Do you Blame the Media?

[dennis4868]

Do you blame the media for this election being so close right now? Do you instead blame Kerry, or the DLC, or the spineless dems in congress?

I think the media deserves all the blame!


Can you imagine if the media was well informed? Do you believe that Bush would even be polling 30% right now if the public was adequately informed about:

1. Bush's lies/exxagerations re: the threat from Saddam pre-Iraq war?;

2. Bush's lies re: Saddam/911/al Qaeda connection;

3. Billions of dollars being transferred from Aghanistan to Iraq without congressional approval (there is this document called the constitution that says this is not permitted);

4. Taking our most important resources out of Aghanistan when Bin Laden was cornered in;

5. Outing Valerie Plame;

6. Bush's outright lies regarding the environment (not to mention the lies about the air quality in NYC after 911);

7. Lies to congress regarding the medicare bill;

8. Not taking pre-911 threats seriously and cutting the counter-terrorism budget after Clinton worked so hard to get it doubled;

9. Bush wasting over 20 minutes after hearing about the second plane crashing into the world trade center;

10. Tortue in Iraq after Bush announces that international law does not apply to the USA;

11. The army war college's report and many Reagan and Bush I senior counter-terrorism officials coming out saying that the war in Iraq is a major distration in fighting the war on terrorism;

I HAVE ALOT TO ADD TO THIS LIST...SOME IS EVEN MORE HORRIBLE THAN WHAT I HAVE ALREADY LISTED ABOVE.

My point is, how in the world could anyone, if they were truly informed by the "liberal" media about the Bush administration actions over the last 3 1/2 years, vote for Bush?

The media will sometimes flat out ignore a Bush scandal or give it 5 minutes of their time and then they move on....Joh Dean said that in order for a scandal to have legs the media must give it its legs.

The media is ignoring all the horrible actions of the Bush administration and therefore so many people will be voting in November as an uninformed voter. I believe the media plans it this way and they are succeeding big time.

There are many thoeries why the media acts the way they do. But I believe that if we had an objective, truly independent mainstreem media, Kerry would have a 70-25 lead right (or even better, Bush would be impeached....thre media used to hold this country's leaders accountable for the bad things they do to this country. I am sure they will be back to hard hitting reporting if and when a Dem gets back into Gore's house!

My wife jokingly asked me today if I thought if Kerry does somehow win the election if the media would demand that he be impeached because he authorized Bush to go into Iraq and start an illegal war. At first I laughed, but then I thought, well maybe...you never know. If someone could get impeach over a BJ, then anything goes if you are a dem living in the WH.

So is the media to blame for this close race or is it a combination of things?

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. I blame the Media! CNN started "Blowing Bush's" weiner in November 1998

They talked about how the "charasmatic" son of the former President Bush would like to be President someday.

I remember they had a piece on him right before Thanksgiving 98'.

Ever since then, the media have been whoring for the war criminal.

[Cookie wookie]

5. I remember that even before Clinton

was first inaugurated, the media was talking about his "failed presidency."

Then when Clinton made the mistake of signing the 1996 Telecommunications Act, well that was the death knoll for the media as the 4th estate because of consolidation and corporatization that ensued.

[underseasurveyor]

8. You bet he is

The Dim-son is a complete media creation.

Back to the question at hand: But yer damn right I blame the media most of all. If they weren't in each others back pockets these politicians & Corporations wouldn't be getting away with HALF the shit they've gotten away with so far! And there would be far far fewer dead people around the world too!

[salinen]

2. Media = Enemy no. 1

[Cookie wookie]

3. Absolutely yes,

I do blame the media. What I wonder is what we can do about it. The media now is nothing more than marketing and public relations staff for the corporations and the politicians that serve them. With few exceptions they are not journalists. One thing I see happening is that we the people are creating our own media sources. I come to DU to look for photos, actual counts of attendees, and first-hand reports of events from around the country. It seems as if an organic movement is taking place where we are forming our own media brigade stationed around the country.

Once we get power back in Congress and the White House then we can work to have the kind of strong regulation of the media so that we can get real fair and balanced news from lots of sources again. Kerry has already said he's going to work on this.

[dennis4868]

4. but do you put....

all the blame on the media? This election should not be close....there is a reason for that.

[KittyWampus]

6. The Election Is Close BECAUSE OF THE MEDIA

and yes, I put all the blame on them.

[Cookie wookie]

10. Like you said

If the media was telling the truth about bush and his henchmen, and doing real journalism instead of their right-wing fascist propaganda then only the most rabid antisocial types (hate gays, hate women's rights, hate blacks, hate intellectuals, hate education, hate science, etc) could possibly vote for him, and maybe that's 25-30% of the population in the us.

[dennis4868]

11. totally agree....

Kerry would not have to campiagn half the time his lead would be so huge....but really Bush may have already been impeached for pulling all the crap he has the past 3 1/2 years. These guys have committed some very serious crimes, violations of the constitution, and lies that have to led to thousands of deaths....

[KharmaTrain]

35. It's Time To Create Parallel Media

That's what led to the inundation of "mainstream media" by the right. Look at how the GOOP through various "institutes" and friendly broadcaters/donors/benefactors created the conditions that enabled them to ram through the '96 broadcast deregs and vitually squash both local broadcasting and any viable competition.

But they started small...a couple stations here (also a ton of religious stations) and took over from within. Wiping a pen that return broadcasting to 1995 isn't going to change a thing...a vast movement of creating alternative broadcast and other media outlets (working cooperatively) has to come into being first. Maybe we're witnessing that with DU. But from my recent experiences, I can say few even understand this concept, yet have creative ideas and the financial resources to really solve this problem.

Cheers!

[QERTY]

7. Although the media is complicit...

...it is the American people who are truly to blame. I've been easily able to find what I consider to be the truth through various media. You have been able to as well. Even Faux News Channel reports the basic facts before downplaying them.
Corporate media is filling what they perceive as a market demand and they also pursue their own selfish agendas. I may view them as evil and unpatriotic but that is immaterial. In spite of media conglomeration, it is not hard to find unbiased truth out there.
No, it is not media's fault that 49% of Americans think Bush is great, it is their fault. A democracy thrives on an informed populace and dies with a dimwitted one. Although much of the media appears to be cheerleading for Bush, it is the fools that eat it up that are to blame. And religion.

[dennis4868]

9. I partly agree with you....

but there was a time when you could turn on TV news and believe it...and know you were getting all the facts (e.g.,Walter Cronkite) and the media would not give any attention to complete BS (e.g.,Swift Boat Vets for Bush).

So what I am getting at is that many people believe what they see and read because once upon a time they could believe....they just dont know that they no longer cannot trust the meinstreem media any longer.

[Cookie wookie]

17. That once upon a time . . .

real journalists were what made everything work and held everyone accountable not just here but around the world people relied on our journalists as well as their own. What would have happened to Gandhi if it hadn't been for the media reporting around the world and forcing the British to be held accountable.

The average IQ is 100. Our founders were concerned that the masses wouldn't be able to discern the truth or have the native intellectual ability to make the right decisions. I imagine that might be one of the reasons they went to such great lengths to set up our government with so many checks and balances and to emphasize the vital importance of the 4th estate.

It is leaders who control the masses always.

And If our media does not serve democracy, then the masses won't either and won't even know better. Look at countries like the USSR. From the revolution in 1917 until the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 -- 72 years, the masses in Russia stayed in their mean little totally controlled lives. Even now they talk of going back into them.

[Only Me]

12. YES! YES! and YES!!!!! Totally. This is why I don't watch any of them.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

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

[wurzel]

15. That anyone is "playing" this media is a myth.

Rove isn't that smart. He just feeds a media that does what it is told to do. The idea that he "plays" this media is a cover. The media can run or ignore anything it wants to. And there is nothing Kerry or any other Dem can do about it. The "Pussies are the Dems who refuse to confront this media head on like Howard Dean did Bush. And look what the media did to him!

[nolabels]

23. Playing cat and mouse is so fun!

http://www.pixie-bob.info/fiches_francais/etalon.htm

Truth be told, Rove is a puppet on a string, he just don't understand how. I am optimistic, feels like the critical mass was met quite awhile back and we still have a couple months left. I am expecting many more heavy coats of shellac from the corporate media.


http://www.cbrproducts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=2-GSCL1&Category_Code=Strippers&Product_Count=7

[KittyWampus]

16. Yeah, That Kerry Should Have A Magic Wand...

actually, Kerry IS playing the media... but too many DU'ers are so obsessed with having Kerry fight LOUD rather than SMART they can't see what he's doing.

[wurzel]

14. It started with Saint Walter Cronkite.

Who night after night while Carter was President, numbered the days the Iraq hostages were in captivity. After Reagan was elected there were still hostages taken which Cronkite never mentioned again. Once the Republicans saw the power and impact of this they corrupted the media to protect Reagan as he became more ill. They kept "White Water alive for years and then led the rush to impeach Clinton. Promoted Bush while destroying Gore. Now we have the Rove inspired drum beat against Kerry. Dems better understand that the media is their most important enemy, regardless of who occupies the White House.

[mbali]

18. ? Walter Cronkite retired in March 1981 - 6 weeks into Reagan's term

Are you thinking of someone else? Ted Koppel, perhaps?

Cronkite has been pretty hard of Bush and the Republicans.

[wurzel]

19. No. I'm thinking of Cronkite.

I don't know when he retired, but I do remember what he did to Carter. Carter talked himself about how much he hated hearing it night after night. If he is going after Bush now it is a guilty conscience.

[dennis4868]

21. Cronkite....

was as about as fair as they come....cant blame him for anything....

[wurzel]

24. I remember too well to ever forgive him. I can see him now as he did it

[dennis4868]

20. Right one....

Kerry's toughest and maybe only enemy is the mainstreem media...that is why he always has to be careful what he says and does and not Bush....it is so sad that for a Dem to take the WH he/she not only has to deal with his opponent, but the media (and supreme court) as well....

[wurzel]

26. And look what that kind of caution did to Gore. He became afraid to speak

[EST]

27. You gotta think though-

What are our goals? Probably a high priority is take back the media, and we are doing that. If we are going to succeed at all the things that need doing in the world, we've gotta have the toughest leader, the toughest troops and the most tested and vetted strategy in recorded history. How are we going to do that and prove it out? We have to be tried and resisted at every turn. We have to have the deck stacked against us or, as disparate a group as we are, we just won't put out enough to win through on Nov 2. In my view, this is the best training course available, and even the nervous nellies and chicken littles are really getting pissed! Ain't it wonnerful? Hit me again with your best shot:you're going to need it!

[Kimber Scott]

22. We blame the media. They blame the media.

Who's right? Or, left? Hmmmm.... dunno.

We all read something in the media and then bitch because it's not in the media.

[wurzel]

25. By media we really mean cable and network news. Not print.

[dennis4868]

28. no.....

I mean all the mainstreeme media....look at my list of all Bush scandals that I listed....that is only a partial list.....the ENTIRE mainstreem media has ignored it....

[wurzel]

32. Are you including NYT?

It seems to me the print media has been more "balanced" than cable or network news.

[tibbir]

29. 90% media and 10% spineless democratic leadership

[Green Lantern]

30. Blame those

who voted for the telecommunications act of 1996.

[dbt]

31. There's PLENTY of blame to go around.

The Media Borg must accept the overwhelming majority of it, but Congress is next in line. Both entities are bought and paid for by giant corporations; Media gets its living from advertising, Congress gets its living from Lobbyists. There's been enough money waved at both parties to completely kill any remnants of conscience.

:argh:
dbt

[michigandem2]

33. YES! I absolutely think they are the enemy!nt

[John_H]

34. Of course, but we still have to deal with it. n/t

[Blue_Roses]

36. I blame the media

After hearing Tim Russert this morning on the "today show" talk about Kerry needing to "get out there that he won't have the Presidency handed to him," yes I would say the media is a HUGE problem. They pander to Bush and this week is gonna be one big love-fest with him :puke:

[sandnsea]

37. Both

I still don't think D.C. Democrats understand mainstream Democrats at all. And I don't mean DLC, I just mean inside the DC loop. It always amazes me that you could pluck up just about anybody from DU or the hardcore online Kerry supporters and they would do 100x better at defending Kerry than the people they stick out there to do it. You don't have to be ruder or louder or more outrageous, you just have to know the facts and make sure you interrupt the other side and get the facts out.