Isn't it more complex than that (of media serving the interests of Republican admins and being adversarial to Democratic ones)? Billmon's excellent analysis of the US political pedigree of the Russia-Georgia-US confluence, was illustrative of some very difficult to clock media behavior. The fact that so much of the US's current involvement with the post USSR satellite states (and much of the natural resources dynamics that may be driving them) has happened under the media's radar, and as Billmon pointed out, much of that was trans-partisan. When you look at what the media covers there does seem to be a tendency to Republican lap-dog, but its just as important to note the stories that corporate media ignore completely. That also may not be happening by accident.

What's clear to me is that the most important reform needed in America, is MEDIA DECONSILIDATION. We need to break up these giant media companies. Go back to the days when a company was only allowed to own one tv station in a market. Not like we have now, where the same company can own tv stations, newspapers and radio stations all in the same market. Time to break up TimeWarner, Viacom, GE, News Corp, Disney and Sony. They are all media monopolies. They have too much influence, and are too limiting in the amount of opinions they allow to be voiced. If Obama is elected, his first priority needs to be breaking up Big Media. Our democracy literally depends on it.

Isn't it more complex than that (of media serving the interests of Republican admins and being adversarial to Democratic ones)?

Yes. That's exactly the point of every comment I've written today in response to those who argue that the media's basis should be viewed exclusively, or at least primarily, though a Democratic v. GOP prism.

“Effective leaders draw people into their cause by creating powerful stories, with clear distinctions between good and evil, hero and villain. Instead of bemoaning the fact that Americans love their entertainment culture, political activists need to borrow Hollywood’s proven methods to structure gripping narratives and compelling communications strategies. Making politics and causes participatory, exciting, and fun is key to sustaining citizen involvement.”

Just wondering - suppose when Congress was busy passing bills to expand NATO upto Russia's border, the news media found a gripping narrative - a plausible what-if story that would lead to Americans having to decide whether to send their sons and daughters to war to defend some obscure place in the Caucausus,

and thereby made a rather dry foreign policy issue come alive?

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BTW, the above is also key for the Accountability Now PAC.

Glenn always seems to be either paranoid or naive.

Tim Russet was one of the best journalist in the media. He did his research and asked the "got ya" questions. Good journalist who are reporting on politics and government issues, usually do develop friendship with officials in the white house. That is how they build trust to get the "scoop'. Telling a government official "it's off the record" is call ethics in journalism.

I do agree the White house has isolated many good journalist from the White house core and insulated itself with a new group of very conservative journalist. I wondering where they go their degrees in journalism. Did they come from Pat Robertson's communications college at Regis? I agree there has recently been a flood of conservative political commentators on TV since this presidential campaign started.

However, I also have a problem with the new liberal blog writers trying to be journalist when they seem to not know the first thing about how interview, research or write a good story.

Ho hum.

And yet he shows up day after day after day to... wait for it... do nothing but bash!

It is a source of no small amazement to me how much self-pwnage some people can tolerate - even in front of people they supposedly despise.

I'm not sure if it was you, but I remember reading a very occult and marginalized account of some of the shenanigans that Diane Feinstein and her economically entangled hubby get up to that get almost no press.

Bernie, that's telling him!

I would like the FCC to reinstate the "Truth ans Accuracy' law in the media, and limit the number of markets one media group can own. Even CA if you turn the dial to AM it is nothing but right wing nut radio and religious commentators. James Dobson controls and owns the biggest radio network across the U.S. These guys are even taking over the FM frequency in some areas.

Ho hum. Another post of protest by someone who doesn't actually have to produce anything newsworthy, just bash the people that do.

You mean the stenographers of the White House news pool? Some "production" they've got.

Meanwhile back in Georgia,

You must really be desperate if you're trying this hard to change the subject. Embarrassed, are we?

Tim Russert was a pompous, vastly overrated teevee infotainwhore, a sycophantic toad whose posturing as an Intrepid and Fearless Truth-Seeker was as bogus as his schmaltzy "Everyman" pose as a down-to-earth common-sense scion of Salt of the Earth "Big Russ".

You can fool some of the people all of the time, but being fooled by the likes of Russert is a sign of missing or stunted Crap Detectors and woefully deficient character judgement.

(Not to put too fine a point on it.)

Glenn you aren't a journalist and you never will be. Your envy is pathological.

Typical, the only person Glenn believes is the former ruler of the Soviet Union. Hilarious.

Did you mention the Gulf of Tonkin and manichien during your rant? Aren't those standard left points to be made in these situations?

Do not try to argue with Shooter, that is impossible. Only realize the truth, that there is no Shooter. Then you'll see, that it is not the Shooter that bends, it is only yourself.

Glenn is being very clear. He acknowledges the bias but puts it in a wider context. It is the wider context that has to be studied and articulated. Personally, I don’t see much headway being made if the primary focus in on the dem vs. rep dynamic. Not only does that miss the primary bias, it distorts what we can glean from the secondary dynamic.

Chomsky’s Propaganda Model actually predicts that the press will be doing it’s job as long as the argument stays within the realm of bias towards one party. As long as that is the focus, things are just fine at home….