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Please Don't Miss and
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Sunday, 27 August 2006
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Re: The Media Stripped Naked. Part 1.
Contributed by The Gray Dog I’ve been watching a lot of cable news and searching the blogosphere the past few days in search of an inspirational idea that might provide a cure for writer’s block. Well, like Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home.” So it was upon returning to my OWD home that I read an submitted by Bill Faith and recommended by R. J. Del Vecchio. The post is a reprint of a speech delivered by well known conservative Fred Barnes of The Weekly Standard and Fox News host and contributor. As I read the speech, which was a dissertation on the liberal bias of the mainstream media, I found little to disagree with. Of course this was no surprise since I generally agree with Fred most of the time, in spite of his occasional bone head statements that cause a hind paw to reflexively snap up to my ear for a prolonged scratch. Yes, I generally agree with and like Fred, much the same way I generally agree with and like all of the conservative personalities at Fox News. After all, what’s not to like about “fair and balanced?” However, I would suggest that “fair and balanced” is in the eye of the beholder and not necessarily a completely accurate slogan for FNC. Fair, yes. Balanced, no! But, I admit, I wouldn’t want it any other way. In the wake of Rush Limbaugh’s success, Rupert Murdoch simply recognized a market demand that wasn’t being fulfilled by the mainstream media or the Clinton News Network. Murdoch’s brilliant packaging of strong conservative hosts with stunningly beautiful news babes has led FNC’s ascendancy to cable news primacy. Of course FNC supports their “balanced” claims by pointing to a number of liberal regulars. But let’s face it, Juan Williams and Alan Colmes are merely props to be teed up and whacked out of the park by the likes of Britt Hume and Sean Hannity. Hell, that’s half the fun! And then there's Bill O’Reilly’s continuous protestations that he is an Independent. C’mon Bill. Who’s spinning whom? O’Reilly may truly be the victim of his own delusions, yet he is lucid enough to understand where his bread is buttered, and it isn’t from the liberal left scarfing up all of his “Factor Gear.” I fear that conservatives waste too much of their time whining about a “vast left-wing conspiracy of the drive-by media” and instead, should recognize that the MSM only exist for the benefit of those predisposed to lap up it’s drivel, much the same as we conservatives tune in to Rush Limbaugh and FNC as a source of daily affirmations. Conservatives should see things as they are, then adapt and conquer. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Hugh Hewitt, Michael Savage, G. Gordon Liddy and FNC are a small but significant beginning to obtaining that goal. They represent a demographic once described as the “silent majority”, a group that has only recently begun to find their voice. Traditionally, The Fourth Estate has been a reflection of our society functioning much the same as congress. While Congress relies on individual voters for election and lobbyists for funds, likewise, the same relationships exist in the media with readers, viewers and listeners providing the base that allows the NYT, CBS, CNN or FNC to attract advertisers with deep pockets. Both pander to their constituents while competing for your vote and dollars. In other words, we are paying them to give us exactly what we want. What else could explain twenty-four hour coverage of alleged child murder John Mark Carr’s flight from Thailand to California? I don’t believe that Ted Kennedy, The New York Times or CNN are the architects of an evil liberal plot any more than I believe Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich or Fox News to be the salvation of our collective soul. Each is just a mere reflection of their specific constituency, feeding back exactly what we want to see and hear. If we don’t like what we see in the media or government we need to understand that they are just symptomatic of greater societal issues. Of course real change in our media, government and society begins within each one of us. Perhaps most importantly, how involved or not we are in our children’s education. That I will leave for Part 2. For now, I close with a quote form the great American thinker, philosopher and writer, Theodor Geisel: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Dr. Seuss. *** Bill Faith adds: I've posted an excerpt from and a link to this post at and in the comments on Captain Ed's post on the subject, and a link in the comments at Hot Air. |
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Contributed by The Gray Dog on August 27, 2006 at 08:41 AM in , , , , | Comments Posted by: I had a feeling you were up to something Gray Dog. I know that every time you claim “writers block” something is fixing to happen. I gathered that from your email earlier today. Posted by: | Aug 27, 2006 12:50:55 PM Posted by: Thank you for posting it over at Love America First, Bill. This is a great post. I can really relate to what Gray Dog is saying. I find myself not listening to the radio anymore. Especially when the subject is about a pervert. I hate them, and I don't care what they do. Just as long as justice prevails. Tell me when THAT happens... Great post, Gray Dog! Posted by: | Aug 27, 2006 2:07:53 PM Posted by: Oops. I meant to say I don't care what they SAY, not what they do. I certainly do care about that. Thanks. Posted by: | Aug 27, 2006 2:11:01 PM |