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Sat Oct 11 2008
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Departments Media Watch
How the mainstream media consistently panders to the right and screws the left
by The Ostroy Report
June 9, 2006
Conservatives love to talk about the so-called "liberal media" and its influence over the news. But just the opposite is true. And they know it. The media is either dominated by full-fledged kool-aid drinkers like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Rupert Murdoch, or sympathizers like Wolf Blitzer, Tim Russert, Chris Matthews and, yes, even the NY Times. It's the Repuglicans whose influence dictates the media's direction, and its coverage of both parties.
In his recent brilliant, and stinging, essay on the different treatment of Democrats and Repuglicans in the press, Jamison Foser exposes the media's true conservative bias. He cites examples of how President Bush, mired in scandal and failure, has basically been given a free ride by the press while Bill Clinton was scrutinized endlessly and mercilessly in the 1990's over Whitewater, FileGate, VinceFosterGate, MonicaGate and more. To prove his point, Foser cites Eric Boehlert, author of the "Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush," who details how ABC's "Nightline" ran 19 programs about Whitewater, "but during the 24 months between Sept. 2003 and Sept. 2005, Nightline set aside just three programs to the unfolding CIA leak investigation, for which Scooter Libby, an assistant to the president, was indicted. On the night of the Libby indictments, Nightline devoted just five percent of its program to that topic." Now which "scandal" do you think merits over six times the coverage of the other, Whitewater or the CIA leak? NIghtline's reporting is hardly the covert work of some vast left-wing media conspiracy.
Foser points to many other double-standards the media has been guilty of involving Bush, Bill and Hillary, and Al Gore. His piece is a scathing indictment of the media's blatant right wing bias. It's a terrific, highly recommended read. Warning: it will make you angry.
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Don't forget to check out articles from 2007 and 2008Media Watch
"Flirting with fascism on CNN Headline News; Host Glenn Beck threatens Muslims with concentration camps" December 8, 2006 Marvin Wingfield
"The theft of American elections is a media issue" October 31, 2006 Andi Novick, Northeast Citizens for Responsible Media
"The cablization of network news" September 3, 2006 David Swanson
"How the mainstream media consistently panders to the right and screws the left" June 9, 2006 The Ostroy Report
"When journalists manufacture a crisis: What decline for Social Security and Medicare?" June 6, 2006 Seth Sandronsky
"The Washington Post’s trouble with numbers Mexico after NAFTA" May 29, 2006 Seth Sandronsky
"Iran through the media" April 19, 2006 David Swanson
"The consequences of irresponsible media: Americans have lost the right to vote" March 17, 2006 Andi Novick, www.re-media.org
"Right on schedule, Baker and Washington Post come to Cheney's rescue" February 21, 2006 August Keso
"New Jason Leopold book: news junkie" February 9, 2006 Process Media
"War lies and journalistic constipation" January 22, 2006 David Swanson
Read Articles by Year: 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000

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