Eye On The Media....... (CBS memos)

[Joanne98]

Over at Fox News, they were breaking out the champagne when the admission of error came down from Black Rock. Fox, of course, has its own (wink, wink) "standards" and never makes mistakes worth acknowledging. Their playbook in this regard feeds and follows a well-established White House approach: When confronted by unwelcome truths, avoid them, deny them or tarnish the critic.

Fox News branded this dust-up a scandal, a "Rathergate," using a familiar "change-the-subject" tactic to deflect attention away from persuasive charges that President Bush has not told the truth about his military "service." Allegations about a media misdemeanor were quickly blown up into a felony demanding Rather's career termination with prejudice.

The right-wing attack machine works by personalizing issues and demonizing "enemies" with overheated language and cartoon-like characterizations. Osama "the evil doer" bin Laden gave way to Saddam "the butcher of Baghdad" Hussein, and now John "the phony war hero" Kerry has been displaced with a "lather over Rather." It's a textbook example of how attacks against journalists are used to denigrate news not to the right wing's liking by planting items in the media food chain and cranking up an echo chamber of feigned indignation.

The Republican National Committee operates its own 24/7 anti-news network to monitor coverage and orchestrate a rapid response. Salon reports that the story casting doubt on the documents was first pushed into the news stream by Creative Response Concepts, a Republican public relations firm. Then, selected bloggers went to work led by an Atlanta lawyer who helped get President Bill Clinton disbarred and was the first who called the memos fakes. His charges spread like a prairie fire through the rabid conservative grapevine and amen corner. The goal: Focus the media on Rather, not Bush. CBS initially stood by the documents, then hedged, saying that even if they were flawed, the story that Bush had disobeyed his commander's order to have a physical was accurate in essence. But it finally had to concede it was a mistake to run the story.

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vpsch223980357sep22,0,5415294.story?coll=ny-viewpoints-headlines

[Mountainman]

1. I still think we are not at the bottom of this story

It seems that the rethugs got what they wanted now comes the cry to forget about it. That seems too suspicious to me. My feeling is that this was all orchestrated by the rethugs and I want the full story to come out.

[Joanne98]

3. I was so depressed by this that i didn't even turn on my computer

for 3 days. But i'm glad I did because it looks like we might have a chance at nailing them. there's no doubt in my mind that the GOP has something to do with this. i just hope that the LW understands now that they have to stand up and fight back hard. this was a scathing article worthy of the vast-RW conspiracy. if they can take down Dan Rather nobody's safe. FIGHT BACK FIGHT BACK.........

[blm]

2. Fox never apologized for reporting Clinton fathered a black prostitute's

child, did they? It was in 99 and Clinton was still a sitting president.

[Joanne98]

4. Fox repeated every single swiftboat lie as truth. They NEVER apologize.

Have you noticed though how all of a sudden their quiet about this story. We might be on to something with the Stone angle.