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Originally Posted by smooth
You then interpret the refusal of the NYT to print these series of events as a lack of evidence of the accusations. I fail to understand how you can argue both propositions simultaneously:
either the paper is so biased that it prints articles slandering the administration
OR
the paper only prints articles that have basis in fact
Which is it?
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I don't believe that Ranger is entirely without merit in establishing that bias exists in media and while I don't believe that many liberties are taken with the facts (losing credibility costs too much money) editorial control over a limited number of pages or limited minutes on a news cast can give these guys a lot of room to paint where they want to paint.
I am the first person to start complaining about the need for peer reviewed sources to maintain credibility in our discussions, but I also know that media groups consolidate and it's an Ol' Boys Network and they police each other. Hell, if Fox News really didn't want all the attention they get, the editor could cut out 20 minutes of Hannity and O'Reiley and they would be right back there with the rest of them.
At the end of the day they sell papers and airtime for profit. All of them swing based on public opinion. I was truly surprised in the difference of tone in the New Yorker article I posted from '03 to today. I had forgotten how media became anti-terrorism lap dogs for Washington for one reason only. It sold more papers. Today they will easily sell more papers because of the real or perceived scandal brewing in the air.
Regardless, they all tend to beat up on sitting presidents because the adversarial relationship is more entertaining. Clinton was skewered when he gave them a reason, and G.W. had a hell of ride with very few public appearances and many fewer real press conferences. He invested all that political currency in Terrorism and Iraq, and people are restless.
Instead of KRove talking smack circa 2002, they need to get a calendar in front of them and pick a date to end this - otherwise he has heavy weather coming...