Letters to the Editor
_zack_
Published Letters: 372 Editor's Choice: 5
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Pravda, like our corporate media, eventually became a "joke"
[Read the article: Brit Hume and the Bush administration take propaganda to a new level]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As our corporate media goes down the same road as the Soviet Union, it is perhaps useful to remember how the Soviet citizens viewed their media:
The kind of disrepute into which Soviet journalism has fallen and the skepticism about what is being portrayed in the Soviet media has found its way into a number of jokes currently told among Soviet citizens. Radio Armenia is one of those jocular, mythical radio stations in the Soviet Union that accepts questions from its listeners and gives witty answers.
One question: Which is more useful, newspapers or TV?
Answer: Newspapers, of course, because at least you can wrap your garbage in them.
Another question: Can you wrap a bus in a newspaper?
Answer: Yes, if the newspaper has just published a lengthy speech of the general secretary.
Question concerning foreign affairs: How do we find out what’s going on in the world?
Answer: We believe the opposite of what TASS is denying.
The most famous joke, plays on the words "Ivestia" and "Pravda." Pravda means "truth" and Ivestia means "news," and both are the names of prominent newspapers. The joke is, "There’s no news in Pravda, and no truth in Izvestia."
Last night’s performance was also a joke. But I’m not laughing.
http://wpfc.org/AL1987.html
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Glenn's legitimate "complaint" is clear
[Read the article: Brit Hume and the Bush administration take propaganda to a new level]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This isn't clear to me. Are viewers who are so blind that they willingly partake of obvious propaganda suddenly going to wake up because they hear Fox News criticized by their main competitor CNN? Probably not.
What Glenn is complaining about is that Fox News’ Brit Hume is praised by ABC’s Charlie Gibson and the Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz for his journalistic integrity and portrayed as not being a “partisan brawler” when, indeed, that’s what he is.
By doing so, they drag the very concept of journalistic “integrity” into a miasma of meaningless mush and legitimize obvious partisan propaganda.
Hume is no less a partisan brawler than Sean Hannity and pretending he isn’t is completely dishonest, serving to give “cover” for Fox’s obvious partisanship.
Fox’s defenders can then say, see – even “leftys” like Gibson and Kurtz agree that Fox is “fair and balanced.”
That’s the problem.
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let' not cower in fear from Fox News
[Read the article: Brit Hume and the Bush administration take propaganda to a new level]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Why don't Fox News' rating suffer after airing obvious propaganda? In such an environment, what can you really expect from any other news organizations? They should produce quality news that nobody watches, I suppose. That's the disturbing mystery, no?
Most people who watch Fox News watch it for the propaganda, they don’t want an accurate picture of “reality” they want their right-wing fantasies reinforced.
They want a simple black and white world where our leaders are good, our policies are sound, and our wars, justified. They don’t want facts, journalism or real reporting - they want to feel good about their bigotry, their hate, their intolerance and bellicosity. Fox News presents a friendly environment for their extremist views.
Just because there is a market for Fox News doesn’t mean that all other news organizations need to emulate them, far from it, but too often that’s the case.
I expect real reporting from other news organizations, and especially in this “Faux News” environment there is a market for it. Fox News viewers are in the minority, and their viewers are older too, not the most desirable audience for marketing products.
Fox News is not all powerful – considering what they produce, they have a disturbing number of viewers, true; but let’s pretend that their “minority” market should set the standards of what “news” is going to be in this country. I think you’re giving them way too much credit.
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the right-wing "owns" all that is good
[Read the article: Selective defenders of free expression]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Cancellation of that play -- twice -- provoked no outrage from any of our right-wing Free Expression Crusaders.
It’s a good thing that the term “politically correct” is slur trademarked, copyrighted and wholly owned by the right-wing arbiters of what is or is not acceptable.
Otherwise the “left” could accuse them of ....no, wait, we can’t say “politically incorrect” ...that’s their term, their insult and they – and they alone - can use it.
Apparently they also have a complete monopoly on patriotism, morality, religion, virtue, decency, courage, bravery, manliness and all that is good, wholesome and worthwhile.