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Originally Posted by shakran
Did you bother reading this thread? For the most part, personal agendas of the journalists don't factor in. In fact, we go to extreme lengths to NOT let our personal opinions get into the story - you all know how I feel about Bush and the republicans in general, but that doesn't stop me from holding the democrats' feet to the fire if they screw something up as well.
The problem lies not with the majority of the journalists, but with the media owners.
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I forgot to add the media owners, they are also a big factor. But I thought "media owners" sounded clumsy. I assumed that editors pretty much represented the views of the owners, so I ommited mentioning them specifically.
But also, I think that you are giving journalists too much credit. I think that you would pursue a story about Republican wrongdoing over one about Democratic wrongdoing. I don't even know if it's intentional, but it's hard not to try harder on something you care more about.
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Ahh. Then you also see no problem with the crumbling of democracy and the rise of a police state. Because that's what happens if the government gets power over what the media covers.
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I don't see the media as the independant check on gov't power that you do. I see it as more a separate intrest, with their own adgenda. Now, I don't think they should be totally a voice for gov't, but I think that the gov't should feel free to make just as much use out of the media as possible, without necessarily directly controlling them.
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I object to the term "impose." We're not imposing anything. In case you've forgotten, ours is supposed to be a government which represents the people. How can the people know if the government is properly representing them if there is no group that tells the people what the government is up to.
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That's the problem-the media often puts their own spin on what the gov't is doing. That's why wrongdoing gets covered so much more than when something good happens. Again, I see the media as an independant interest, not the voice of the people. They have their own agendas.
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This is all well and good for you to say now, when your candidate is in power. Will you be of the same opinion when a democrat is back in office and the media is reporting on what he does wrong? I'll be interested to see if you think the democratic president should "check media power" and "keep it in line."
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Actually, I will. I favor strong government. So if a democratic administration also works to increase gov't power, I would support them. I try to not get to caught up in (D) or (R).