Blue Spot

Real Clear Politics - News - Elections 2008 - Opinion - Commentary - TIME

From a study by
the Project for Excellence in Journalism:

• MSNBC stood out for having less negative coverage of Obama than the press generally (14% of stories vs. 29% in the press overall) and for having more negative stories about McCain (73% of its coverage vs. 57% in the press overall).
• On Fox News, in contrast, coverage of Obama was more negative than the norm (40% of stories vs. 29% overall) and less positive (25% of stories vs. 36% generally). For McCain, the news channel was somewhat more positive (22% vs. 14% in the press overall) and substantially less negative (40% vs. 57% in the press overall). Yet even here, his negative stories outweighed positive ones by almost 2 to 1.
• CNN fell distinctly in the middle of the three cable channels when it came to tone. In general, the tone of its coverage was closer than any other cable news channel to the press overall, though also somewhat more negative than the media overall.
• The distinct tone of MSNBC—more positive toward Democrats and more toward Republicans—was not reflected in the coverage of its broadcast sibling, NBC News. Even though it has correspondents appear on their cable shows and even anchor some programs on there, the broadcast channel showed no such ideological tilt. Indeed, NBC's coverage of Palin was the most positive of any TV organization studied, including Fox News.
• At night, the newscasts of the three traditional broadcast networks stood out for being more neutral—and also less negative—than most other news outlets. The morning shows of the networks, by contrast, more closely resembled the media generally in tone. That might surprise some who imagined those morning programs were somehow easier on political figures. Overall, 44% of the morning show stories were clearly negative, compared with 34% on the nightly news and 42% in the press overall.

Just as I've been saying for months, we now have two major 24 hour cable "news" networks that are devoting most of their coverage to opinion (and a third not too far behind). MSNBC has become the left-wing version of Fox News Channel. This can't be to good for the country and can't possibly help Barack Obama with his promise to bring the country together. With the two networks feeding partisan vitriol to millions of listeners from both sides of the ideological spectrum, they are helping to perpetuate a culture of permanent campaigns causing even more extreme discourse and a more cynical populous.

Even pro-Obama media has noticed and criticized the left-wing turn that became very evident earlier this year. TNR writer, Isaac Chotiner, slammed the network back in May in a article titled, "Dangerous Liaison."

...the network's coverage has helped create a bubble around Obama supporters that in the end is neither healthy nor desirable.

The problem here is that when supposedly "straight" news anchors phrase questions in leading ways, and report one campaign's spin as if it were fact, it distorts what is actually going on in the campaign--even for those of us who make a living obsessing over and writing about politics. And when anchormen themselves shill for Obama, the distinction between his talking points and the truth grows even blurrier still. So, as much as I find MSNBC entertaining, their creation of a parallel, pro-Obama universe is the type of thing I'd expect of Fox. That's when I know it's time to change the channel.

Hopefully, the more open minded, perceptive Americans will reject this perpetual bickering and call for a new network that employs actual journalsts and gives you the facts while leaving the spin for the noise networks. CNN should get credit for attempting to accomplish this, but until they decide to stop featuring party operatives and partisan activists like Donna Brazile, Roland Martin or William Bennett, they fall way short.

The traditional news broadcasts still get better ratings because most people with common sense still value fairness, and not that they're perfect but, I know Brian Williams is going to be more fair and less obnoxious than Keith Olbermann. I have no desire to watch a network that only gives you news that is custom made to my ideologic makeup. And I hope America still wants to be challenged (not ridiculed) and resists becoming even larger herds of conservative and liberal sheep.

Labels: Bill O'Reilly, Fox propaganda, Media bias, MSNC, Olbermann

FT.com / In depth - Murdoch brokers Obama ‘truce’

Rupert Murdoch brokered a “tentative truce” between his Fox News network and Barack Obama at a secret meeting with the Democratic presidential nominee, accor­ding to the author of a book on the News Corp chairman.

Fox News is seen by the Obama campaign as among its most hostile critics. Mr Obama initially rebuffed efforts by the Kennedy family to secure a meeting with News Corp executives, Michael Wolff writes in the current issue of Vanity Fair.

However, Mr Obama agreed this summer to meet Mr Murdoch and Roger Ailes, president of the Fox News Channel, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.

While the senator for Illinois was “deferential” towards Mr Murdoch, who also owns the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, he “lit into” Mr Ailes, Mr Wolff reports.

“He said that he didn’t want to waste his time talking to Ailes if Fox was just going to continue to abuse him and his wife, that Fox had relentlessly portrayed him as suspicious, foreign, fearsome – just short of a terrorist,” the report states.

Mr Ailes responded that Fox’s coverage might have been more favourable had Mr Obama been more willing to appear on its programmes. The three men agreed upon “a tentative truce”, Mr Wolff writes.

Nick Shapiro, Obama campaign spokesman, said: “They had an open and frank conversation where they got the opportunity to clear the air.”

Fox News has been accused of below-the-belt coverage of Mr Obama this year. One news segment asked whether a fist-bump greeting between Barack and Michelle Obama – a gesture commonly used by American athletes – was a “terrorist fist-jab”. The network also referred to Michelle Obama as Obama’s “baby mama”, slang that refers to a mother who never married her child’s father.

A News Corp spokeswoman would not comment on the report. One person at News Corp challenged its subsequent assertion that Mr Murdoch was becoming “embarrassed” by Fox’s strident rightwing positioning as “going a little far”.

Labels: Fox News, Fox propaganda, Murdoch, Obama, Obama critics

Netroots Try to Label Fox News as Opinion - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog

It may be the blogosphere’s equivalent of the scarlet letter, and the organizers of Netroots Nation, a gathering of liberal bloggers that is taking place this week, say they will be more than happy to pin it on Fox News.

Planners of the conference want to force representatives of the cable news network to wear credentials identifying them as opinion media rather than providing them with the regular press passes other news outlets will receive.

“Fox News calls itself fair and balanced, but it’s not,” Josh Orton, political director for Netroots said in an interview. He accused the network, which is popular among conservatives, of misrepresenting itself.
The Netroots, however, may not get their way.

A spokeswoman for Fox News said the network would not be sending anyone to cover the four-day conference that kicked off in Austin, Texas, on Thursday.

But if anyone from the network shows up, Mr. Orton said they would have to wear a press pass with the words “Opinion Media” printed on it. The credential would not restrict Fox’s ability to cover the conference, but Mr. Orton said that journalists from other media organizations like Air America, the liberal radio network, and the National Review, a conservative journal, would receive regular credentials. The difference, Mr. Orton said, is that those outlets are “explicitly progressive or explicitly conservative. They don’t have a branding problem.”

Fox News has long been a lightning rod for liberal criticism, especially in the opinion-charged world of blogs, and the move by organizers to, as they put it, re-brand Fox News is just another sign of continuing friction. The idea to label Fox journalists as opinion media is, in fact, not a new one. It’s been tossed around on blogs, and MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann also floated the idea on his show last summer.

I totally agree with this, but while we're at it, can we give the same "opinion media" passes to Keith Olbermann and Chris Mathews?

Labels: Fox propaganda, Media, Media bias, Netroots, Olbermann

Labels: Fox propaganda, Media, Netroots, Obama, Obama supporters

Last night, in reference to our nation's homeless veterans, Bill O'Reilly said: “They may be out there, but there’s not many of them out there. Okay? … If you know where there's a veteran sleeping under a bridge, you call me immediately, and we will make sure that man does not do it.”

He raises an important issue. Unfortunately, he got the facts wrong.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, almost 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night in America, accounting for about one-third of the adult homeless population.

Sign the open letter to Bill O'Reilly, and urge him to set the record straight.

Labels: Bill O'Reilly, Fox propaganda, Veterans

Suit: News Corp. sought to protect Giuliani - The New York Times- msnbc.com

Judith Regan, the book publisher who was fired by the News Corporation last year, asserts in a lawsuit filed today that a senior executive at the media conglomerate encouraged her to mislead federal investigators about her relationship with Bernard B. Kerik during his bid to become homeland security secretary in late 2004.

The lawsuit asserts that the News Corporation executive wanted to protect the presidential aspirations of former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Kerik’s mentor, who had appointed him New York City police commissioner and had recommended him for the federal post.

Ms. Regan makes the charge at the start of a 70-page filing that seeks $100 million in damages for what she says was a campaign to smear and discredit her by her bosses at HarperCollins and its parent company, the News Corporation, after her project to publish a book with O.J. Simpson was abandoned amid a storm of protest.

Wow! We all know that News Corp was never really credible but now it turns out that some in their company may be criminals. We now know at the very least that either Regan or News Corp are lying. I personally don't trust either party.

As for Giuliani, I just can't wait for somebody on a national level to start breaking down the myth that he was such a great mayor pre-9-11. His approval rating was plunging. He was very divisive, with an almost bigoted approach toward minority leaders and ran the city with a very authoritarian style. He was just about to get run out of town before 9-11.

Labels: Fox propaganda, Giuliani, Kerik, Media

Labels: Fox propaganda, Kos

Rupert Murdoch's Big Bet - MSN Money

Rupert Murdoch got his trophy.

After weeks of back and forth, it looks like Murdoch's News Corp. (NWS, news, msgs) has succeeded in a years-long quest to buy the parent of The Wall Street Journal.

"The Bancroft family has accepted," John Prestbo, editor and executive director of Dow Jones Indexes, told reporters earlier today in Chicago. Dow Jones (DJ, news, msgs) "will be part of News Corp.," Prestbo said.

Murdoch now has enough support from reluctant Bancroft family members to make the deal happen, The Journal reported today.

Labels: Financial, Fox propaganda, Murdoch

Several DJ & Wall St. Journal employees lined up outside the Dow Jones headquarters at the World Financial Center today to sign a painting of Rupert Murdoch in protest of his bid to buy the Dow Jones. The painting was done by a local artist named Geoff Raymond and is entitled "The Annotated Murdoch." It is currently for sale now on E-bay. The count at the time of this post was approximately 28 annotations, one of them reading "News is Sacred."

Labels: Financial, Fox propaganda, Murdoch

Rupert Murdochs New York Post Slammed for Anti-Gay Cartoons

Although the Post's anti-gay cartoons appear shocking and offensive to many, this is not a surprise. The paper is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, head of the News Corp. behemoth, which owns conservative outlets such as FOX and hundreds of others across seven distribution categories.

The board of Dow Jones now supports Murdoch's $5-billion takeover of Dow Jones, which owns The Wall Street Journal. The deal now is in the hands of the Bancroft family, which controls 64 percent of the shareholder vote.

Murdoch-owned FOX streamlines bias on a regular basis and uses Murdoch's bully pulpit to advance his political agenda, which includes donating money to dismantle affirmative action. (See also: Do They All Look Alike? FOX News Shows Wrong Black Congressman Indicted and Who Is Paying to End Affirmative Action?)

Prior to Murdoch's purchase of the Post, it had been viewed as a politically liberal publication. That changed during the "Murdoch years." Murdoch purchased the Post in 1976 but was forced to sell it in 1988 in accordance with federal regulations limiting media ownership. Political friends orchestrated a buy-back in 1993 that granted Murdoch a waiver from the cross-ownership rules.

Labels: Financial, Fox propaganda, Media

Media: The Netroots Responds

On Monday night, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly aired a segment full of misleading, inaccurate claims attacking the upcoming YearlyKos blogger convention, its namesake DailyKos, and one of the event's sponsors, JetBlue. In his "report," O'Reilly cherry-picked an extreme minority of reader comments and diaries from the hundreds of thousands on DailyKos, claiming them to be representative of the community website and the greater netroots movement that will be gathering in Chicago from Aug. 2-5, 2007 for the progressive convention. Calling the netroots "the radical left" and DailyKos "hatemongerers" like "the Ku Klux Klan" and "the Nazi Party," O'Reilly compared YearlyKos to "a David Duke convention," calling it "one of the worst examples of hatred America has to offer." O'Reilly's segment, which has been latched onto by his ideological allies in the conservative blogosphere, is an attempt to discredit a movement that "each day" is having "more impact" on America's political discourse while "helping to renew our democracy." O'Reilly's pre-emptive attack on the convention is a testament to the fact that the netroots are not a "nutroots" fringe movement as critics would like to characterize it, but rather a snapshot of energized progressive activists agitating for change in America.

MYTH OF THE 'CRUDE,' 'ANGRY,' 'CRASS' FRINGE: The shoddy journalism of O'Reilly's YearlyKos hit piece is not the first time the progressive blogosphere has been the target of disingenuous attacks labeling it "the radical left." After several Democratic presidential candidates backed out of Fox News's debates due to the news channel's ideological bent, O'Reilly attacked the grassroots activists who agitated for the pullout, calling them a "radical movement" that uses "propaganda techniques perfected by Dr. Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi minister of information." Searching through two years of Washington Post articles, media writer Eric Boehlert could find just one profile of a progressive blogger. The article -- "The Left, Online and Outraged" -- portrays My Left Wing blogger Maryscott O'Conner as "a Bush-hating lunatic," using such key phrases as "angry," "rage," "fury," "angriest," "outrage," "crude," "loud," "crass," "inflammatory,""attack." As Boehlert notes, the Post's profile of prominent conservative blogger Michelle Malkin was "a Valentine's Day week mash note, presenting Malkin as a pugnacious, on-the-rise pundit who has her liberal critics up in arms." In reality though, the image of progressive bloggers as "unhinged," as Malkin describes them, is just a myth. The make up and politics of the netroots are actually quite mainstream.

By the way, here are some comments from Michelle Malkin's site:
On July 16th, 2007 at 6:23 pm, CruisersChicklet said:
Can’t you just see a Dem sleepover? Playing “Light As A Feather, Stiff As A Board” while Teddy-boy tries to steal bras to soak and then put in the freezer.. ugh!

On July 16th, 2007 at 6:24 pm, Rick Moran said:
I will tell you what is absolutely pathetically ironic about this.
Yeah, Reid is a grandstanding moron with the brains of a marmoset and the ethics of a hamstser. But this all nighter he’s planning proves a very important point.

On July 12th, 2007 at 10:41 am, freaksloan said:
Mr. Boehner is being too nice. Put a mic in front of me, and let me tell you what I think about these Rino’s. Mr. Voinovich here is Ohio is a total moron and doesn’t have the mental capacity to understand the threat we are under. If I ever come face to face with this Ohio Rino he will get more than just being called a Wimp.

On July 12th, 2007 at 2:02 pm, johnv40 said:
When is that old gasbag Helen Thomas going to retire? David Gregory is a disrespectful S.O.B

On July 18th, 2007 at 8:50 am, Independent Conservative said:
In addition to prosecuting and deporting criminal illegal aliens, several measures have to be taken to ensure the security of this nation:

1 - Put a limit on all kinds of visas. Entrance to the U.S.A. must be controlled. Legal Immigration shouldn’t be as easy as it is right now.
2 - Visas shouldn’t be easily granted to Muslims. And better if they weren’t granted at all. Let’s be blunt here. Yes, the State Department with the help of the FBI/CIA can find out who is Muslim and who is not.
3 - All borders must be completely sealed.
4 - The Muslims living in this country have to be monitored and investigated, all of them.

From Little Green Footballs:
itellu3times 7/18/2007 11:41:57 am PDT reply quote
re: #64 00buckshot

Chelseal Clinton asked if, as an American fighting man, anything scared him.
He told her there were only three things he feared:
1) Osama
2) Obama
3) Yo Mama

From Powerline:
Posted: 15 July 2007 06:47 PM [ ] [ # 22 ]
B. Goldwater

Total Posts: 2948
Joined 2007-03-24 Q. What’s the difference between Michael Moore and a one ton CARE package?
A. Michael Moore, if sliced real thin, can feed a larger Afghan village.

Signature
Muslim jihadists, posing as American libs and dems use web forums in a weak attempt to sow hatred and dissent amongst us Nanat sag suk mizaneh!

“To ERR is human, to FORGIVE divine. HOWEVER, neither is Marine Corps Policy.”


Well...that's all I could find in five minutes, but you get the point.

Labels: Fox propaganda, Netroots, YearlyKos

A look back at the pre-war media that enabled the administration to go to war.

Labels: Fox propaganda, GOP Hypocrisy, Iraq War, Media

Bill Moyers on the Wall St. Journal purchase and the Rupert Murdoch empire.

Labels: Fox propaganda, Media

Looks like even Chris' dad thinks he's a sell out. Mike asks Chris to give his answer to the accusation, but why would he even bring it up if he didn't believe it?

Labels: Fox propaganda, Journalists, Media

In response to a question on "FOX News Sunday" yesterday about George Tenet's accusation that Bush administration neocons (Cheney, Perle, Feith) were pushing hard for war with Iraq despite Saddam having no links whatsoever to 9/11, Bill Kristol invoked Bill Clinton and said Tenet was not only a "mediocre" DCI, but also a "crybaby."



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Labels: Fox propaganda, GOP Hypocrisy

Bill Moyers on how the media enabled the Bush administration's case for war.

Labels: 9-11, Dissent, Fox propaganda, Iraq War, Journalists, Media

Fox News Obituary Trashes Kurt Vonnegut a day after his death.

Labels: Fox propaganda

Here's BillO losing his cool again. This guy really needs some Anger Management training.

Labels: Fox propaganda

Can anyone argue with a straight face that FOX doesn't engage in pure agenda journalism? Bill knew exactly who Wright was and had the intention of painting her as an America-hating kook the entire time.



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Labels: Fox propaganda