Another urging of my fellow DUers to boycott cable news completely.

[Bouncy Ball]

Media Matters and several other organizations are acting as watchdogs, watching and listening every single day. They post what they see and hear on their websites.

I'd rather give Media Matters and others the hits and read their sites than give the cable "news" shows the ratings and give any semblance of legitimacy to them by watching them.

Cable news and the corporate controlled media is quickly becoming an irrelevant joke, with their viewership dropping by the month.

If even ONE DUer is on the edge and decides, after reading this, to go ahead and boycott cable "news," then I'll be happy. The sooner they topple, the sooner they have to start over or start from scratch or go away altogether (we hope), the better. Hasten their death.

By watching, you give it legitimacy. Anyone who's been around DU or who has read Media Matters for just a short time can see why they deserve not a scrap of legitimacy.

Just say no. You don't have to cancel your cable, just stop watching the "news." You can get it all on the internet without all the inane yammering anyway.

[Mythsaje]

1. I haven't watched ANY news

since the Iraq war started. I find plenty of better things to watch than that crap.

[beam me up scottie]

2. Do it.

BB's right.
I have been boob tube free for months and my IQ shot up 10 points the first day I went cold turkey.
Everything you need and more is available on the net for free.
I get 24/7 coverage from all over the world and I catch Scrubs and other can't-live-without shows on bit torrent.

[ReadTomPaine]

3. I would love to help you with this...

but I already started about a year ago, other than the debates and a few key events. ;)

Great idea, and wholehearted support your view. Use corporate news to study the opposition, and steer the cable die-hards toward people like Keith Olbermann. Otherwise internet and some print news media are the only way to go these days.

[Cleita]

4. I already have for over ten months now.

The only cable news I watch is the CBC hour newscast and the international news on NWI television from Canada.

[Bouncy Ball]

6. Now THOSE are decent news shows.

If people have Free Speech TV or NWI or something like that or even BBC World News, those are infinitely better than what passes for "news" shows from the regular cable channels.

But I don't even watch those. I went cold turkey years ago and just get everything off the internet and some print sources now.

[Melodybe]

5. Done, well actually I kinda tuned them out after 2000

I ONLY watch if someone like Dean or Clark will be on. I did watch the Crossfire episode with Jon Stewart tho.

Why raise your blood pressure if you don't have to?

Turn that shit off! Give media matters the hits, it helps them and us.

Oh and if any are interested I'm trying to cordinate a millions against the media march for Feb 1, 2006. The 10 th anniversary of the telecommunications Act seems like a great time to tell the corporate media to FUCK OFF!!

I've already got volunteers in Atlanta and LA, I'm still looking for folks in NY, DC, Miami, and Chicago. PM me.

[bloom]

7. Cspan has been running BBC news the last couple of days.

late in the afternoon anyway.

It's been interesting what with what has been going on over there.

Mostly it was pretty good - but they had some jerk who was being overly aggressive talking with George Galloway about his statement on the bombings. I wondered if he was inspired by jerks on CNN or FOX or something.

(I never watch FOX, btw. Sometimes I put on CNN - but not for information other than to see what stories they are or are not covering).

[Bouncy Ball]

9. I urge you to boycott CNN.

They are just as bad as the rest.

It's your decision, that's just what I'm urging my fellow DUers to do. They are dying. Let's help them die faster.

[seabeyond]

8. stopped watching in oct 2004

obsessive watcher for 3 decades. watched an hour yesterday before i had to turn off. cant watch it anymore. like dean said on jon stewart show

jon and internet

[merh]

10. I only watch local news

Cable news suck (except for Keith O! :loveya: )

[Bouncy Ball]

12. I can't stand my local news.

The stories are SO farging stupid.

The national stories, I can get anywhere on the internet or print sources.

And the local stories just suck. I can get better coverage in some local weekly papers around here.

Once when we had an ice storm, they sent out this reporter, who held the microphone down to the ice, then he rapped the ice with his knuckles to SHOW US HOW ICY IT WAS.

Yeah. Seriously.

[merh]

20. Oh, I know, they are pretty pathetic

But I have to watch it for work purposes.

I'll give you one better. Last year when Hurricane Ivan was making landfall, they had a goofy reporter out in the storm. He was reporting that the street leading into mine was flooded, water had come up from the bay and was coving the street. Well, imagine how I felt, it that street was flooded, then my house might be too, since its on the bay. I was in a panic, they kept showing this goof in his stupid yellow slicker outfit, standing in calf high water. It was dark and all you could see was him standing in the blessed water.

I called a neighbor who stayed at their house to find out if the water was up from the bay. They calmed me and told me that the idiot was standing in the old part of the street, further down the point. That section of road had actually been closed off because it was so low lying. So Mr. idiot reporter found the lowest part of town to stand in to cover the storm.

What a friggin jerk. :mad:

[beam me up scottie]

29. I was force fed some of

our local news on my way in to work this morning.
They found the ONE British person in the whole effing county and asked her what she was thinking yesterday.
She has lived here for 31 EFFING YEARS !
Her accent had morphed into something you'd expect to hear from Scarlett O'Hara Does Dallas.
They are simply incapable of covering any story, anywhere unless they can tie it into the community.
:banghead:

[NuttyFluffers]

11. already do, but i will evangelize the gospel for you!

:hug:

the Gospel of Bouncy Ball:

24 hr. cable news channels blow, don't watch. Except some good stuff on C-SPAN, that's OK.

O8)

[Bouncy Ball]

13. Eh, I don't even bother with C-SPAN.

Basically what I watch on TV is "The Daily Show" (when I catch it, sometimes I miss it) and movies on DVD. Maybe "Reno 911" every now and then.

Thanks for spreading it!!!! :hug:

[Nite Owl]

14. I used to just watch if I could catch someone

we wanted to see that was going to be on but now our very own DUer Mark Williams has all the good stuff at dembloggers.com and there is crooksandliars.com too. No need to even turn to any of them now and wait through the bad stuff.

[Bouncy Ball]

16. That's right!

Thanks, I had forgotten about crooksandliars, another good one.

And I didn't know about dembloggers, thanks.

[Bouncy Ball]

15. Come on.

Someone who's been on the fence, trying to give up cable "news," just do it, man, just turn your back on it.

The one thing they fear the MOST isn't being called out for their lies, it isn't being dressed down for their ugly statements, it's a dead microphone and crickets chirping. THAT is their greatest fear. Because when that happens, then the sponsors go somewhere else, and put a fork in them, they're done.

[DisassemblingHisLies]

17. I've been totally on board since the election.

[getmeouttahere]

18. No problem....

I only watch HBO, Cinemax and Starz, occasionally Sundance channel & IFC

[NMMNG]

19. I've never been a cable news fan

I rarely even watch local tv news--it's mostly fluff and crap I'm not interested in. I get my news primarily from print and Internet resources. Only if there is something critical and immediate that I need to know (like the London bombings the other day) do I flip on the tube.

[Bouncy Ball]

21. I will

confess to having watched about an hour of MSNBC yesterday, only because I couldn't find BBC World News.

And ONLY because of the London bombings.

Normally, I NEVER watch any of it. In fact, the channels aren't even programmed in, so I had to bring up the full menu to find MSNBC yesterday.

[howmad1]

22. ARE YOU SAYING........

.....no more Keith Obermann or Jon Stewart? Whataya, nuts? These two are my ONLY source of real news. :9

[Bouncy Ball]

24. I do watch the Daily Show.

I mentioned that above.

I don't bother with anything else, not to diss Olbermann or anything, but I don't get into the "real" news shows.

If that's all you watch, I'm down with that.

:D

[beam me up scottie]

25. If you have broadband

you can stream BBC live.

I had it on my computer all day yesterday.

[Bouncy Ball]

27. Hmm, I'm going to have to look into that.

I do have broadband. Thanks!

[beam me up scottie]

28. It is so great

to watch and listen to their programming.
ALL of it, the news, the soaps, the sports, the gossip - I'm hooked.
I have it on all the time.

Links:

BBC TV: http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/
Radio: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/

[NMMNG]

30. I had CNN on in the background at work last night

So I could keep up with breaking news on the London bombings. BBC world news wasn't available and my only other option was Faux :puke: . I glanced at it from time to time but mainly was in the office doing other things.

[TheFarseer]

23. I haven't watched cable news since the election

well, a little if I'm flipping through and I see someone I want to hear from but otherwise Sunday morning, Daily Show and DU give me my fix on politics. I wonder how many times ANYONE can hear republicans good, democrats bad and still be glued to their seat.

[Bouncy Ball]

26. LOL, no shit!

They start to sound Cro-Magnum after a little bit, don't they?

Actually after just a couple of seconds.

[LaPera]

31. Indeed! "Just STOP watching the news"

Stop giving them your rating points.

AND, "Buy Blue"!

http://www.buyblue.org/alphalist.php