DEBATE TOPIC PROPOSAL: ASSESSING THE MEDIA
Threadsters,
Here's a brief conversation I just started on another thread, I'd love it folks found this topic of interest. The question I'm opening for debate is "Is there a Liberal Bias to the Media". I postulate that there is decidely conservative bias. (What a surprise, eh?)
I'd love it if folks would pile on, add comments and let's bash the media! If its good enough for PEOPLE POWERED HOWARD, it's good enough for us!
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First, we need to review. Here's the parameters for liberal/conservative as I've come to accept them:
politicalcompass.org
Our DEBATE TOPIC: "Put it this way: NPR is to the U.S. as Haaretz is to Israel. Mainstream liberal -"
I view NPR as mainstream edging toward conservative, at least the programming that we get here in Oregon via OPB.
Let's examine the personalities.
Neil Conan, host of "Talk of the Nation" -- definitely to the right, pro-war, antithetical to callers who dare to talk the "Pacifica line", pro-business, pro-WTO, pro-IMF, pro-Administration, pro-Zionist Likudnik.
Cokie Roberts, political commentator on the Morning edition, -- Washington insider, hasn't realized there is life outside the Beltway in two decades, spin is in her blood, never deals with issues, always with polls and personalities and "the horse race", shallow to a fault.
Scott Simon host of WESAT, openly Zionist/Likudnik, suffers similar predilections to Conan (see above).
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And on the left? Daniel Schorr, a mere shadow of his former self. Timid criticisms and vague references to the darkess at the heart of the Bush Cabal. But nothing to sink you teeth into.
I could go on, but I'm already bored.
3:1 is about the ratio I sense from my local broadcaster who assiduously avoids balance by not playing such great offerings as "Left, Right and Center" or Le Show with Harry Shearer.
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OPB even went so far during the war propaganda buildup to censor the one hour a week that they had been securing from "Alternative Radio". They replaced this hour of sanity with either pro-war analysis by armchair warriors, or insipid and trivial programming from the Portland City Club. It was quite disheartening that at the very time that this nation deserved a vigorous and democratic debate about going to way, OPB censored the voice of dissent.
I deeply resent them for this travesty. |
