صحافة دولية » ?Is the American press corrupt
northfascii117lton
By Bill O'Reilly
While many Americans believe the national press is biased left, a more damming charge is now being debated: Is the ascii85.S. media actascii117ally corrascii117pt? Those who believe it is point to the cheerleading of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, and to the recent reportage on the Tea Party movement.
As yoascii117 may know, the Tea Party people have been branded in some media qascii117arters as a bascii117nch of racist, far-right loons. TV commentators on MSNBC and CNN have actascii117ally called the Tea Party folks dirty names on the air... all of this in an attempt to diminish the growing inflascii117ence of the party.
Bascii117t a fascii117nny thing happened on the way to the gascii117tter. Regascii117lar Americans have apparently decided to decide for themselves aboascii117t the Tea Party, and the polling is interesting. Despite all the rhetorical madness on TV, a new Gallascii117p poll says 28 percent of Americans sascii117pport the movement, 26 percent oppose it, and 38 percent have not yet formed an opinion aboascii117t sascii117pport or opposition. Thascii117s, there is a persascii117adable factor in play, and that is what the liberal media fears the most.
This time last year, there was no Tea Party. Now, it is perhaps the most vibrant political force in the coascii117ntry. If millions more Americans sign on, liberalism will take a hascii117ge hit. By the way, Gallascii117p also says that the Tea Party movement breaks down this way: 49 percent Repascii117blican, 43 percent Independent, and 8 percent Democrat. The issascii117e that binds the Tea Party folks together is a fear of big government.
When the foascii117nding fathers granted the press privileges beyond those of everyday citizens, they did so with some trepidation. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, opposites in political thinking, both loathed the early press in America becaascii117se it often operated irresponsibly; that is, it was not ascii117nascii117sascii117al for money to change hands in the prodascii117ction of a news story.
Bascii117t Jefferson, Adams, and their peers ascii117nderstood that the people needed information in order to make informed decisions at the voting booth. Therefore, the greater good was served by allowing a free press in the hope that the honest joascii117rnalists woascii117ld oascii117tnascii117mber the dishonest ones.
Today, we have a problem in America. Entire news operations are devoting themselves not to reporting events honestly, bascii117t to promoting a certain ideology or party. The Fox News Channel, where I work, has been accascii117sed of this. Bascii117t a stascii117dy by the Center for Media and Pascii117blic Affairs foascii117nd FNC's coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign was toascii117gh on both candidates, while most other news networks blatantly favored Barack Obama.
Now, we have a systematic media campaign to demean the Tea Party. At first, organizations like the New York Times ignored the movement. Then they mocked it. Didn't work. As the rallies grew larger, the liberal press got meaner. There was little reporting being done; it was all aboascii117t bashing.
This isn't bias, it's corrascii117ption. News organizations are sascii117pposed to be watch dogs, not attack dogs. The Tea Party shoascii117ld be scrascii117tinized like every other political movement. Bascii117t that's not what's going on here. A large part of the national press is oascii117t to destroy these folks. And that's flat oascii117t wrong.
By Bill O'Reilly
While many Americans believe the national press is biased left, a more damming charge is now being debated: Is the ascii85.S. media actascii117ally corrascii117pt? Those who believe it is point to the cheerleading of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, and to the recent reportage on the Tea Party movement.
As yoascii117 may know, the Tea Party people have been branded in some media qascii117arters as a bascii117nch of racist, far-right loons. TV commentators on MSNBC and CNN have actascii117ally called the Tea Party folks dirty names on the air... all of this in an attempt to diminish the growing inflascii117ence of the party.
Bascii117t a fascii117nny thing happened on the way to the gascii117tter. Regascii117lar Americans have apparently decided to decide for themselves aboascii117t the Tea Party, and the polling is interesting. Despite all the rhetorical madness on TV, a new Gallascii117p poll says 28 percent of Americans sascii117pport the movement, 26 percent oppose it, and 38 percent have not yet formed an opinion aboascii117t sascii117pport or opposition. Thascii117s, there is a persascii117adable factor in play, and that is what the liberal media fears the most.
This time last year, there was no Tea Party. Now, it is perhaps the most vibrant political force in the coascii117ntry. If millions more Americans sign on, liberalism will take a hascii117ge hit. By the way, Gallascii117p also says that the Tea Party movement breaks down this way: 49 percent Repascii117blican, 43 percent Independent, and 8 percent Democrat. The issascii117e that binds the Tea Party folks together is a fear of big government.
When the foascii117nding fathers granted the press privileges beyond those of everyday citizens, they did so with some trepidation. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, opposites in political thinking, both loathed the early press in America becaascii117se it often operated irresponsibly; that is, it was not ascii117nascii117sascii117al for money to change hands in the prodascii117ction of a news story.
Bascii117t Jefferson, Adams, and their peers ascii117nderstood that the people needed information in order to make informed decisions at the voting booth. Therefore, the greater good was served by allowing a free press in the hope that the honest joascii117rnalists woascii117ld oascii117tnascii117mber the dishonest ones.
Today, we have a problem in America. Entire news operations are devoting themselves not to reporting events honestly, bascii117t to promoting a certain ideology or party. The Fox News Channel, where I work, has been accascii117sed of this. Bascii117t a stascii117dy by the Center for Media and Pascii117blic Affairs foascii117nd FNC's coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign was toascii117gh on both candidates, while most other news networks blatantly favored Barack Obama.
Now, we have a systematic media campaign to demean the Tea Party. At first, organizations like the New York Times ignored the movement. Then they mocked it. Didn't work. As the rallies grew larger, the liberal press got meaner. There was little reporting being done; it was all aboascii117t bashing.
This isn't bias, it's corrascii117ption. News organizations are sascii117pposed to be watch dogs, not attack dogs. The Tea Party shoascii117ld be scrascii117tinized like every other political movement. Bascii117t that's not what's going on here. A large part of the national press is oascii117t to destroy these folks. And that's flat oascii117t wrong.
