MyDD :: Two Conservatives for Every Liberal

Two Conservatives for Every Liberal

by vwcat, Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 09:06:47 PM EST

Bill Moyers is back. Wednesday he presents a devastating portrait of the media's failure and cheerleading before and during the Iraq war.
Many in the media are still not admitting to their actions during this time. Those that do, offer excuses. Only a handful, who would talk to Moyers, admitted to their actions and the failure to do their job.
To be fair, there was alot of pressure. One called it 'the Patriotism Police', many of whom were in the upper reaches of the corporations that owned the media. If there was anything said not 100% behind the administration, calls would go off questioning the reporters patriotism.
The Administration and their corporate buddies kept this pressure going. Including the dictate, two conservatives for every liberal on programs, as Phil Donahue cited.
Because of this failure, I wonder how much the next Administration will pay the price of an overly hyped up press looking to make up for their guilt with giving a pass to the current one.

Here are some excerpts from Booman Tribune about the program:

Big corporations dictated the coverage to other big corporations. Haven't we been saying this for years?

The disgraceful press reaction to Colin Powell's presentation at the United Nations seems like something out of Monty Python, with one key British report cited by Powell being nothing more than a student's thesis, downloaded from the Web -- with the student later threatening to charge U.S. officials with "plagiarism."

I hung my head in shame the day ElBaradei revealed the Niger documents were forgeries. I just sat in front of my teevee, hanging my head in shame.

Phil Donahue recalls that he was told he could not feature war dissenters alone on his MSNBC talk show and always had to have "two conservatives for every liberal."

Yeah...I think some of us noted this policy.

Moyers resurrects a leaked NBC memo about Donahue's firing that claimed he "presents a difficult public face for NBC in a time of war. At the same time our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity."

Money talks so bullshit walks.

Moyers also throws some stats around: In the year before the invasion William Safire (who predicted a "quick war" with Iraqis cheering their liberators) wrote "a total of 27 opinion pieces fanning the sparks of war." The Washington Post carried at least 140 front-page stories in that same period making the administration's case for attack. In the six months leading to the invasion the Post would "editorialize in favor of the war at least 27 times."

I think I have mentioned this.

Of the 414 Iraq stories broadcast on NBC, ABC and CBS nightly news in the six months before the war, almost all could be traced back to sources solely in the White House, Pentagon or State Dept., Moyers tells Russert, who offers no coherent reply.

www.boomantribune.com

Tags: Bill Moyers, Bush Administration, Media, Iraq (all tags)

Permalink :: 4 Comments :: Post a Comment

they worked the refs for years (3.00 / 1)

and are reaping the benefits now. MSM wants desperately not to show the "liberal bias" conservatives are always complaining about. They give much more space and credence to the views of right-wing hacks, who still go on complaining about the "liberal media."

Wash, rinse, repeat.

Our side needs to work the refs better, but this is a project that will take years. Media Matters is going in the right direction, at least.

John McCain: 100 years in Iraq "would be fine with me."

by desmoinesdem on Sat Apr 21, 2007 at 12:54:02 AM EST

Re: they worked the refs for years (none / 0)

The new-GOP had its genesis on college campuses during the 70s and has perfected its methods over the last forty years or so. You are right to suggest they learned early to work the refs but they did more than that: by establishing think-tanks of their own, instead of just reacting to the pronouncements of the liberal ones, they gained a seat at the table of the refs.
William Kristol sits at the table with real journalists because he is editor of "The Weekly Standard" a bought-and-paid-for mouthpiece for one version of conservatism that owes its standing to Rupert Murdock. It reminds me of the old hookers who married rich miners back in the gold rush days and became society's elite. :-)

Steve Love

by Steve Love on Sat Apr 21, 2007 at 12:09:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Two Conservatives for Every Liberal (none / 0)

True. I came across a book last year called Lapdogs of the Press. it mentioned Media Matters. Being new to blogs, I looked it up and thought this to be the best thing ever.
Media Matters has grown to carry alot of influence and they are our best weapon.

by vwcat on Sat Apr 21, 2007 at 10:27:28 AM EST

Re: Two Conservatives for Every Liberal (none / 0)

The area of struggle over the next 10 years is the 'New Media' as transmitted by the Internet. The Internet provides a 'Bottom-Up' communication medium uncontrolled, as yet, by the media companies. The web channels of communication allow anti-establishment political and economic positions to be validated. Further, the social, political, and economic contacts that occur have enabled the Left, considered broadly, to bein to organize on a national level.

by ATinNM on Sat Apr 21, 2007 at 11:56:50 AM EST

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