Explain This Please - Why the Silence?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

Seriously think about WHY the media is stiffling this GIANT story -- A threat to our most basic rights as Americans ????

First, forget the conservative owned media.

What about the liberal owned media? This is just too bizarre for them all to go along with, Right? It's like the law of probability is not working.

Is there any way they (the latter group) could be trying to HELP the cause by not reporting yet ?? (wishful thinking)

Or is it all about ratings trying to match FOX ?? (scary thinking)

[rodeodance]

1. liberal media is a myth

[Laura PourMeADrink]

2. yes, but that doesnt explain ALL of them

[Kansas Wyatt]

19. Agreed!

It just makes me want to hurl every time I hear one of the Republicans whining about this alleged "liberal media." You can always tell when the Republicans are guilty of something, because they always accuse the Democratic Party or the liberals of it first.

[Roger_Otip]

3. possible reasons

1. like keith olbermann said, not so much a lockdown, more like a vacation after the election, and general laziness. it's a complicated story, lot's of info, lots of red herrings - it's hard to get your head around what's really going on. there are very few genuine investigative reporters out there, and over the last few years they've just gotten used to typing up whitehouse press briefings, military briefings etc.

2. kerry conceded and they took that at face value - perhaps because they're not used to questioning what people say, and perhaps partly because they wanted to believe it, not because they wanted bush to win but more becuase they just wanted a rest.

3. the whole conspiracy theory image of it, and the fact that it's coming from the internet. they want to be seen as respectable and believe it would undermine their respect to get involved in something like this. they want an easy life, don't want to be subjected to the kinds of attacks keith olbermann has had.

4. fear that they might get something wrong. it is pretty complex, getting into statistics, computer code - easy to feel out of your depth. and maybe it falls between departments, crossing different specialisms.

5. much of it is very speculative. sources are websites which get their information from other websites. it takes time tracking down the original source of something and verifying it.

6. like bev said, there is a lockdown. questioning american democracy and the legitimacy of the president is just going to far, especially when the country is at war - and is supposedly trying to set up elections in iraq. they'd be accused of being unpatriotic, may lose viwers and advertizing revenue as a result.

[Iceburg]

13. Good explanation except for the statement

"the country is at war" ....it is WAGING war

[Roger_Otip]

20. yes, it is WAGING war

i was just trying to think how the msm think so using their language.

[Iceburg]

23. and soon they & their language (spinlatin/propagandeaze) will be obsolete

Neverthless, I still appreciate your summary.

[dewaldd]

4. Bev sent out 100,000 press releases over the years--they won't listen

I have given up on MSM--they are gutless hacks that lick the hand that feeds them.

"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude
greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace.
We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand
that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity
forget that ye were our countrymen."
—Samuel Adams

[baba]

5. Where's our Woodward and Bernstein?

[shraby]

6. We are our Woodward and Bernstein now.

[merh]

10. The way Woodward has been the shrub's and poppy's lap dog

(especially during the election) I tend to believe that poppy is the one that gave Woodward the info on watergate and woodward owes poppy. His writings, as of late, are not impressive.

If we could get someone to give us the dirt the way poppy gave it to Woodward, that would be great. Until then, the investigation is up to us and Olberman and Randi Rhodes and Laura Flanders. imho

[glitch]

22. Nixon may've been taken down by folks who thought he was too liberal

EPA, China etc. So yeah, probably poppy, cheney, rumsfeld et al. Same lot.
Woodward has never been on our (the reality-based community) side.

[Clark2008]

21. Olbermann and Bloggers

;)

[genieroze]

11. That type of true reporting is dead

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/110904F.shtml

[Verve]

7. I also think that RatherGate is fresh in all journalists' minds.

They need to have solid, unequivocal facts before smearing the Prez.

[Chimpanzee]

9. Karl Rove is a shifty SOB

[Laura PourMeADrink]

8. But don't you see - It can't be ALL of them--too much of an anomoly

[John Q. Citizen]

12. Well, I can think of another story that was full blown ignored that also

concerned the Bush family.

Back when John Hinkley shot Reagan it was reported in only one daily that the Hinkley family and the Bush family were long time friends.

Neil Bush was to have dinner with John hinkley's brother the night after the assination attempt, but they cancelled due to circumstances.

George Bush I and John Hinkley's parents are old friends.

No coverage, like an unspoken news black out.

This time we have Air America Radio (Randi Rhodes has an audience of around ten million) Some weeklies and Obermann and a few other mentions here and there. There is a lot more coverage on this.

Let's see what happens in New Hampshire, that should be rapped up by early next week if not sooner, and if there is an apparent significant descrepency it WILL be news, and then we will also get to count in Ohio and we will see what we find there.

[Roger_Otip]

14. what can we do?

1. concentrate on the internet, on here and on other sites. use google - like if someone types in "us election" try to get this site or other sites talking about fraud appearing on the front page. anyone can set up google adwords - http://www.google.com/adwords.html - set how much you want to pay and get your link appearing on the right hand side.

2. try to get small factual stories into mainstream press by writing press releases and articles, doing the work for them. things like bush getting 4000 extra votes in ohio, which did get some coverage. more of these isolated incidents and pretty soon they won't seem so isolated and it'll be easier for people to join the dots.

[MarkusQ]

15. Ask someone who was around in '72

From present day perspective, it may look like Watergate happened "all at once" but remember, Nixon wasn't brought down until two years into his second term, even though the break-in happened months before the election. Why? Because investigative journalism takes time. For all we know, there may be dozens of W&B wanna-be reporters out there right this minute, working their tails off to get the story.

All we have, here, is a few odd scraps and a strong sense that there probably is a story, somewhere. That's a far cry from being able to pin names and dates and trails of culpability on the perpetrators.

-- MarkusQ

P.S. In hindsight, if Watergate had been explored more throughly (and thus taken even more time), we might not be in the mess we're in now.

[SmokingJacket]

16. If they're wrong, credibility is lost FOREVER.

It's such an overwhelmingly huge accusation to make. If true, it would be the story of the century. It would be 1000 Watergates.

I'm frustrated as hell they're not touching it. But I sort of see why.

Patience. If it happened, hard evidence will come out.

I hope.

[SmokingJacket]

17. If they're wrong, credibility is lost FOREVER.

It's such an overwhelmingly huge accusation to make. If true, it would be the story of the century. It would be 1000 Watergates.

If false, they ruin the Democratic party.

I'm frustrated as hell they're not touching it. But I sort of see why.

Patience. If it happened, hard evidence will come out.

I hope.

[magellan]

18. Who do you mean by 'liberal owned media'? eom

[badc0der]

24. it's all about the exit polls

It's well known here and among other communities that care that the exit polls were tampered with and that in effect the MSM suppressed the evidence that there were problems with 2004 election. If it comes out that those early polls were right and that the MSM suppressed it their credibility is gone forever, not just with people like DU but with the people who put the MS in MSM. On the other hand if they chase it and Kerry doesn't win they look like left-wing nut jobs lose a lot of credibility with a lot of moderate republicans (especially after Rathergate, or WTF ever they are calling it now). It's lose-lose for them right now, but once hard facts start coming out expect a race as all the MSM outlets try to be the ones who lose the least credibility over this.

[ailsagirl]

25. They've been corrupt a long time

Everyone, the media have been lying to us for years. They're still insisting that LHO killed JFK-- you simply cannot believe what they say because they have a stake in keeping us uninformed.

Anyone ever see "Outfoxed?" See it if you don't believe me they lie and distort.

There are all sorts of resources on the internet that address the issue of a corrupt and biased media-- and not just the media, the group that wields the real power. They're all intertwined.

Richard Sprague wrote the book The Taking of America 1-2-3 in 1976. You can read the whole thing online. It's a real eye-opener.

http://www.voxfux.com/features/TOA/ToA.html

I would urge anyone who is serious about pursuing this subject to read his book. Though written in 1976, it still applies today-- in spades.

[proudbluestater]

26. Big Media is OWNED by Big Corporations Their concern $$$$$

Have you ever noticed recently that there are 5-6 stories, tops, that get airplay/ink every day? Here's how you check that go to Yahoo News. There they list a group of major news sources, including newspapers AND tv. You can click on each link and find out which source is reporting what for the day. And by and large, each outlet is reporting the same damn stories.

When the big corporations took over the tv networks they decided that news was well, just another product to sell. Out the window went all integrity, journalistic standards, and the idea of keeping people informed. Looking at the major news stations today, it's more like watching Entertainment Tonight than watching an actual news show.

That being said, I am quite grateful the news media is NOT involved in the situation. Remember when it happened in 2000? Soon enough there was Tom Delay's private plane flying a bunch of Republican geeks down to Florida, screaming like Banshees during the recount, all the while pretending to be Democrats. That we don't need a repeat of.

I have given up on the media. I watch the Daily Show and Democracy Now and sometimes Reuters on my satellite dish. That is all. None of the other news outlets is worth my time.