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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
 Posted - 08/11/2012 : 12:38:08
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This has been brought up by others in other media, so the observations below aren't new. However, when I see them, they still make me angry.
USA Today reported today on Romney's appointment of Paul Ryan to be his running mate. At one point, the note that:Ryan also touched on a favorite GOP campaign theme. "I'm proud to stand with a man who understands what it takes to foster job creation in our economy, someone who knows from experience, that if you have a small business — you did build that," he said, a line followed by a cheer from the crowd.
The line echoed a theme from Romney ads and speeches attacking Obama for saying about business owners: "You didn't build that."
Democrats say Obama was taken out of context — he was discussing the infrastructure such as roads and technology that support those businesses. |
This isn't some subjective case that is up for debate. Yes, Obama's "you didn't build that" comment was totally taken out of context and was obviously referring to infrastructure. To frame this is "Democrats say Obama was taken out of context" makes it look like it's something that isn't clear.
It's maddening! There is a reality! Unfortunately, our "liberal" press corps have been kowtowed by right wing outlets like AM Talk radio into thinking that in order to be balanced, they have to report everything as just something one side says.
Krugman was arguing this a long time ago, saying | But there has also been a political aspect: the mainstream media are fanatically determined to seem evenhanded. One of the great jokes of American politics is the insistence by conservatives that the media have a liberal bias. The truth is that reporters have failed to call Mr. Bush to account on even the most outrageous misstatements, presumably for fear that they might be accused of partisanship. If a presidential candidate were to declare that the earth is flat, you would be sure to see a news analysis under the headline ''Shape of the Planet: Both Sides Have a Point.'' After all, the earth isn't perfectly spherical. |
I think that even this is too kind to the media. I feel like if a presidential candidate were to declare that the earth is flat, the headline would read "Candidates Disagree About the Shape of the Planet."
In the modern world of American politics, facts tend to have a liberal bias (borrowed, again, from Krugman) and so when the media engage in this sort of reporting-- refusing to simply state reality and instead couch things in terms of just what one side says versus what the other side says-- they're actually slanting to the right.
The whole thing has me frustrated beyond belief. I've written to the editors about this article and its phrasing, but I expect nothing to change.
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Edited by - Cuneiformist on 08/13/2012 08:19:57
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2012 : 12:54:03 [Permalink]
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It's the tactic of The Big Lie:The phrase was also used in a report prepared during the war by the United States Office of Strategic Services in describing Hitler's psychological profile:
His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it. |
[My emphasis.]
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9687 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2012 : 13:00:09 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Cuneiformist
In the modern world of American politics, facts tend to have a liberal bias (borrowed, again, from Krugman) |
I believe it's paraphrased from Steven Colbert's monologue at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner: Now, I know there are some polls out there saying this man (George W. Bush) has a 32 percent approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in reality. And reality has a well-known liberal bias ... |
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2012 : 14:22:33 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
Originally posted by Cuneiformist
In the modern world of American politics, facts tend to have a liberal bias (borrowed, again, from Krugman) |
I believe it's paraphrased from Steven Colbert's monologue at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner: Now, I know there are some polls out there saying this man (George W. Bush) has a 32 percent approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in reality. And reality has a well-known liberal bias ... |
Ah yes, I knew I'd heard it before but I wasn't sure where, so I assigned it to Krugman. Thanks! |
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2012 : 14:31:20 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
It's the tactic of The Big Lie:The phrase was also used in a report prepared during the war by the United States Office of Strategic Services in describing Hitler's psychological profile:
His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it. |
[My emphasis.] |
Well, I don't know if that's exactly the same thing. This is just a case of our press corps (long characterized as being "liberal") being incredibly lazy and too scared of the Rush Limbaugh crowd to just report reality as reality. Instead, the couch facts behind phrases like "opponents say" letting people think that the reality is subject to debate. It lets those on the right to brush off the reality of what Obama was saying (that, in fact, businesses succeed in part because there's a solid government-built infrastructure, an educated (mostly in public schools) work force, secure borders (thanks to a VERY well-funded military), stable currency, etc., etc., etc., all made possible with taxes) and dismiss any attempt to clarify it as just something his supporters say. Then they get to keep believing that Obama is a socialist Muslim (or whatever) and the "liberal" media can breath a sigh of relief that Rush and co. won't go after them as badly as they would have.
It's frustrating, and I don't know what to do. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2012 : 23:12:19 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Cuneiformist
Originally posted by HalfMooner
It's the tactic of The Big Lie:The phrase was also used in a report prepared during the war by the United States Office of Strategic Services in describing Hitler's psychological profile:
His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it. |
[My emphasis.] |
Well, I don't know if that's exactly the same thing. This is just a case of our press corps (long characterized as being "liberal") being incredibly lazy and too scared of the Rush Limbaugh crowd to just report reality as reality. Instead, the couch facts behind phrases like "opponents say" letting people think that the reality is subject to debate. It lets those on the right to brush off the reality of what Obama was saying (that, in fact, businesses succeed in part because there's a solid government-built infrastructure, an educated (mostly in public schools) work force, secure borders (thanks to a VERY well-funded military), stable currency, etc., etc., etc., all made possible with taxes) and dismiss any attempt to clarify it as just something his supporters say. Then they get to keep believing that Obama is a socialist Muslim (or whatever) and the "liberal" media can breath a sigh of relief that Rush and co. won't go after them as badly as they would have.
It's frustrating, and I don't know what to do.
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Since you framed this as being about the press, my reply was confusing, as I was concentrating on the liars, not the press.
I don't mean that the press (as a whole) is creating a Big Lie. I meant to aim that accusation at the wingnut operatives. The press (aside from Fox and a few others, which are more actively involved) is simply being passively exploited by the liars, making them merely conduits for all The Big Lies.
As long as degenerate journalism takes a default view that all "opinions" are equally valid, the liars hardly even need to control the press to get their most outrageous lies disseminated, unquestioned, again and again.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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He said/she said reporting
