Has anyone noticed that CBS has the worst news coverage?

[genius]

Routinely, they slant the news pro-Bush. Most of their affiliates avoided mentioning that McCain condemned the Swift Boat ad. They regularly cut their stories before they get to the point that would make Bush look bad and Kerry look good. Then they finish by using opinion as fact. They threw in that Bush's comment the other day was a mistake - not that his campaign said it was a mistake. How do they know? When "Fahrenheit 9/11" came out, they had the most slanted reviews. Even NBC which profits from the war doesn't slant the news as pro-war as CBS does.

Sony owns CBS. Why are they so pro-war and pro-Bush? Are they making war equipment?

[TexasSissy]

1. Isn't that Dan Rather?

If so, he's in the media part of F9/11 film, so it makes sense that CBS wouldn't have been gung ho on the film.

[nostamj]

2. when I catch CBS Evening News

I find it the most fair and anti-Bush of the big three...

:shrug:

[Frances]

7. NBC is the worst (most pro Busy slant)

ABC is the next worst and CBS is the most objective and has the most information in my opinion.

I live in CA and my husband loves the news. I watch with him and we switch back and forth between ABC and NBC at 6 pm. Then we watch CBS at 6:30 pm.

[HuckleB]

10. Yes, NBC is by far the worst. Though I'd say ABC and CBS are close,

at least when it comes to the evening news show.

[stevedeshazer]

18. Frances, I completely agree

I've watched these news networks for forty years. NBC has consistently taken the hardest line even before the big mergers of the last few years.

CBS with Walter Cronkite, 60 Minutes and the sometimes exasperating Dan Rather have, at least some of the time, been on the cutting edge. Their coverage of the Enron scandal was excellent.

[pacalo]

11. That's my opinion as well. Does anyone remember...

when Rather had a heated exchange during a live interview on the evening news with Bush senior when he was president? Those two didn't like each other. I doubt that Rather would be biased in favor of his son.

[anelson]

33. I agree here

CBS evening news is the most balanced of the Big 3 and routinely split time between them and Lou Dobbs on CNN.

[Citizen Daryl]

3. 60 Minutes is really their only saving grace. n/t

[LiviaOlivia]

4. Viacom not Sony owns CBS

eom

[genius]

8. Sony owns CBS. Go to the studio sometime.

[SeveneightyWhoa]

12. No, Viacom owns CBS.

Get your facts straight, please.

[Individualist]

14. Right - Viacom, not Sony

www.cjr.org/tools/owners/viacom.asp

[LiviaOlivia]

15. Sorry but read this

http://www.viacom.com/thefacts.tin

Viacom is a leading global media company, with preeminent positions in broadcast and cable television, radio, outdoor advertising, and online. With programming that appeals to audiences in every demographic category across virtually all media, the company is a leader in the creation, promotion, and distribution of entertainment, news, sports, music, and comedy. Viacom's well-known brands include CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, VH1, BET, Paramount Pictures, Infinity Broadcasting, Viacom Outdoor, UPN, TV Land, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV, Showtime, Blockbuster, and Simon & Schuster. More information about Viacom and its businesses is available at www.viacom.com.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Viacom owns CBS. They might lease facilities from Sony.

[genius]

16. Okay.

I know that they film a lot of CBS shows at Sony Studios. I was just looking at google. Sony bought CBS records but, you're right - I can't find any ownership connection to the TV station. So why is Viacom so biased?

[SeveneightyWhoa]

17. Viacom is actually quite "Democrat".

They're the most 'liberal' of the main media conglomerates, that's for sure. Simon & Schuster publishers (who have released Richard Clarke's book, Paul O'Neill's book, etc), BET, MTV, etc.

If I'm not mistaken, the owners or big head honchos are actually known to be Democrats, although I'm not sure of any detailed info.

You've got to remember that sometimes journalists and individual networks/executives/managers, etc, have their own say, and they themselves may be biased rather than the entire Viacom unit. It's not always as simple as "CNN is biased because their journalists are liberal", or "CBS is biased because Viacom hates Democrats".

[genius]

19. So why is the coverage so bad?

I even see better coverage on the Republican-owned networks.

[SeveneightyWhoa]

21. Are you saying the coverage is always bad?

You've never seen left- or Dem-leaning coverage on CBS before?
I surely have. Maybe you caught it on a bad day.

From my experiences, CBS is definitely the most "Democratic" of the networks. By far.

[genius]

24. I flip the stations between coverage of major stories

So that I can see what the public is seeing. Virtually always, CBS has the worst coverage. Try comparing it sometime. I don't normally have access to cable so I'm mostly comparing the main four plus the locals. I had expected them to be better too. So I've been really disappointed when I've compared them story for story with the others stations. They usually cut the information that would help the Democrats and they throw in, as fact, stuff that helps the Republicans. If there's no way to slant something, they often limit or omit the coverage.

[UrbScotty]

5. The WORST? Uhh, that would be FOX NEWS. (nt)

[Deja Q]

35. FOX is cable. CBS is broadcast and more readily accessible.

If what he said is true, this is of grave concern in the name of true fair and balanced journalism.

[CityZen-X]

6. Poor Yorick I Knew Him Well

They have lost their concept of journalism as taught in our so called higher learning institutions, but this morning on my local CBS affiliate they were the only one out of the rest that reported the story of the patriot that heckled Bu$h*t yesterday at that question & answer session. Although the hecklers statements were inaudible, I sure would have liked to hear what he screamed at the Commander & Chimp!

[Longhorn]

9. I watched CBS the evening the story broke.

Dan Rather is on vacation and John Roberts was filling in. The entire approach to the story was the fact that it is being challenged. It wasn't given credence at all and McCain's comments were highlighted. They didn't even show the commercial -- just the photo of Kerry and the other servicemen. I don't watch the local affiliate much but I think CBS does a good job.

[Jim Sagle]

13. Chickenshit bullshit. CBS RAWWWWWWWWWKSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

(Compared to all the rest.)

[SeveneightyWhoa]

20. I agree!

Just like how CNN occasionally has some pro-Dem leanings (although its vastly hidden by the let's-catch-up-to-Fox mentality), CBS might look pro-Bush on occasion.

This thread is a symptom of not looking at the bigger picture. A few days of coverage or a few instances of bias (which is how you see it, in your own biased view) does not a network (or journalist, or corporation) make.

[leesa]

22. CNN, MSRNC and Faux are by far worse than CBS.

But you probably hadn't noticed.

[genius]

25. Surprisingly no. Check it out next time there's a major story.

NBC has been surprising me lately. So has Fox (not the cable station). I think maybe they are trying to fight claims that they are biased.

[jjmalonejr]

23. Wrong

I hear so much bickering about mainstream media by people on the left who believe there's a conservative slant to the news. It's the same BS as Fox-watching junkies who have abandoned the so-called "liberal media" because they believe there's a leftist slant to the news.

Fox is the only major television news outlet that seems to me to have a completely transparent ideological bias in their news. The others, while not perfect, actually try to be "fair and balanced" (ironic, isn't it?). They don't always succeed, but I do see an effort to try to play it straight.

You said: "They regularly cut their stories before they get to the point that would make Bush look bad and Kerry look good."

Making Bush look bad and Kerry look good is NOT their job. I know you want it to be, but it isn't. Conservatives want the news stations to do the opposite, and only Fox News delivers, which is why they praise that station up and down.

Look, Bush's malapropism this past week about "thinking of new ways to harm the American people" WAS a mistake...a very ironic one, but that wasn't what he meant to say and it wasn't a Freudian slip (oops, I can't believe I admitted our dastardly plan!) Also, there are plenty of reasons to criticize F911, so just because reviews don't heap praise on the film as if it were an unquestionable masterpiece doesn't make news stations shills for the Bush Administration.

Make no mistake, I don't believe the mainstream media has done a good job over the past 4 years, but I don't think it has ANYTHING to do with being pro-Bush AT ALL. In their efforts to be FAIR (to both sides, mind you), they often miss the boat on doing what their real job is, which is to be CRITICAL. That's what's missing, and it's missing from BOTH sides of the debate.

[SeveneightyWhoa]

26. Great post, I basically agree.

But I don't agree that they're not being critical -- it seems like they're not critical of Bush, which is correct, but they DO seem to be more critical of...John Kerry. Maybe that's just my anti-Bush bias creeping in, because people on the other side seem to think the media is TOO critical of Bush -- which is clearly indicative of insanity, or at least a deplorable case of media ignorance.

I also found it funny when the creator of this thread thought the fact that CBS didn't try to make Bush look as bad as they could've, as an instance of pro-Bush bias. This is the same thinking that Republicans engage in.

[jjmalonejr]

27. I'm not so sure that the media is MORE critical of Kerry...

...than they are of Bush.

From OUR point of view (you and I, that is) there would seem to be so much more to criticize Bush for, that the news media ought to be doing it 24/7. Instead, to respond to their corporate bosses, their sponsors, and angry letters from their viewers, they try to spend an equal amount of time reporting the good facts and the bad facts on both candidates, so as not to seem out of balance. So as to seem more fair.

That's why this "Fair and Balanced" crap is crazy. For every bad fact about Bush, gotta have one about Kerry. For every bad story about Iraq, gotta have a good one. It's not an ideological choice, it's a programming choice, to respond to allegations of not being "Fair and Balanced."

It's not the job of the news media to be "Fair and Balanced." It's their job to report the news. I wish they would get back to it.

[Albert Einstein]

28. Absolutely. I keep calling CBS and complaining about their RNC slant

Doesn't do any good

[West Coast Democrat]

29. It varies from newscast to newscast

But I usually love it when Dan Rather is anchoring. You have to remember that CBS uncovered some major stories, such as the Iraqi prison torture scandal. They also seem to have balanced polls.

ABC News varies from newscast to newscast also. And I never was NBC News.

[edhopper]

30. I agree

While 60 minutes has some good anti-Bush segments and promoted Clarke's book, the Evening News is the worst of the three.
I stopped watching a few months ago after W had that terrible press conference where he couldn't name a mistake. Dan Rather came on right after and said "Strong, resolute the President tonight answered his critics.' I thought I was watching fucking Faux. So it was goodbye Danny Boy.

[Beetwasher]

31. Viacom Owns CBS, NOT Sony

Sony bought CBS Records a while ago NOT CBS television.

Dan Rather is one of the best anchors on TV and their coverage is actually among the best. Viacom, the company that owns CBS, also owns Infinity Broadcasting. The biggest moneymaker for Infinity and one of the biggest earners for Viacom in general, is Howard Stern.

Viacom is no friend to the Bush cabal and neither is CBS news.

[number6]

32. they pretend to be Liberal

"Dan Rather is so transparently Liberal"
Andy Rooney on Larry King

Bullshit (C)ia (B)roadcasting (S)tation

[saracat]

34. Dan Rather is the only reporter who admitted being threatened by the WH

, on Larry King,as well as telling Ashcroft to watch "his own back" instead of threatening reporters and telling them to shut up!

[Krasnaya Lastochka]

36. the BBC is good...

Personally, I find that the best, least biased and most comprehensive news coverage on just about anything comes from the BBC.

[newyawker99]

37. Hi Krasnaya Lastochka!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: