[CLUE-Talk] Media outlets

[Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier]

*snip*

> > Fox is just much farther to the right than many other outlets.
>
> Invariably, people usually place themselves in the "center" and base
> their observations from that perspective.  Thus, everyones scale is
> different.

Actually, I know I'm not in the center, which is why I think I can
safely say that most news media don't qualify as left-wing.

> Most people would say I'm of center, and have a strong libertarian bent on
> certain issues.  Thus, from my perspective NPR, CNN, NBC, CBS, and ABC are
> left of center and Fox is pretty close to center.  I would not say that any
> of them are skewed far left.

Fox is nowhere near the center. Fox is just shy of Rush territory.

> Thus, I would expect Joe to place me far right, since from his perspective
> NBC, et al are right of center and Fox is skewed even further to the right.

Quite possibly. Hadn't thought much about it.

> > I get tired of hearing the claim that the media is left-leaning, when
> > the fact is that the people who play the gatekeeper roles are almost
> > invariably right-wing. Reporters may be liberal, but they're typically
> > managed by right-wing people who are answering to even more right-wing
> > bosses.
>
> I would disagree with that.  CNN is certainly an example of one major
> news outlet not run by a right-winger.  I would place Ted Turner
> far-left on the spectrum (from my right of center perspective).  Of
> course someone who thinks Ted Turner is a right-winger would disagree
> with me.

I believe CNN is now part of the AOL-Time Warner conglomerate these
days, does Turner still have a piece of that?

I'm not really sure what the ownership situation is in regards to
Turner these days, if he still owns a piece of it or if he sold it.

It's certainly not run as a left-wing organization, though. Check
out today's story about another Senator putting their foot in mouth
with a racist comment: Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia
http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/12/19/senate.race.ap/index.html

> > Any Fox News fans might find this article interesting:
> > http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/business/cnn/1002/07zahn.html
>
> Interesting, but I fail to make the connection between it and the
> general topic "Is the media left- or right-leaning?"

Sorry, it doesn't address left/right, just that Fox is organization
willing to stoop pretty damn low.

> > You might want to reconsider your viewing habits.
>
> Or one might consider boycotting CNN just because Ted Turner is
> married to Hanoi Jane.

I thought they were divorced...?

I'm a bit young to recall the whole Jane Fonda thing firsthand anyway,
so I don't really have an opinion on it.

> > Ignoring the left vs. right debate for a second... televised news is
> > almost universally horrid. For anyone who is interested in this topic,
> > I recommend "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman. You cannot
> > get your "news" from television and consider yourself informed. Most
> > radio is little better, and newspapers are in sorry shape compared
> > to two decades ago, but they're a lot better than televised news...
>
> I agree 100%.  It all boils down to ratings.  What gets ratings?
> Scandalous news peared down to 1 - 2 minute stories written to
> illicite an emotional response rather than inform a viewer.

And sports and weather.

What bugs me is that entertainment, political news, sports, weather,
fashion tips, etc all get exactly the same level of treatment on
the news -- thus giving the average viewer the idea that they're
all equally important.

Goes a long way towards explaining why people know more about some
actor's love life or some jock's career statistics than they do
about their representative's voting records.

Take care,

Zonker
--
Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier
http://www.dissociatedpress.net/