The New York Times‘ David Carr (9/20/10) compares involvement by media figures in politics–exemplified by CNBC‘s Rick Santelli and various Fox News figures fueling the Tea Party movement, and Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s dueling answer rallies to said movement–to “a football game where the reporters and commentators, bored by the feckless proceedings on the field, suddenly poured out of the press box and took over the game.” Writes Carr: “In politics, it seems as if the media is intent on not just keeping score but also calling plays.”
Regardless of what one thinks of any particular media figure’s political advocacy, it should be remembered–in a nation that was basically imagined into existence by a political commentator named Thomas Paine–that there is nothing at all unusual or alarming about people writing and talking about politics in the hopes of affecting the course of political life. Indeed, that’s the most obvious reason to become a political journalist, and the assumed role of journalism that underlies the First Amendment. It’s only the corporate media tradition of trying to conceal the political opinions of journalists in the hopes of marketing the broadest possible audience to advertisers that makes it seem natural to think of journalists as people who ought to confine themselves to “keeping score” rather than getting directly involved in the sport of politics.
It’s one thing for a comedian like Jon Stewart, whose show is, after all, on the Comedy Network, to try to influence opinion with a march that’s itself arguably as much a comedy piece as Colbert’s version, but it’s quite another thing altogether to buy yerself a whole News network and *really* influence the public discourse under the guise of fair and balanced journalism…
Carr’s statement is nothing more than space-filler. Even so-called ‘objective’ journalists display a HUGE bias by the facts & background they choose to include and exclude, and it’s a lot more insidious than clearly opinionated sources (like Stewart and Fox ‘News’ – – which I abhor, but am in no way mislead by their ‘reporting’ since it is so obviously opinion). As Chomsky, Herman and numerous others have noted, the term ‘public relations’ (PR) is different from ‘advertising’ in that PR is meant to function (to change opinions) on an unnoticed/unconscious level, while advertising is meant to appeal to the conscious mind. I would venture that Carr is morphing journalism into PR and of course is trying to clear the field so that their PR can be more effective.
shorter carr: “leave the propagandizing to the professionals”
They can’t stand the fact that nobody buys their BS anymore and Stewart is the most trusted name in news.
It’s not like the NYT or any other MSM source has been doing such a stellar job. They are really resentful that we have alternatives and no longer have to eat the slimy propaganda they feed us.
I used to have a lot of respect for reporters; access to accurate information is key to having an informed electorate and functioning democracy. That there has been precious little of that from the media for some time is why our democracy isn’t functioning. In order to be a successful reporter nowadays, you have to toe the company line, which is mostly fascist.
So if you actually are fair and balanced, calling politicians on their BS, you are fired or were never hired. Because like Tim Russert, you are only supposed to call BS on anything faintly liberal. So 99% of the reporters out there are nothing but whores – at least.
And then there is Jon. WTG Jon!
I love Jon Stewart!!!
Carr reveals himself as a pearl-clutcher.
It’s a shame when a comedian must tell the news the way it is, and a giant network, supposedly a real news organization is more of a comedy show with their phony, so-called news men and women. The entire expenditures made to run FoxNews should be considered as a huge donation to the republi-con party. Rush Limbaugh, the no-nothing college dropout from Cape Girardeau, Mo, is paid 50 million dollars a year to campaign for the republi-cons. When you have an entire network and a big mouthed blow hard campaigning for the Cons every day of the year, there is something seriously wrong with our first amendment that guarantees free speech. I have often thought that free speech, as practiced by the rich and powerful like Murdoch and those who control AM stations all over this country will kill our democracy as we know it. Get ready for fascism, my fellow Americans, because if the right-wing takes over, that is what you will get. It’s a shame when a comedian must tell the news the way it is, and a giant network, supposedly a real news organization, is more of a comedy show with their phony, so-called news men and women. The entire expenditures made to run FoxNews should be considered as a huge donation to the republi-con party. Rush Limbaugh, the no-nothing college dropout from Cape Girardeau, Mo, is paid 50 million dollars a year to campaign for the republi-cons. When you have an entire network and a big mouthed blow hard campaigning for the Cons every day of the year, there is something seriously wrong with our first amendment that guarantees free speech. I have often thought that free speech, as practiced by the rich and powerful like Murdoch and those who control AM stations all over this country will kill our democracy as we know it. Get ready for fascism, my fellow Americans, because if the right-wing takes over, that is what you will get..
Not to diminish the importance of Thomas Paine in the founding of this country, it did require a little bit more than his imagination to found the American Republic. A few people died, as I recall, and others underwent some minor hardship and privation.
The problem with Rick Santelli is that he is put forward as a financial analyst but used his position for scripted political propaganda (see http://www.alternet.org/media/129656 for a post-mortem of the allegations, why the original allegations were withdrawn and what the authors say about the power of corporate media to intimidate smaller outlets. ). Santelli is not a “media figure.” He is presented by CNBC as an independent journalist. He is a political operative. Stewart and Colbert may be liberals, but they are not party apparatchiks.
Celebs from Hollywood have been demonized for decades by Republicans, precisely because they know that celebs are influential with the people, and most celebs are liberals. They have the influence, they have the money, and they have the inclination, and so they must be made to look bad. Republicans are a disgrace to this country and they are a serious threat to the well-being of the American people.
Anybody with even a speck of intelligence and compassion has to be a liberal. Just look at who is crawling out from under the rocks to work at destroying this country’s freedoms some more. Yikes. The newts and the army’s are marching again driving the lemming T party over the edge and they don’t care.
Let’s get into the streets on 10-2 and shut down the the war monsters before they grind us up totally. Join a 10-10-10 work party and get your neighborhood, family, and friends active. We are the government if we will get up and talk to each other without shouting and nasty talk. Love is the answer, even if it is the hardest thing to do. Pay attention to peace. Pay attention to what you want. Take care.
Who is David Carr?
I believe Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Cable News prides itself on cultivating cult leaders for the ignorant, guillible, emotional people that follow their personalities as gospel. How proud these cult-followers must be to be led by hatred and anger and how lazy not to verify every single thing that these personalities state as facts. Anyone who supports the party of “NO (brains)” deserves what they get. I cannot believe anyone making under $250,000 would consider anything out of anyone’s mouth (making millions like the Fox cult-leaders as truth. These personalities do NOT care about anyone but themselves and laugh all the way to the bank at the droves of people who froth at the mouth over every lie that comes out of their mouths. I want truth in media and the likes of Australian Rupert Murdoch to be held accountable for the crap his politically-motivated organzations toss out to the public without any remorse. How about some Congressional bills to hold these people and politicians accountable by hitting them in the wallet. Start with a $1million dollar fine to pay toward the national deficit, public apology AND 6 months suspension from TV, radio, newspaper, congressional seat, senatorial seat, etc. for the first offense. Immediate and permanent termination/resignation for the second offense – any contracts, pensions and benefits become null and void and the person is permanently banned from any type of news media or political position for life. Let the low-lifes crawl underground where they belong. They are keeping this country divided and they don’t care. Tax breaks for the rich?? Just how many houses do these creeps need to live in while so many Americans don’t even have a roof over their heads? I am tired of seeing my tax dollars go down the tubes by the Republicans acting like spoiled brats and stone-walling everything the President is trying to accomplish. If they don’t want to help this country then do the country a favor and step down. It’s time the country got back to what is important and it isn’t watching the rich get richer while the poor starve and die!
I trust Jon Stewart and Bill Maher. And they’re more fun than Limbaugh or that Mormon. // Jean Clelland-Morin (ex-Mormon and graduate of Brigham Young Universit)
Fact based news- with corlating opinion, vs comedy news within political satire.Stewart and Cobert are funny as hell.As Rome burns they make us laugh at the hot foot we have- until we are burnt to a crisp and then of course the lights will dim and the clowns wonder off.Tears flow as they always cry through their smiles . Laughter is a great medicine,and how we do need them.Rush ,and Beck and people of his ilk are loading the bandages,talking about how to manage the burns,deciding how to fight the fires.There really is no comparison between the two.Rush and Beck are still in the bell ringing phase.I hope someday they will feel positive again about this countries future.I worry about that.Of course now is not the time but………
And I do worry that people like Stewart and Colbert and Bill from Mars are making one big mistake.They belittle or ask people to shun those who have a differing opinion than the leaders now sitting n power.Tea party members or conservative-libaritarian thinkers.This is the giant truck barreling down the road rumbling and crumbling everything before it and these guys are saying just turn your backs.Nothing here to hurt you.Word to the wise…..You are about to be run over and smashed like a pan cake.A bunch of liberal roag pizzas.It is past Time to get engaged in the arena of ideas with these folks.The little trick of poo pooing them away has not worked.Obama is hiding in his bed with covers pulled up,asking Michelle “Are they gone yet”.Well they are not.Pitchforks and torches burning they are brimming over as far as one can see.They demand a membership and you libs no longer have any power to deny them that.The worm has turned.
Of course, the ultimate fix for this political/media gaffe is quite simple: Turn the Tee Vee off. Period.
I’ve been around for 82 years, and I never cease to be amazed by the truth and wisdom revealed by enlightened writers such as Gene DeVaux in his concise statement about national affairs. The bush took a page from Hitler’s Third Reich and applied it to America for eight years without one word of protest from right-wing Republicans. I guess that makes sense to Republicans because the fascists confronted the communists in 1941, the latter always representing the greater threat.
@Alan Gregory:
Sorry, that just doesn’t work. If I turn off my tv, Fox doesn’t lose a single viewer.
Frank….Frank- Frank.Im a right winger- i suppose.Did I hear you say your heard nothing…not one word of protest about Bush?Where the hell were you Frank?We howled in protest as he spent and spent and spent and overshot the constitution.We were never on the Libs side because their side was an all consuming play for power.Nothing more.They would see America fall, to gain and hold that power.But at times our paths did cross.Now of course we are yelling all the louder.Bush thought he was following the constitution .(And Jesus will you stop calling him Hitler.Obama or Bush do not play to that mantle.It is just inflammatory word play).So Bush took the constitution and payed lip service to it.We felt differently and said so.Often.Obama could give a rats ass about that rag.As he says it is a “mean document that inhibits the government.”Bush knocked it off its pedestal. Obama is kicking it down the street and into the creek.But WE mean to pick it up soon…..and put it back up high where all can see it.Then Bush sr and Junior, Clinton and Obama can all play golf .FOUR!!!!!!!!!WE will take it from here.
Nicely said, Elizabeth. And m.e.? It’s “Fore,” not “Four.” And you know what, Elizabeth? With one line (“Anybody with even a speck of intelligence and compassion has to be a liberal.”),you make more sense than the feller above, with his dozens of lines of unintelligible ravings. As the Wicked Witch said, “What a world, what a world . . . .”
“Anybody with even a speck of intelligence and compassion has to be a liberal.” – I completely agree with this statement. If you are rich and think of the poor as lazy scumbags, then you are not compassionate, but it is in your financial interest to be a conservative. If you are poor and actually believe the things that Fox News says and you actually go out and vote for conservatives against your own interests, then you are not intelligent *cough* teabaggers *cough*.
Or we could just rave on……..anybody with even a speck of talent and spirituality has to be a liberal.Anybody who will live past 70 has to be a liberal.Anybody who plays football and baseball must be a liberal.Anybody who likes the stones more than the Beatles must be liberal.Anybody who is black must be a liberal.Anybody who like’s blue more than orange must be a lib.Anybody who has a speck of racism and elitist mantras must be a liberal(oops how did that get in there?
Tim you obviousely don’t golf…its the in joke don’t ya know.I shoulda said two?Did like your witch quote.You should of quoted her soldiers.”WE OWE ALL>>>>>WE OWE HER ALL”Fits like a glove to you Dems and your beliefs.
Noxidereus class warfare claptrap.It is in everyones interest to stop the collapse of this government.To stop that we must end government spending on a non sustainable scale.We must rebuild our economy and that means recreating wealth.Those poor you leave to their fate- are tomorrows rich.We conservatives do not believe in a permanent underclass as you seem to.We believe with government out of the way the people can achieve their dreams.Not be supported in their nightmares.
Noxidereus….Your crude joke,right there at the end….Is it really something that belongs in intelligent discourse?This week i heard Bill from- mars make jokes about Sarah Palins kids that i would wager he would not say to their father.I also heard a guy on a corner making lewd comments about Obamas oldest daughter.Can we um…. try to raise the bar a bit?