Why is the Media spinning so hard for Bush?

[TomClash]

As Craig Roberts eloquently observed in another thread, even NPR is spinning for Bush and no one could sensibly argue that this debate was a "draw." So then why is this happening? Doesn't it look like they want Bush to win? But why back this buffoon?

First I thought "FCC." Then I thought "afraid of the Republicans." Then I thought "it's all corporate owned, even NPR, dependent on contributions from corporations like you."

Then I thought "losing Iraq." The media took a lot of the heat after the US lost Vietnam. If they don't support Bush in "wartime" and we then leave Iraq, they'll be blamed for it like they were blamed for Vietnam.

Then I thought Fox. Fox trounces the other cable networks and Fox is very conservative. This "fair and balanced" nonsense now permeates all media. Be like Fox and you get better ratings, more money and so on.

Maybe it is all of the above. But it is very disturbing. Now I know why Je Trippi says teh revolution will not be televised.

[tomfodw]

1. Lazy lazy lazy

They hate to think for themselves and it's just easier to go along. Makes getting access much easier.

Also, they think the country has turned to the right so they don't want to be out of step.

Corporate consolidation, plus a lot of them are now in the upper income brackets themselves.

But mostly they're lazy.

[sfecap]

2. Ratings.

It's simple...they look at Fox "News", and see that they are winning the ratings wars. So...they try to adapt the Fox model.

It's all about selling advertising, which equals profits. The better the ratings, the more they can charge for ads.

The "media" doesn't give a shit what they report. It's all about selling ads.

[undercover_brother]

7. dollars

Fox News Channel set the standard for raking in viewership and thus advertising dollars. News has become entertainment. It is reality based television.

If they report what every person who watched the debate knows, namely that the President did very very poorly, then they risk alienating the blind Republican loyalists. That seems to be about 35% of the country. That is a lot of money lost.

Much of news has been reduced to talking heads. Two people are brought in from the far right and the far left and allowed to voice their spin on what happens. The "news" anchor asks some softball questions to get the conversation started and they go off for 3 minutes. At the end the "news" anchor declares a tie and thanks the guests for appearing. This gets repeated ad naseum.

No matter how rediculous the claims made, the "news" media just brings in an opposing viewpoint person and lets them both "debate" the topic for 3 minutes and then declares them both equal and it a tie. This is how people like the Swift Boat Vets are able to get a foothold. Instead of the "news" media doing indepth investigative journalism and researching the claims and then presenting their findings, they instead just bring in another talking head and allow both side to talk for 3 minutes. By simply getting on the "news" these types of claims are given some credance by many viewers.

If the viewers of the debate had shut off their TV's after seeing what happened and thought about it with their own minds then the vast majority would realize that the President does not have a good grasp of his job compared to John Kerry. This was shown by the instant polls. It was clear. Based on his own merits, our President did a very poor job of handling discussions on what was spun as his strongest issues. Everyone knew it. Republicans were disappointed in the Presidents ability to rationalize his policies. Democrats were elated that John Kerry appeared to be in command of the evening and has such a strong grasp of the issues. Those in the middle were surprised that their President could appear so weak.

Now the media people kick in and attempt to reassure their viewers that all is fine. The tell the Republicans and Democrats that both men were equal and the night went on without either side making a good or bad showing. To those who actually watched the debate this came as a real shocker.

I would like to think that the voters will decide based on what they actually saw and heard instead of what the "news" media told us happened. I am not certain this will happen though. Many people will continue to rely on their "news" person to interpret what they saw, like a sports commentator. The dilemma here is that the debate results were so blantantly obvious immediatelly that believing the "news" media on the results is very difficult.

[newyawker99]

8. Hi undercover_brother!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Flubadubya]

9. "Two people are brought in from the far right and the far left ..."

Not exactly... the media has become so right-leaning that they don't dare bring on a real Dem who is bright and articulate and who will faithfully represent a true Democratic viewpoint. It usually ends up being someone like Saxby Chambliss and Joe Liebermann. They try very hard to water down the left viewpoint.

This is especially true of the likes of Tim Russert and Wolf Blitzer. I see them do this all the time.

Anyway, welcome to DU undercover_brother and thanks for your input! :bounce::party::bounce:

[shrub chipper]

11. Great post!

Welcome to DU!

I'm new here,too.

[meow2u3]

15. Fox has high ratings not because they're flagrantly right-wing

but because of their tabloid delivery. All the bells and whistles, sound effects, sensationalism, etc., only serve not only to lure the viewer, but also to hide their fascist shit behind the slick packaging.

[undercover_brother]

17. the bells and whistles help

but I believe a larger part of Fox's success lies in the fact that they are so blantantly right-winged that the Republican base finds comfort in watching Fox News Channel. The other major news outlets share the viewer pool of steadfast Democrats, undecideds, moderate Republicans and Democrats, and those who could care less. Just ask around. Of the people you know who are firmly Republican and watch the news regularly, how many watch Fox News almost exclusivelly?

Fox News Channel is comfort food for Republicans.

Fox can revel in their ratings and continue to rake in the cash, but they know as well as we do that it is not due to great journalism. It is because they are the only solidly right-winged news channel available to Republicans.

This is part of their magic of the liberal media myth. By promoting it, conservatives get to enjoy their bastion of shared ideals at Fox News while also leaning all the other media outlets to the right. Fox News is blantant and is given a free pass simply because we all know. They are like the alcoholic uncle none of us try to correct because he has been like that for so long. When a news outlet does push a real journalism piece which happens on that day to be unfavorable to the Republicans, Fox News and their evolving surrogates jump in to be "watchdogs".

The media needs to wake up and listen to people like Kronkite. He and others who used their journalistic integrity to report ALL stories through their own investigations are now telling it like it is and stating for the record that Fox News and company are destroying journalism in their rabid chase of the almighty advertising dollar.

[DaveinMD]

3. CNN

turned right because they are trying to shed the Clinton News Network label and want to compete with Fox for viewers. Fuck em.

[kokomo]

6. Add CNN to list of "sell outs" like Geraldo, Greta, Zell, .......

[creeksneakers2]

4. The big thing they have to hide

is that Bush is a complete moron. Bush's stupidity was in plain sight last night. If the public ever figures out that the media allowed Bush's stupidity to be hidden for this law the public will be outraged. The media therefore, must cover up.

"He must have been tired."

[shrub chipper]

13. Yes, *'s stupidity is the thing

No one wants to discuss it.

No one wants the World to know (Surprise! Te rest of the World DOES know)

[Hamlette]

5. where have you been?

I noticed it during impeachment...but it was AWFUL (yes, including NPR) during the recount in FL. I'm not sure I know the reason, or all of them. I just turn it off.

One nice thing about this debate is that over 66 million Americans watched. Only about 30% (those who drank the Kool Aid) think it was a draw, and even those people, in their heart of hearts have to say somethink like "poor Bush, he must have been tired."

So that leaves 45 million people who know the media are lying.

All power to the people...through the internet. If there is any hope of getting our country back, this right here is where it will happen.

[TomClash]

10. Watching TV. . .

That's where I've been.

Duh, I know the media is now biased right. My question is why?

Maybe ratings is the best answer.

[opstachuck]

14. i think it's because a close race...

is alot more interesting than a blowout to most people. if kerry suddenly pulled ahead by twenty points in the polls, half their audience would stop paying attention. so i think in the end it comes down to money. that and and fear of losing one's job for being perceived as too partisan

[KharmaTrain]

12. So That's Where Scarface Got The Gil-Scott Heron Reference...

I heard him use it the other night and this old hippie's ears perked up. I knew Joey likes to rock out, plays a pretty decent guitar (Lee Atwater style) and shows moments of downright human, but I shouldn't have given him the credit for using that line...so perfect for today's situation.

After over 20 years of almost non-stop viewing (and I mean 24/7 all those years) on CNN, I now just pass over them, just like Faux, and have found all sorts of other alternatives to get both fair reporting and and to see/hear all sorts of different viewpoints & opinions.

I'm convinced CNNservative feels they have to generate news as opposed to report it, thus to "control" the news and then exploit it. They now manufacture stories when none exist or take small stories (Slime Boats) and turn it into a major scandal.

They wrap what they call "news" in a combination of conflicts and game playing. Their shilling for other Time pubs (Time, People, Fortune) is well-known, but now isn't identified as being co-owned, nor is there any disclaimers when Gallup numbers are used (CNN owns a piece of that action) and the conflicts of their own on-air people (Bill "Mr. AEI" Schneider for example).

Then there are the "newsbabes" that CNNservative uses...pretty faces with poisoned opinions. There's Kagan, Linn, Phillips and others who spew the Rove talking points as it's gospel and are outright hostile to Democrats or any comments made negatively about this regime.

What gets me, and one that should be addressed is how CNNservative claims to be the "world's most trusted network". It's time CNNservative is reminded that was a different network than the one I no longer watch. That was the CNN of Ted Turner...the upstart that blew through the control and games of the major networks to create 24/7 news. Now, it's just a subsidiary of the RNC.

It's easy to "turn it off"...but we need to keep an eye on these goons and call them out for all the spin and lies they present...document this and pass it along (as DU'er have been doing). Eventually CNNservative will see how they've turned off half the American people and a large share of what was their former base viewing audience. Greed is so shallow.

[girl gone mad]

16. It's up to us..

to keep hammering the point that Bush looked out of his league and proved by his rhetoric that he was out of touch.

The media will soun for BUsh for all of the reasons listed, and more.