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Miss Modular Miss Modular is offline
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Old Dec 18th, 2005, 11:35 PM        Frank Zappa on the "Liberal Media"
Recently, I got Frank Zappa's book out of the library. While the book was published in 1989, I found much of the sentiments in this passage to be very timely. The bolding, italics, and underlines are his emphasis, not mine:

Liberal Media Bias?

The concept of a "liberal media bias", spoonfed to CNN viewers in talk-show blather and pompous 'news commentary' throughout the Reagan years, has at last been exposed for the pitiful manipulation it always was.

"Liberal" bias? Suppose a newsperson was some sort of frothing "liberal"--would he get a broadcast job in the first place? Not on CNN. But suppose he did, and tried to sneak in some form of "bias" into the story, do we think he'd last a week? Get serious. Frothing right-wing extremists are, however, prominently displayed and in plentiful supply on CNN.

The license holders for most broadcast outlets (especially the commercial networks) hardly qualify as "liberal" by any stretch of the imagination--and the guys on the board of directors? Gimme a break. This applies to all news outlets--electronic and print. The guy who owns the outlet determines policy and content--that's why he owns it, so he can control it. This power to mold public opinion is bartered for 'favors' among 'friends'--it is the essential tool for spin-control.

The "liberal media bias" scam was a smoke screen, designed to conceal the squads of White House spin-doctors, sprinkling antiseptic on each morsel of "news" as it wafted past the rotor blades in The Gipper's backyard--all in the name of balance and fairness, of course.

Between 1980 and this writing, a news story could be deemed balanced and fair only if it had a hefty rightward spin. Certain types of stories got "special attention": HEALTH ENDANGERING GAY LIFESTYLES THREATEN ENTIRE NATION or RISING INFANT MORTALITY RATE LINKED TO GROWTH IN THE ABORTION INDUSTRY. Most of this shit sounded like it was drafted in "The Pastor's Study" at Falwell's Old-Time Ministry of Gospel Propaganda. Will the next four years be any different? What do you think?

The Gipper goes into private practice now--look for him as a TV pitchman for G.E. or some other defense contractor, and, perhaps, a born-again film career (Bedtime for Bonzo II: Terror of the Green Monkey).

Would a Kind And Loving God let an asshole like that (and all his fabulous appointees) escape unpunished after eight years of Constituional desecration?

(No, but one with a way-sick sense of humor is toying with the idea even as you read this.)
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Emu Emu is offline
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Old Dec 19th, 2005, 01:18 PM       
They won't carry his book at my library.
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El Blanco El Blanco is offline
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Old Dec 19th, 2005, 08:11 PM       
There are many good, well thought out, convincing arguments against the accusations of liberal bias in the media. Some of them made on this message board.

This was not one of them.

He essentially does the same thing all of the politcal pundits do(left and right) by taking two examples and running with them. He uses hot button words, exagerations and vague unsubstantiated claims to back up his point. And you people bitch about Ann Coulter?

All those evil, right wing, power mongers that own the news outlets so they can give a rightwing spin on the news? Ya, they also happen to own the record labels and movie production companies that give voice to him, Alec Baldwin, George Clooney, Susan Sarandon etc etc.

He really comes off as a hypocrite in this. I hope the full work does a better job getting his point across.








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Abcdxxxx Abcdxxxx is offline
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Old Dec 20th, 2005, 03:18 AM       
I've said this here a couple times, but...I've worked Broadcast jobs and known a couple of the anchors who went on to work at Fox, and ABC News....they were mostly liberal, and one White House correspondant in particular is known to send out Socialist tinged mass emails to his friends. I can imagine the News Desk guys being in on the party line (they pick which stories get covered, and attempt to sway the angle) but this stuff gets banged out way to fast to be controlled. Everyone from the Production Assistants, to the Editors can effect how a story gets covered.
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Cosmo Electrolux Cosmo Electrolux is offline
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Old Dec 20th, 2005, 09:51 AM       
so, how do you explain Fox news? They're basically an arm of the RNC....liberal media?
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