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September 13, 2011

More on CNN’s Tea Party

The New York Times reported today (9/13/11) on the controversy, citing FAIR:

But the CNN debate on Monday was the first event hosted jointly by a major news organization and a Tea Party group. And their partnership left some questioning whether the network had gone too far in reaching for centrist credibility.

“Is there really a need for another national cable news channel devoted to promoting far-right elements within the Republican Party?” the liberal media watchdog group FAIR said Monday in an e-mail alert to its members in which it labeled the Tea Party “a controversial political group.”

Jeremy Peters and Brian Stelter also picked up on CNN‘s weak attempts to spin their Tea Party connection–despite the fact that questions were being piped in from Tea Party events, and the Tea Party Express picked the audience members inside the auditorium:

Here in Tampa, there were signs the network was sensitive to perceptions that it was being too cozy with Tea Party activists. During a tour of the debate hall, Mr. Feist referred to the gatherings in Arizona, Virginia and Ohio, saying, “We’ll have watch parties.” He was swiftly corrected by CNN‘s special events producer, Kate Lunger, who interjected, ‘Well, we won’t have watch parties.”

That distinction–whatever it might be–was probably lost on most viewers.

Veteran journalist Bob Parry wrote a great piece about “the hidden political reality behind ‘centrist’ journalism–a never-ending pandering to the right.” Parry added that he’s seen this kind of thing first-hand:

it’s useful to have some specific right-tilted story–or event–to point to, just in case a right-wing critic decides to target you as a “liberal.” CNN, which the right has sometimes smeared as the “Communist News Network,” can now cite its collaboration with the Tea Party as valuable right-wing “cred.”

When I was working at PBS Frontline in the early 1990s, senior producers would sometimes order up pre-ordained right-wing programs–such as a show denouncing Cuba’s Fidel Castro–to counter Republican attacks on the documentary series for programs the right didn’t like, such as Bill Moyers’ analysis of the Iran/Contra scandal.

In essence, the idea was to inject right-wing bias into some programming as “balance” to other serious journalism, which presented facts that Republicans found objectionable. That way, the producers could point to the right-wing show to prove their “objectivity” and, with luck, deter GOP assaults on PBS funding.

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  2. I guess PBS found out that pandering to the right got them nothing but contempt from those people.

    The left has to define the line between tolerence and being played a chump.

    I wonder if CNN staff is looking for work with News Corp in the future and trying to keep their options open?

    Would CNN partner with the American Atheists, a group noted for the number of American intellectuals who are in sympathy?

  3. “The earth is round” or “the earth is flat” Well, the answer is that it must be somewhere in between

  5. What Parry says I always knew was true–and it’s gotten much, much worse. CNN’s swinish, toadying behavior means one thing–they’re scared of the Right, so scared that they follow harry towne’s template above.

  6. What CNN did was another cynical act in the daily work of the media to make the radical, corporate directed Tea Party Express appear main stream & acceptable to American public. A rag tag bunch of protesters was given huge sway on our country because of greedy media who used them for profit.

  7. Tea party is not owned by anyone.Because it does not exist except in anything more than an ideal.You can be tea party coming from left right or center.All are welcome.Even the leftist of the left did not always believe in tr
    ash[ing the constitution and letting government rule us.

  8. as long as the teabaggers have fauxnews, they aren’t interested in cnn’s attempt at being fauxnews lite…..

  9. I was watching CNN on the treadmill the other day and that hag Carole Costello made a remark about how the American public seems to be “drawn to” political fringe groups. Like what, Carole? The Tea Baggers? Maybe it’s because CNN and its corporate media cronies are constantly shoving them down our throats in order to piss people off in order to stir up controversy, which gets people to tune in, which enables CNN to raise its advertising rates. It’s always about money, and this is precisely why the corporate media should NEVER be trusted to be telling the whole truth about any issue; their first consideration in telling any story on any topic is – How will this affect the bottom line?

    CNN and the other corporate media want to attract a wealthier audience that has the money to buy the items their advertiser want to sell. That’s why in her faux-compassionate series about Poverty in America, Mme Costello profiles a person or couple or family stuck in hard economic times, and then sandwiches the store between lectures on “personal responsibility” and “economic responsibility”.

    How is it personally irresponsible to unemployed for months on end because there are no jobs to be had? How is it economically irresponsible to not save money for a rainy day when you only make bare enough (or not quite enough) money to pay the rent, groceries and electric bill? Even minimum-wage earners – who can never afford to live without assisance – are threated by the Tea Baggers who want to eliminate minimum wage?!?! Can you imagine?!?! Greedy company owners would probably pay them $3 an hour! If that!

    And no doubt they’d do away with over-time rates, if they could, so even if someon worked 50 hours a week at that rate they’d make… let’s see… $150 a week. Of course if the Republicans have their way they wouldn’t have to pay any taxes on that, so they should have more than enough to pay their rent and save enough for retirement. They BETTER save! Cuz if the Tea Baggers have their way there won’t be any Social Security to help them when they retire. Of course, without SS millions won’t retire but will work into their 70s and 80s, until they drop dead.

    And as we all know very well by now, that’s just fine with the Tea Baggers.

    By the way, I used to be a reporter and I know for a fact that all news media has an inherent conservative bias. They’re accused of having a “liberal bias” when the run a short story about gay rights or civil liberties, and then as a reactionary defensive mood they devote a whole section to “Worship in America” or some other nonsensical waste of time and/or ink.

  10. 1. Cnn, is simply a hair breadth short of Fox, and we all know about Foxy and that monster Rupert Murdoch,who is still being investigated by the Brit. Parlaiment. At least they have the balls to do sometingabout him,I hope he swings from a tight rope, he has so currupted our understanding of news “fair ” indeed. He is our little Hitler in residence and getsaway with it. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves permitting this insanity in a democtatic country. CNN has these hacks like Wolf Blitzer, who would not understand the meaning of objectivy about Obama and the Jews in Isreal, but he has a dihardinterest in this formula, itis so obvious, it is sickening and his influence is stupendous. He needs to go the way of that Ass Larry king. Now we have a new blood conservative who as yet has still to show his true clours, ala Mr. Murdochs choice.CNN is a huge flatulent joke; who do they think they are
    kidding.

  11. Woodward and B
    Do you call yourselves “fiscal pedifiles”(the rape of our children’s future)as you call us tea baggers.Really you at least seemed to be someone who could climb above verbal slang and insult.Use the word Nigger much around the kids?

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