News programming and common sense
 

I lifted this quote from another forum I frequent because I immediately thought of some of the rousing political exchanges that permeated this board a few years ago.


"Virtually all news programs on the left and right are hyper-partisan lapdogs. To denigrate one vs the others is to signal one's own inability to see that just because a program agrees with one's views doesn't mean it is neutral or objective." - slack man

IMO, there is partisan and hyper-partisan.

There is one news channel that is certainly partisan to the right (FOX). It has a big audience of TV viewers, many of which have no other place to go for the partisan right slant they prefer. Viewers may like a partisan right slant for a variety of reasons, including to balance out the partisan left slant they get in all their other media. If FOX was HYPER partisan to the right, IMO it's audience would be considerably smaller.

OTOH, there is at least one HYPER partisan channel, MSNBC.

I think a truly neutral or objective person who viewed FOX and MSNBC would quite easily be able to distinguish between the partisan and hyper partisan.

Apparently, most viewers can make this distinction, and do not like the hyper partisan position, which has a fraction of the ratings.

Also, as brilliant as you may think the quote is, there is more than a bit of an elite tone of condescension. So if I like the only right leaning station, I am a hyper partisan lapdog who has no ability to discern whether the content I am consuming is neutral or objective?

Excuse me, but give me a little more credit.

BTW, as a consumer of Fox News and reader of internet forums, I am getting a little sensitive about my intelligence and motives constantly being maligned and challenged by others who think they are better than me, just because my TV often has FOX playing.

FWIW, it's amusing to me how some moderates put themselves on a pedestal because they are in the middle. Above the fray, and all that. So superior to both the right and the left. Well la-dee-da, go ahead and give yourselves a good pat on the back. IMO, on issues of right and wrong (and there are many), its not virtuous to refuse to make a choice or to split the difference.

I consider myself a right-leaning moderate - I'm a registered Republican but do not embrace the tea party. I am very conservative fiscally but a lot more moderate socially - and even liberal in some of my views.

I watch Fox almost exclusively and in my opinion, Sean Hannity is hyper-partisan. I don't care for him much at all, he's too far right for my tastes. Everyone else is quite acceptable except Geraldo, he's just an idiot and has always been an idiot. Bill O'Reilly is my man, he makes more sense than almost all other media personalities put together.

Unfortunately, there are far more left leaning hyper partisan news outlets than even partisan right wing. You named MSNBC, but a couple of others is Huffpoo and Bloomberg.

DBD, I think we agree, but you missed the denigrate part, that would tend to negate your comments regarding the "elitist tone of condescension" maybe?

We share very similar views. I am first and foremost a fiscal conservative and second a social moderate or liberal. My general position is do what ever you want as long as YOU can afford to pay for it. If that means you want to have 10 kids from ten partners have fun, but don't expect me or anybody else to pay for them. I do agree with the Tea Party in that I am a proponent of strict interpretation of the Constitution and a very limited role for the federal government.

I guess that makes us more Libertarian than anything else?

Whatever. I don't think I missed a thing.

In your quote, he denigrates the media he disagrees with as lapdogs, and denigrates the people who choose one side or the other as being blind and incapable of objectivity.

He's denigrating people for denigrating. He's claiming the moral high ground and excusing himself for the same faults he sees in others.

IMO, that's elitist and condescending, and I will call it as I see it. If that negates my comments in your mind, that's just fine with me.

I think that describes a very large number of people. Personally I fit into the, do what you want but leave me alone and don't ask me to fund your choices camp. I don't agree with the activities of many people but they are adults and what they do is their personal business right up to the point where they ask for .gov funding. Then my answer is NO! I'm tired of paying for other people's poor decisions.

I believe I understand what you are saying and I don't negate your comments at all. Valid points for sure!
I just really like the quote, never intimated you or anyone else had to buy into it.
I put it out there to see other's opinions of it. It's the only way I'll ever get to see it from a perspective other than my own.

If you don't watch the news you are uninformed, if you do watch the news you are misinformed......

Pretty much where I'm at as well. As are many of the "tea party" types that I know.

As far as "watching" the news. I haven't watched the news since I've had access to the world wide web. I used to watch the network news. That 1/2 hour when they crammed all of the news into 20 minutes.

I've never been a FOX News watcher. I haven't ever paid for cable television. I have never had access to cable news networks in my home. It's a misnomer that conservatives like me are brainwashed by FOX News. I choose to get my information from sources that don't insult me. I'm not a Rhodes scholar, but I do due diligence to vet sources.

The progressives currently have the upper hand. It doesn't matter how much I think that this is detrimental to our republic, it's just the way it is. I'm not sure that the republicans really want things any different than they are now. I'm not confident that the true "tea party" types, meaning Constitution adhering types, can have any real effects on politics at this point.

I suspect that I will live out the rest of my life without any major upheaval but I don't think that the USA has too much longer, at least as it's been since it's inception.

Personally I'm a crusty old fart, I don't agree whole heartedly with any of it (any party). I do however agree with the tea party in that the government is now operating way outside the bounds of the constitution. Perhaps it would suffice to say that I think we should make DC sesceed (sp? product of publik edumacation) from the rest of the U.S. and we wouldn't miss it one little bit. That and outlaw "PC"!

As far as news outlets go they are ALL bs, nothing more than the commentator/outlet expressing their opinion wrapped in a smidgen of facts. If we could get rid of the I'm right and you're wrong mentality and focus on what real solutions are we would be much better off. I filter everything I read and hear from any "news" source before I come to a conclusion.

BTW good to see someone stirring the pot..........thanks John!:beers:

Political sections on extreme right leaning forums, always good times.
Bill OReilly.
Bill OReilly..
Just because someone thinks like you does not mean they are making more sense than those who don't


http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ma...3v3oo1_250.gif

We're talking about this guy, correct ?

http://www.yourblackworld.net/wp-con...sdpodsopsd.jpg

Glc was expressing his opinion. If you don't like "extreme right leaning forums", as you call them, why click on the links and why come here?

I know. You just want to clog the board with ridiculous gifs! Lol