Identical, Bush-backing Editorials Appear Nationwide

[Rose Siding]

What do this newspaper editorial

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/2005/10/21/columnists/editorial/view1.txt

, this one

http://www.jdnews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=35993&Section=Opinion

, this one

http://www.kinston.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=31346&Section=Editorials

, and this one

http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:neHCetZ1f6oJ:www.gazette.com/display.php%3Fsecid%3D13+One+of+the+smartest+things+President+Bush+did+to+reduce+recovery+costs+in+the+aftermath+of+hurricanes+Katrina+and+Rita+was+to+suspend+Davis-Bacon+Act+rules+in+the+hardest+hit+states.+But+Congress+is+frantically+trying+to+overrule+the+president,+which+would+add+bill&hl=en

all have in common?

All of them are unsigned editorials, which makes it look like they're original opinion pieces for each paper. (The Colorado Gazette even says it's "our view.")

And they all happen to say exactly the same thing, beginning with this paragraph:

One of the smartest things President Bush did to reduce recovery costs in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita was to suspend Davis-Bacon Act rules in the hardest hit states. But Congress is frantically trying to overrule the president, which would add billions of dollars to the already staggering recovery costs.

Amazing that newspapers from California, Colorado, and North Carolina could be channeling, simultaneously and in complete harmony, the Bush administration line for cutting wages for workers rebuilding the Gulf Coast.

UPDATE: As one commenter points out, all the papers involved are owned by Freedom Communications, Inc. (although, oddly enough, they all list different owners on their websites, with variations on the "Freedom" theme). It's still a no-no for papers to run these as if they're house editorials -- and therefore somehow the result of a spontaneous convergence of editorial opinion across the country, as opposed to just being a reprint.

UPDATE II: This paper in Indiana also ran it, and they're not owned by Freedom Com (they're Knight Ridder). And they attribute it to "The Lima News, Ohio." Confusion (?) reigns.

http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2005/10/esp-wonder-newspapers-channel-bush.asp

[Loonman]

1. Let MediaMatters know

www.mediamatters.org

[blm]

17. Let E and P know....that really gets attention of other papers.

.

[Maraya1969]

93. What is E and P?

[PDittie]

94. Editor and Publisher

The newspaper industry's trade publication:

http://editorandpublisher.com

[prescole]

131. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

but E&P has consistently bashed Bush and is openly liberal in outlook.

The question is, who else will cover the story? The MSM have been cowed by Bush's tactics for going on five years, but at what point does a lame duck stop intimidating you?

The editorials could have been placed by just about any conservative interest group. This seems too clumsy, even for the Bush league.

[blm]

136. I don't think E&P is liberal, they're just concerned with news ETHICS and

reporting accuracy. So, in that, they are a constant reminder of how newspapers are supposed to be serving the public.

[PurpleChez]

165. "at what point does a lame duck stop intimidating you?"

That is a great question!! A tenatious minority is still locked in that 2002 mindset in which Bush is our Glorious, Exaulted Leader whose Every Word is Law as he speaks for God HisOwnSelf. They're like battered wives who still believe that their wretched husbands hit them because they love them -- giving up the fantasy is so hurtful that they stay with the abuser. Just the other day a family friend saw an anti-* cartoon around the house and reacted with a cult-like "don't you like George Bush?" It was as if she was absolutely unaware that three quarters of the country doesn't like George Bush.

And did I spell tenatious right?

[cantstandbush]

146. Media ethics lower than Congressional ethics.

This should be headline news.

[sophie996]

124. and it couldn't hurt to start cancelling suscriptions (nm)

[tiedye]

161. the real problem is that Bush lowered the prevailing wage

The problem is not state propaganda. We have to be smart enough to create and distribute ten times as much countermessage to mainstream outlets. Focus on the fact that Bush sticks it to the laborers. Treating them like slaves to help out poor Halliburton. Who is he saving from costly clean-up? The federal government, the state government that have mismanaged the people's money. The people, the workers will now have less to live on.

[meganmonkey]

2. Oooh- not so well-oiled is this propaganda machine

It is transparent and despicable.

:puke:

[musette_sf]

48. Ted Rall is on it:

[Nothing Without Hope]

86. Great cartoon - says it all! I expect "editorials" on TV too:

I'm especially fond of this Tom Tomorrow cartoon - except that Wolf Blitzer would NEVER have broken a story critical of the White House:

[central scrutinizer]

61. similar to astroturf

go to gopteamleader.com and you can sign up to receive model LTTEs. Of course, most wingnuts are too lazy to modify them and just hit "resend" and type in their local fishwrap's email addy. You can check for recent campaigns here:

http://www.failureisimpossible.com/dosomething/sod.htm

[Nightjock]

3. These scumbags are unbelievable!

They constantly find new ways to repulse me. I feel like I live in the old Soviet Union!

[BamaBecky]

31. Exactly!...n/t

[unpossibles]

4. coughcoughPROPAGANDAcough

sorry, something stuck in my throat. I think it's my saddened heart at the state of affairs of our great nation.

[Democrat 4 Ever]

13. This is just a rerun of the letters supporting Bush that was in

newspapers all over the country. These letters to the editors were supposedly written by a variety of soldiers in Iraq except all the letters were exactly alike except they were "signed" by different soldiers from different units. (Think there was some mention that the identical letters were issued by the PR person for the unit at the "request" of the individual soldiers - they just used the same letter. Yeah, right.) Then there were other letters that were sent by soldiers to hometown papers after strong "suggestions" by their commanders. This was right after the war started, anybody remember this except me?

Yesterday it was ordering soldiers, today it is the editorial pages of repug newspapers, tomorrow it will be essay assignments in 8th grade English classes demanding 500 words on Fuhrer Georgy.

[belle]

47. To me it's worrisome that it graduated from letters to editorials.

Any fool can submit a letter and get it published. How'd all these disparate papers get to the point where they start publishing astroturf as *articles*? unsigned op-eds are supposed to be authored in-house, so what the hell happened here?

[KharmaTrain]

92. Graduated? Always Has Been

The most partisan rhetoric has always been on the editorial page. Thus it's always the reader's caveat to realize their local newspaper isn't always objective.

In many of these papers, it's easy to astroturf these articles on the weekends...especially Saturday, as most the efforts are used to put the Sunday paper to bed on Thursday and Friday...and the Saturday paper gets crammed with wire stories and syndicated op-ed pieces.

[NJCher]

96. they've been doing this for a long time

But it used to be they hired Ph.D. hacks in their "think tanks" to differentiate the op-ed pieces. That represented the r-w point of view that got printed since there really isn't much support for it out there.

Wonder what the deal is--why they're still not going at it that way? Or maybe they are and just decided to give this kind of mass injection of propaganda a shot.

At any rate, I teach a class called "critical citizenship," which shows students all the propaganda crap that's out there and I intend to use this as a demonstration in class.




Cher

[catzies]

119. I wish I could take your class.."critical citizenship" should be mandatory

Hi NJCher! :hi:

[Mugsy]

140. You'd think they'd learn by now. Remember these?

Remember last July the "Similar letters by unidentified Iraqi praising Bush"?
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/07/25/military.release/

And here is the link to that "Identical letters from GI's" story:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-10-12-iraq-letters-usat_x.htm

[leftupnorth]

5. alert media matters and Rawstory

they'll get 'em

[Metta]

6. Great sleuthing. Gee, do you think they're putting out talking points?

Whatever they can get away with. I'm not surprised that they're using anonimity as a cover for their darkness.

[ixion]

7. this should be news

because it's another example of BushCo's antiethical behaviour.

[SpiralHawk]

8. K & R fer sure - BushCo Catapulting Propaganda

and the Corporate Media on its knees lapping it up and then DUMPING on an unsuspecting public the Official Party Propaganda Line.

And they use our tax dollars to do this.

An ethical outrage.

[SteppingRazor]

9. As a former freelancer for the Colorado Springs Gazette...

back when it was the Gazette-Telegraph, I humbly hang my head in shame.

[thirdeye1024]

115. The Gazette sucks

I am from Colorado Springs, and the Gazette has been without redeeming value since they fired Rich Tosches.

[thirdeye1024]

116. The Gazette sucks

I am from Colorado Springs, and the Gazette has been without redeeming value since they fired Rich Tosches.

[tallahasseedem]

10. These people know no shame...

they are going down no matter what. Get over it folks, you elected criminals.

[EFerrari]

19. There is no way to know if these criminals were elected. n/t

[ovidsen]

11. I don't believe it.

Well, yes I do. But I don't want to believe it. This may not be illegal, but it is so grotesquely unethical. I'm emailing this to kolbermann stat.

UPDATE: I've also written to three of the papers to tell them they've been "outed".:evilgrin:

[stevedeshazer]

12. Good find, these can be added

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/editorial/12955731.htm

http://www.jdnews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=35993&Section=Opinion

[ourbluenation]

14. and add this one too...

http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1311384&secid=13

Jesus Christ - this is ridiculous.

[ClintonTyree]

134. Sweet Jesus.........

these assholes are totally irresponsible, and they expect to get away with this shit? :wtf: Not one fucking word changed. Anyone near these fish-wrap gazettes should be contacting their local TV, Radio and other media outlets and make a big a stink as can be about this blatant propaganda. Writing to the guilty parties themselves probably wouldn't accomplish much but hell, that's worth a try as well. Let the all know we're on to their dirty little scams and let them have it with both barrels.

[The Stranger]

15. Clean house -- fire the editorial boards and launch investigations.

Bring them all down. BRING THEM ALL DOWN!

[Supersedeas]

54. Shills in the Editorial Room....no way!!!

[McCamy Taylor]

16. Only takes a few minutes to write a different letter for each paper.

If I were doing this I would alter each letter (and include regionalisms too). Where do they get these chickenshit media people? At Discount Public Relations R US?

[hang a left]

18. K and R

[montana500]

20. disgusting.

That is all you can say.

[Ksec]

21. Thats propaganda.

Is it even legal to do this kinda thing?

[Pacifist Patriot]

22. Contact info for Editor & Publisher

Editor & Publisher
770 Broadway
New York, NY 10003-9595
Editorial Phone: [phone]
Editorial Fax: [phone]


Sid Holt
Editor-in-Chief

Greg Mitchell
Editor
[email protected]

Shawn Moynihan
Managing Editor
[email protected]

Jay DeFoore
Online Editor
[email protected]

Mark Fitzgerald
Editor at Large (based in Chicago)
[email protected]
[phone]

Dave Astor
Senior Editor (Syndicates)
[email protected]

Jim Rosenberg
Senior Editor (Technology)
[email protected]

Joe Strupp
Senior Editor (Newsroom)
[email protected]

Jennifer Saba
Associate Editor (Business, Finance)
[email protected]

Todd Shields
Washington Editor
[email protected]
[phone]

Reiko Matsuo
Art/Design Director
[email protected]

Daniela DiMaggio
Photo Editor
[email protected]

[warrens]

50. I already sent it to Romanesko

The best thing in the world is to humiliate them in front of their peers.

[Neil Lisst]

23. That's an automatic F in journalism

just sayin


---------------------
evil doers ...
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/neillisst/

[berni_mccoy]

24. They are "Catapulting the Propaganda"

As Bush would say.

[flowomo]

25. this was posted earlier and discussed....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5122820

If the papers are all in the same chain, it's not that unusual. Do you scream when you see Leonard Pitts' column in a hundred newspapers at once? And that "Our View" thing is just that -- the view of the owner of the newspaper.

[Demit]

33. Leonard Pitts is syndicated. There's an acknowledgment in every paper

that reprints him that says so at the bottom of his piece. And they don't change his last graf to suit their readership.

I don't know why you think that editorials reflect the owner's view and not the editorial board's. In Philadelphia, The Inquirer and The Daily News are both owned by Knight Ridder and are both fiercely proud of how different they are from each other.

[flowomo]

43. the editorial ultimately reflects the owner's view, period.

If the editorial board and the owner clash too often, you'll see a new editorial board pretty quick. But owners hire people they know they can trust to execute their program. Wouldn't you?

[Kurovski]

57. Hmm. Maybe this says something about the editorial board?

If the owners wanted those thoughts placed in the paper, and enough of the board disagreed with them, would they take the time to re-write those thoughts in their own words? How could they if they didn't personally hold those opinions?

Otherwise it seems to be a case of laziness. Accepted practice or not, it gives the perception that a newspaper lacks independent thought. How long would it take to do a re-write?

[Marie26]

60. It shouldn't

If you ask a journalist, they'll say that the editorial reflects the opinions of the top newsroom editors. It should be based on their collective experience & perspectives. The publisher's job is to get advertising, get subscriptions & get profits. They should never be dictating the editorial content of the paper.

[Kurovski]

63. That's what I would normally think, but flowomo's post above

about threats of dismissal if there are too many clashes between ownership and the board got me to thinking of the alternatives.

By the way, :thumbsup: to the newspaper folks here. It's always a tough job. I can't imagine that it's any easier under BushCo.

[flowomo]

65. that's just not always true....

I am a journalist, and was the editorial page editor of the local paper for nine years. The "top editors" get a free hand until they cross swords with the publisher/owner too often. Then the orders come down. I wrote many, many "liberal" editorials -- and the publisher let them pass. But from time to time, a direct order came down from the top to write this or that. Like endorsing Dole over Clinton. That came from the top, even though every editor wanted to go the other way.

[Marie26]

71. I'm sure that happens...

but it's not something that should happen. Even when editors were pressured to write a certain way, did editors ever just plop in a syndicated piece as the official editorial? That just seems way out of line to me. I never saw something like that - has that become a practice in the last couple years?

[flowomo]

73. I don't condone it.... just saying it is not all that unusual....

see post #70 below (not mine)

[Maestro]

83. Exactly.

So much for being editorial boards at these papers. They must follow what their parent company dictates. So much for journalism.

[progressivebydesign]

34. No. There has been a struggle within local Editorial Boards over this.

A newspaper should NEVER use a corporate owner-penned "editorial" in the space that is meant for the words of the editor and editorial board. This was fought over during the campaign when endorsements were attempted to be forced onto local papers by the corporate master that owned the paper. Our View is NEVER supposed to be the OWNERS of the newspaper... they know jack shit about shit.

A Leonard Pitts column is a column by a KNOWN personality, IT IS SIGNED. BIG difference. To pass off a political agenda by OWNERS of a newspaper as though the LOCAL editors wrote it is unethical, and a disservice to the staff there, and the readers. It's wrong, wrong, wrong. There is an understanding with newspapers that the actual EDITORIAL staff makes recommendations based on the local readership of that paper...

[flowomo]

40. the key word is "attempted to be forced"....

no proof these were "forced" on anybody.

You're right of course about Pitts. That wasn't my point -- simulataneous appearance of the same piece is the issue here. And why you think "signed" and "unsigned" makes a difference in this iinstance puzzles me. I wrote the editorials for our local paper for years and we printed the names of the people on the "editorial board" every day. People knew who was writing them.

People on this post are making too much of standard newspaper practice -- which you might disagree with and ban at your chain or newspaper -- but which is often done.

[Demit]

53. If the editorial had been signed by the corporate owner that would have

been an honest presentation. But presenting it unattributed, in the paper's editorial slot, is a way to get the reader to infer that it was written by one of the editorial writers on staff. Yes, it's fun to figure out who writes which editorial, once you have a familiarity with different board members' writing styles. But slipping in a ringer is dishonest.

I'm not sure if what you call standard newspaper practice depends on the size of the newspaper, but I know the journos at my big-city dailies consider editorial independence an important principle. It goes to credibility, which is something even an owner knows is a crucial contributor to his bottom line.

[progressivebydesign]

107. No. They were forced. Trust me. I was there! Knight Ridder did it. n/t

[skids]

39. It doesn't matter.

Personally I don't think this is kosher, or usual.

But that doesn't matter.

What matters is that this is the kind of story that turns heads. Most people would view an "Our View" in a local paper to represent an opinion of the local paper. Finding out that it isn't is another push through the looking glass.

And we (the blogosphere) can make it into news. And we should.

[flowomo]

45. it already was in the blogosphere...

the OP in the earlier DU thread I cited credited it to Atrios, I believe.

[skids]

67. There's a difference between...

...being in the blogosphere, and being pushed from the blogosphere into the general mindshare. Which is why threads like this exist. Of course credit to Atrios like the OP would have been nice.

[AbbyR]

77. My paper is part of a chain...

and every now and then we'll print an editorial from another paper in the chain - but we ALWAYS put identify the writer, something like - by John Q. Editor, the Podunk Times.

[flowomo]

79. yes, that's policy at some papers/chains, but not all....

we would very rarely pick up one of the editorials that AP would send out on the wire from an AP affiliate paper... but we always credited the source. That's the key, though.... proper credit. When there is no need to make that gesture because the "credit" goes to the newspaper itself (via the front office of the owner/chain), that gets let go.

[K-W]

120. This is propaganda.

Plain and simple.

[ComerPerro]

26. Republicans want to be lied to. They need it

I'm convinced of that fact.

I realized it during the 90's, as I looked around and noticed all the mythmaking about Reagan.

And now they are doing it with Bush too.

Honestly, I think the truth offends them.

They want lies.

[Demit]

27. Interesting difference in how they customize the last graf--

In the Colorado Springs Gazette:
"We urge every member of Colorado’s congressional delegation to oppose any effort to reverse the president’s prudent — and, yes, moral — decision to suspend Davis-Bacon. And if anything, they should be pushing for its permanent repeal."

In the Lima (Ohio) News:
"We urge every member of Ohio's congressional delegation to oppose any effort to reverse the president's prudent -- and, yes, moral -- decision to suspend Davis-Bacon. If anything, they should be pushing for its permanent repeal."

Although the Daily News for Jacksonville NC deletes the last graf, and the Appeal-Democrat in Yuba City CA changes it to the more generic

"Congress must oppose any effort to reverse the president's decision to suspend Davis-Bacon."


I don't know if these local papers otherwise subcribe to the concept of integrity, and were just instructed by their corporate parent to deliberately mislead their readers, but I sure hope they feel as sleazy right now as they have been shown to be.

[Ksec]

30. Which proves they are trying to disguise this propaganda.

[annabanana]

37. They KNOW they are wrong!

disgusting

[Cha]

158. If they're so confident that Davis

Bacon is immoral..why don't they explain what the Davis Bacon Act is?

[Straight Shooter]

28. Instead of "astroturf," should we refer to this technique as "astrosmirk"?

[glitch]

75. I like. Or, "smirknturf" nt

[Gregorian]

29. Post indictment damage control.

Either that or it's the mystery of how god just luuuvs George Bush.

Actually, I thought they always did this. God, I mean Rove, goes to the fax machine and pushes the button that sends to every newsroom in the nation. Like a junk fax, most editors toss it. But some see it as their sign that god, I mean Karl, is sending a commandment.






God---->

[KittyWampus]

32. Debunking the liberal media myth once again.

[strategery blunder]

35. This is more than propaganda.

This is plagiarism.

If I cut-and-pasted this and submitted it as my "original" work, I'd be expelled from my university pronto. The editorial boards of the papers in question must also be disciplined for reprinting Bush propaganda without "acknowledging" the source (or even that it is a reprint at all)...which would lead to KKKarl Rove, no doubt.

Of course, the fact that the bu$h* administration promotes this kind of behavior is absolutely disgusting.:puke:

[NJCher]

100. YES

Another good point for my class to ponder!




Cher

[WLKjr]

36. Lima News = GOP Newspaper for NW OH

[90-percent]

38. editorial

slave labor would help decrease recovery costs, too!

-85%

[dehaiti]

41. Here's Why They Are Identical

I wrote to one of the editors and received the following reply. Seems Freedom press is a libertarian newspaper.
About the editorial "Mandated wage levels would raise recovery costs" that
appears in The Free Press today, it originated in the Colorado Springs
Gazette, a newspaper that is part of the Freedom Communications group, as
is The Free Press. Due to the fact that we have one editorial writer here
-- me -- and that I have many other responsibilities, I sometimes fall
back on editorials generated by other Freedom newspapers. They express the
libertarian point of view that is consistent in The Free Press and that
runs through all newspapers in the group. Besides, an editorial is the
opinion of the newspaper, not necessarily of the writer. In that respect,
its something like debating. If any of you have a different opinion of
Davis-Bacon -- and I suspect that may be the reason I'm hearing from you
rather than your concern for diminished ethics in journalism -- you're
welcome to spell it out in a letter to the editor.

Patrick Holmes
Associate Publisher/Executive Editor
The Free Press
Kinston, NC

[RebelOne]

46. He's not such a good executive editor

when he starts a sentence off with "Due to the fact." That's a definite no-no in editorial circles. From one of my grammar books: "If a sentence begins with due to, it is probably wrong. It should be "Because of" and drop "to the fact."

[The Backlash Cometh]

102. So, Libertarians are going to take short-cuts that may undermine

ethics. Who knew?

[tex-wyo-dem]

42. Might forward this to Olbermann as well...

He might not cover it on his program, but I'd bet he would use it in his blog.

This is unfrickingbeleivable...I feel like I'm living in some fascist dictatorial propaganda controlled state...

oh, wait...I am.

[Kurovski]

44. Joseph Goebbels is smiling from his hot little perch in hell.

Oh, is that hyperbole? Please forgive me. At least my inflated language won't serve to take a living wage from hard-working people.

At least it doesn't strive to score extra cash for the likes of BushCo's Halliburton during a time of loss and enormous suffering.

I'm really pissed-off today. K & R.

[ourbluenation]

49. I wanna know WHO ACTUALLY WROTE IT?????

How can we find out?

[PATRICK]

66. Isn't there anyone

on a Falwell or Freeper list to receive "activist" alerts and kits and like stuff? Ugh. Talk about undercover, but they seem pretty open with these volunteer tactics. Certainly their chief websites give talking points and models that could be made into letters. They concentrate so much on parrot bites that one could be actually wrong in accusing them of
copying a letter. They just are extremely limited in their battle vocabulary and repeat the chorus over and over in their sleep. The daily Howler traces back the messages running through the media noise machine, but the actual origins are with people who don't necessarily speak them first(Rove, RNC, Christian Right)

[skids]

72. CHECK THE UPDATE --- THIS GETS BETTER... HAHAHA.

Oh Ghod. The author of the piece showed up at the root blog for this story. And it turns out he's a pro repug PR guy who recently slammed moveon for "astroturfing" using CGI form submissions for editorials.

Man, this is rich!

http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2005/10/esp-wonder-newspapers-channel-bush.asp

Also a dkos thread:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/21/14580/993

[The Backlash Cometh]

103. I've seen this so many times before. If a Repub accuses a Dem

of wrongdoing, it's because they've already thought of it, and done it themselves.

[mcg]

157. Sean Paige has been at it for years...

Sean Paige, a right-wing writer, has been catapulting the propaganda for years...

http://www.findarticles.com/p/search?tb=art&qt=%22Sean+Paige%22

Let's see, he's anti-environment, pro-oil, ...

[H2O Man]

51. It reminds me of

in the 1960s, how the FBI would make generic "editorials" attacking Martin Luther King, Jr, and send them to people they knew would use them. There were thus days when newspapers across the country had near identical editorials and articles that were intended to discredit King. I do not think that certain government agencies have changed their tactics much. Nor have the media.

[stubtoe]

52. It's threads like this ...

That I love about DU and DU'ers! Terrific job Rose (et al)

Go kick their butts!

God I love it

[Dinger]

55. Wonder If Media Matters Is On To This?

[Chalco]

56. totally icky nt

[Marie26]

58. How did this happen?

I used to work for a newspaper - a very small newspaper in a very small town. The editorials were ALWAYS written by the local newspaper editors. I have never heard of a paper cut-n-pasting some syndicated opinion & presenting it as their own. If an editor tried to do that, he could be fired. When a paper uses a syndicated column, it's attributed as such, but would never be presented as the newpaper's own opinion. I just don't understand how all these newpapers would agree to become shills for someone else's agenda. All this is making me come to the conclusion that we no longer have a free press in this country.

[rman]

90. editor could be fired? by who?

by his owner? what if the owner is happy to just copy and paste stories that are supportive of his favorite policician?

[Skidmore]

59. Let KO & Countdown know.

[Ksec]

62. Hey Rose '

Do you care if I use your post on my blog?

[DLnyc]

64. Info on privately held company, Freedom Communications, Inc.

found this through Yahoo Finance:

http://finance.yahoo.com/search?type=&s=Freedom+Communications&r=

(directors, description, etc.)

Also, Columbia Journalism Review gives a list of papers owned by FC (as of 7/25/03)
http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/freedom.asp

[oregonindy]

68. how odd. maybe its cause they all drink the same kool aid? :P

[ClintonTyree]

137. What we need are the relaxation of all anti-trust laws........

so that there will be only ONE official viewpoint (I'm sure they're still trying). That would clear up these annoying differences in opinion and our citizens would know exactly what to think at all times. In other words, we'd all be Republicans. Since they've already implemented this procedure and have perfected it, complete compliance by all media shouldn't take long. Carry on citizens and remember, the leader is good, the leader is protecting us, the leader is our friend.
:banghead:

[Marie26]

69. "Libertarian" philosophy

Freedom Communications is a media conglomerate that doesn't even try to pretend they're "Fair & Balanced." All of the papers are aimed at spreading a "libertarian" point of view. That's 30 newspapers & 8 TV stations all devoted to pushing the same agenda.

From the 2004 Annual Report:
"your dynamic commitment to spreading libertarian values carries on (the founder's) legacy. At times our opinions may not be popular, however we must adhere to the enduring principles that shape our editorial philosophy."

"We Make People Think"
"When it comes to strong editorials, steeped in Freedom's strong libertarian voice, our publications make people think... Libertarians of goodwill will come to different conclusions, but readers need to know we will always make our case based on that crucial foundation."

I'm thinking they keep using "libertarian" because it sounds slightly better than admitting that they push the Republican party's agenda. While most newspapers are struggling to stay above water, Freedom Comm. posted its most profitable year ever in 2004.

http://www.freedom.com/company/annual2004/

[The Backlash Cometh]

104. "We make people think"

That's precious. They make people think by plagiarizing other people's work. OOOOOOOkay.

[ClintonTyree]

138. Yeah, they make people think.........

by promoting only a single point of view. :eyes: What assholes. The problem is, people swallow this swill. People love being told how to think (at least Libertarians and Republicans) it saves them having to expend precious brain power that most of them don't have enough of to begin with. :puke:
They've certainly made ME think, although not in their intended fashion. I think they're dishonest, selfish, ignorant cretins. By God, they DID make me think! :think:

[Marie26]

162. "... they way we want them to think." n/t

[NobleCynic]

174. Just a quick correction

Newspapers, contrary to popular belief, are not struggling. The industry's average profit margin is somewhere between 20-30%. Not what I would call struggling. Losing influence in the information market because of the internet, perhaps. Losing money? Hardly. You have to be a pretty poorly run newspaper to lose money in the current market.

[rockymountaindem]

70. The Colorado Springs Gazette does that all the time.

My guess is that all these papers are owned by Gannett (I think that's what it's called) media, so they printed the same thing in all their papers. I don't know why they didn't just put a name on it though.

[glitch]

74. P A T H E T I C

could these people be any more pathetic?

Thanks for posting.

[WiseButAngrySara]

76. Truly revolting and obviously unethical. If its not illegal it should be!

K and R!

:kick:

[Mr_Spock]

78. Propaganda 101. There's no honor left in this country.

Motherfuckers. x(

[Writer]

80. This could simply be "hubbing" by the same media company.

In other words, a corporate office is providing the same material for their owned papers to publish. It wouldn't be propaganda unless there is a White House press release or some type of document detailing this same information from which they are actively copying.

However, in my opinion it doesn't hurt to raise alarm over the lack of localization in those editorials. Ethically they should serve their citizens first. They are not doing so.

Just my two cents. :)

Writer.

[donheld]

81. Is this the USSR or what?

:grr: With this going on it's not far off.

[Maestro]

82. The Nazi propoganda continues...

:eyes: Disgusting and pathetic.

[No Exit]

84. I would dearly love to see this run in the Times Picayune, which

newspaper-reading New Orleanians still read daily from wherever the winds have cast them. In fact, I dare these assholes to throw this spew in the face of now-unemployed New Orleanians.

[Nothing Without Hope]

85. Let Keith Olbermann know. He might well do a report on it.

Here's his email:

[email protected]

[CrackpotAmerica]

87. I sent it to everyone I can think of. ESPECIALLY THIS GUY:

From: [email protected]
Subject: I Hope That You Are Not Responsible For This:
Date: October 22, 2005 2:14:56 AM EDT
To: [email protected]

We have forwarded it to every news outlet we can think of:


http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2005/10/esp-wonder-newspapers-channel-bush.asp

___________

Thanks for posting!

:NOMINATED:

[Neil Lisst]

88. If they use material prepared by others, they should source it.

How difficult is that to understand?

The Newspapers would fire a reporter who turned in work prepared by another, and didn't identify it as such. Especially if it showed up in another paper the same way the same day.

[cosmicdot]

89. I can't figure out who owns what ... .

or who is pulling whose strings?

I found it strange though that seeking SEC info on Freedom Comm. led to Source Media, Inc., which led to Insight Communications which led to The Carlyle Group.

I searched the Securities & Exchange Commission website SEC.org for Freedom Communications, and only found one filing ... from 1998, Form 13D, filed to record a Beneficial Owner (5% or more) of stock. The filing http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/900029/0000892569-98-003225.txt records stock ownership by a David L. Kuykendall aka Freedom Communications of Irvine, CA, and records his title as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

That filing, also, notes that Freedom Comm.'s company conformed name is Source Media, Inc., with a business address of 5400 LBJ Freeway, Ste 680, Dallas, Tx 75231.

Who is Source Media, Inc.? Is the company still in existence? If so, what's its relationship to Freedom Communications?

A 2nd SEC search for "Source Media, Inc." found many normal SEC filings, including its last SEC proxy filing, in 2000 http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/900029/000095013400009924/d81130ddef14a.txt aka its report to stockholders, form SEC 14A, which details, for example, the members of its Board of Directors.

The last SEC form filed by Source Media was c. 2002.

The 14A, also, indicates who are/were considered Beneficial Owners of Source Media's stock (5% or more)... these included Barry Rubenstein, Dr. Ernst Mueller-Moehl (of Zurich, Switzerland); and, a whopping 24% owned by http://www.insight-com.com Insight Communications Company, Inc. of NYC.

Who is Insight Communicatins Company?

According to Insight's SEC filing dated Sept. 28, 2005, http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1084421/000104746905023556/a2163158zprer14a.htm , it's going through a merger.

Poppy Bush's The Carlyle Group is involved in the deal:

"At the special meeting, you will be asked to consider and vote upon a proposal to adopt and approve the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 28, 2005, between Insight Communications Company, Inc. and Insight Acquisition Corp. (an entity organized by certain affiliates of The Carlyle Group to effect the merger and related transactions discussed below). ~snip~

"As a result of the merger, Insight will be privately owned by Insight's senior management and the other designated exchanging stockholders, as well as by affiliates of Carlyle." ~snip~

"Acquisition's purpose for pursuing the merger is to cause Carlyle and the Continuing Investors, to become the sole owners of the capital stock of Insight. Carlyle, Sidney Knafel and Michael Willner decided to pursue the merger because they believe that Insight can be operated more effectively as a privately held company. ~snip~


Does it mean anything? :shrug:

[The Backlash Cometh]

106. "Carlyle Group"

It's certainly a find worth keeping at least a peripheral eye on.

[Roland99]

127. Are you sure you have the correct Insight Communications?

That's my local cable company!

[cosmicdot]

148. they're everywhere!

:hi:

from the Source Media, Inc. SEC proxy:

"Our board also presently includes Kim D. Kelly, Sidney R. Knafel and Michael S. Willner, who were appointed to the board by Insight Interactive..."

and, looking at Insight's SEC proxy Board members:

"The following persons are the executive officers and directors of Insight as of the date of this proxy statement."

Sidney R. Knafel
74 Chairman of the Board and Director
Michael S. Willner
53 Vice Chairman, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Wonder why they want to go private vs. public? Less public 'insight' into the company? Carlyle gets to buy in on the cheap, no?

About Insight

Insight Communications, through a 50/50 partnership with Comcast (cd: where former Bu$h Pentagon PR Hill & Knowlton-ster Victoria Clarke is suppose to be working), is the ninth largest cable operator in the United States, managing approximately 1.27 million basic customers (of whom half are attributable to Insight’s equity) in the four contiguous states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Insight specializes in offering bundled, state-of-the-art services in mid-sized communities, delivering analog and digital video, high-speed Internet, and voice telephony in selected markets to its customers.

from:

March 07, 2005
#2005-11
Insight Communications Controlling Shareholders and The Carlyle Group Propose to Acquire Company's Outstanding Public Shares; Insight Co-Founders Sid Knafel and Michael Willner Join with The Carlyle Group to Make $10.70 Cash Per Share Offer for Insight's Public Shares

New York, NY – Insight Communications Company, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: ICCI) (“Insight”) co-founders Sidney R. Knafel and Michael S. Willner and The Carlyle Group today announced that they are proposing to acquire the outstanding publicly held shares of Insight for $10.70 per share in cash.

The acquiring entity, which will be called New Insight LLC, is offering a price representing an 11% premium over the closing price of Insight's stock on Friday, March 4, 2005 of $9.68 per share and a 17% premium over the six-month average closing price. The proposal values the total equity of Insight at approximately $650 million and implies an enterprise value of approximately $2.1 billion (based on Insight's attributable share of indebtedness). The transaction will not result in a change of control. The company's existing debt will remain outstanding.

Mr. Knafel, Chairman of Insight, stated, "This proposal represents an opportunity for Insight's public shareholders to realize liquidity at a price higher than the shares have traded over the past 12 months."

~snip~

http://www.thecarlylegroup.com/eng/news/l5-news3026.html

a 1999 Insight-Media Source Joint Venture

INSIGHT COMMUNICATIONS AND SOURCE MEDIA CREATE JOINT VENTURE TO BRING INTERACTIVE TELEVISION TO CABLE SUBSCRIBERS

INSIGHT TO INVEST $13 MILLION IN NEW COMPANY AND $12 MILLION IN SOURCE MEDIA

http://www.insight-com.com/PR/read_releases.asp?Year=1999&rID=116

I'm afraid we're going to wake up one day and not know what's become of us. The Smirk White House is the ultimate distraction from what The Carlyle Group is doing.

[mcg]

155. Kuykendall, a Complaint issued against Source Media

As shown on
http://www.freedom.com/company/annual2004/bod.asp
Kuykendall is Senior VP and CFO at Freedom Communications.

Complaint against Source Media:
http://securities.stanford.edu/1011/SRCM98/

"The Complaint alleges that, in connection with the October 1997 Acquisitions, defendants wrongfully concealed from their shareholders lost business and assets, and accounting irregularities which have caused an extraordinary overstatement of the Company's revenues, earnings and assets. In addition, plaintiff alleges that defendants disseminated materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's current financial performance and future business prospects. The defendants include Source Media and certain of its officers and directors. The Complaint charges that defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10-b(5) by, among other things, issuing false misleading statements regarding the October 1997 Acquisitions, Source Media's financial condition, as well as its present and future business prospects."

http://www.sourcemedia.com/

[cosmicdot]

159. perhaps a schism at that point?

between Source Media and Freedom?

thanks for researching


I see that Blackstone Group has 2 representatives on Freedom's Board: David M. Tolley and Mark T. Gallogly(who declared himself as a business leader for Kerry '04).

So, is the BFEE represented inside the organization?



The Freedom Board of Directors have many affiliations, past and present (per their bios):

WNET/Channel 13 (the PBS station in New York City)
Public Broadcasting Service
Leitch Technology Corporation
Rodale, Inc
BKD, LLP
KPMG LLP
Providence Equity Partners
Bresnan Communications
F&W Publications, Inc.
PanAmSat Holding Corporation
Columbia House Company
Macmillan Publishing (now Bertelsmann Company)
R.H. Donnelley Corporation
Indiana University School of Law
The Blackstone Group L. P.
Hallador, Inc.
coloradosprings.com
Blantyre Partners, Inc
Auxilio, Inc.
American Cable Entertainment
Craig Media Inc.
Netcom Canada
NC Holdings
Surebridge
Mpower Inc.
VIA Networks
Wired Ventures.
Belo Corporation
Southern Newspaper Publishers Association
Newspaper Association of America
Committee to Protect Journalists
J.C. Penney Company, Inc.
New Skies Satellites

[Kickin_Donkey]

91. Sorry to disappoint everybody, but this isn't a conspiracy.

I can get as paranoid about the conservative corporate media conspicracy as much as anyone on DU, but this isn't a case of astroturfing or even covert propaganda.

However, it is a case of the effects of media consolidation.

The newspapers that ran the editorial in question are part of the Freedom Communications chain; the local papers merely reprint the editorials of Freedom's flagship paper, The Orange County Register. These editorials are indeed in-house editorials -- they are in the house of Freedom Communications.

Contrary to what some of the lay people have written in this thread, the editorial boards of each local paper serve at the pleasure of the owner, in this case Freedom Communications. The editorial board members must follow the ideological or philosophical dictates of the owner -- or risk losing their job.

The unsigned editorials are the company line. That's why they are unsigned -- it doesn't matter who writes them; they are the expressed views of the company, not the person who happens to pen a given editorial. The owner can do whatever it wants with the editorial space -- that's its prerogative as the owner. The local papers do not have to give attribution because they are part and parcel of Freedom, and therefore Freedom's stance is their stance. The Lima News doesn't give any attribution as where the editorial came from because the editorial is the stance of The Lima News (as it is owned by Freedom). (The non-Freedom Indiana paper that ran the editorial correctly cited The Lima News).

And one must remember that there is a difference between the editorial page and the straight news section. People sometimes forget that editorial and news are two completely different dimensions of a newspaper. If Freedom did try to push its ideology onto the news side of the newspaper, that would be another story, against journalistic ethics. Local editors do have the right and an obligation to treat news content independently of the owner's stated views. That is the difference between the opinion page and the news page. I've never known Freedom to put any pressure on the news side, and if it did, it would have a rebellion on its hands from the rank-and-file journalism professionals.

I don't see anything unthetical about these editorials. Freedom Communications owns the newspapers in question, so it has the right to have its views disseminated on their editorial pages. That's just the way it is -- they own them, so they get to write the editorials of the local papers. (The local editorial boards do write editorials on local matters.) If any of you owned a newspaper, you could write whatever you wanted in the editorial slot. That would be your right as owner.

If you have a beef, it's with media consolidation. That's really why the same editorial appears in different newspapers.

Now, do I agree with Freedom's ultraconservative stands? Hell no. But I'm in the newspaper business, and I am familiar with Freedom, and this isn't a conspiracy. All these newspapers are branches of Freedom -- and that's no secret. Like all newspaper chains, Freedom actually trumpets its many holdings and "vast" reach.

While I think that media consolidation and the fact that most media companies have conservative ownership and interests congruennt with Republican rule are fundamental problem, I think DUers in this instance are being too smart by half. This is standard practice in the industry, and I don't think E&P is going to get up in arms about it. But it's good that it is pointed out, and people need to know how things work.

[NJCher]

109. re-read the thread

Not all the editorials were printed by the same chain.




Cher

[Name removed]

125. Deleted message

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

[Kickin_Donkey]

133. Any review of my past posts will show otherwise.

I just happen to know the newspaper business.

[ClintonTyree]

141. Don't worry Kickin_Donkey.........

your post was fine and all points were valid. Some here would rather shoot the messenger than accept the message. If something doesn't happen to jibe with their viewpoint it can't be true, correct? :eyes: Keep speaking the truth, it's all we have.

[Kickin_Donkey]

147. Thanks, dude ...

Appreciate it. :thumbsup:

[TheMadMonk]

135. The Real News: Not fit to print

I wonder how KD would explain, how it is that exactly the same news, (content not text) DOESN'T get printed/aired all over the country.

[hunter]

149. Maybe...

I was never able to figure out the hierarchy of this form of prostitution.

[ncteechur]

95. Sent this to Brian Williams and Keith Olberman!

[The Backlash Cometh]

97. Now we know why the conservatives want to increase the percentage

of newspaper and television stations that one organization can own.

[Jon8503]

98. Another Example Of Why The Corp Media Needs To Be Busted Up

Have posted this before; this is another example of why our TV & Newspapers should not be corporate owned to the extent they are now:

For Christ's sake, we have busted up conglomerates before such as AT&T & they were not even doing damage to the county.

The Media is doing damage to the country.

Should or should they not be broken up and the media only be allowed to be Totally Independent???????

[mcg]

129. This is not the freedom of the press our founding fathers had in mind.

In fact it is the opposite, there is a very powerful oligarchy owning, and thus controlling, the media. This is essentially no different than state-owned media.

Corporations have become way too powerful, they own the media and can donate heavily to election campaigning. This has got to be stopped.

Thomas Jefferson warned about the corrupting influence of corporations.
How right he was.

[Jon8503]

132. Yes, U have said it well. How can you expect a newspaper or

a reporter on a tv network owned by GE to be completely unbiased and not take orders from the top. As you stated the corporations are way too powerful & you know the dictate the news such as what is to be reported, how it is to be presented and if it is on Pg 1 or Pg 30.

This needs to be changed.

[journalist3072]

99. Not the first time something like this has happened. Let us go back a bit

Letters From Iraq, But From Whom?

NEW YORK, Oct. 14, 2003

(CBS) What are the chances that different GIs serving in Iraq would sit down and individually write their hometown papers the very same letters, using the exact same words to talk about U.S. success in efforts to rebuild Iraq?

CBS News Correspondent John Blackstone reports at least ten such letters supposedly written by American soldiers serving in Iraq were sent to hometown papers in various parts of the United States.

One of the letters, signed by Adam Connell, a soldier on duty in Iraq, was published and featured prominently in The Boston Globe.

The letter lists the accomplishments of Connell's regiment: "building a new police force," "re-establishing Kirkuk's fire department," and "children have returned to school."

What it doesn't say is that Connell didn't actually write the letter.

Blackstone reports the words that read like one soldier's bid for hometown understanding - "I am proud of the work we are doing here in Iraq and I hope all of your readers are as well" - are actually a form letter sent to newspapers from West Virginia to California, attributed to soldiers from each newspaper's local area.

Pentagon sources say the commander of the battalion where the letter originated describes it as a group effort - written by several soldiers - which is an extension of what's called the "hometown news release program."

Connell's mother, Amy Connell, doesn't find it hard to believe that he might not have written the letter.

"It is not his type of writing, actually," Connell told CBS News. "He's 20 years old and I think he's a little bit busy right now to be writing a letter."

Writing style was also a tip-off for Timothy Deaconson, who thought the letter attributed to his son, Pfc. Nick Deaconson of Buckley, W. Va., was unusual but nonetheless telephoned him to congratulate him on getting his letter printed in the paper.

"When I told him he wrote such a good letter, he said: 'What letter?'" said Timothy Deaconson, in an interview with Gannett News Service.

Six soldiers whose names appear on letters published in different papers told Gannett that they knew of the letters and agreed with their substance, but hadn't written them.

Read rest of article here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/13/iraq/main577716.shtml

[Theres-a]

110. Evil bastards.

[journalist3072]

117. You know it!!! eom

[jmatthan]

101. New York Times Management War Criminals?

Based on the Editorial written by the Executive Editor Bill Keller, I have said I want to know why they are not to be considered as War Criminals. Copy was also sent this letter - Subject: Torch of Death - to their Public Editor.

http://jmpolitics.blogspot.com/2005/10/torch-of-death.html

These unsigned editorials, as like Judith Miller / Armstrong Williams, are by shills, reasons unknown!

[mnhtnbb]

105. Sent to Rapid Response Network

too. Grassroots group monitoring media that evolved from Dean campaign and then supported John Kerry.

[progressivebydesign]

108. Are the DUers in those cities going to write to their paper over this? n/t

[realFedUp]

111. McEditorials in McPapers

this would be a good piece to write up
as many Americans have no clue.

[INdemo]

112. Im a little shocked ....

that the Fort Wayne News Sentinel would run this story but I'll be sending them a letter

[INdemo]

113. Just sent a letter to the editor of

The Fort Wayne "News Sentinel" Cant believe that paper turned into a
GOP rag..

[dogday]

114. These articles just show how the Bush administration

was controlling the press on the lead-up to the Iraq war. I bet if we go back in time, we will find the same type of articles as we are finding now, encouraging the war on Iraq...

[TheCowsCameHome]

118. What a load of crap. The RW is always outdoing themselves.

[Up2Late]

121. Check out this HARD HITTING "War in Iraq" special report from...

...the Colorado Springs Gazette .com!!! A "War in Iraq" page that is totally devoid of actual news! Below is the closest thing I could find on the page, and it's total BS too. But notice how it's written in short, easy to read, sentiences for all the * supporters who, "ain't to good at Readin'." I guess this is what * meant by "getting around 'the Filter'."

(Also for any Computer programmers, if you cut/paste text from this page and then use the spell checker on it, it reveals some strange code problems) Looks to be like the WH propaganda machine has taken over the "Red State" local media.

<http://www.gazette.com/war/>

<http://www.gazette.com/war/1013war3.html>

Oct. 13, 2005

Sent to heal

By TOM ROEDER THE GAZETTE

The soldiers who said farewell to Fort Carson at a ceremony Wednesday aren’t intent on rooting out terrorists or killing insurgents during their year at war.

Instead, the 474 who will begin work in Iraq next month will save people — Americans, Iraqis and even enemy fighters — who are wounded in battle.

“You treat the injury, you don’t treat the person,” said Col. Dennis Doyle. “We’ll deal with nationality later.”

Even a terrorist kingpin could wind up first on the surgical table, if the wounds required it.

The doctors, nurses and medics from the 10th Combat Support Hospital have steeled themselves for the kinds of horror the Iraq war brings — burns, amputations and shrapnel wounds from roadside bombs that have virtually replaced bullets as the insurgent weapon of choice.

Capt. Robert Neff, a doctor in the unit, said a bomb blast can cause such massive injuries that speed is the key ingredient in medical care.

<http://www.gazette.com/war/1013war3.html>
(more at link above)

[TheMadMonk]

143. Do you mean all those missing dead soldiers?

Can't say I'm much of an HTML coder, but I can read it some.

And in the middle of the page source I found a long list of soldier's names that doesn't appear on the page itself, Many with links to an obituary.

Going to the nearest link (as determinbed from the source) I find a link to a "look up your dead soldier service" which will take you to the same obits.

Why is the list hidden now?

Maybe it just became too unweildy and was dropped? If so why not openly remove the list and replace it with an explanation?

Or maybe an order came down from on high to lose that depressingly long list of dead people, and if anyone wanted to look up their Johnny then they could do so by name using the search interface?

If the last, I applaud the integrity of the coders. First for leaving the list in for people like us to find and ask questions about, and secondly for putting no "required field" restrictions on the search interface, which means that by leaving all fields blank, it is possible to get all 61 pages (better than 1500 names) of 2-4 line obituarys.

Anyone care to make an archive of the list, just in case further orders come down to "Fix the problem!!!"?

[Up2Late]

164. Wow, no I didn't even see that, I was talking about another odd bit

I'll see if I can duplicate it and edit it in here in a minute or so.

[Up2Late]

167. O.K. here's the odd code, I ran out of time on the editing, so

(I had to do another reply. This is what I was going to edit in.)

Wow, no I didn't even see that, I was talking about another odd bit

I'll see if I can duplicate it and edit it in here in a minute or so.

O.K., here's the weird thing. I pasted the italic text below (but without the italic) into my post, but when I did a spell check on it, it comes up as it is in the Gray box below. I made Bold the parts that the spell check wouldn't let me highlight to copy, but the very strange part is the parts I have underlined or made bold (in the gray box, I also added the waving smiley guy so folks would see were the weirdness begins), the aren CYou CWe is the part that I've seen on other phony RW Propaganda websites (but it only shows up in the DU spell checker)

...the Colorado Springs Gazette .com!!! A "War in Iraq" page that is totally devoid of actual news! Below is the closest thing I could find on the page, and it's total BS too. But notice how it's written in short, easy to read, sentiences for all the * supporters who, "ain't to good at Readin'." I guess this is what * meant by "getting around 'the Filter'."

(Also for any Computer programmers, if you cut/paste text from this page and then use the spell checker on it, it reveals some strange code problems) Looks to be like the WH propaganda machine has taken over the "Red State" local media.

<http://www.gazette.com/war />

<http://www.gazette.com/war/1013war3.html >


Oct. 13, 2005
Sent to heal

By TOM ROEDER THE GAZETTE

The soldiers who said farewell to Fort Carson at a ceremony Wednesday aren’t intent on rooting out terrorists or killing insurgents during their year at war.

Instead, the 474 who will begin work in Iraq next month will save people — Americans, Iraqis and even enemy fighters — who are wounded in battle.

“You treat the injury, you don’t treat the person,” said Col. Dennis Doyle. “We’ll deal with nationality later.”

Even a terrorist kingpin could wind up first on the surgical table, if the wounds required it.

The doctors, nurses and medics from the 10th Combat Support Hospital have steeled themselves for the kinds of horror the Iraq war brings — burns, amputations and shrapnel wounds from roadside bombs that have virtually replaced bullets as the insurgent weapon of choice.

Capt. Robert Neff, a doctor in the unit, said a bomb blast can cause such massive injuries that speed is the key ingredient in medical care.

I'll see if I can duplicate it and edit it in here in a minute or so.

...the Colorado Springs Gazette .com!!! A "War in Iraq" page that is totally devoid of actual news! Below is the closest thing I could find on the page, and it's total BS too. But notice how it's written in short, easy to read, sentiences for all the * supporters who, "ain't to good at Readin'." I guess this is what * meant by "getting around 'the Filter'."

(Also for any Computer programmers, if you cut/paste text from this page and then use the spell checker on it, it reveals some strange code problems) Looks to be like the WH propaganda machine has taken over the "Red State" local media.

<http://www.gazette.com/war />

<http://www.gazette.com/war/1013war3.html >


Oct. 13, 2005
Sent to heal

By TOM ROEDER THE GAZETTE

The soldiers who said farewell to Fort Carson at a ceremony Wednesday :hi:aren CYou CWell see if I can duplicate it and edit it in here in a minute or so.

...the Colorado Springs Gazette .com!!! A "War in Iraq" page that is totally devoid of actual news! Below is the closest thing I could find on the page, and it's total BS too. But notice how it's written in short, easy to read, sentiences for all the * supporters who, "ain't to good at Readin'." I guess this is what * meant by "getting around 'the Filter'."

(Also for any Computer programmers, if you cut/paste text from this page and then use the spell checker on it, it reveals some strange code problems) Looks to be like the WH propaganda machine has taken over the "Red State" local media.

<http://www.gazette.com/war />

<http://www.gazette.com/war/1013war3.html >


Oct. 13, 2005
Sent to heal

By TOM ROEDER THE GAZETTE

The soldiers who said farewell to Fort Carson at a ceremony Wednesday aren’t intent on rooting out terrorists or killing insurgents during their year at war.

Instead, the 474 who will begin work in Iraq next month will save people — Americans, Iraqis and even enemy fighters — who are wounded in battle.

“You treat the injury, you don’t treat the person,” said Col. Dennis Doyle. “We’ll deal with nationality later.”

Even a terrorist kingpin could wind up first on the surgical table, if the wounds required it.

The doctors, nurses and medics from the 10th Combat Support Hospital have steeled themselves for the kinds of horror the Iraq war brings — burns, amputations and shrapnel wounds from roadside bombs that have virtually replaced bullets as the insurgent weapon of choice.

Capt. Robert Neff, a doctor in the unit, said a bomb blast can cause such massive injuries that speed is the key ingredient in medical care.

(BTW, it just happened again when I went to spell check this post too)

[TheMadMonk]

175. O.K. sorted. It's Unicode and smart quote related.

So long as you include a few letters before the smart close single quote Alt+0146 and after the smart open double quote Alt+0147 weird things happen. The only possible conspiracy here is loyalty to that Great Icon of Corporate Amurika, Micro$oft.

Test sentence ---> Ain’t this a funny “crock of shite”

Try copying and pasting the above text (all of it from "so" to "”" and see what happens when you spell check it. (And you thought "CYou CWe" was screwy.)

Next question. Can you dupe it in other browsers?

My suspiscion is the problem lies within the DU spellchecker.

OMG. :tinfoilhat: It's a DU conspiracy to destroy smart quotes. :tinfoilhat:

[Up2Late]

168. I think I found what you are talking about (the Dead Soldier list)...

...but I'm not sure, you wrote,

"...And in the middle of the page source I found a long list of soldier's names that doesn't appear on the page itself, Many with links to an obituary.

Going to the nearest link (as determinbed from the source) I find a link to a "look up your dead soldier service" which will take you to the same obits...."

Can you copy and paste the link or the odd html code into a reply? Or just try to re-type the link into a reply, I'd like to see this page you are talking about.

Below are two links that I found, are these them?

<http://www.legacy.com/gazette/Soldiers.asp>

<http://www.legacy.com/gazette/LegacyHome.asp>

[TheMadMonk]

172. The First one. But on closer inspection....

it (the redacted chunk) looks mostly like sloppy coding. Whatever other sins this paper might be guilty of, it's doing at least that much right by your men in uniform. There appears to be no great effort to hide the numbers from the public. Two clicks, gets you the full list from there.

As for your curriosity. :shrug: I guess the first question is what's your browser? In the past I have noticed that Opera chokes a bit on unusual constructs, such as nested links. Beyond that? Buggered if I know.

[Up2Late]

173. I use FireFox 1.0.7

And that sort of odd problem only seems to show up on these questionable, possibly government propaganda "enhanced" news sites.

What I'm thinking is that all the content that does this, might come from the same massive computer, and it could almost serve as a red flashing light to the bogus content.

[skooooo]

122. I hope "Mainstream" media investigates this and covers it...

...Maybe we need to TELL them we want to know what is behind this bullshit!

[mymomwasright]

123. Not surprising considering......

JDNEWS is the paper in Jacksonville, NC. It's a military town. Glad to see it uncovered.:nuke:

[Roland99]

126. Pathetic. Simply pathetic. Give it up, Freepers. Your time is up.

[cloud_chaser1]

128. THIS CONFIRMS WHAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING......

Republicans, even the allegedly educated kind, are nothing more than lemmings. What one does, the others follow along.

The amazing thing is that for so long, Republicans, in their newspapers have claimed that Democrats dont have any new ideas or solutions to problems. They must be kidding. These clowns think alike and probably dress alike and believe that Barbara Bush is their mother too.

My God, this is bizarre.

:grouphug:

[hiabrill]

139. And Barbara Bush is a racist bigot.......

.... and you can image what her offspring lemmings have become.....

This Anti-ethical behavior and propaganda happens all the time. How else did the Bush Admin push for war with blatant LIES, which were supported by most of our national papers.

It is legal, hence we can do absolutely nothing about it, except publish counter articles and rebuttals to everything they say. That's why we have Democratic Senators and Reps. to give a voice to the "otherside"..

There needs to be more Left-wing media outlets....... Right-wing papers will reflect right-wing views, period. You can't fight it and win.


I believe we should be using the Blogsphere to get our views heard. It's actually started and I want it to grow.

The Blogsphere will become the principal news outlet of the future, I hope all the damn major right-wing papers go bust...!!!

[mcg]

130. Freedom Communications, Inc. holdings, web site

What Freedom Communications, Inc. owns:
http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/freedom.asp

("The Lima News - Lima" is one of the stations owned)

Propaganda central:
http://www.freedom.com/
Notice the wording "Self-Responsibility". My take on this is that it is
code-speak for "Am I my brother's keeper?" and "Don't help the poor."

Who owns this company?

[ClintonTyree]

142. What a crock of shit......

I glad they don't serve the New Orleans community, I don't think NOLA could take it! Yep, screwing over the workers that are rebuilding the gulf coast is a great way to be "the indispensable partner in growth and vitality of every community we serve". :puke:

As long as it puts more money in THEIR pockets and less in the working man's, they're fine with it. Please, spare me the fucking horse-shit of being an indispensable partner in the community. They're only in it to line their pockets, just like every god damned garden variety Republican. They're no better.

[TheMadMonk]

145. Ultimately it would appear the Carlyle Group

Has their fingers very much in the pie.

See post http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5123349#5132154">#89

[cosmicdot]

153. "who owns this company?" - good question

the link provided at post #64 says this:

Southern California is the real cradle of Freedom. Media conglomerate Freedom Communications owns more than two dozen daily newspapers, including "The Gazette" in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the company's flagship, Santa Ana, California's "Orange County Register," with a circulation of about 360,000. In addition, the company owns 37 weekly papers and eight television stations (five CBS and three ABC affiliates). Freedom Communications also operates a number of Web sites, which range from online versions of its printed properties to regional information guides. The family of founder R. C. Hoiles owns 60% of the company. Blackstone Communications Partners and Providence Equity Partners owns the remaining 40%.

Who is Blackstone Communications Partners and Providence Equity Partners?

Apparently, this Blackstone is part of the Blackstone Group often deemed as the Carlyle Group's mirror entity. They both began doing 'business' virtually the same time in 1985.

(My conjecture is that this is how Poppy used the White House for 4 years: setting up business networks. No wonder he wasn't familiar with scanning items at store check outs).

Nixon's Secty of Commerce Peter G. Peterson headed up Blackstone, while Reagan's Secty of Defense Frank Carlucci headed up Carlyle.

~snip~ "About The Blackstone Group -- Blackstone is one of the largest and most successful private equity investment firms and over the last 15 years has invested over $7.0 billion of equity in 70 transactions. Over two-thirds of investments by Blackstone Communications Partners and Blackstone Capital Partners have been made in partnership with corporations or families."

http://www.freedom.com/company/archive_101403.html

What about those SEC links in post #89: Source Media, Inc.
-->Freedom-->Insight-->Carlyle? Missing link details down the rabbit hole?

Carlyle has teamed with Providence Equity to buy Dutch cable TV operator, Casema.

We may wake up one morning to one cable company:
The BFEE Network ...
and, one world-wide editorial:

the Bu$hies score ultimate retribution and retaliation for business lost under the Trading with The Enemy Act. Now own all thought outlets.

Now, if Congress would only require private equity investment firms like Blackstone and Carlyle to provide visibility re their investors ..........

[rumpel]

144. I send this post to Henry Waxman. If there is something behind this he

will find it.

[FighttheFuture]

150. Lib vs. Con news: The NYT woud have rewritten it under Miller's byline...

See the difference?! Liberal media my ass. Thank God, er Gore, for the Internet!

[kentuck]

151. Sean Paige, Colorado Springs Gazette, reportedly wrote the article..

He formerly worked with the Alan Keyes for President campaign.
According to a brief biographical profile supplied to the National Journalism Center Paige attended a course in summer 1988 and has subsequently been "editorial page editor, Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, reporter, Insight, editor, WasteWatch (DC), staff assistant for communications, White House, analyst, Media Research Center, Warren Brookes fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute, director of press relations, Citizens Against Government Waste, press assistant, Representative Robert Lagomarsino, press secretary, Keyes for Senate, published in Chicago Tribune ,Wall Street Journal, the Weekly Standard, Washington Times".
========================================================

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sean_Paige
http://www.csindy.com/csindy/2002-07-25/publiceye.html
http://www.soapblox.net/colorado/frontPage.do
http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2005/10/esp-wonder-newspapers-channel-bush.asp
http://www.cjrdaily.org/archives/001937.asp

[spanone]

152. Kick & Nominate I grew up believing this only went on in USSR. Commies.

Now were the commies.

[depakid]

154. The echo chamber

One has to admit, the far right has done an impressive job putting togther its propaganda netwroks, all the while convincing a large segment of society that "the liberal media" is out to get Republicans.

Some day, a historian will write an excellent book on the process, and the role it played in the fall of the American republic.

[kevinbgoode]

169. One needs to be doing something about this NOW

This just keeps steamrolling - they have no respect for freedom of the press - to them, freedom means that ownership grants exclusive rights to propaganda. And it is obvious they have no moral compass when it comes to professional ethics. This is the very reason why every one of these newspapers should not only have letters sent by the nearest DU member (and then NAG the paper if they aren't published) - and every other regional media outlet not owned by this group should be notified.

We need to locate every newspaper that carried this - believe me, I'll not be afraid to make phone calls to state press associations about this conduct.

[cosmicdot]

156. Makes me think of the Leadership Institute ...

wondering where all its $50 2-day graduates are working throughout corporate media world ...

that's how Jeff Gannon-Guckert became a 'journalist'

Who are they? Where are they?

... and, they're producing new ones on-going ...

Upcoming Leadership Institute Training
October 29 Grassroots Activist School (One Day) Cleveland, OH
November 1 - 4 Capitol Hill Staff Training School (evenings) Arlington, VA
November 4 Effective TV Techniques Workshop 1 Arlington, VA
November 4 Effective TV Techniques Workshop 2 Arlington, VA
November 5 Capitol Hill Writing School Arlington, VA
November 5 - 6 Broadcast Journalism School Arlington, VA
November 5 - 6 Grassroots Campaign School Cook County, IL
November 5 Grassroots Activist School Lacrosse, WI Lacrosse, WI
November 12 Grassroots Activist School Hudson, WI Hudson, WI

http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/02TRAINING/001BJS/001BJS.cfm
http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/?CFID=146266&CFTOKEN=92969519

[tiedye]

160. It goes both ways

I just sent an "editorial" in which I cut and pasted a few bullet talking points about the Bush Budget cuts that will kill medicaid and other important social programs. I didn't use anyone's personal story and claim it to be my own, but this editorial producing web-site walked me through the whole process. I felt informed and felt it was the best way to pass on info to the mainstream.

I thought it was a great idea. It was moveon or truthout or something like that.

Hey, have any of you seen the Tom Delay mug T-shirts for sale? I want one.

[Silverhair]

163. Self delete

[GetTheRightVote]

166. Media controlled by Repub progan/spin factories, it is just sickening

:kick:

[stepnw1f]

170. BUSTED!

I saw this happen with another article a wek ago. Wish I had kept the article and it's brethren with links. I guess I wasn't imagining things. Good one DU!

:toast:

[Hubert Flottz]

171. Time to mass email Keith Obermann.

He will love this!