a response I sent to a dittohead friend

third, the MEDIA is in the pocket of the right wing, my friend. Ultra
conservative Rupert Murdoch owns newscorp which includes all of the Faux
family of stations, 25 magazines, 20th century fox, 132 newspapers and a
publishing empire that includes harper-collins. GE, one of the largest
defense contractors owns NBC, CNBC and MSNBC. Ultra, ultra conservative cult
leader Rev. sung yung moon (a BIG bush supporter) owns United press
international, the washington times among others, then there's clear
channel, viacom, disney (who is refusing to distribute michael moore's new
movie farenheit 911), rush limpball, sean insanity, mAnn coulter, Bill
O'Liely, Bob Nofacts, Britt Hume, savage nation, need i go on? can you name
ONE SINGLE liberal talk show host? The media has consolidated so that like 9
corporations own almost everything! They also are gettin a payback from bush
for their efforts in the media deregulation bill granted by colon powells
son michael, head of the FCC. Congress bi-partisanly passed a bill
disallowing it and bushie is now working on a compromise. These top tier
media conglomerates stand to make BILLIONS by deregulation and they know who
to cater to to get it.

[Hamlette]

29. it isn't whether the reporter is liberal its whether the news is accurate

Fox/Rush/Washington Times (et al) don't adhere to the same journalistic standards as the "real" press.

When Fox apologizes for reporting they contibuted to the march to war and MWD hype (as the NYTimes did) then you might call them a new source. Or when they fire a reporter for making stuff up (Jason Blair, Glass before him, and others). Or make O'Rielly correct his lies or apologize to the son of the WTC victim.

Brock has a good take on it. He was on CSpan this am. He says it is the right wing noise machine meaning they just repeat the propaganda and scream instead of making a contribution to information. It was so interesting because all of the conservative callers were denying they were attack dogs and name callers by attacking Brock and calling him names. One liberal called Rush a name but the rest talked about the book and the issue. Stark proof of what Brock was saying.

[CBHagman]

30. If you can get a copy of the book "We the Media"...

... there are some charts within that show how few corporations really run publishing, radio, the music industry, and television. Unfortunately, these charts are outdated within months.


It's also worth getting a list of what which radio/TV stations are in your area and who owns them -- and what they program.

And no, NPR and PBS don't count as "liberal media" because they have commentators from various points of view. You will be as likely hear Bush's former speechwriter David Frum or Charles Murray as anyone from the left or the center.

[SlingBlade]

32. It will not matter

These Right Wingers will not accept anything that does not support their point of view.
On other boards I have experienced the most vicious attacks imaginable, Its atrocious.
The last one KC channel 5 forum they are now attacking Kerry’s daughter, Does that bring back some memories of Clinton and Chelsea ?

I think when you sit a minute and consider what we are dealing with here, It really causes pause, This is the same type of blind loyalty and hate evidenced in Nazi Germany, It is without rationale and without decency.
Sometimes I’d just like to see the Majority of Americans go to these local boards and shut them up the way they do any normal thinking human being that makes the mistake of questioning their hate.

But then I realize, That would make me just as bad, But I hate seeing so many local type forums being hijacked and given the appearance of legitimacy by giving the impression that THEY are the majority.

They are not.

[Joanne98]

33. Just keep calling him stupid. In as many different ways as possible.

Anybody who still believes that tired old lie has an IQ of 50.

[Jade Fox]

34. Remind him that there are still slander and liebel (sp?) laws.....

in this country.

I've noticed Freeper types think the alleged Liberal Bias of the media
means the press can make things up whole cloth, so they dismiss any
information they don't like as being lies. Stupid, I know, but these folks
are not very sharp.

If, for instance, Michael Moore, Joe Wilson, Paul O'Neill, and Richard Clarke
are lying about Bush, why hasn't he sued any of them? Its not
like he can't afford the finest in attack-dog lawyers.

[guitar man]

36. good one

I made a freeper's head explode with that one. They just can't figure it out sometimes.