Memo from Mark Halperin, head of ABC news political coverage:


It goes without saying that the stakes are getting very high for the country and the campaigns - and our responsibilities become quite grave

I do not want to set off (sp?) and endless colloquy that none of us have time for today - nor do I want to stifle one. Please respond if you feel you can advance the discussion.

The New York Times (Nagourney/Stevenson) and Howard Fineman on the web both make the same point today: the current Bush attacks on Kerry involve distortions and taking things out of context in a way that goes beyond what Kerry has done.

Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win.

We have a responsibility to hold both sides accountable to the public interest, but that doesn't mean we reflexively and artificially hold both sides "equally" accountable when the facts don't warrant that.

I'm sure many of you have this week felt the stepped up Bush efforts to complain about our coverage. This is all part of their efforts to get away with as much as possible with the stepped up, renewed efforts to win the election by destroying Senator Kerry at least partly through distortions.

It's up to Kerry to defend himself, of course. But as one of the few news organizations with the skill and strength to help voters evaluate what the candidates are saying to serve the public interest. Now is the time for all of us to step up and do that right.

There's little doubt that some media (FOX, CNN, MsNbc, NBC, NPR, AP et al) are giving team bush a free ride on what appears to be a totally out-of-control campaign -- sure signs of desperation.

They never really dinged him for his wild-man act in the 2nd debate where he was angerly yellying at the audience and nearly went physical on the moderator.

Now, only a handful want to hold him accountable for what the media admits are distortions (gross distortions in some cases) -- I call them lies. This is called the McCain treatment. It worked in the '00 South Carolina primaries to destroy J. Mc. and they figure it will work again on kerry.

One would think that when Bush and Kerry step onto the stage of the Gammage auditorium at Arizona State University for debate number 3, that Karen and Karl would have bush toned way down -- 'luding out, leaning on the podium and starring into space. A little drool in the corners of the mouth would be a nice touch. They might even press that suit coat a little better to remove the wrinkles in the back. ROTF

More than likely that won't happen as the 2 K's crank the handwheel like Master-Blaster turning on the energy at Barter town. I suspect the level of madness will be in the neighborhood of Captain Queeg -- steel marbles and all.

Dop

Uhmmm, what was the question?

...but since you changed the subject anyway, I think you're uncharacteristically accepting the overstated cliche as truth. Watch, or try to remember, the debate. Do you really think President Bush was "angerly yellying at the audience and nearly went physical on the moderator" Are you serious??

Go to a dictionary and look up "angrily", "yelling", "nearly" "physical" and "wild man act"

It looks to me like I'm on topic -- we are talking about media bias aren't we and I pointed out what I see as media bias. What more would you like? -- agreeing with your love for bush doesn't count.

But, if you really, really, really, truly, cross your fingers hope to die, boy scouts honor think I'm off topic -- just say so and I'll remove my post with a full apology to the entire forum.

ROTFLMAO

Dop

Uh, back to the point I guess. If you saw a wild man act, and even NPR didn't criticize the President for it, maybe, just maybe, not everything you (probably) heard on Air America was true?

I've never listened to Air America and prolly never will.

So nice try brooks and thanks for playing.

Dop

It's gross exaggeration in its worst form. Those type messages are brought to you by the Kerry camp and endorsed by raging lefties like Dop. As you can see from his recent posts, he avidly condones media spin. Hell, if he could, I'd bet he'd contribute to it.

Sorry. I guess my saying that qualifies as another angry, phyical wild man act.

I watched the debate with a couple of friends. All three of us were astounded that bush interupted the moderator and when the mod tryed to explain that his time was up, bush just talked right over him. He basically bullied the mod into backing off and not applying the rules of time equally to both candidates. Shameless and not one of the big news organiations picked it up. I haven't heard a word about it anywhere.

The media is VERY bias. Owned by big corporations and donating millions of dollors to comrade bush so he will pass legislation in their favor, they certainly don't want to advertise bush's faults and mishaps.

I find it hilarious that you lefties think the media is biased in BUSH's favor. That is hysterical. A gallup poll this year showed that 80% of journalists were Kerry supporters. NPR and CNN giving him a free ride?! You have got to be kidding me. NPR has to be the most anti-Bush non-print media outlet out there.

i personally dont think kerry defends himself properly. seems like he's in a time warp or something. when bush says that kerry just thinks that terrorist are nothing more than a bother, kerry should explain that, some very big mistakes on OUR end, is what gave that attack completion. we have steps in order which could have prevented the majority of the damage if not all. some very strange things happened that day, and for this country to be so powerful and technical, we should have caught this before it happened. we have thwarted attacks before, and could have this one. we have people that are making very big money for this to not have happened. they didnt slip one buy us, we slipped.....thats it.....this wouldnt happen again in a thousand years if the people we hire to make sure it doesnt happen, do their job ! we are giving terrorism too much credit......WE SLIPPED ! its like we wanted it to happen......say im crazy if you want, but just unbiasly look at the full chain of events of that day. it wasnt a democrats fault, it wasnt a republican fault, it was an american fault.....

Originally posted by DaveTooner
I find it hilarious that you lefties think the media is biased in BUSH's favor. That is hysterical. A gallup poll this year showed that 80% of journalists were Kerry supporters. NPR and CNN giving him a free ride?! You have got to be kidding me. NPR has to be the most anti-Bush non-print media outlet out there. so.....its ok for YOU to think that its biased in kerry's favor ? you see, thats what im talking about. the parties have us right where they want us, because at the end of the day, these guys go to lunch together, and we sit here and fight about who's the better guy. they all practice nepotism, and they all pander to lobbyist, who are nothing more than "payola" specialist...with OUR tax dollars !

NPR has to be the most anti-Bush non-print media outlet out there

I like the way the conservatives always mention NPR but ignore all the other political talk shows on the radio that are EXTREMELY bias in favor of Bush.

Originally posted by dnamertz
I like the way the conservatives always mention NPR but ignore all the other political talk shows on the radio that are EXTREMELY bias in favor of Bush. THANK YOU !!

I like the way the conservatives always mention NPR but ignore all the other political talk shows on the radio that are EXTREMELY bias in favor of Bush.
Do you people understand the difference between the exception and the rule? Tooner's point about 80% of the MAJOR network correspondents being in favor of Kerry is overwhelmingly disturbing. However, it's the truth, and that's the way it's been throughout time. Republicans, unfortunately, swear up and down not to trust the liberal media, but as soon as that very media demonizes some Republican, half our party is ready to dump that person. Currently the "Republican-liberals" would most like to see Dick Cheney gone. There's a basketful of Republicans I'd be very pleased to see removed from office, and Dick Cheney isn’t one of them.

Another candidate liberals told us was a disaster for the party was Ronald Wilson Reagan. In 1976, Newsweek's Hal Bruno said Republican "party loyalists" feared that Reagan would produce "a Goldwater-style debacle from which there is no comeback." Though the "Republican right wing" was gleeful at the prospect of a real conservative like Reagan purifying the party, Bruno wrote, "It could be a purification indistinguishable from suicide."

This is the type shit we've dealt with for years, and I don't see it going away any time soon. As far as which party gets the short end of the stick via the media, look no further than the Republicans. You can't possibly deny it, we get screwed at every impasse, and as of the last ten years, we've fought back...HARD. Fox news, Hannity, Limbaugh, Coulter, and O'Reilly are just a small number of our soldiers when compared to the HUNDREDS of liberals have in your arsenal. You can't POSSIBLY argue this fact!

so.....its ok for YOU to think that its biased in kerry's favor ?

Yes. I never said it wasn't OK for you to think CNN (Clinton News Netork) and NPR are biased towards Bush. I just said it's hilarious that you think so.

I like the way the conservatives always mention NPR but ignore all the other political talk shows on the radio that are EXTREMELY bias in favor of Bush.

There are two VERY BIG differences.

1. Shows like Limbaugh and Hannity are just SHOWS. They aren't networks.

2. Shows like Limbaugh and Hannity are upfront about their bias. They are self-described conservatives, right wingers, republicans, whatever. NPR news is billed supposedly just straight objective news. Not comparable to Limbaugh or Hannity. The liberal equivalent to them would be like Al Franken's show or Alan Colmes' show, neither of which I have a problem with because they are upfront about their bias. They don't claim to be a news source, but rather news analysis with a liberal slant. BIG DIFFERENCE

Plus NPR gets funding from tax payers.

That's a very good point, Dave. I've brought it up before, and it was simply dismissed. Let's see what happens this time...

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DaveTooner
Yes. I never said it wasn't [b]OK for you to think CNN (Clinton News Netork) and NPR are biased towards Bush. I just said it's hilarious that you think so.

There are two VERY BIG differences.

1. Shows like Limbaugh and Hannity are just SHOWS. They aren't networks.

You forgot to mention that the big news networks are the ones that agree to put these extremely negative to democrat shows on the air. Wake up, nobody gets a talk show without selling it to the network owners. How many negative to republican shows are there? Few and far between because the media giants are in comrade bush's pocket. Favors for favors.

And why is it that only the negative democratic shows are allowed on the military station?

Get real, you clowns have been screaming "liberal media" so long you are blinded by your own rhetoric. Waaaaa somebody said something mean about my candidate, this must be a liberal news network.

damn good response..............next !

WTF????? You can't POSSIBLY be serious, Echo...

You forgot to mention that the big news networks are the ones that agree to put these extremely negative to democrat shows on the air.
I refuse to think a living creature can be this daft. These shows take a stance while NEVER PRETENDING TO BE IMPARTIAL. Networks put them on because they sell. They generate an audience and revenue for the media that promotes their programs. Period.

ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN all purpose to be completely bipartisan, but the overwhelming evidence to the contrary is somewhat of a disturbance. The news these networks purport as "impartial" should be considered totally fraudulent, and their respective broadcasting rights should be terminated because of it.
Waaaaa somebody said something mean about my candidate, this must be a liberal news network.
Oh, get real...:rolleyes: Fraud is fraud, and I don't care how you want to slice it.

Originally posted by dnamertz
I like the way the conservatives always mention NPR but ignore all the other political talk shows on the radio that are EXTREMELY bias in favor of Bush.

Uhhh.... The other talk shows aren't federally funded?

I've lived on several military bases, and I can't seem to recall there being any "negative democrat shows"?

No, but it sounds really good if they argue that there is. Remember, NoFlak, republicans’ torture prisoners, censor radio broadcasts, and hate women and minorities. We're responsible for all the heinous shit in the world, right everyone???

You're right Prae,
How could I have forgotten????

is it me? or is echo's only response to anything:

"you're blinded by your own rhetoric"...or something to the effect

Anyone can say "your blind....you cant see the truth"....Its the one-sided thinking i see from the left that disturbs me. Hey, i for one am WILLING to admit that Bush has areas he needs to work on, he's FAR from the perfect president....but John Kerry has absolutely nothing to offer as far as i'm concerned. The hatred for Bush from the dems is sickening, it seems as if they treat Kerry as a God and would just as soon damn bush to hell. I don't live by those standards....i disagree with Kerry's policies, and his record, and his methods, but i dont hate him.

I would say the fact that liberals are on here saying republicans have the advantage as far as media bias goes only proves that they aren't willing to admit anything detrimental to their party. If you can't admit that liberals dominate the major networks, than its proof positive its YOU who are "blinded by your own rhetoric" LMAO

i personally dont like the democratic agenda. it makes people dependent on programs and handouts. and never let people be responsible for their situation......but i also dont like blatant liars. george bush is a lying piece of shit. i thought his father was a much better president. and so was clinton. i dont like kerry, or gore for that matter, but if it came down to them and that lying ass bush JR. give me a "d" , give me an "e"......republicans are money grubbers who take care of the rich. i dont have a problem with that, just dont tell me that you care about the poor....because thats a lie ! to sum it all up, they're both liars, thieves, and people who, because of power, dont have to go through the same doors we do , ex : getting out of service time. but because of their power, they can be the biggest idiot in the world, and still be president.

Originally posted by NoFlakjacket
I've lived on several military bases, and I can't seem to recall there being any "negative democrat shows"? that just proves that , even in the service, there's partisanship. i talk to soldiers all of the time, because i just want to know things, and most of them, say that they are really not allowed to speak on things, but that they do not agree with being there. one of the black belts in my martial arts class loves the service and all therein, but do not agree with this war. these people also go down racial lines. so, just like you can find some that say its good, i can find the opposite........who's right......? nobody, and everybody !

Shows like Limbaugh and Hannity are just SHOWS. They aren't networks.

NPR is not an entirly LIBERAL network...for years I never even knew where NPR was on the radio dial in my area because most of the times I went by it they were playing classical music. Its a bunch of shows, mostly liberal, but not a "liberal network". Heck, I could argue that some of the stations I listen to are "conservative stations" because from the time I turn it on in the morning til I leave work, its one convservative show after another. However, I will give you the federal funding argument, I don't think NPR should be funded.

ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN all purpose to be completely bipartisan, but the overwhelming evidence to the contrary is somewhat of a disturbance

The first three networks you listed are hardly "news" organizations. They have maybe an hour of national news a day. Why do the so called "big 3 networks" or Rather, Brokaw, and Jennings always get called the "main stream" news media...especially in these 24 hour news channel days? I don't know how many times I hear Bill Oreilly brag about how his ratings clober Rather, Jennings, & Brokaw" each night and how more people watched FOX during the conventions than any other channel...so who is "main stream"???

A few weeks ago I saw Bob Dole being interviewed on MSNBC and the topic was media bias and Dole was free to make accussations about the big 3 networks being biased....I found it funny that he was on msNBC and calling NBC biased. Would a biased network let that be said on its own show???? What does Bob Dole think the "NBC" in msNBC stands for?

Networks put them on because they sell

Exactly!!! This argument works agains there being any overall liberal or conservative media bias. The networks all want to make money and they will put on what sells, and cancel what doesn't.

The hatred for Bush from the dems is sickening, it seems as if they treat Kerry as a God and would just as soon damn bush to hell. I don't live by those standards....i disagree with Kerry's policies, and his record, and his methods, but i dont hate him.

YOU are not ALL, or even MOST, republicans. I don't hate Bush just like you don't hate Kerry, but there are people on both sides who do. We are seeing the same thing from "Bush hating liberals" that we saw from "Clinton hating conservatives".

You forgot to mention that the big news networks are the ones that agree to put these extremely negative to democrat shows on the air. Wake up, nobody gets a talk show without selling it to the network owners. How many negative to republican shows are there? Few and far between because the media giants are in comrade bush's pocket. Favors for favors.

The radio stations buy them from the radio syndicates because they get good ratings, my friend. btw, nice job ignoring my second point in that post, which was the most important one.

NPR is not an entirly LIBERAL network...for years I never even knew where NPR was on the radio dial in my area because most of the times I went by it they were playing classical music. Its a bunch of shows, mostly liberal, but not a "liberal network".

It is a network with a liberal slant. Playing classical music doesn't change this. Their news coverage is always slanted and they pass it off as unbiased, straight news.

Hey DaveTooner,
I like your quote:
RUSH IS RIGHT
In "The Way Things Ought To Be" I like what he has to say about the media:
"One of the things that has always bothered me about people in the media is that they pretend that they aren't in a business. They think they work for a public service....."

Of course it goes on, but the point being: Todays journalists seem to be driving their own agenda. Now the lefties piss and whine cause guys like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Smith, the list goes on, are informing the American public of the other side of the story... They can't stand someone like Bill O'Riley puttin someone on the hot seat.....
WWHHHAAAAA.... it's not really fair and balanced.....

lol! Yes RUSH IS RIGHT! YES YES YES! HEIL RUSH!

NPR news is billed supposedly just straight objective news

NPR is a bit different than all the other networks and shows, I'll give you that one, but I don't know if I'd call them "main stream". Most of the other media is not biased like NPR apparently is (I say "apparently" because I don't listen to it). I've seen a lot of things that would not be shown if the media had a liberal bias. The other media outlets rely on ratings and have to air whatever gets the most viewers/listeners and they would not survive if they put thier bias ahead of ratings. NPR is unique...because of its funding (which I've already disagreed with) it doens't have to worry about ratings.

awwwwwww.... whatsa matter???? strike a cord????
and the idiots begin to run rampant, like cockroaches when the light comes on.....

Originally posted by NoFlakjacket
awwwwwww.... whatsa matter???? strike a cord????
and the idiots begin to run rampant, like cockroaches when the light comes on.....
Congratulations on your inability to post anything other than ad hominem attacks!

OHHH.... Hey thanks, I'm so glad you took the time to respond. I can't tell you what an honor it is to have a guy like you repond to a post from a guy like me. zzzzzzzzzzz.................

Yes, and pissing off the moderators is a good way to make friends around here!

So, let me see if I got this right....
OD- you would be the resident expert on "making friends around here"?
Kahn- moderator?
Pissed- who?
Does it piss people off if I mention RUSH LIMBAUGH in a thread about Media Bias?
Or was it the comment about the cockroaches? I'm sorry if I've offended the sensibilities of any cockroaches on the message board.....

Not to say I’m an expert, but I do have a few friends from this board that I talk to on a regular basis. The fact is, you called us idiots and that isn’t a very friendly thing to say, now is it? Yes, my comment wasn’t all that mature…but calling us “idiots” when you are new to a forum, isn’t the best way to earn respect.

But hey, more power to ya!

OD, ever heard the old addage, "if the shoe fits..."
Quite frankly, I'm not here to earn your respect. I come here to read posts and throw in my two cents.... The great American Way. I don't really care how many friends you have here either, I mean really...... So, if you have something to post, put it up, there's absolutely nothing wrong with my reply.
BorgHunter, not quite sure which of my posts that you're referring to as "ad hominem attacks", so, whatever floats your boat.... I reckon it may make good material for another thread, but I don't think you can provide any instances.....

Wonderful...;) Have fun.

Originally posted by NoFlakjacket
BorgHunter, not quite sure which of my posts that you're referring to as "ad hominem attacks", so, whatever floats your boat.... I reckon it may make good material for another thread, but I don't think you can provide any instances.....
Calling a bunch of people idiots...

In any case, this thread isn't going anywhere, so I'm gonna close it...Mr. Jacket, if you have any more questions, go ahead and PM me...