Why are we letting Fox News cover our convention?

[MikeG]

Shouldn't they be denied credentials?

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[RobertSeattle]

8. Be nice

But your point is valid

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

[bluestateguy]

5. There is no constitutional right to a press pass

This is a private event, and Fox is free to say whatever they want on the air, but the DNC may pick and choose to whom it wishes to give credentials.

[Square_Peg]

16. The convention is not a private event

Seriously, how dumb can people get? It's a public political event, that is being broadcast around the world. On what planet does that qualify as private?

[Renew Deal]

28. It's not a public event.

Not anyone can walk in. You have to get a press pass to get in. They could say no to anyone that want.

[Bucky]

Nope. It's paid for in part with public money.

If you deny access to the press you need to have a better excuse than "wah-wah, they say stuff that hurts my feelings."

If Michael Moore goes to the NY convention and gets booted out, how will you feel? Would you support that move? I sure as hell wouldn't.

[Renew Deal]

36. I am not sure if I support it either way.

And I didn't say that I supported it. All I said is that it's not a public event. If it was, I would be there. Same goes for Fox. They can deny access. I think the idea of the Dems cutting off fox all together is a good one.

[Bucky]

44. If you think "Dems cutting off Fox is a good idea", please stay out of PR

"I think the idea of the Dems cutting off fox all together is a good one."

I think you should support the Democrats any way you can this year and for the forseeable future. But if you really think that cutting off Fox's access is a smart idea, please don't ever take a job in public communications for a Democratic candidate. This sort of goose-stepping knee-jerkery is the last thing we should ever do. It hands a huge propaganda victory to our opponents. It would make us look weak and scared and mean. It would be a PR disaster.

[Kipepeo]

46. but

they pick and choose which press to let in anyway. Why let in Faux news? I'm with the original poster on this one.

The DNC also gave out some blogger passes to conservative bloggers. I wonder if the RNC will be so kind to liberal bloggers.

edited to add: true, it would be a PR nightmare, but I'm still resentful...

[Name removed]

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[MikeG]

9. He's right, remember "first amendment zones"

Put Fox News' in the dumpster outside.

[Kanary]

48. I like your idea best.......the Faux Dumpster

Watch the boom mikes manuever from there......

:)

Kanary

[Forkboy]

19. Jeebus...who shit on your on your twinkie?

[Bucky]

25. Here's the headline: "Democrats scared of Fox News". How does that play?

It looks bad. It's a dumb idea. The Democratic National is a public, not a private event. It's paid for in part by tax dollars. It's the party that represents the views of half the country (and the interests of 90% of the electorate--even if 40% of them are too stoopid to know it).

But undermining all of that by scratching the press access of the cable news network with the leading ratings because we don't like what they say is pretty dumb politics. Denying access to someone because you disagree with them is damned undemocratic. If the Republicans denied access to, say, NPR, how would you feel?

[Forkboy]

26. So why didn't you say that

instead of just calling the poster a jackass for asking?

[Bucky]

29. I reacted emotionally to any attack on democracy

If you don't believe in free speech for people you disagree with, you don't believe in free speech. Anyone who wants to use organizational power to cut off access for a legitimate news organization just because they are politically opposed to us is advocating a fascist policy. Jack ass was harsh term (notice it got yanked), but censorship is an obscene idea. It's always wrong.

[Kanary]

34. I don't let people in my house who spout lies, make personal attacks, and

scream obscenities.

So, I'm "against free speech", or setting healthy boundaries?

We don't have to keep playing the game according to the RW rules.

Gore lost that way........ one loss is enough, isn't it?

Truly "fair and balanced" media is welcome......... propaganda organs are not...

But, I'm not the one who sets the rules for the DEMs....... we'll see if they've learned any lessons or not.

:shrug:

Kanary

[MikeG]

35. They are not a legitimate news organization.

They are strictly propoganda.

You need to see "Outfoxed"

QED.

[Bucky]

39. You don't seem to get the notion of "free press". It means "partisan"

Are they biased? Hell yes. So is the National Review, the New Republic, The Nation, Mother Jones, NPR, Rush Limbaugh, CBN, and MTV news. Being slanted makes them objectionable, but it hardly makes them illegitimate. The 1st Amendment is there specifically to protect the partisan press.

You don't fight bad arguments by silencing your opponents. You win by raising your own voice and out arguing them. It's time we start playing the game right instead of wishing we could mirror our opponents' nascent brown-shirtism.

[MikeG]

42. They've now cost us 900 soldier's lives.

How many more have to die before we stop being pansies?

No one will miss them.

And their lack of coverage will ruin their ratings.

[Bucky]

47. 1, 2, 3...

How many more have to die before we stop being pansies?

Allowing your opponents to speak is not weakness; it's democracy. Fascism is not strength; it's cowardice with a taste for power. We won't stop the war by pretending Fox doesn't have an audience. We'll only stop the war by out arguing the bastards the way democracy and the Constitution demand.

No one will miss them.

We of course would never hear the end of it. "Democrats hate freedom" and "Democrats fear criticism" and "Democrats don't support a free press" all wrapped up in the usual "fair and balanced" drivel.

And their lack of coverage will ruin their ratings.

Fox's core audience is not all that interested in watching our convention anyway. This would do almost nothing to Fox except yield the moral high ground to them by making Democrats look like chicken shits. And frankly, I think trying to cut off Fox is a chicken shit idea.

[Kipepeo]

50. By your own rationale

...did we let in Rush Limbaugh? Did he get a coveted DNC press pass? And if so, why did we waste one on him?

If you only have so many passes, stands to reason you'd want to give them to the people less likely to go there with the full intention of misrepresenting and undermining you.

[tritsofme]

56. Sean Hannity is going

I hear him bragging about it everyday.

What the hell is he doing there?

[Kipepeo]

49. legitimate news organization??

fox?

[Bucky]

54. Asked & answered. See post #39

[kiahzero]

55. There is no constitutional right to access

It's not censorship to deny a press pass to a news outlet.

[napi21]

37. Good comment! I haven't heard words like that in a while!

One of my bosses in a prior job used to say something similar..."Who shit in your granola this morning".

I've always found those words to fit a lot of different situations. Never heard the twinkie one, but it did bring back memories. THANKS!

[bluestateguy]

2. I like that idea

Besides, they'll just cut away or do a split screen to give us live coverage of the latest "development" in the Laci Peterson case.

[Bombtrack]

4. If I see Carl Cameron, I'm going to stink bomb him

[MikeG]

6. Can we at least seriously harass them then?

[Kanary]

7. Because we DEMs are slow learners........

[unkachuck]

10. good point....

.....nothing good can come from Fox News covering our convention....and we may save ourselves from a lot of bad spin....screw Fox....

[Cleita]

11. Does put us between a rock and a hard place, doesn't it?

Free speech vs. propaganda.

[MikeG]

13. They can use footage from other networks, if they want to.

I just want them out on their asses.

And if Kerry wins, I'd want them out of the White House.

They aren't a real news network.

[Cleita]

18. If Kerry wins, I hope he reinstates the fairness doctrine.

It was Clinton who ended it, but I think we need it back.

[bluestateguy]

23. Reagan ended the Fairness Doctrine in 1987

This is just when right wing talk radio was becoming popular. The real President Bush vetoed an effort to reinstate it, and when Clinton tried to bring it back in 1993, but the talk radio hosts (led by you know who) bitched and moaned enough to keep it alive.

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/fairnessdoct/fairnessdoct.htm

[Cleita]

30. My error.

Back when we were complaining about selection 2000 and why the media wasn't reporting this and saying Bush was "a very popular president", I got the impression that Clinton had done this. Of course I hadn't discovered DU back then.

[LTR]

12. Any of our media covering the RNC Convention?

Closest thing I saw was this:

http://georgewbush.com/Party/BlockPartyRequest.aspx?Zip=10020&BlockPartyID=19238

Sirius Left host Alex Bennett apparently held an in-studio party as a joke and advertised it on Dumbya's site. Unfortunately, I didn't catch the show that day.

WHAT: Alex Bennett's SIRIUS NY Party with more Nut Cups!
WHERE: NEW YORK, NY

WHEN: Thursday, July 15, 2004
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

DISTANCE: Approximately 0.5 miles from your location.



Alex Bennett will host a major party to help register voters at his SIRIUS Satellite Radio studio. Listen to the ALEX BENNETT PROGRAM on SIRIUS Left, channel 143, weekdays, 9am-Noon ET. Even more foil nut cups and Yoo-Hoo for refreshment.

What's ironic is, he LOATHES Bush!

[The_Casual_Observer]

14. Any coverage is good coverage

The speeches knocking chimp will be on fox.

[MikeG]

15. Watch them cut away from them. They've done it before.

[The_Casual_Observer]

20. Sure, but if they do that all the time

they won't see any speeches at all! They are probably getting paranoid about the fair and balanced thing right now, so I'll bet they will be holding their noses and eating some shit.

[Isere]

17. I like the question!

Perhaps one of the media monitoring organizations will do a content analysis of the convention coverage and compare Fox's work to that of the other networks.

You better believe that they will take every opportunity to highlight the marginalia of the Democratic party, just as they do day in and day out.

[Mr_Spock]

21. Ignore Fox, it's easy. Stupid freeper at work quoted a Faux story, I

just looked at him and said "yeah, they're not too bias eh". NEVER heard the word Fox again from anyone who isn't just making fun of them. They are an utter joke. A JOKE YOU HEAR! Ignore the friggin jokers - though I don't they should get the same pass as a real news organization. They are just like ET - an entertainment source ONLY.

[RummyTheDummy]

22. Yes. But they should be treated REALLY rudely

NT

[CaTeacher]

24. hey the more publicity the better

don't assume that everyone who watches Fox is a hard core Repug. Some are probably swing voters---maybe they will turn in and hear something that they like--something that influences them to our side.

Besides--I don't believe in censorship--which basically means that they do have the right to do their coverage.

[maggrwaggr]

57. more than that. They should be seriously fucked with

Their cables should be cut. Their power should be cut off. Their camera lenses should be smeared, their tapes erased.

Etc. etc.

Fuck those assholes. They want a fight, let's give them a fight.

[LarryBaker]

58. Unbelievable

If that is your true opinion, then as much as I despise Faux, I despise your opinion more. You call yourself a democrat? If you want to censure the media, ANY media, then I have to agree with some other posters that it looks too much like brownshirt-mannerisms on your part.

[maggrwaggr]

61. they're not "media". They are the enemy and they want to destroy us

Play nice with them at your own risk.

Why in the WORLD would you want to play "fair" with someone who is out to destroy you?

Seriously, answer me that one.

[punpirate]

27. Well, I think it would be a good thing...

... wingers throwing stuff at their TVs, breaking `em, not being able to watch Faux until they saved up for another one. By that time, the election would be over.... :P

[MikeG]

31. I'll spell it out: THEY ARE THERE TO CAUSE TROUBLE.

Would you let someone in your house who was going to do that?

[Kanary]

38. I guess, according to some here, we should just be good door mats

Personally, I decided to get down off the cross, and stop being a martyr a lot of years ago.

Wonder how long it will take the DEM party to do that?

When our country has but one party?

:shrug:

Kanary

[unkachuck]

43. nope....

.....and just think of all the money we are going to have to spend on TV ads countering all the negative crap that came from Fox News during the convention (and they'll regurgitate it a 1000 times over)....why not just invite the RNC to the convention.....

Get the lawyers and find a 'technical' way to keep Fox News out....and think Republican: 'controlling the message is everything'.....

[Kanary]

45. You're quite right........ we let 'em set the rules.....

We gotta reclaim it.

"Control the message"....... yup, that's the Repuke playbook, and we'll have to do the same until we manage, somehow , to get some sanity back in our media. (That's "sanity", not "Hannity"......hehehe)

Haven't we lost enough?

Do we have to keep learning the same lessons, until we're all roommates at Gitmo?

Basta!

Kanary

[unkachuck]

51. self-deleted

.....it was a bad idea....

[HEyHEY]

33. No - give them credentials

I don't care WHAT people say, denying credentials is wrong. Let them do their schtick....common sense will prevail.

[napi21]

40. I agree! Love 'em or hate 'em, they have a news chanel.

I never tune into the Fpx chamels, but some do. It's their right to be at the convention and air what they think. If we can convert the large majority to our side, Fox will go away due to lack of ratings and consequently advertising.

Till then.....they have a first ammendment right to say what they think.

[Kanary]

53. Whoa, HeyHey! IN another post you say the 'Murkins are scary......

now you want the scariest to have the upper hand?

Nope, while I have no say........ if it were up to me, I'd quit being a doormat, reclaim our own territory, and allow only the legitimate media which is capable of actual reporting rather than PROPAGANDA.

We're still a target, but we don't need to hand our opponents the gun!

Kanary

[lpbk2713]

41. It's more than just irony that while Faux is covering

the convention, Gary Trudeau is covering Faux..........

Link: http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html?uc_full_date=20040721

[Ouabache]

52. Let 'em cover it

But it sure would be too bad if they got power cuts everytime one of their shitmouths went into an anti-Kerry tirade. It would serve them right for everytime Democratic voices have been cut-off or shouted down on their so-called network news.

[fujiyama]

59. I despise FNC

as much as anyone here, but there are some nuts out there that only watch Fox news.

Say one person watching FOX actually is impressed enough by one of the speeches at the convention and is convinced to vote dem?

As much as we hate Fox, it can't be ignored. In terms of cable news channels it's one of the highest rated.

That said, I consider it American Pravda. It's worthless propaganda.

[Shopaholic]

60. Okay--so we have to let them "cover" us. . . but do we have to

make it easy for theM? I say let's give them a really nice spot--right in the middle of Boston Harbor. Say about 30 feet or so underwater.