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[Name removed]

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[ibegurpard]

1. I'm not so sure it applies here.

The press loves a Cinderella story and they got it with Howard Dean. They didn't pick him out of obscurity...they paid attention when other candidates seemed to be spinning their wheels while Dean was attracting more and more support. I think that you will find that many people NOW will say they support Howard Dean because of the name recognition.

The press will be more than happy to try to tear him to shreds once they have someone to focus on.

edited for spelling

[bigtree]

2. here's my 2 cents

To a large extent, we have been had so far in this process. And, if we can't elevate more progressive voices on television, radio, or elsewhere the voters will be led into an arena where this same conservative cabal dictate the direction and tone of the election to effect the coronation and reelection of Bush.

We have to rededicate ourselves to accurate portrayals of our candidates through our expressions here, and in our diligent responses to these media outlets and their supporters and sponsors. We must demand that our voices be heard above the media coronation process, and not shy away from demamding that our candidates and their positions get equal access in the public debate; now, and in the general election

[in_cog_ni_to]

3. This was a point

I was trying to make the other day. The "sheeple effect." People who are not political junkies have NO CLUE who is running for president OR that there is a primary coming up. The "sheeple" will watch CNN, FAUX NEWS and MSNBC and see them talking endlessly about Dean, know who he is because of THAT and vote accordingly. They won't know squat about him other than what they have been told while having their morning coffee and watching the RW media. :(

[anti-bush]

4. Really?

You're kidding, right?

To those of us who follow a candidate other than Howard Dean, it's been extremely obvious that the media is fascinated with Dean, and they've largely ignored the other candidates.

[stickdog]

5. Whatever makes you feel better ... (nt)

[Donna Zen]

6. We all know the media manipulates the American voter

DUers talk about the rotten corporate media all the time. They are currently chosing our candidate, but for the supporters of that candidate, all is well with the world.

The media wants Dean. Now why do we think that is? Is is because the Doctor from Vermont shares their corporate views? Well, who knows...but I would place my bet on an entirely different agenda. When Brett Hume did a puff piece on Dean, I knew we were fucked.

Repeat after me: America is not going to elect a NE liberal with no foreign policy experience. It is not going to happen.

[in_cog_ni_to]

9. I was especially touched

by Bay Buchanan's defense of Dr. Dean today (on Crossfire filling in for Novak/Carlson) in the Clark/Dean VP issue...she defended Dean. It was so heartwarming seeing ANOTHER RW, WH ass kissing media whore defending Dean.....AGAIN. :eyes:

[Bread and Circus]

22. Good post

[TexasSissy]

7. You got that right! The media got Schwarzenegger elected.

All I saw was Arnie's face all over the media every time I turned it on, even when the story was about Davis!!!! The media was slobbering all over itself that a movie star was running for gov. It made such good news & ratings, and they wanted that to go on for years, if possible. Then add the sexual assault fondling charges, and wham, you've got ratings dynamite. Schwarzenegger won by a large margin. Well, duh! Was anyone else running? The only one I saw on TV most days was Schwarzenegger. I thought Chris Matthews was going to have an orgasm the night of the election, as Arnie's numbers came in. He SO wanted Arnie to win.

[Donna Zen]

15. Pictures worth a thousand votes

My favorite CNN ads for their JFK rememberance special, had a brief lower left picture of Maria and Arnie.

Now Eunice Shriver is Opus Dei, as is Bob Novak and I remember Coulter's name being connected to the group; what are the chances of Maria and Arnie? I know this is rather off thread, but it has been running through my mind after learning about Eunice.

[shance]

8. So true. The power of media to influence and shape opinion is immense.

This is proof in the pudding of why we need many different, independent and equally accessible avenues of media.

[mandyky]

10. Besides Dean, who's making news

that can be covered in sounds bites? Not that they cover Dean fairly, but he has raised the money and the grassroots and has had some major endorsements. (The shallow media horserace news)

Dean visited all 99 Iowa counties 2 months ago - and it was just mentioned in an aside note on CNN's news aboout Edwards doing the same thing today. I don't think they covered that about Dean 2 months ago, I read it on the blog and I was waiting for the news to pick it up.

[LWolf]

11. I can't argue with you, Pete.

Of course, from my side of the primaries, it's been obvious for awhile. That tangible, powerful effect needs to be neutral; integrity requires them to be even-handed in their coverage.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

12. My Republican brother even agrees that the media wants Dean.

He was marvelling about how he never heard about any of the other candidates.

[Name removed]

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[Donna Zen]

16. Wanna-beez

Woodruff referred to the Dems as "wanna-beez" today, before introducing Clark.

[Myra]

14. Yup. I don't know how anyone could have formed a different conclusion

After the last Dem debate when ABC's Ted Kopple all but
insisted that everyone but Dean get the hell off the stage.
It was not subtle. The media's coronation of Dean is not subtle.

[Donna Zen]

17. OD

At the White House "OD" either stands for the latest chimp condition, or Only Dean.

Check the morning memo for further details.

[Iverson]

18. Consider also Ted Koppel and ABC's performance.

We have years of mass media determining what gets covered. In an era of concentration of media ownership, they've figured out that they can also determine who gets covered.

They want to factor the liberal candidates out of the picture so that their favorite centrist can become the new leftmost acceptable boundary.

[Myra]

19. So, PeteNYC. Since you brought it up...

And we saw how blatantly biased Koppel was in *his* debate,
and we see how disinterested Dean supporters are in this thread,
and we see how the big *ABC* poll jaugernaut is being used...

Does it bother you that the media is forcing Dean on us?

[DrBB]

20. Dean is the Media Designated Winner

They do this every time, but it keeps getting earlier in the cycle. Pick the guy who's raising the most money, and fixate on him to the exclusion of all else. Producing a self-fulfilling prophecy: that's the person who gets all the attention, so he seems like the front-runner, so he gets all the money, so he gets all the attention, etc. But in the past they've usually waited till at least New Hampshire had voted. Now apparently he's already the Annointed One before we've even had the Iowa straw poll.

Nothing against Dean--he should raise as much as he can and run as hard and as well as he can. Good on him. But this media-driven spiral is not good for democracy, and I particularly don't appreciate our elected president, Gore, adding his impetus to it. I'd like a chance to vote--or at least like SOMEONE to have a chance to vote--before the reichpundits start telling me it's all over.

And yes, it does make it harder to resist thinking the press is doing Rove's work here.

edit: slight clarification

[poskonig]

21. The power is in our hands, not theirs.

Do the footwork first and the media will follow later.

Crybabying about the media will never get us anywhere.

[Duder]

23. The Invisible Primary

'There seems to be an unwritten requirement in presidential campaign journalism to begin relentless “horse race” coverage in the preseason. Reporters feel obliged to tell us which candidates are leading or trailing well over a year before any primary election votes are cast. This year has been no exception.

Unfortunately, such coverage is fanciful at best unless every candidate in the race is a multimillionaire or fund-raising genius. As The New York Times recently pointed out, a presidential contender must go into the New Hampshire primary with at least $30 million or be sucked under in the swirl of big-state delegate contests where costly TV campaigning is essential.

The Times’s February 7 editorial diagnosed the root problem as “front loading” — compression of too many primaries into the nomination season’s early weeks.

“Front loading” risks cutting the ordinary citizen out of the nomination process as fund-raisers and donors quietly anoint a candidate or two, hamstringing others before the press has informed the public about them in any depth. Candidates that voters might have preferred but who trail in the pre-season “money primary” face all but impossible odds.'

...

Christopher Hanson

http://www.cjr.org/archives.asp?url=/03/2/hanson.asp

[Octafish]

24. Consider who owns the media.

A few corporations own almost all the organs of information. That does not make for a free society, nor the well-informed electorate crucial for a democracy to survive.

Consider the broadcasters: GE. Viacom. Capital Cities/ABC. Clear Channel. Murdoch the Alien.

These are not a bunch of liberal organizations who want to elect a Democrat in the mold of, say, JFK.

They'll do the bidding of their greasy masters, the BFEE.

Who's the easiest to knock over? Howard Dean.

I wish it weren't true. But it is.

[TexasSissy]

25. This is so true! So true! So true!

Dean is more controversial and makes a better story, so the media loves it.