Is the History Channel a loudspeaker for the Bush administration?

[La_Serpiente]

I was watching the History Channel right now and they were doing a special on the Alaska oil pipeline. I thought "fine", they are just talking about the pipeline in Alaska. No problem.

Then they talk about how the current pipeline will run out of oil in 20 years. They said that the oil pipeline could remain working if an extension was placed to the ANWR reserve there.

They go on further to explain how the entire oil drilling process is safe, that it will bring jobs, and will also allow the US to rely less on foreign oil They don't really go on to explain the fact that endangered species live there, that it is a pristine place that should be preserved, or that we should be investing in renewable energies instead of just drilling from national parks.

It all seemed like Republican talking points. Anyone notice anything odd on the History Channel? Are they trying to rewrite History?

Edit: To be intelectually honest, they also mentioned prior to the whole romanticism with ANWR the ExxonValdez Oil Spill. They went over the steps the oil companies took in order prevent future oil spills from occuring. However, it seemed as though they were trying to reassure the viewer that an oil spill would not occur. That is nice they mentioned that, but that is not what I am concerned about.

[Junkdrawer]

1. Modern Marvels is always pro-industry. My guess is that it's underwritten

by industry donations, one way or another. Tales of the Gun is pro-gun industry. And then there's those endless pro-Iraq War/Anti-Saddam specials. In the last few years they've turned decidedly conservative.

[BiggJawn]

2. It's Television, it's American. Of COURSE it's a Chimpy mouthpiece.

I'm actually surprised that Big Bird's colour doesn't change with the terror theat level.

[Kolesar]

3. We have been through this before on DU, and I think you are right

The "horrors of Hussein" week was hard to take. It reeked of administration propaganda. I did not see the petroleum show you mentioned though.

[SheilaT]

4. In recent months

the History Channel has been showing an exceptionally narrow version of history. Mostly WWII, as if all history begins and ends there.

There's also a convergence of programming on that and some of the other cable channels, such as the various Discovery Channels. Sometimes when I'm channel surfing there will the three or four different programs on simultaneously that are on a similar theme.

Another common theme that bothers me are all the "Let's prove the Bible was real" shows, such as searching for Noah's Ark, or following in the footsteps of some Biblical creature. The underlying assumption always seems to be that factual incidents are correctly recorded and we need to verify these things, rather than looking objectively at the archaeological evidence.

Overall there's been a decline in critical thinking in all of these "documentaries".

[glitch]

9. hardly any science on the discovery channel anymore

now the only reason I keep cable is cspan.

[Rich Hunt]

21. absolutely

All of the educational channels have really gone down the toilet. The Discovery Channel is supposed to be educational, and all they talk about is religion & superstition. And look what happened to TLC. Even Animal Planet has an animal psychic show on now.

All the History Channel shows are programs about weapons with lots of cool footage of stuff blowing up.

[DrWeird]

22. Yes, and for nature shows I have to watch MTV now.

Of course Wildboys is the most entertaining nature show in history, it's perhaps not the most educational.

[Rich Hunt]

23. science on tv

It's gotten so bad that lately I find myself watching lots of Court TV. This troubled me - I asked myself if I was getting morbid. Then I realized that the investigative shows have more facts, science and history than any network on cable.

Except when they show 'Cops', of course.

[MisterP]

32. they dropped Mrs. Coke-Bottle Glasses who'd always say "daaaahling"

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. It might be just that one program

History has been showing a lot of shows about the rise of Nazism, and it's amazing how many parallels you can draw. My husband feels that shows that someone there is awake and letting out warnings.

[farmbo]

6. HC's run up to Bush's Iraq war was shameful...

They played the propaganda organ for the neocons 24/7.

[jpgray]

7. For recent history they suck

But they run fine programs on the Kennedy assassination, the rise of Hitler, etc. Not very in-depth, but not too overtly right wing either. Still, stuff on the Bushes and/or Iraq tends to be heavily biased. As in the "whoops we let him use helicopters! D'oh!" concept. :eyes:

[KharmaTrain]

8. Remember Who They're Targeting

I hope I have the food chain right here...History Channel is a subsidiary of A & E Networks that's part of Viacom that also owns CBS. I think that's the current corporate landlord.

The network is programmed for Males 35+...thus the network's loaded with lots of shoot 'em ups and knock 'em downs...also a large older audience...thus the large volume of WWII stuff. The assumption here is the "typical viewer", that is then pitched to the ad agencies, is either military, former military or just plain fat white middle-aged guys. It's almost the same profile as ESPN in many ways. This generates what type of stuff they show...(if you want the "high brow" stuff, check out History Channel International...they don't care if anyone watches that). The network's been a big hit and as long as the advertisers think the "typical viewer" is the equivelent of a "cultured" dittohead, you'll see that fascist drill instructor, "history of sex", shows about power gizmos and cars.

I don't think it's government spin as much as the perceived profile, the network, the program producers (THC gets its shows from outside sources, including CBS & ABC...check the credits at the end of the shows) and the ad agencies. If shows about pink tutus drew big numbers, you'd see its history.

For those with satellite or digital cable, I suggest popping on the Discovery/Times Channel as an alternative to THC...it's relatively new and has a limited number of offerings (old documentaries from the Discovery Channel). There's a lot of military stuff here...including a lot from the recent Iraq invasion, but it's generally balanced and well done...work by primarily independent producers.

[htuttle]

10. Do you mean the 'Hitler Channel'?

:evilgrin:

I've come to the conclusion that they suck.

Why is it that after watching WAY too much history on the History Channel, I know all sorts of things about Ancient Egypt, but not a damned thing about modern Egypt?

I don't watch it much anymore. I realized one day that I could care less about Hermann Goering's family life...

[Kathy in Cambridge]

11. LOL-That's What We Call It Too!

Nazi this and Hitler that!

[htuttle]

14. They don't even cover WWII with any balance

They have full-length biographies of, for example, "Top Luftwaffe Commanders", but nary a word about the French Maqui, or the role of the Cosa Nostra in taking down Mussolini, etc... Lots of interesting stuff they COULD talk about in regards to WWII (if they insist on covering WWII to death), but they don't. They seem to be completely obsessed with the Nazis -- and not really in a 'good' way. Their programming reminds me of someone who collects Nazi paraphernalia in their basement...

[monobrau]

18. Same here

I think a lot of it has to do with the sheer volume of free footage available.

[Nevernose]

13. That really WAS the original name, LOL

Due to the popularity of A&E's WWII documentaries, they planned a spin-off channel called "The World War Two Channel." Fortunately, marginally wiser heads prevailed.

[Buffler]

15. College professor and A&E

I took a WWII course in college. The professor called A&E the Artillery and Explosion network.

[NashVegas]

30. A & E - What a Sad Case

In the 1980s, A & E was where I first saw Room With a View and many other intelligent, arty films & programs.

They really do need to change their name.

A & E, DTimes (remember when it was DCIV and far more varied & interesting?), History, H'INT now make up what I call the "War and Crime" channels.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

12. Yes it is-and Have You Seen The Discovery Times Channel?

All US Miltary Might All The Time!

I remember the history channel having a program "Saddam/Osama"-in other words, drawing a connection between the two.

[Nevernose]

29. Just thre months ago it was "Discovery Civilization"

And playd all of those documentaries on Ancient Egypt, aboriginal Austailians, Atlantis, the Crusades, etc. It was my favorite channel and the bastards had totuen into "The Saddam Hussein/Al Qaeda Channel."

[NashVegas]

31. Same Here

I wrote an email complaining about the change, not long after the switch. The return email thanked me for my positive comments.

[Cleita]

16. Without a doubt.

I started to notice this a few months ago.

[ProfessorGAC]

I'm Bored With Their Military Cheerleading

All of sudden the shows about military hardware are dominating the network, even though most of these shows provide almost no valuable historical context.

So the History Channel is more worried about cheerleading for the military-industrial complex than it is in history.

How disappointing.
The Professor

[LeahMira]

17. History is written...

... by the winners of wars and the holders of power. The rest is forgotten, unless you happen to be among the groups of losers.

Personally, I do think that there are other significant examples of genocide besides the Holocaust. Since the U.S. was and is involved, however, I don't suppose they will make it to the History Channel or any other mass media.

[Cat Atomic]

19. History Channel International is great.

That's the only History Channel I could get when I was in Britain, and it was my favorite channel. They played "A History of Britain", by Simon Schama quite a bit. Great television.

But, like CNN and beer, the domestic version sucks.

[Ms. Clio]

20. but even HCI is becoming Hitler Channel II

Lately I've been seeing more and more Nazi shit there, too. Very disappointing.

[Cat Atomic]

26. Blech. That's disappointing. n/t

[smirkymonkey]

24. "All War All The Time"

should be their motto. As a history buff, I am so disappointed in that channel. You would think by watching it that human history is comprised mostly of war and very little else.

There are so many interesting topics on the subject. What a waste of a network. Bombs Away!!

[tom_paine]

25. Yes, I have noticed that increasing tendency, too

Which arm of Corporate TV Pravda owns it, I wonder. One of the HAS TO.

I also saw a show which literally was tailor made to Bushevik talking points regarding the Iraqi resistance. It echoed Bushevik Lies utterly (which is a shame because I have always trusted the History Channel pretty implicitly..foolish me) regarding the nature of the Iraqi resistance and using almost the same words as the Bushevik Press Releases, just like Corproate TV Pravda.

Yes, I agree, the History Channel is becoming a shill for the Busheviks and that is bad news for all of us because it means the tendrils of Corporate Tv Pravda are spreadingrapidly into previously uncorrupted sources.

Ah, the Soviet Dilemna, which we now face in Imperial Amerika. Who to believe when everyone is lying and when all things serve Comrade Napoleon?

[Zero Gravitas]

27. Of course it is

the rest of the media is pro-bush, so why not the Hitler Channel?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. I've thought so

ever since I heard their blatant lies about the situation in Central America in the 1980s and saw their programming shift almost entirely to war and guns and crime.