The 'Official' Government News Network

[GreenPartyVoter]

In Europe, I discovered during my many years abroad, governments mostly controlled television. Citizens were fed a steady diet of official information through government-owned or dominated channels.

During those years, I learned to appreciate America's media freedom. When that freedom is under attack, as it frequently is, I've known which side to take.

A few years ago, Newt Gingrich and his band of Republican ideologues opened fire on the Public Broadcasting Service, accusing it of bias and threatening to withdraw public funding from it. In short, they wanted it to be like the European systems I'd known – official voices of the state.

The public outcry was so severe that Gingrich backed down with barely a whimper. A private citizen now, he calls his attack on PBS a mistake.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0715-09.htm

[dietdpfan]

1. The hypocrisy is amazing.

The local cartoonist here in Phoenix drew a cartoon on how that hypocrisy is apparent at Faux news.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/benson/

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Brilliant!

[demwing]

6. That cartoonist is pretty cool!

I searched through a few, and especially enjoyed this one:

[dietdpfan]

7. I enjoy him immensly...

Almost daily, some coservative nut has a LTTE bitchin' about Benson's latest drawing...

Could they have a problem with it because it's TRUE?! Hmmmmm, something to think about. :shrug: ;)

It gives me a hoot to know that all it takes is some cartoonist to get their panties in a bunch.

:evilgrin:

[MadHound]

3. The sad part about PBS and NPR both

Is that for the past ten years, and especially since the Newt's abortive attempt to make these networks into propaganda mouthpieces, government funding for them has been further cut. In order to make up the balance, these two networks are forced to court big business for money. And of course, that corporate cash comes with a price. PBS and NPR have been drifting alarming rightwards, a direct influence I believe, of having to solicit corporate donations.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. You hit that nail square on the head. :^(

[demwing]

5. self deleted /nt