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Monday, May 12, 2008

OPINION

Letter: Explain what the liberal agenda is

  • Published: May 8, 2008 - Page: 8B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

I’ve been thinking about the term “liberal press” that some people (Republicans) throw out every time the media publish something thos people don’t like.

I could be mistaken, but I believe the purpose of the press is to seek out the truth and inform the people about what is going on in our country and in the world. Aren’t most reporters working individuals who get paid for their work? Don’t they also pay taxes? Don’t they own houses and buy stock? Aren’t they consumers, too? Aren’t they affected by the same things that affect the rest of us? So what is their hidden agenda? What is the conspiracy?

It seems to me that being productive citizens of this country, members of the press have a vested interest in making sure that “the truth” is made known. I would think that they had the best interests of this country and its people at heart. If they are in the pursuit of truth and knowledge to inform others, is it not reasonable to assume that they, too, have become informed by the very nature of their job?

I think perhaps if “the press” is an informed group of people and the majority of them happen to slant to the left, then perhaps the left is the right place to be. I would love to hear a conservative argument to my logic. I could be wrong — tell me how, though. Don’t call me names or blather on about the “liberal agenda.” Tell me what the liberal agenda is, and then make a rational argument against it, point by point.

Francine Smith
teacher
Denham Springs


Comments (30)
Gary
Thursday, May 08, 2008
2:19 AM

How right you are (no pun intended)! The same group that slams the "lefty leaning media". obtains their info from the likes of Rush Limbaugh and the Fox news bunch.
OEF Vet
Thursday, May 08, 2008
7:22 AM

Someone should sue Fox News for violating truth in advertising laws for continuing to say they are "fair and balanced"
Kyle
Thursday, May 08, 2008
9:00 AM

Will Gary and OEF Vet please site some examples of Fox News' lies? I can give you CNN's examples (Operation Tailwind), NYT (Jayson Blair), CBS (Dan Rather's phony National Guard memos). And there are countless others.
Rob
Thursday, May 08, 2008
9:22 AM

The right-wing has to convince its followers not to trust information from any objective source. That's the foundation of their extremist propaganda machine. It's no coincidence that right-wing influence has waned as the access to information has exploded via the internet. It's become harder for them to control the message and pass of their lies as truth.
Nana
Thursday, May 08, 2008
9:29 AM

You are exactly right Kyle. The worst part is the liberal medias omission of the truth. For example why are we not hearing more about the very worrisome associations of Barack Obama?
nana
Thursday, May 08, 2008
9:32 AM

Funny, this is the way I see it. The left-wing has to convince its followers not to trust information from any objective source. That's the foundation of their extremist propaganda machine. It's no coincidence that left-wing influence has waned as the access to information has exploded via the internet. It's become harder for them to control the message and pass of their lies as truth.
Kyle
Thursday, May 08, 2008
9:40 AM

Rob, you have it exactly backwards. The libs have controlled access to information for generations. Now that information is readily available to the masses, their influence is waning and it makes them crazy. Dan Rather is the perfect example of this.
Tucker Jenkins
Thursday, May 08, 2008
9:48 AM

Is there a soul alive who can claim Fox is anything other than a right-wing propaganda machine and still hold a straight face? Have they no idea the affiliations of Roger Ailes and Murdoch? Come on - its delusional. Eric Alterman wrote a very exhaustive book a couple of years ago call "What Liberal Media?" that nails the coffin on that myth (which has been kicking around for decades). Fox is so laughably brazen about it's affinity for the far right that it is comical. They of course have the right, as a private company, to be as bias as they wish. However, they should have the nerve to come out and say it. Not sure if The Advocate allows including links in comments, but if so, here is an amusing and telling one from a blog (very liberal) that includes numerous screenshots and grabs from Fox detailing its sneaking, deceptive ways (or total incompetence - your choice). The link is totally clean and safe for work (or home). http://welcome-to-pottersville.blogspot.com/2007/03/fox-news-at-its-finest.html Take a look and have a laugh.
Jeb, FCD
Thursday, May 08, 2008
9:48 AM

Facts have a well known liberal bias.
Former Republican
Thursday, May 08, 2008
9:57 AM

"For example why are we not hearing more about the very worrisome associations of Barack Obama?" Like what? Seriously - have you never come in contact with someone dubious? Nobody in your family ever committed any crimes or did anything unsavory? Because, after all, and according to you, any contact you may have had with anyone who ever did something untoward is "worrisome". That's how right-wing media works. As far as examples of Fox news getting it wrong, the latest hilarious example is that they showed a picture of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln on the screen while talking about the "Lincoln-Douglas debates". I'll leave it to you to figure out what's so hilariously wrong with that. Here's one short list of Fox screw-ups - outright fibs and distortions of actual facts on the ground: http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/04/03/con04139.html I used to listen to Rush and Fox, and be annoyed at their tone. I realized it was because I was being told constantly by people like Hannity, Hume, and Limbaugh not to believe anyone except for them. Perhaps you should try vetting more Republican statements - you'll find that after taking the blinders off, this administration has caused serious, possibly irreparable harm to our country with their non-conservative ways and systematic abuse of checks and balances - like stacking OMB, DOJ and other agencies with hand-picked loyalists who will do and say anything the executive branch wants. Seriously - I'm supposed to believe a kid who lied about some human interest stories (Jayson Blair) is somehow worse than Hannity insisting for two years that we'd found WMD in Iraq (which we did not, in any way shape or form)? That doesn't wash.
Former Republican
Thursday, May 08, 2008
10:02 AM

So, according to Nana and Kyle, Left Wing Media = all newspapers and networks, none of which can be trusted for unexplained reasons...simply that they're bad and because Kyle and Nana don't agree with them. Fox News and partisan talk radio may be trusted because they are staffed primarily with Republicans (notice I didn't say conservatives) who all agree on the same things and never ask questions. That kind of bulletproof non-logic is exactly why there is such a big nationwide backlash against the Republican party now.
Tucker Jenkins
Thursday, May 08, 2008
10:17 AM

The link I provided indicates concrete proof of right-wing bias over at Fox. Francine Smith, in her letter, requested point-by-point proof of the so called 'liberal agenda' and an explanation of what it even is, beyond buzzwords. Can any of the right wing posters and commenters provide this? While we are at it, why is WBRZ assuming the Fox catchphrase branding (balanced, accurate, fair, WBRZ or whatever they call themselves now). Modeling yourself on the most blatantly, embarrasingly biased 'news' outlet on the air for the sake of netting a few more reight wing viewers seems a bad idea, to say the least. Anyway, I look forward to the detailed point-by-point response to the letter in question.
Kyle
Thursday, May 08, 2008
10:26 AM

Former Republican, Very nice strawman argument you have set up there. I never said all of the media is biased. I gave concrete examples. So far, no one here who is bashing Fox has given 1 example of a lie they have broadcast. Fox only looks like it leans to the right becaue so much of the rest of the big media skews left. When Fox gives both sides of the issues and tells the whole story they look like they lean to the right when in fact they are right down the middle. If you ever watch Fox, you will notice that they always have a counterpoint in their discussions. Whenever they have a conservative guest, they always have a liberal guest. If there is such a backlash against conservatives why has CNN hired more conservative commentators? They just recently hired Tony Snow and Glenn Beck hosts one of their most popular shows on Headline News. I guess if you live in your little insulated liberal world where you only accept the facts that you agree with, you can believe in a Republican backlash but in reality he VAST majority of Americans are conservative. That is why Fox consistently beats CNN and MSNBC in the ratings. I'm sorry, but the facts simply aren't on your side.
Kyle
Thursday, May 08, 2008
10:34 AM

Tucker, I wrote a detailed point by point response earlier but they didn't publish it. Basically, the liberal agenda wishes to transform he USA a country that used to be a representative republic, into a socialist state. Liberals want to use social engineering to make people all wards of the state. They want to have a country where hard work is no longer appreciated and laziness and victimhood are rewarded. They wish to tear down the values of self reliance and personal accountability that this country was founded on and make everyone a ward of the state. Liberals believe in rights that don't exist in the constitution. They believe people have a "right" to health care when in fact no such right exists. Once they achieve their goal of socialized medicine they will then begin to fight for the "right" to home ownership, and the "right" to a living wage and the "right" to food and clothing. Where does it end? These rights do not exist. If you want food, clothing, shelter, medicine, go out and get a job and earn them. That's what this country is all about. Liberals believe illegal aliens have "rights". Obviously trespassers don't have rights, they have no right to even be in this country. They certainly don't have a right to welfare and medical care or education for their children. Liberals believe in high taxes and big intrusive government. Once again, not what this country was built on. Liberals simply wish to destroy this country. That is the liberal agenda.
Former Republican
Thursday, May 08, 2008
10:46 AM

First of all Kyle, I don't think you understand what a strawman argument is. As for Glenn Beck, he's got the lowest ratings of any of CNN's shows. As far as Fox goes, there are many examples of their partisan leanings over on this well-researched page: http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1067 Special Report with Brit Hume regularly features a panel of political commentators touted as an "allstar panel" and "diverse" by Fox News. The panel generally consists of three people: Fred Barnes, a self-described conservative hawk, Mort Kondracke, a self-described "moderate independent" and Mara Liasson, who is apparently a liberal simply because she works for National Public Radio. My personal favorite has to be their error in showing a picture of _Frederick_ Douglass and Abraham Lincoln together while comparing the last Democratic debate to the Lincoln-Douglas debate. If you know your history, you understand why it should be so embarrassing that Fox compared the Lincoln-Douglas debate to Obama-Clinton based on their similarity in racial makeup.
Kyle
Thursday, May 08, 2008
11:00 AM

Former Republican, All you have as your example is a mistake in a graphic that was probably pulled by an intern? How about the time that CNN broadcat a large X over Dick Cheney's face? If you want to argue technical issues we can but I hardly see that as any kind of proof of bias. It was a mistake by the graphics department, sorry they know more about photography than they do about history. I'm sure none of Fox's political commentators made that mistake of confusing Frederick Douglas with Stephen A. Douglas. I also belive that you will find Juan Williams quite often on Brit Hume's panel. Where does he fall on the political spectrum? (Fox News contributers all). By the way, Beck often beats both Nancy Grace and Larry King and Wolf Blitzer. His show is one of the highest rated shows on the network.
OEF Vet
Thursday, May 08, 2008
11:31 AM

Kyle, How about this one: "Speaking from Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday, O'Reilly told the AP that he's disappointed the USO "doesn't put anybody out there (in Afghanistan). As far as I know, the only famous people in the past year were (country music singer) Toby Keith and me." Blatant lie. The USO sent 12 tours to Afghanistan that year. Three years earlier, while in Afghanistan, I saw Joan Jet, David Letterman, Shannon Tweeden and many others (but not Bill O'Reilly)
Former Republican
Thursday, May 08, 2008
11:40 AM

No kidding, OEF vet. People like Al Franken put their lives on the line to entertain the troops in Afghanistan with the USO while cowards O'Reilly and Hannity sit in the studio and cut the microphones of those they disagree with. How American.
Nana
Thursday, May 08, 2008
11:57 AM

Give it Kyle, you are trying to convince left wing nuts who wouldn't know the truth if it jumped up and bit them on the nose.
Former Republican
Thursday, May 08, 2008
12:58 PM

True to form, Nana jumps straight to the name-calling when she can't refute any of the facts I've presented.
Kyle
Thursday, May 08, 2008
1:19 PM

OEF Vet, O'reilley said "as far as I know" and "out there". You take "out there" to mean Afghanistan but could he mean certain places in Afghanistan? Also, isn't it possible that he said "as far as I know" because he doesn't know of any. He qualified his statement. I'm sure he'd be glad to know that other entertainers were there. I'm not sure about Hannity, but Rush Limbaugh has also been to Afghanistan. So what is your point?
Kyle LSU
Thursday, May 08, 2008
1:34 PM

Ok. Simply put, all media has some form of bias. Whether left or right, it is biased. You may not see the bias, but trust me it is there. Why? Because if they were unbiased and said everything completely equal and honest and untainted about both sides nobody would watch/read it and they wouldn't make any money. People like to watch/read things that they can relate to and because people aren't unbiased when it comes to politics, neither is our media. The fact is NO MEDIA IS FAIR AND BALANCED! It is all about the money. It always has been and always will be. Without money, these organizations couldn't deliver the news you people love so much. Personally I believe we need to start steering away from a bi-partisan country and maybe find a happy medium. Of course, that is going to be hard, if not impossible, due to the media's clinch hold on America's beliefs. My advice to all of you is to start deeply evaluating everything you hear from all the media sources and take it all with a grain of salt. Oh, and GEAUX TIGERS!!!
OEF Vet
Thursday, May 08, 2008
1:43 PM