The MSM enabled conservative misinformation
Now that today's American media outsources fact checking to 3rd parties and uses clearly misleading information to create TMZ style conflict and he said/she said reporting, we find ourselves in a situation where the MSM is the enabler by not challenging the GOP or their conservative messengers. No push back AT ALL except by Jon Stewart and evening hosts of MSNBC. That's it.
Media Matters for America has some very good postings on this today including this one that highlights some of this nonsense perpetrated by Politico here.
Bottom line for the MSM is this: they simply allow the GOP and their conservative allies to push clearly misleading and false information and pose their nonsense back to the general public and Dems, thereby giving it credence and the "possibility" of being true.
Add to that, the fear that the MSM has at debunking conservative talking points because of the bullying tactics of Fox News, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, et. al. and they now end up outsourcing correcting these myths to PoliticiFact or FactCheck.org. What, the press does not have fact checkers or reporters that can think for themselves any longer?
Look, the hatred of Obama in right-wing circles (militias, if you will) started back at the Palin rallies in 2008 with shouts of "terrorist", "kill him", "Hitler", "soclialist", etc. And they are the same people waving the exact same banners against healthcare.
These people do not understand the actual debate because our media does not know how to handle a complex issue without focusing on simple drama and conflict.
No matter what the issue or the law being discussed, these same tea baggers will come out with YouTube and Fox News clips with the same anti-Obama message and signs.
It is the responsibility of the media to understand this and call it out.
The MSM is so caught up in the gravitational pull of the Beltway universe that it's incapable of breaking free. It's caught up feeding on whatever chum exists in the DC wake.
It is the weakest part of our democracy.
Meet the Press has become a press junket for whatever the Pentagon or the White House or corporate sponsored Senators and Reps are trying to sell.
August 23, 2009 12:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Post-Russert Meet the Press is now one of the things I just avoid. They're proud conservatives as opposed to journalists; good for them. I don't need to watch.
They're not exactly big intellectuals these days, either.
August 23, 2009 10:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
So use Media Matters as a jumping off point to contact the media and complain. That's all I know to do anymore.
August 23, 2009 2:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, Hey, I watch TMZ and they actually do more work to find the truth than the MSM does.
August 23, 2009 3:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed, good point
August 23, 2009 5:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
So it's OK for Olberman to throw around the term "fascist" and make Hitler references regarding Bush??
MSNBC hates Bush and Fox hates Obama. Seems pretty balanced to me.
And I don't remember anyone on here complaining about the MSM during the election when it was helping Obama...
August 23, 2009 9:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Of course, it would seem balanced to you, Bill, you're watching from the right wing. But, tell me, where is Fox's equivalent of the Joe Scarborough show? Where is Fox's far-left version of the ever present far-right Pat Buchanan? Where?
August 24, 2009 9:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Van Susteren is just as pro-left as she is pro-right. Brit Hume is very centrist and Geraldo is generally pretty liberal on most issues
Plus, it's much more common for O'Reilly to have on liberal guest speakers as opposed to Olberman.
August 24, 2009 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
I was waiting for you to cite Van Susteren. She, who likes to spend her personal time hanging out with Sarah and Todd Palin. Please.
Brit Hume, a centrist? Are you so far to the right that you believe Hume is centrist? Then you must also believe Fred Barnes is a centrist.
O'Reilly, is what, a moderate because he has liberal guests on for a disingenuous roasting in front of his conservative audience?
You wonder where are the conservatives on Olberman's show? How about you answer, where are they on Maddow's show? She has an open and sincere invitation for them to come on her show. An invitation they pretty much ignore. While Olberman has the most partisan show on MSNBC, it is no more partisan than Hannity's show on Fox, regardless of whom are the guests.
Geraldo? A I agree that he is liberal on many issues. But he's not nearly as liberal as Pat Buchanan is conservative, nor is he nearly as ubiquitous on Fox as Buchanan is on MSNBC.
August 24, 2009 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Van Susterin - I believe you have her mixed up with her husband.
As for Hume - yes he's pretty much in the center.
And Rachel - who has she invited? Just one?
August 24, 2009 2:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bottom line on Van Susteren is she is not liberal. She's definitely, if moderately, right of center.
Rachel has an open invitation to any and all Republicans. She says so all the time. I assume you've watched her show, and so, know that she gives her guests ample time to make their case, does not take cheap shots, and is always respectful of them.
You assessment of Brit Hume only demonstrates how far to the right your viewpoint is. Hume is farther right than is, say, Colin Powell, or Tom Ridge, or Bush Sr., IMO.
August 24, 2009 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
MSNBC has no conservatives on during the prime time evening hours. Van Sustern is certainly not conservative like the others, and she certainly isn't to the extreme the way all of the MSNBC's prime time hosts are(Matthews, Olbermann and Maddow)
I have watched Rachel but I can't remember ever hearing her say that she invited a prominent Republican on to her show but they declined.
August 24, 2009 5:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Have fun, Bill.
August 24, 2009 9:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
You too. I think on your tombstone it will read "Blame Bush".
August 25, 2009 6:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Bill, just stop already ... Calling Greta a liberal is laughable. She nearly daily hosts Club for Growth founder Moore and plays clips from Rush Limbaugh regularly. You are a fool if you think we're going to take your bait and fall for this baloney. Fox News is nothing but right-wing GOP advocacy and media outlet.
August 25, 2009 7:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed she isn't a true liberal. But she is liberal compared to the other Fox prime-time hosts (O'Reilly and Hannity). She is much more balanced than any of the MSNBC prime-time hosts - KO, CM or RM.
My point was that overall, MSNBC is just as far Left as Fox is Right. I wasn't trying to say that Fox is at all balanced.
August 25, 2009 11:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
MK3872 WROTE: "...our media does not know how to handle a complex issue without focusing on simple drama and conflict."
I think that you have hit on a key piece of the core problem where you point out the media's desire to focus on simple drama and conflict. The media's obsession with conflict and drama is driven by corporate profitability priorities. It's a conscious strategy and is an element of a general media formula designed to maximize profits. The formula goes something like this:
1. conflict = drama
2. drama = entertainment
3. entertainment = viewers
4. viewers = ratings
5. ratings = advertisers
6. advertisers = profit
Therefore; CONFLICT = PROFITS
It seems that most news program directors and editors have learned the following lessons from reality TV programming. Set-up, or stoke, a conflict. This produces high ratings (revenues) at the lowest production cost. Genuine investigative journalism is time-consuming and relatively costly. "Conflict journalism", on the other hand, maximizes profits.
The intersection of information with entertainment -infotainment- is rendering the traditional media worse than useless. It's leading them, just as you indicated, to be complicit in the dismantling of our democracy.
It seems clear to me that when the founders placed specific protection in the Constitution for the press they didn't intend for the press to place profit concerns above truthful and accurate reporting. I suppose, the media actually is just one tooth of a much larger monster. Corporate power.
I picture most of the founding-fathers rolling over in their graves, all except Ben Franklin, whom I picture scolding us with; "A Republic, if you can keep it - I did warn you". Meanwhile, in their graves, the founders of the defunct East India Company are smiling.
August 24, 2009 10:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
that's a really smart perspective, thanks
August 24, 2009 10:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
1. conflict = drama
2. drama = entertainment
3. entertainment = viewers
4. viewers = ratings
5. ratings = advertisers
6. advertisers = profit
Touchdown!
August 24, 2009 10:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
For me the #1 issue is how the MSM describes things. For example they typically use launguage like "mischaracterization", "incorrect", "misleading" and so forth when one simple and powerful word is nearly always left out: "LIES"!
They failed to use this simple word during the Bush administration in regards to the Iraq War and now they are failing to use this simple word in the Health Care debate. They like to make things seem like we have two sides that simply dissagree on how things should be done; rather than one side in this case that is willing to completely lie to the American people.
The GOP has done everything they can to kill medicare; but yet they are now it's protectors? Give me a break and call these guys liars already!
August 24, 2009 10:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
John,
I think it's even worse than that. Not only is the media reluctant to plainly call out a lie a lie, so are the Democrats. Whether it's due to tradition, or collegiality, or cowardice, the Democrats seem just as loath to plainly call out the GOP as is the media.
August 24, 2009 11:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
The unwillingness to call right-wing propaganda a lie is part of the 30 year effort by conservatives to paint the MSM as liberal and to exploit bullying tactics of Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh.
The belief on the Right is that liberals and the MSM are wussies and will fold any time that they are challenged.
The inability of the Dems and the MSM call out right-wing lies only just plays into their own weaknesses.
August 25, 2009 7:25 PM | Reply | Permalink