I have been pounding the fact that the media, including FoxNews, has been woefully and miserably inadequate in covering the truth of the debt ceiling battle and now with the partial shutdown of the FAA. This morning I heard Bill Hemmer and his co-host just blather the number “70,000 jobs at risk” unless agreement reached. They went on doing the fair and balanced act, which is a debate for another day, especially when the Democrat they had defending this administration, has written several articles being hypercritical of Obama; one of which he co-wrote with another liberal Democrat in which they called for Obama to resign. But, as I said that’s a debate for another day.
My point is that we are supposed to be able to trust what news programming is saying. That means, it’s the responsibility of the host to make sure we are getting the truth. Even before CNN’s Eason Jordan admitted he and CNN had fabricated news stories, in order to keep a news bureau in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, we were well aware that Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, and a host of other so-called news persons were bias and delivered slanted and at times erroneous news stories.
But somehow we have come to expect more from FoxNews. For me it’s because I have such high regard for Neil Cavuto and Martha MacCallum. Why intentionally parrot the talking points and misrepresentations of facts? it seems to me that if they gave the truth, people would decide for themselves based on factuality’s.
As I wrote in yesterday’s Daily Rant:
“A reality check is in order here. First of all only 4,000 FAA workers are affected. The following is another example of the depths Obama and democrats are willing to sink to get what they want: Following is by Mike Ahlers for CNN 8/4/11; 70,000 jobs lost! Really??”
“The 70,000 figure entered the public sphere when the FAA turned to Associated General Contractors of America, a construction industry group, to calculate the economic impact of the FAA funding impasse. The FAA had halted more than 200 construction projects totaling $2.5 billion.
AGC dusted off the three-year-old study conducted by Fuller. His research, designed to show the “multiplier effect” of the president’s stimulus package, concluded in early 2009 that $1 billion in nonresidential construction created or supported 28,500 jobs and added $3.4 billion to the Gross Domestic Product.
An AGC economist applied Fuller’s formula to the FAA’s $2.5 billion construction halt and came to the conclusion that it would put “24,000 construction workers out of work.” Another 11,000 workers in related businesses “are also affected,” the AGC said, and “as many as 35,000 jobs will be undermined in the broader economy, from the lunch wagon near the job site to the truck dealership across town.”
That’s the truth and those are the factual numbers. Why misinform the people? It’s beginning to appear that we should abandon these news programs and resort instead to the new media that has come into being vis-a-vis news blogs, internet talk radio and youtube news video’s.
It is up to us to point out the misleading reporting and misstatements as we hear them. That way we the people will truly be informed and will truly be able to make up our minds based on factual information.
The references I make are but two of the many ways news programming slants and misleads with their rendering of the news. While I’m on the subject of misleading, have you heard anything about candidates, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, or any of the other candidates lately? I have been soundly critical of all but a couple candidates, but don’t all the candidates deserve mention? Or have they already decided that Romney, Perry, and “will Christie run” the only ones worth mentioning?
Mychal – I agree with you on Mondale and Jimmah. I lived in Georgia when he was governor so I paid pretty close attention to his run for president. When asked by out-of-state friends if I was going to vote for him, I always said yes. We’ll do anything to get him out of the state. I was leery of Regan I admit , because of his union affiliation, but he sure surprised me. A far better president than actor. though. I have to part with you on Martha McCollum. She reminds me of a spoiled high school cheerleader. When she’s on the O’Rielly show and is losing one of their little games, she gets all pouty and puffed up. Neil Cavuto is great and gets pretty close to right on his forecasting. Charles did work for some pretty marginal people, especially Mondale. And you’re right again on Charles, he has worked over some pretty harshly. I don’t see the gain of name calling, the specialty of Hannity. It;s far more professional to just use names or references. But they are the millionaires and at 68, my chances are getting slim. I just don’t know about Sarah Palin. Apparently she did a pretty good job when she was governor, but I still think resigning was a pretty low thing to do to so many people that worked hard for her and the voters that gave her the second shot at the job. Backman is a little too wild with some of her ideas. It always amazes me how the GOP messes to find the more less likely to loose candidates. This year they must pick someone that can beat the Chicago mafia that Obamana will bring into the ring. I guess we need a very smart,, good looking,. and quick thinking street fighter. I‘m afraid that if Obama gets a second term he’ll damage the United States so badly that it will take decades to recover, if ever. We sure can’t depend on Congress to do much more than point fingers. Very few of them are willing to do much more than try to keep their jogs. P. s, Don’t put tpp mucj faith in my blatherings. I was smart enough to take a job wth Enron.
sumitch: it bugs the heck out of me when I hear the mantra “someone who can beat” line…anyone we support can win if we support them…Martha MacCallum is erudite and a solid thinker not afraid to ask the tough questions and not afraid to dig in…sarah Palin didn’t do “a pretty good job…she was lites out up there…plus she singlehandedly took on and dismantled the repub good old boys network that was corrupt…I would be hard pressed to attend same cocktail party krauthammer did…
Sumitch: I have immense respect for Neil Cavuto, Martha MacCallum, Eric Bolling…charles krauthammer was in carter administration…he was key part of mondale’s election campaign team…he was hostile toward President Reagan…and he has savaged Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, and the Tea Party movement in general…
FAA / I know many, that’s my industry. Although from the other side. :)
LOL Irev or what?, The word was irrelevant. LOL
Dave…lol…I hate when that happens…
I agree, I’ve spent the last couple yrs watching pretty much nothing but cable news MSNBC,CNN,FOX, etc… etc… It’s easy to understand when you’ve been misinformed because the exact same stories (even irreverent) neither reports the same facts. The endless pursuit by these networks to find an angle either for or against each other and their sponsors is so obvious that actual facts and real news is rarely reported on correctly.
I now search out information from a multiple sources and try never to rely on one source. I will say the humor that stands out and draws me in every time.
But the bottom line is I know what’s right and wrong, and try to make my choices on any issue based on that. People can argue history in defense or offense to make their point, but usually that is done to mask and complicate issues rather than provide the simplest solution or give a direct answer.
I enjoy some bantering back and forth but only to point when it becomes apparent a solution or answer will not be forthcoming. When I find a source that gives me a straight answer I stick with that source until they have given me reason not to.
Those I interact with daily, and they all know who they are, provide me with straight answers.
Good article Mychal, thx again man.
Dave…i have the advantage because I can reach out to sources for the same news they’re reporting…plus as referenced news and information is what I do…it offends me to see the deliberate bastardization of news because its easier to parrot talking points…where is their intellectual curiosity…their thirst for truth…
For the last 2 years I have used the internet exclusively for finding what is happening in the news.
This week I started watching fox on Sunday and Monday during their wall to wall coverage of the debt ceiling countdown.
I have to say I was shocked to see how moderate and at times even leftest fox has become.
I see nowhere on television where you can get unbiased news. How sad that journalism schools don’t
produce journalists who are curious and fair anymore. They simply parrot the MSM prepared statements and philosophy.
arizona guy: I’m swim in those waters…I know what is true, what is spin, and what is outright lie…problem is people believe their crap…fox has done a miserably pitiful job of reporting on the debt ceiling issue and now the FAA issue…it makes me sick…I am always the skunk at their picnics so to spk because I refuse to turn blind eye…
I heard Gov. Christie is a huge fan/friend of BHO. Wondering if that is true or not. Like you stated above: Who can you believe but a few.
txtuftif: let’s just say that issue notw/standing…mark levin ahs nailed him on number of other issues just as bad…
Oh great….someone better tell Ann Coulter, Chris is her guy!! As for the rest on this thread. We need only remember who is the father of lies? And is his time short and does he know this? Yes and Yes…so this will continue Soon I believe the one world news will exist, from the UN or another location.. I find much on foreign news mostly from Europe, all most have English versions.
http://blogs.dailymail.com/donsurber/archives/39534
Jan…i time is short…but that’s short based on God’s definition of time…
I agree with you Mychal but feel that CNN is just as balanced toward the liberal side of the news while Fox covers the conservative. Fox wins the ratings war because they have more pretty blond haired, blue eyed females willing to give us a peek of as much boob and leg as the censors will allow, thereby attracting more males. They win the ratings war (a fact they announce every hour lest we forget how great they are} because more people watch Fox than the other channels because there are more people that watch the news at all that are on the conservative side of the argument. I quit watching Fox a long time ago for two main reasons. First because you watch one show and you can watch the rest of the day telling you the same thing by a different “reporter” (reader) until something else comes along that they can sensationalize. The second reason (maybe tied for first) is because of Bill “tough man” O’Rielly and Sean “super patriot” Hannity, although I do appreciate what they do for our troops. Both have the same style. Invite someone on, ask them a question and rudely interrupt them when they try to answer the question by yelling them down so they never get to speak. Unless they agree with the person of course, in which case they rudely interrupt by agreeing showing us how much they know on any given subject. And please God, no more “I’m so cute and funny’ Ann Coulter. Both their shows generally remind me of the Jerry Springer daily fake riots. I’ll watch Bret_Baier mainly because of Charles Krauthammer.