Wednesday, April 27, 2005

What Liberal Media Bias

We’ve all heard of the Golden Rule, right? Basically says ‘do unto others’. Well here’s a curve on that. Let’s look at a what if scenario.
Imagine you are the media. Imagine you are at an event with the following members of the right side of the fence. Imagine you hear them say the things they are quoted as saying. Imagine the uproar it would cause. Then we will talk again...

1) A skit on the Rush Limbaugh radio show referring to Barbara Boxer....The announcer: "A spoiled child is telling us our filibuster isn't safe anymore, so he is going to fix it for us. Well, here's your answer, you ungrateful whelp: [audio sound of 4 gunshots being fired.] Just try it, you little bastard. [audio of gun being cocked]."*

2) Between a speech he delivered without notes and a question-answer session, Bob Dole regaled an appreciative audience for nearly 90 minutes without once raising his voice, as he did in the ‘96 election. But he did draw howls of laughter by mimicking Bill Clinton washing a blue dress.
"I'm not very dignified," he said. "But I'm not running for president anymore."**

3) As in years past, Democrats were almost routinely associated with Nazi Germany. Vice President Dick Cheney referred to Moveon.org activists as "brown shirts." Townhall.com columnist Mike Adams likened the Democratic National Convention to the "Nazi rallies held in Germany during the reign of Adolf Hitler." Mel Gibson said that the a Democratic victory on Election Day would mean "we've got a new bunch of Hitlers." Joe Smith, a Boston city councilor, smeared the Rev. Jesse Jackson as "a tool of white leaders," like "a Jewish person working for Hitler."***

4)"I hate the Democrats and everything they stand for," former body builder, now California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told Republicans gathered at a Napa Valley wine tasting, in quotes picked up by the New York Daily News.****

5) Eight years after Fox’s Bill O’Reilly, on The Factor, wished death upon Senator Ted Kennedy(“If there is retributive justice, he’ll get AIDS from a transfusion, or one of his grandchildren will get it"), on the same show over the weekend he seemingly desired to hasten the death of NATO General Wesley Clark for having supposedly expressed the view that the war on terrorism “is a Christian crusade against Muslims.”O’Reilly hatefully advocated: “I hope he’s not long for this world.”*****

OK, I think that is enough to show my point.

All the above are actual stories turned upside down. For the actual quotes see the asterisks below.

Now, I ask you imaginary reporters, what you would write after hearing or reading the above? And I ask, what type of uproar do you feel would occur? How would your fellow media members react to these stories?
Now ask yourself...Is there media bias?


*http://drudgereport.com/mattabt.htm
**http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5360513.html
***http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_
opinion/oped/articles/2004/12/30/more_liberal_hate_speech/
****http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/1/30/104654.shtml
*****http://www.mrc.org/cyberalerts/2003/cyb20031020.asp