You know, the MSM just seems to have trouble reporting...

[YvonneCa]

...on anything even remotely related to race these days. It's like they don't know what to do...ever since Obama became the nominee for President...and especially now that he IS President.

Remember how they did all the polls by race during the primary? They had all those fancy visuals that were really just graphs that popped up out of the floor? They could have chosen lots of data to share, but it was all 'black' vs.'white' percentages.

The whole Rev. Wright thing. And the inflammatory Palin campaigning that was getting scary...the media actually drew a line on that one, sort of. They've had all these weird (only my opinion) shows to try to teach racial history...some good, some just strange. And now Sotomayor and this incident at Harvard.

The coverage just seems odd, to me...like they don't know what the goal is. The Republicans seem to want to goal to be to create divisiveness again...because that's how they win elections (Karl Rove's specialty). There is another election in 2010 and it seems race may be their wedge issue.

Democrats have a different goal...unity...at least I think it's unity. And Obama leads on this very well, IMHO.

But the MSM, the media? Where are they on this ?? Except for Fox, who chose sides long ago, they seem to be insecure. They seem afraid to stand up and say "It's wrong to use race to divide this country ON PURPOSE."

[FrenchieCat]

1. The media likes polarization....and they encourage it on every issue.....

sad truly, because they could make such a difference!

[YvonneCa]

5. True. They encourage conflict and polarization because...

...such stories 'have legs' (to quote Candy Crowley) and will produce good ratings. I don't fault them working stories for ratings...I just think they need to be thoughtful about the potential explosiveness of stories, especially when it's about race, and it could be used as a wedge for political purposes.

[lxlxlxl]

2. they keep the wheel spinning

i completely agree with you. i feel like they keep repeating the old OJ / LA Riots line of thought over and over because they are afraid to definitively state that there is right and wrong. it's partially because of 24 hour news, which i believe is too demanding on producers and talent to do anything other than repeat as much as possible. i no longer think it is intentional.

Even during the election last year, I felt the coverage of race issues was horrible. It was all about 'how do black people feel' and never the opposite, which is an equally relevant, and possibly more important question.

[sunnybrook]

3. why is that more important

I don't follow your reasoning

[YvonneCa]

4. "...they are afraid to definitively state that there is right and wrong"...

...is what it seems like. Or that we ALL share responsibility for saying that...when something is wrong... as members of a community or citizens of this country.

When you have a 'megaphone' like the one the MSM has, to stay silent or ignore a wrong...especially about race issues... seems to condone the behavior, doesn't it?

[lxlxlxl]

9. i think a media (esp cable news) is a conservative force

sorry if i was unclear, but i do agree with your original post.

i also agree that media, if it is the info-tainment, 24 hour noise driven is an activist conservative force, itentional or unintentional, in our society. like i said, they are just spinning the wheel, which is conservative.

[YvonneCa]

12. I agree they are a conservative force. And intentionality...

...for me...is a question. But if the result of their actions is divisive and hurtful to our democracy (up for debate) and they fail to own up to any responsibility for that, don't we ALL have some obligation (as citizens) to fix things?

[FrenchieCat]

8. You mean after the election it was "how do Black people feel?"....cause during the election

the question was "will White people vote for the Black candidate?"...which of course was even more disgusting.

[RandomThoughts]

6. Race issues can be used as a distraction.

It is an important topic, and people should know if they are racist, including people of many color. And people should know they have biases, including almost all people.

But if blacks get mad at whites, and whites get mad at blacks, from an issue, it is not helping.

President Obama's meeting solution is a great idea, it addresses the actual issue. I would have to say it was empathetic, compassionate, and brilliant. It addressed finding a bridge to the problem not just squawking about it.

Some media coverage has been good also, but some has been just trying to incite division.

[YvonneCa]

7. It's a VERY important topic. I just think the media...

...hasn't figured out how to fairly report on it.

[chill_wind]

10. Regardless of topic, when, oh when did the MSM *ever* carry on for days on end

about anything Bush ever said or did? Or for that matter, anything essential he_failed to say or do (like when he was hiding from Katrina for 5 days or so)?

From those sixteen words in the SOU to his mockery of no WMD under his desk (they laughed WITH him!)-- NOTHING he did brought them outrage 24/7 day after day after day like we are seeing now. NOTHING.

He used an illegal war to divide this country day in and day out for eight years and drunkenly spent our economy straight off a cliff, and NEVER did they do what they are doing to this President.

The media has trouble reporting the truth, period.

[YvonneCa]

11. They are attacking Obama in the same way...

...they attacked Clinton (and Gore and Kerry,for that matter).

[chill_wind]

13. Yes. And while I was happy to see Matthews, for example, go after the Birthers

the first night, or even a second night....by a third night in a row of free airtime for these rat-bastards, I think even his agenda is starting to smell.

But after all, he did no less in 04 for the Swiftboaters against Kerry...

:mad:

[YvonneCa]

14. Free airtime really gets to me...

...too. Palin, for example. :grr: Cheney, for another. Double :grr: