Jim Hightower: The Corporate Media Is Basically Pretending Bernie Sanders Doesn't Exist

[Uncle Joe]

Polls show that Bernie Sanders would trounce Donald Trump, but you’d never know that from watching TV news.

The Tyndall Report, a non-partisan media monitoring firm that has been tracking the nightly news broadcasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC, found that Trump is tromp, tromp, tromping over the airtime of everyone else.

From last January through November, these dominant flagship news shows devoted 234 minutes of prime-time coverage to the incessant chirping of the yellow-crested birdbrain, with no other contender getting even a fourth of that.

(snip)

And — get this — polls also show Bernie trouncing The Donald if they face each other in November’s presidential showdown. So surely he’s getting a proportional level of media coverage by the networks on our public airwaves, right?

Ha, just kidding! The big networks’ devotion of 234 minutes to all-things-Trump was “balanced” by less than 10 minutes for Sanders. Most egregious was ABC, the Disney-owned network. ABC’s World News Tonight awarded 81 minutes of national showtime to Trump last year — and for Bernie: 20 seconds.

How self-serving of the media moguls. The one candidate who is effectively rallying large numbers of voters to oppose the rise of corporate oligarchy — including in the media — has the plug pulled on him.

Of course, this only amplifies the truth of what Sanders is saying about the villainy of corporate profiteers, and it fuels a greater determination by his millions of grassroots supporters to end the reign of greed in America.


http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/jim-hightower-corporate-media-basically-pretending-bernie-sanders-doesnt-exist

[restorefreedom]

1. great post, uncle joe!

happy new year

[Uncle Joe]

2. Thank you, restorefreedom,

Happy New Year!

[restorefreedom]

3. thanks! :) nt

[MohRokTah]

4. From a practical standpoint, he doesn't.

He's just not newsworthy enough to put eyes on glass and that's what today's news media is all about.

[Uncle Joe]

6. There is nothing practical about conglomerate "news" organizations creating self-fulfilling

prophecies for the people by denying them critical information in making the most important decisions of their lives in regards to shaping government.

There is also nothing realistic about believing that today's self-serving corporate media place "newsworthy" as the major concern in regards to what they cover.

[jkbRN]

11. As you may know, the MSM doesn't dictate

What is relevant. What is applicable in this realm is the fact that posting of this article onto a forum where people go to gather the days political news. Not everyone is sealed up in the MSM box, and sanders candidacy is proof of that.

[Ned_Devine]

12. If you say so, it must be true

[raindaddy]

14. From the perspective of a handful of billionaires who now own 90% the media...

(in part thanks to Bill Clinton), breaking up and regulating the too big to fail banks, and putting an end to nation building isn't "practical" because it'll hurt their ever increasing lust for more and more profit..and that's what today's news media is all about.

[bjobotts]

20. According to the media only.

[murielm99]

26. Then why do I see him all over the

fucking news?

I live in Illinois, but not far from the Quad Cities. We get the news from Iowa. We get bombarded with the news, and the ads from all the candidates. I see Bernie's face every day.

I think this is just another excuse and accusation from the bernistas. They are looking for reasons to excuse his poor showing and eventual losses in the primaries.

[Skidmore]

56. I live in Iowa and

my experience is the same.

[Uncle Joe]

82. The study and OP refer to "nightly national network news broadcasts."

The Tyndall Report, a non-partisan media monitoring firm that has been tracking the nightly news broadcasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC, found that Trump is tromp, tromp, tromping over the airtime of everyone else.

I also view CNN a fair amount of the time, and Bernie is almost never mentioned unless they can find something negative to report.

The ads that you see are paid for by Bernie's campaign, the national network nightly news is nothing but free advertising, it reaches a much larger market and Trump since day one has received a vastly disproportionate share, whether his utterances are newsworthy or not.

Furthermore the nightly network news broadcasts almost never mention the issues which Bernie raises no matter how newsworthy because they have an inherent conflict of interest which is at odds with that of the vast majority of the American People.

[Fawke Em]

41. Cable news is moving into irrelevancy

http://www.journalism.org/2015/04/29/cable-news-fact-sheet/

What they say doesn't matter with anyone under 45. Most of us get our news online, now, because what TV news sells isn't relevant to our needs.

Heck, I never watch the news anymore. It's all gossip and corporate status quo. It's not even news.

Others seem to be feeling the same way.

[reformist2]

87. Wow. He's ahead in NH, and could easily take Iowa, and we have people here saying he doesn't matter.

[MohRokTah]

92. If he wins Iowa, he becomes newsworthy.

Winning New Hampshire would be a yawn fest because Vermont is right next door. The only newsworthy bit from New Hmpshire would be if Hillary wins.

That's how TV news works.

Also, he's not likely to win Iowa.

[Uncle Joe]

102. Bernie's message is and has been newsworthy for years, but it's not profitable

for the conflict of interest laden corporate media conglomerates.

That's how TV "news" works.

[MohRokTah]

103. For anything to be profitable and thus newsworthy,...

it must put eyes on glass.

Sanders does not do that, so he doesn't get covered.

Maybe if he called Hillary names they'd put him on but from a ratings perspective, everything about him is a snooze fest and these TV news shows have to sell shit. They can't sell shit if nobody watches, so Sanders is out.

It's basic business.

[Uncle Joe]

104. Profitable and newsworthy aren't the same thing, that's the basic problem

Last edited Sun Jan 3, 2016, 12:48 AM - Edit history (1)

with the corporate media conglomerates, there is too little regard to public service.

Furthermore it isn't just about ratings with them, it's about the best interests of their parent corporations and it's about selling commercials, very few individual Americans purchase commercials as they're prohibitively expensive, mega-corporations are the primary buyers and as such the corporate media conglomerates aim to keep them happy.

What's best for the individual American (s) is more of an afterthought which may be covered in rare circumstances so long as it doesn't buck up against the corporate media's primary commercial buyers or conglomerate parents.

[onehandle]

5. Jim Hightower endorsed and campaigned for Ralph Nader in 2000.

Cancelled our subscription to his newsletter that year.

[CorporatistNation]

7. Once Again It'sTime to Review The 14 Characteristics that Define A FASCIST State Paying

http://www.rense.com/general37/char.htm

particular attention to # 6 on the list... Controlled Mass Media


Fourteen Defining
Characteristics Of Fascism

By Dr. Lawrence Britt
Source Free Inquiry.co
5-28-3


Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread
domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

From Liberty Forum

http://www.libertyforum.org/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=news_constitution&Number=642
109&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1&t=-1

[CorporatistNation]

8. K and R!

!

[bjobotts]

22. Thanks for posting this fascist rundown.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

28. I extracted a clip of Malloy reading this....

http://server4.whiterosesociety.org/content/malloy/MalloyMemories/14_Characteristics_of_Fascism.mp3

[Uncle Joe]

10. What does that have to do with the message or merits of the OP's contention?

[SusanCalvin]

18. Just a thought on Hightower.

I like him (sorta), I still subscribe to his newsletter, but I will NEVER forgive him for supporting Kinky Friedman, and, in my opinion, possibly helping cost us a Democratic governor.

I enjoy reading his opinions, pretty much agree with all of them, and appreciate his rabble-rousing. I would never trust him as an actual political operative.

BTW, did you know that Rove cut his teeth on Hightower?

http://washingtonspectator.org/did-karl-rove-help-send-an-innocent-man-to-jail/

[DirtyHippyBastard]

13. Are you saying the info in the OP is not factual?

Or are you deflecting, distracting, and obfuscating, because your comment does not seem to relate to the information in this post in any way whatsoever?

[99th_Monkey]

15. ***CRICKETS*** suggest the latter. n/t

[SusanCalvin]

33. #18. nt

[SusanCalvin]

19. No, but there are those of us who like Hightower, sorta

But vehemently disagree with some of his actions. I'm one of them. See #18.

[jalan48]

16. If Hillary wins you are going to see a big movement away from the party.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a strong third party effort in 2020. The times are changing and folks, especially young people, have caught on to our "Wall Street Democrats". Unless the Democratic Party makes a serious effort to move left and adopt more progressive policies it will have a hard time attracting voters. It doesn't matter if the Republicans will block the legislation, the ideas and policies need to be put forth.

[jalan48]

65. With your type of thinking we would have no Medicare or Social Security.

Sorry, it's not "my kind of thinking". It's reality and your Wall Street politics are losing their allure. People trying to get by on $10 an hour have moved beyond the falseness of your "my pony" simplicity. You need to get out of the house and see what's going on for most Americans-it ain't pretty. Change is coming whether you like it or not. The Democratic Party needs to embrace it and move forward.

[TekGryphon]

69. Keep working your ass off for a conservative win in the White House...

... and see how long we have Social Security, Medicare, and a minimum wage.

Like it or not, but this nation operates on a two-party system. When spoiled brats decide they're going to burn one party down because they didn't nominate their favorite candidate, there isn't a spit of difference between them and the opposing party.

Ideological "I want my pony!" purists like you gave us 8 years of Bush when we could have had 8 years of Gore.

[jalan48]

75. "The Times They are a Changing"-Bob Dylan

Or maybe John Lennon's "Nothing's Gonna Change my World" better reflects your position. You've heard of John Lennon, right?

[TekGryphon]

76. You've heard of George W. Bush, right?

Thanks for that.

[jalan48]

77. A life lived in fear is not a life.

[stevenleser]

93. Not making bad choices that will lead to bad consequences is intelligence at work, not fear.

I know when I look over the side of a 15 story building's roof that if I make the choice to jump off it will have bad consequences. Living my life not making bad choices is not a life of fear, its a life of making smart choices.

[jalan48]

95. Fight for what you believe in, not what you are afraid of.

[stevenleser]

96. Again, knowing a fight will lead to bad consequences should yield one to not fight that battle. nt

[jalan48]

97. Well, the Democrats have been backsliding for decades with that type of argument.

I think there are going to be some major problems within the party after this next election. The Republicans are worse argument has lost its pizzazz.

[vkkv]

91. Now.. exactly WHO is the idiot here?

umm...... # 48.

John Lennon.. that's just insulting.

Do you know who Jabir ibn Hayyan is? He invented the FILTER. USE ONE!

And by the way "42" is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything.

[SusanCalvin]

21. I haven't cancelled, but I sure hear you. See #18. nt

[LiberalLovinLug]

80. So...are you one that doesn't like that Bernie is running as a Democrat?

Because if that's the case, you'd leave Bernie no choice but to run independently, and then we'd never hear the end of it about how Bernie "Nadered" us into a tea bagger administration.

[farleftlib]

9. I wonder what they're going to do when he wins!

Eh, who cares? It'll be more fun without them.

Thanks for posting.

[underthematrix]

17. Win what? Bernie needs superdelegates to

win the nomination.

[TryLogic]

24. Super deligates. Are they a little like communist party members in communist countries?

[underthematrix]

36. LOL. Only in your little communist mind

[Lizzie Poppet]

79. Alert results: alerter got skunked!

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Sat Jan 2, 2016, 09:10 PM, and the Jury voted 0-7 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: funny
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Nothing outside TOS. If poster is a troll, call MIRT.

Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Alerter: how about not wasting my fucking time with idiotic alerts? /kthanksbai

GD: P = a more wretched hive of scum and villainy...
Juror #7 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given

[bjobotts]

25. Hillary and Obama race was just like this one at this point

[underthematrix]

37. I have to agree. The Bernie supporters are like the

HRC supporters of 2008

[workinclasszero]

71. Claims about Bernie following same trend as Obama in 2008 are now clearly bunk.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251964881

Nope.

[CoffeeCat]

29. The Superdelegates vote the will of the people...

They always will.

Hillary peeps floated this nonsense in 2008.

Meant nothing then. Means nothing now.

[underthematrix]

39. I think you need to think it through because there is a big difference between

now and then. Both candidates were lifelong DEMOCRATS and HRC is playing the superdelegate game just like PBO did in 2008 and won the nomination.

[Fawke Em]

45. Hillary is not a lifelong Democrat.

She was a Goldwater Girl.

That said, it shouldn't matter what letter they have after their names. Policies should matter and on foreign policy, she's a neocon, and on economic policy, she's a Wall Streeter.

[underthematrix]

48. You're right she did start as a Goldwater girl in college. But she did switch while she was in

college and let's see she was First Lady to a DEM gov and Dem president and was a Dem senator. This idea that she's a neocon and wall streeter is such a stupid thing to say because we are a consumer economy and if you're buying shit from all those companies whose stock trades on wall street, you're a wall streeter. As a matter of fact, if it wasn't for consumers like you and me, there'd be no wall street.

PBO has made very effective use of Wall Street as partners on different policy issues. I expect HRC to do the same.

[cascadiance]

66. The only "lifelong" title between the two of them is Bernie not being a Republican...

... both not literally a party member nor in spirit... Hillary can't make that claim as a Democrat being a former Republican.

Bernie might not be a Democratic Party member now, but he caucuses with them and is with the more traditional progressive parts of that party in spirit.

[CoffeeCat]

49. I'm not worried

The super delegates would never go against the will of he people.

It just wouldn't happen.

This is part of Hillary's schtick. She tried this in 2008, at the onset of the race. One prong in her strategy to convince people that her opponent has no chance.

It's ridiculous.

[underthematrix]

50. Try reading my reply because it's clear from your answer you didn't read it

Only pledged delegates are required to vote according to the will of the people, e.g. results of primaries and caucuses. Unpledged or superdelegates are allowed to vote in any way they choose. This is something PBO understood early on in the process and built hhis winning strategy around it; recognizing he could win by siphoning off a large number of superdelegates. This is what HRC is doing and I applaud her for it.

[CoffeeCat]

51. I get what super delegates are

and you can't seem to let go of this bizarre fantasy that if Bernie is nominated by our party, that the super delegates will vote for Hillary anyway.

Again, that would never happen. The super delegates would never subvert the will of the people.

Hillary had most of the super delegates at the beginning of the race in 2008. They voted for Obama, because he was the winner.

Voting against the wishes of the Democratic party voters would cause a war within our party that would completely destroy it and tear it apart. I can't imagine any super delegate being interested in that kind of madness.

What you are suggesting is pure fantasy.

[underthematrix]

52. I don't think you understand the process so I'm just gonna let you have it your way.

[FlatBaroque]

60. You are so magnanimous and well informed.

It's a shame people don't listen you more.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

30. Really? How much do they cost?

[SusanCalvin]

31. .

[underthematrix]

40. I'm not sure. You should check with Bernie on that one

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

34. You are woefully misinformed.

[underthematrix]

44. You are definitely misinformed or maybe it's wishful thinking on your part

A "superdelegate" or an "unpledged delegate" is a delegate to the Democratic National Convention or Republican National Convention that is seated automatically, based on their status as current (Republican and Democratic) or former (Democratic only) party leader or elected official. Other superdelegates are chosen during the primary season. All the superdelegates are free to support any candidate for the nomination. This contrasts with convention delegates that are selected based on the party primaries and caucuses in each U.S. state, in which voters choose among candidates for the party's presidential nomination.

Although "superdelegate" was originally coined and created to describe this type of Democratic delegate, the term has become widely used to describe these delegates in both parties,[1] even though it is not an official term used by either party.

For Democrats, superdelegates fall into two categories:

delegates seated based on other positions they hold, who are formally described (in Rule 9.A) as "unpledged party leader and elected official delegates"[2] (unpledged PLEO delegates); and
additional unpledged delegates selected by each state party (in a fixed predetermined number), who are formally described (in Rule 9.B) as "unpledged add-on delegates" and who need not hold any party or elected position before their selection as delegates.[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdelegate

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

53. I have to wonder how old you are. Did you just recently learn about super delegates?

You seem quite impressed with yourself.

[jwirr]

98. Many super-delegates follow the direction of their own state

voters. Or at least they have in the past. Yes, Obama won because he had many of them but he got them because he won the state primaries also.

Hillary should not count her chickens before they hatch. She did that in 2008.

[zentrum]

23. Over and over and over again.

They do it every day.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

27. We've already heard members of the media claim it's not their JOB to inform the public.

[SusanCalvin]

32. OMFG, yes. nt

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

35. Didn't the courts decide it's OK for TV news to lie to the public?

Someone sued Faux for telling lies. They lost.

[SusanCalvin]

42. Yep.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

47. The actual defense was that they weren't really news, they were entertainment.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

38. Well, I'm doing my part

giving up on ALL TV news. MSNBC has gone to the dog (Trump).

[SusanCalvin]

43. Gotta get news some way, but TV sure ain't it. nt

[Fawke Em]

46. The British newspaper, The Guardian, has been gaining in US readership.

I don't have the figures, but Thom Hartmann was discussing it the other day. He was talking about how many in the US simply don't trust our own media anymore.

[SusanCalvin]

59. Seems like they break a lot of good stories. nt

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

54. Yeah, I don't watch "the news" anymore. Pretty pointless.

[newfie11]

55. Thank God for the open internet. Nt

[hobbit709]

57. I'd rather pay attention to what Hightower says than to any of the 1%er candidates

[raouldukelives]

58. K$R We live in the most Democracy Wall St investors will allow. nt

[treestar]

61. How come he is on so many of the talk shows?

[LWolf]

62. K & R

[bigtree]

63. he got far more coverage than my candidate

...remember that, all the folks reccing this, O'Malley's campaign has suffered the most from this. I'm not even going to bother talking about the quality of the coverage he's managed to get.

[Babel_17]

67. Sanders polling better than Trump is getting to be known

The media has been following a lazy narrative but we're getting to the point where Sanders will get mountains of coverage if he does well in the initial primaries. And people are comfortable with him.

[Gloria]

68. Yeah? He seems to be on every Sunday talk show nearly

every week so you can use his video clips...

In areas outside the primary states coming up soon, I don't see much about anybody, except TRUMP.

[firebrand80]

70. The use of the word "Corporate"

Implies that the lack of coverage is intentional, and that's it's part of a larger conspiracy against Bernie.

If he's not getting enough attention, then he should run a better campaign.

Also, comparing him to Trump's coverage is an apples-to-oranges comparison.

[dreamnightwind]

72. The corporate media absolutely favors their own interests

That's not a conspiracy theory, it's their business model.

[firebrand80]

73. There's that word again nt

[dreamnightwind]

78. And?

[firebrand80]

84. Again, stop complaining

And run a better campaign

[Uncle Joe]

89. We are part of Bernie's campaign, we will not be silent and injustice will be called when it occurs.

If you don't like that, take it up with the First Amendment.

[Populist_Prole]

90. The usual suspects....

Trust a third-wayer to blanch and take umbrage whenever the word "corporate" is applied to a candidate.

[firebrand80]

100. This has nothing to do with the 1st amendment

My point is that playing the victim doesn't accomplish as much as finding a way to solve the problem

[Uncle Joe]

101. No one is playing and Bernie's campaign isn't a victim, the American People are being victimized by

the corporate media conglomerates; intent on keeping them ignorant on the most critical issues of the day.

The corporate media conglomerates are doing their best to dumb the people down making it infinitely more difficult for the United States to have an informed electorate; the bedrock of a thriving democracy.

We as a nation are ill served by our conflict of interest laden and monopolized corporate media; which condemn themselves by their actions.

[billhicks76]

74. The People Should Punish Them

[Uncle Joe]

85. No member of the corporate media conglomerate gets a majority of the American Peoples' trust, with

the exception of public television, only they get that honor.

PBS Is America's Most Trusted TV News Source. Or Maybe It's Fox News.

The difference in who wins lies in how you ask the questions. Public Policy Polling, a left-leaning polling organization, first asked 845 registered voters about different news sources on an individual basis. Below are respondents' answers.

Organization Trust Don't Trust Not Sure
ABC 37% 38% 26%
CBS 39 37 24
CNN 40 40 21
Comedy Central 29 38 33
Fox News 44 42 15
MSNBC 34 44 21
NBC 39 39 22
PBS 57 24 19

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2014/01/30/pbs-is-americas-most-trusted-tv-news-source-or-maybe-its-fox-news

The U.S. News and World Report are also a member of the corporate media conglomerate and it comes through in their article here, notice how they try to obfuscate PBS and FOX's standing in trustworthiness, it's not even close almost as many people don't trust FOX as trust them.

PBS has a clear majority in trustworthiness and by far the smallest % that doesn't trust them.

I believe the American People are punishing the corporate media conglomerate as viewership and readership in that great monopoly is dropping but as for me it can't come soon enough, they have become a disservice to the people, only the almighty dollar and their hold on persuasive power are what matter to them.

http://www.people-press.org/2012/09/27/in-changing-news-landscape-even-television-is-vulnerable/





While print sources have suffered readership losses in recent years, television news viewership has remained more stable. Currently, 55% say they watched the news or a news program on television yesterday, little changed from recent years. But there are signs this may also change. Only about a third (34%) of those younger than 30 say they watched TV news yesterday; in 2006, nearly half of young people (49%) said they watched TV news the prior day. Among older age groups, the percentages saying they watched TV yesterday has not changed significantly over this period.

[Dustlawyer]

81. Love Mr. HIGHTOWER!!!

As to the media, no further proof of the need for regulating the site out of them is needed. As important as the election of our President and the Congress is, our media should be REQUIRED to give equal time and access! The media owners should not be allowed so much control and influence over our elections, PERIOD.

I SAY, BUST THEM UP!!!

[valerief]

83. That's why no one watches TV anymore for news. nt

[Enthusiast]

86. Kicked and recommended to the Max!

[UCmeNdc]

88. True!

K&R

[dpatbrown]

94. Texas politicans

I have tons of respect for Hightower, and also the late Barbara Jordan. They're not ALL crazy down there. Oh, and I forgot Bill Moyers.

[GoneFishin]

99. K & R