"We've Been Misled" - Bruce Springsteen

[russian33]

What do you think of how the election is being covered and conducted through the press?

The press has let the country down. It's taken a very amoral stand, in that essential issues are often portrayed as simply one side says this and the other side says that. I think that Fox News and the Republican right have intimidated the press into an incredible self-consciousness about appearing objective and backed them into a corner of sorts where they have ceded some of their responsibility and righteous power.

The Washington Post and New York Times apologies about their initial reporting about Iraq not being critical enough were very revealing. I am a dedicated Times reader, and I've found enormous sustenance from Paul Krugman and Maureen Dowd on the op-ed page. There has been great reporting, but there has also been some self-consciousness in some of the reporting about the policy differences in this election.

This is going to be an issue after the election. I don't know if it began with the Iraq War, but shortly thereafter there was an enormous amount of Fox impersonators among what you previously thought were relatively sane media outlets across the cable channels. It was very disheartening. The job of the press is to tell the truth without fear or favor. We have to get back to that standard.

The free press is supposed to be the lifeline and the blood of democracy. That is the position of responsibility that those institutions have. Those things are distorted by ratings and by money to where you're getting one hour of the political conventions. No matter how staged they are, I think they're a little more important than people eating bugs. I think that for those few nights, the political life of the nation should take priority, and the fact that it so casually does not means something is wrong. If you want to watch people eating bugs, that's fine, I can understand that, too, but let's do it on another night.

Real news is the news we need to protect our freedoms. You get tabloid news, you get blood-and-guts news, you get news shot through with a self-glorifying facade of patriotism, but people have to sift too much for the news that we need to protect our freedoms. It should be gloriously presented to the people on a nightly basis. The loss of some of the soberness and seriousness of those institutions has had a devastating effect upon people's ability to respond to the events of the day.

Do you think the press is leading us away from a fair and objective reading of this election?

It's gotten very complicated, and I think it's blurred the truth. Whether you like the Michael Moore film or not, a big part of its value was that it showed how sanitized the war that we received on television at night is. The fact that the administration refused to allow photographs of the flag-draped coffins of returning dead, that the president hasn't shown up at a single military funeral for the young people who gave their lives for his policies, is disgraceful. You have the Swift-boat guys who have been pretty much discredited, but there is an atmosphere that is created by so much willing media exposure that it imparts them credibility.


Much more here: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6477832?rnd=1096383731869&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.872

[Bread and Circus]

1. That dude should run for office. Bruce in 2012 !

[latebloomer]

11. In Jersey we've been trying to get him to run

for ANYTHING!! he's not interested.

Can't you just hear the rousing notes of his campaign theme song-- "Born to Run"??-- tho unfortunately it's all about fleeing from New Jersey.

[Jack_Dawson]

2. Rolling Stone readers are already Dems, tho

We keep preaching to ourselves. How do we reach the idiots?

[Raya]

3. Main Goal of Dems should be to seduce press into truth-telling on issues.

We can bring the hammer down after the elections, but I think
it is too late now to change the press via threats.

They already understand that the RightWing has the bigger stick.

[Beetwasher]

4. I Love This Guy

Always appreciated his talent and just so damn good to have him on our side.

[milkyway]

5. Bruce must be a DUer. I wonder what his screen name is. Unlike bush,

Springsteen doesn't just pretend to be a friend of the working class.

Rolling Stone is not just a dem magazine, and certainly Bruce's fan base covers the entire political spectrum. And when the Boss talks, people listen. He won't change the minds of the hopelessly brainwashed, but he will influence some undecideds. Springsteen does not often enter the political fray, so what he says will be even more influential.

[DeepModem Mom]

6. The Boss gets it --

[HootieMcBoob]

7. He is the BOSS!

I love that Kerry is using his music after rallies and speeches, especially when Bruce sent a cease and desist order to Reagan when he was using Born in the USA.
:yourock:

[ArkDem]

8. Bruce is a true intellectual!

[VOX]

9. Not only does he get it, he's not afraid to say he gets it...

Too many public figures have been too silent for too long. Hope that's changing.

Bruce is a start, and a good one.

[spooky3]

10. Crystal clear vision, expressed perfectly.