I'd love to see O'Reilly cover this one

[Nick Douglas]

Bill O'Reilly frequently rails on against left-wing "smear merchants". Sometimes, he is absolutely justified. There is little doubt that some very aggressive groups use personal attacks and distorted "facts" to attack right-wingers.

Since O'Reilly calls himself an independent (insert your own punchline here), he often challenges liberal guests to cite right-wing "smear merchants". His argument is that there are an ample number of pro-conservative groups that are well funded, but that their tactics are somehow more civil.

Well, in watching Fox News today I found a perfect candidate for O'Reilly's venom against "smear merchants". It's called the Center for Union Facts. They run ads that accuse unions of all sorts of negative actions by using deceptive information and half-truths. They also engage in name calling against well known pro-union individuals.

I know that O'Reilly and his ilk will never actually take an organization like the Center for Union Facts to task because it is an organization built on right-wing ideology and those commentators are right-wing ideologues. Instead, my point is just to show that conservatives play an equal part in much of the shrill, bitter rhetoric that enters the political arena. Next time you hear someone complain about MoveOn.org or the Center for American Progress, just remember that their counterpoint advertises regularly on America's Fair and Balanced "news" channel.

 

[Happy Hippo]

Since O'Reilly calls himself an independent

:mj07: :mj07: :scared :mj07: :mj07:



In my most humble opinion, all news is slanted one way or another, which is why I don't watch any of these people, right or left oriented. Even if they are reporting "news", there is an underlying reason that this information is being disseminated to the public, and although most people are not conscious of these reasons, they do exist. There is plenty of information that is not reported in the news. The way they select which stories to report is not by chance, but carefully planned, and thus necessarily slanted.

 

[djv]

Ann Clit and Hannity do most dirty work for Fox. Both are nuts with there smearing.

 

[kosar]

1. No immigration bill to be introduced this year.

2. Jesse Jackson meeting with Hezollah leaders in Lebanon.

3. Bush gives 13th 'war on terror' speech in 9 days this afternoon. Shifts gears and now attributes many attacks previously blamed on Al-Qaeda, to Hezollah. Getting the water roiling for a war with Iran.

The beat goes on.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

I would suggest you get your news from other sources if you don't like Fox--they all need the ratings--or maybe just log on to Moveon or other liberal blogs-- Heres todays latest---

September 5, 2006 -- A string of anti-Semitic rants about Sen. Joe Lieberman have popped up on the liberal MoveOn.org's open forum Web site, drawing criticism from the Anti-Defamation League.
http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/hateful_move_vs__joe_nationalnews_maggie_haberman.htm

 

[The Sponge]

:mj07: :mj07: :scared :mj07: :mj07:



In my most humble opinion, all news is slanted one way or another, which is why I don't watch any of these people, right or left oriented. Even if they are reporting "news", there is an underlying reason that this information is being disseminated to the public, and although most people are not conscious of these reasons, they do exist. There is plenty of information that is not reported in the news. The way they select which stories to report is not by chance, but carefully planned, and thus necessarily slanted.

The sad part about your post is that you are right. We as a country have a collection of some of the dumbest sons a bitches walking the earth.

 

[The Sponge]

Bii O reilly is a cancer. Every insult of his leans left but he is fair and balanced. When he finally gets backed into a corner he does something like fight the oil companies. This is the same guy who use to jackoff talking to a woman who pressed charges against him. I know how to turn a right winger into a liberal. Check them out when they sell a book. All the sudden they turn liberal. Except Annie tho. She at least keeps true to form.

 

[Nick Douglas]

I watch FNC because if you get all of your news from the one side of the political spectrum, you are going to get a very slanted view. If you watch news from both sides then in my opinion it gives you a chance to evaluate things much more fairly.

I read the Huffington Post, but not MoveOn.org. The folks from MoveOn.org, Air America and the like are just way out there in my opinion. I also read the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel because I have to keep in touch with the folks from back home.

I will admit that I probably create too many anti-FNC and anti-O'Reilly threads. I'll cut back because at some point even legitimate grievances become shrill.

 

[The Sponge]

Nick if the truth isn't really that big of deal for you than enjoy watching fox news. Those other sites you basically trashed only get trashed by fox news. If you want to watch some real news turn on the BBC. You will get as straight up news as you can get. But than again your buddy Bill went after them also so they must not be legit either. Did you ever wonder why Fox News has some strange caracters on it. You get that disgrace of a cop Marc Furman pointing out the police veiws on stuff. Then you get a disgraced Veteran Ollie North have his little show. Than Billy got caught up in a sexually harassment case. You follow this news station? They hire any piece of trash that walks.

 

[SixFive]

Rush has been beyond me able to listen to him for many years now (since GWBush's first term). O'Reilley is following closely in his footsteps.

 

[ImFeklhr]

:mj07: :mj07: :scared :mj07: :mj07:



In my most humble opinion, all news is slanted one way or another, which is why I don't watch any of these people, right or left oriented. Even if they are reporting "news", there is an underlying reason that this information is being disseminated to the public, and although most people are not conscious of these reasons, they do exist. There is plenty of information that is not reported in the news. The way they select which stories to report is not by chance, but carefully planned, and thus necessarily slanted.

So how DO you get your news? If you have even a basic knowledge of what is going on in the world, it MUST mean you are watching or reading some news program?

I hear a lot of people say they never read or watch "those slanted news programs" but can talk endlessly about current affairs.

I know BBC is pretty good. PBS, though slightly left leaning, has some decent TV news. Aside from that, where is a good place to get news?

Is anyone actually satisfied with the news coverage they get?

Not specifically calling you out, Hippo. I am just curious where all the "non-bad" news is.

 

[The Sponge]

So how DO you get your news? If you have even a basic knowledge of what is going on in the world, it MUST mean you are watching or reading some news program?

I hear a lot of people say they never read or watch "those slanted news programs" but can talk endlessly about current affairs.

I know BBC is pretty good. PBS, though slightly left leaning, has some decent TV news. Aside from that, where is a good place to get news?

Is anyone actually satisfied with the news coverage they get?

Not specifically calling you out, Hippo. I am just curious where all the "non-bad" news is.

Its easy justwatch Fox News and see who they trash. That will give you the News you want to watch. When they went after PBS i told my father the BBC was right around the corner. Lo and behold two weeks later they went after the BBC. I get my news from the BBC or the net.

 

[Happy Hippo]

So how DO you get your news? If you have even a basic knowledge of what is going on in the world, it MUST mean you are watching or reading some news program?

I hear a lot of people say they never read or watch "those slanted news programs" but can talk endlessly about current affairs.

I know BBC is pretty good. PBS, though slightly left leaning, has some decent TV news. Aside from that, where is a good place to get news?

Is anyone actually satisfied with the news coverage they get?

Not specifically calling you out, Hippo. I am just curious where all the "non-bad" news is.

That's fine - you can call me out - I don't mind. I don't watch the news, because in my opinion it is nearly all negative - I watched it for years, and I was turning into a pissed-off uptight person. I would worry about getting murdered and raped and I was full of fury over how dumb most of the politicians were... so I stopped watching it - that's no way to live life... Then for years I was totally detached - I didn't even know Princess Diana died until about a week after.

Now obviously there are some things that are better to watch on TV than to read, but if my TV is on, then it is probably sports or a movie - how many times do I need to see the planes fly into the World Trade Center to know it happened? It was like a skipping record for days...that annoys me. I mean, how many times have you changed one news channel to another and they are reporting the exact same story?

I read a lot of news magazines - my favorite being the Economist, a publication out of Britain

http://www.economist.com/index.html

which has more world news than anything like Newsweek or Time - and I like hearing about what is going on all over the world, even in the small African countries that we often forget about. Then I read what I like to think are "optimistic" news magazines - like the Ecologist, Ode, Mother Jones, The Sun etc. I have subscriptions to all these magazines. They tend to report alternative news that one would otherwise not hear about, and this is the kind of news I like.

The mainstream media likes us to live in fear, I believe - the stories they feed us makes this seem obvious. Thus when I was traveling this week and the terror alert is elevated to "orange", I guess I should have been more scared to get on that plane. But since I don't even know what these stupid colors mean anymore (because I have selectively choosen to forget), I was not scared, and went about my business in a usual manner, and my life went on in the usual manner. I don't even really care about the political slantedness - it makes me laugh, but I would for once like to see a news station report as many positive stories as negative ones. :shrug: