Bias? What Bias?
Recently I was having a debate with a friend of mine about which way the media leans. He claimed the news on television about Iraq was so dismal because Democrats control the media. First, let me just say, if you compare television news or cable news to let's say guardian.co.uk the news on television by comparison can be more accurately considered "rosy" than bad or dismal. So let's take a look at who owns what.
Here's a diagram of the corporations who own the "Ultra Concentrated" media:
http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/chart.shtml
Here's "The Big Ten" diagramed by the news source called "The Nation"
http://www.thenation.com/special/bigten.html
So those are the corporations, does this anwer the question? No, because some people see Democrats and Liberals (& Progressives) as elitists and the rich who are disconnected with the rest of the country. Others see Republicans and Conservatives as having more control over the corporate media, than some countries have over their state controlled media [cough: Election fraud blackout, cough: Pentagon uses Psy-Ops on CNN]. Ahem, sorry about that, so to figure this out, let's see the faces behind the ownership of the media.
Right now, the best back up information I have for my case isn't very surprising, NewsMax and Fox News
A CNN Article says this about Richard Mellon Scaife, the head of NewsMax, "this much is undisputed: Richard Mellon Scaife is very rich and very partisan."
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/04/27/scaife.profile/
Then there's the "Fair and Balanced" Fox News.
Roger Eugene Ailes is the CEO of Fox News, so what's his resume?
* media adviser to Richard M. Nixon Presidential Campaign in 1967-68
* consultant in 1984 to Ronald Reagan
* George H. W. Bush's 1988 Presidential campaign
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Ailes
Fox News is owned by NewsCorp (News Corporation) which is headed by (Keith) Rupert Murdoch
He is described on encyclopdia.com as "Combining sensationalist journalism (often reflective of his generally hawkish, strongly conservative political views) with aggressive promotion, Murdoch established a worldwide communications empire, the News Corporation..."
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/m/murdochr1.asp
Okay, so the people who control the media are conservative, does that necessarily mean their political views will affect how they run business? Well, let me aswer this question with another question, have you ever head of the Sinclair Broadcasting Group?
If not, just watch a short Flash Movie from Take Back the Media called
http://web.takebackthemedia.com/geeklog/public_html/staticpages/index.php?page=20041013042650709
posted by J-Biz the Mac on his Throne @ 4:40 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Yeah, it’s the old “poisoning the well” strategy. When the facts don’t turn out the way you wish they would, you simply screech that things really are different from the way they are and that the media are out to get you and your kind.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that back in the 1850s supporters of slavery often complained about media bias, as well. Further, they did all they could to shut up their detractors. These days I don’t see anyone getting away with mid-19th-century tactics like lynching or burning down homes and the like, but there’s plenty of character assassination and general demonization of Democrats, moderates and liberals.
Conservatives have more of a voice and more overall control in the media than liberals do. In fact, liberals have been so tarred and so thoroughly marginalized that they’re not even a significant force in America anymore. The way conservatives hold liberals up as a threat, you’d think they were a vast majority of tyrants holding America hostage, where the fact is that they’re anything but.
On another note: I lived in Jersey City until late last year. The Marion District, out past Journal Square. I’m a Pennsylvania native, but I did spend seven years in Jersey City. I’m in Brooklyn now.
Your contention that NewsMax and Fox are major media says more about you than them. NewsMax is crap, barely more than the tripe you can buy at the check-out touting aliens. Fox _is_ right-leaning. So?
Now, what about the _real_ major networks?
Thanks for adding substance to my post Kurt. To this day the KKK still screams "media bias" and claims the ones who acted out in the 60's were just a few radicals who didn't represent them, just trying to sweep it under the rug.
Deb, I never made a contention that NewsMax and Fox were major media. I just think it's nice to see what's behind the screen. Also, I'm glad you're interested in the subject of media bias of major networks, there's more to come soon. But if you just look at that "Big Ten" link I posted, you'll see the intertwined corporations there.
By the way, if I had made that contention, exactly what would that say about me that it wouldn't say about Fox News and News Max?
Interesting, Here is what the left leaning Pew Research Center has to say about the political leanings of the press.
Thanks for the info. Despite the sentiment of the majority though, you need to remember the Golden Rule. Whoever has the gold, makes the rules. Compare Hannity's recent 25 Mil a year contract to what lesser known liberal journalists might make working for obscure newspapers across this country, and I think you'll begin to see my point.
Not that you're reading anymore Deb, but I didn't know you liked Dave Koz too :)
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