PALIN: I studied journalism, my college degree there in communications. And now I am back there wanting to build some trust back in our media. I think the mainstream media is quite broken and I think there needs to be the fairness, the balance in there — that’s why I joined Fox. Fair and balanced, yes. You know because, Jay, those years ago that I studied journalism it was all about the who, what, when, where, and why, it was not so much the opinion interjected in hard news stories. … As long as there is not the opinion under the guise of hard news stories — I think there needs to be clear differentiation.Video at the link, but you need to take an antiemetic first.
Jon Stewart addresses the subject much more incisively than I can:
I don't agree with Ms. Palin that Fox AS A WHOLE is objective. Every time I've watched their news, there are representatives of the various sides and each gets an equal opportunity to express their views. However the opinion shows are clearly biased toward the right.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's ok. It's part of having a free press.
The amusing part, though, is that so many people who don't watch Fox honestly believe that they only consume objective news.
Clearly, the blinders are on. But go ahead and keep believing what makes you comfy . . .
It is true. There is a trade off between state run media and a free press. A state run press can't really be counted on to fight for the whole story. It is no better than counting on the White House spokesman to give it to you straight.
ReplyDeleteA free press is driven by profit of course, which means they report on what they think will satisfy us. This isn't limited to just conservative vs. liberal. Americans collectively aren't interested in the same stories as other people. Just compare the headlines on cnn.com and bbc.co.uk.
If we take a step back though and just look at the conservative v liberal press argument, I can tell you that Fox News is not reliable. I do not know of a single person who does not vote either republican or libertarian who watches Fox News regularly. I know plenty of voting republicans and libertarians who watch CNN or NBC news regularly and dismiss Fox News as drivel.
And no, my opinion of Fox News is not warped by the Daily Show. I've voted Republican in most instances during my short life. I'm two years out of college and make well over the median household income. I occasionally, but not regularly, watch Fox News for entertainment purposes (in a bad movie sort of way). While all I bear is an opinion, I think my situation and background would predispose me to favor Fox News, yet I think Fox is BS.
Yes, the rest of the media has a slant. Not nearly as drastic. Yes, many of them were pro-Obama. Then again, so was the country. I get annoyed when the news turns to "regular people" to get their opinion. You aren't going to get a good sample, no matter how hard you try. But I know I will never see anything on CNN or NBC as insulting as Fox News asking seniors about healthcare. They have socialized healthcare. They reap the benefits of the security that the government offers them. They've lived long enough to be seniors. This means they went through most of their lives during a time when healthcare costs weren't nearly as ridiculous. They also are less likely to have had long serious health issues that nearly bankrupted them before they were seniors. Seniors are quite naturally less likely to have ever been screwed by the current healthcare system.
It isn't about them. In fact, it isn't even about the majority. Most people don't need this. Most Americans (any who have never had any other nationality) have never lived in a world where they did not face the small risk of financial ruin because of an illness. We are accustomed to it. It usually doesn't affect us.
Most western Europeans I know will throw down easily more than a thousand dollars on health and medical evacuation insurance before even considering coming to the US because they consider that risk unreasonable.
As a conservative, this may be a strange opinion to hold. It isn't easy to sort out how to pay for it and the cost side needs to be managed. However, we shouldn't really go any longer without offering sufficient healthcare to all our people without taking away any chance of life and prosperity.
Most importantly, the reason I back this has to do with the future. 30 or 40 years from now, people will look back at this and I am certain that an overwhelming majority of people then will look back on the arguments we have today and think anybody against universal healthcare was a jackass. I want to tell my grandchildren I wasn't a jackass.
Jones, you seem to be something I thought didn't exist anymore--a thinking Republican. I was a Republican for most of my life until the party sold its soul to the nuts and the religious right. I hope there are more out there like you. But I can't help but think that if you keep on thinking, you won't stay a Republican.
ReplyDeleteI believe when you discount the possibility of reasoned thought on the 'other' side politically, you become like those you degenerate. There is too much of that from Republicans bashing Democrats, and Democrats bashing Republicans.
ReplyDeleteI am also a conservative (not Republican, though I often end up voting for them) Some might even give mean the label 'religious right'. But I too agree with Jones in many areas, especially regarding the need to help provide healthcare to those who need it.