We are all just being brainwashed, this creeps me out.

I find it difficult to find programming that has any objectivity. It is either liberal or conservative. I never no where to get my facts from anymore or who to believe.

Not only are the media more liberal but the people in media are completely separated from normal American people and normal American life. Thus their reporting has gotten more and more irrelevant.

Wait, Karol, you were stunned? I think you're having us on, my dear.

As far as the so-called liberal bias of the media, I can attest as a former journalist (print) that few of us cared who we were skewering when it came time to stick a knife in the pretentious and the pompous. Many of us developed a deep contempt for the political class, whether on the Left or Right. We saw all politicians as insincere, manipulative, cynical opportunists. This was not universally true, but enough of them were to make the job of reporting on them tedious in the extreme. We observed only one rigid, if unwritten, rule: no cheering in the press box.

Oh, seriously Michael.

I actually prefer when the person is honest about their bias. Then I know where they're coming from. It beats the NY Times pretending they have no idea why they get charged with bias.

I've been blogging a little on Command Post and it's kind of a round-up of news so I try to be impartial and unbiased. And, my posts are. BUT, what I choose to post on is where my bias is revealed.

These numbers are so widely skewed that you have to wonder what and who, exactly, the press represents.

At the end of the day, Karol, big media represent nothing but huge profits for the people who own them. There is no other motive that drives them. In this sense they are like General Motors or Microsoft or any other industry.

Sure, bias comes into play in the writing and editing, the deciding what to put in, what to leave out. All people do that whenever they write.

I just wish they wouldn't pretend otherwise, as if they hold themselves to a higher standard.

It's as if educated people who are aware of current events tend to be liberal. Weird.

Yeah, that's it. Not that the liberal editor hires the liberal writer who hires the liberal copy checker. It's because they're educated and aware. Ha.

“At the end of the day, Karol, big media represent nothing but huge profits for the people who own them. There is no other motive that drives them.”

I disagree Michael. Big Media makes disappointing profits. The prime demographic population that the media is going after is far more conservative than the media. That is why newspapers have falling circulation and news programs have falling ratings. This has also meant a drop in advertising revenue.

Fox News has proved that fair and balanced is much more profitable than being left-wing. So Big Media believes that spreading left-wing propaganda is much more important to them than making profits.

Karol, I agree with your retort to Rowena.
What it actually seems is that there are educated people who are aware and telling everyone else what to think. I am educated and aware and I am conservative. Where is my media?

Rowena says: "It's as if educated people who are aware of current events tend to be liberal. Weird."

That's somewhat misleading, I think. The truly educated person is one who keeps an open mind. The open mind is liberal because it is aware of the ambiguities of life and the frailty of the human condition. It is the open mind that feeds the compassionate spirit, that does not see war is the first alternative to a nation's problems, that turns from violence, that sees that a penny-pinching government as destructive of the real needs of thousands of working-class poor even as it spends billions to feed the Pentagon's endless appetite for more weapons, that becomes angry at the government-sponsored raid on the Treasury to further enrich the wealthy while ignoring the needy and threatening the economic stability of this nation.

The liberal mind doesn't always equate to the number of degrees one has received. It's also a question of upbringing and attitude. One either learns early on to care or not. But I do believe that an educated person cannot be truly conservative; the greater the fund of knowledge, the more open the person tends to be. One cannot be educated and narrow.

Oh seriously, how fucking pretentious. I can't be educated or intelligent AND conservative? Why? Because your closed mind can't process so big a thought? There is only one way to 'care' and that is the useless, unfunctioning liberal ways? I'm open. I'm open to the idea that liberals haven't a clue about human nature and often project how they'd like things to be while refusing to see how they really are. If, by your own definition, 'the truly educated person is one who keeps an open mind', wouldn't that mean that you're uneducated because you're close-minded about conservatives?

Oh, I'm not closed-minded about conservatives. I work with them all the time on Capitol Hill. But I see them for what they are.

Oh I'm not close-minded about black people. I work with them all the time in Harlem and I see them for what they are.

Oh I'm not close-minded about Jews. I work with them all the time on 47th street and I see them for what they are.

Sound ok to you, oh educated one?

Michael. Here are my comments on your comment.

“The open mind is liberal because it is aware of the ambiguities of life and the frailty of the human condition”.

The only thing liberal’s are doing about the frailty of the human condition is exploiting the frailty for political power. It is the conservatives that are promoting the programs that will help people realize their dreams of a better life.

“It is the open mind that feeds the compassionate spirit, that does not see war is the first alternative to a nation's problems”.

Liberal’s over the years have ignored threats until it was too late. The result has been huge unnecessary wars. It has been conservatives that have brought peace to the world.

“That sees that a penny-pinching government as destructive of the real needs of thousands of working-class poor”.

The only one who gains from government programs is government bureaucrats. Liberals have put these programs in place in response to the bribes unions have paid to liberal politicians. Conservatives have put into place programs that have lifted the income of the poor.

“Angry at the government-sponsored raid on the Treasury to further enrich the wealthy while ignoring the needy and threatening the economic stability of this nation”.

All I can say to this is go visit Germany, Belgium, France, Italy and the UK. These are governments that have put into place programs that liberals are advocating for the US. There you will find high unemployment and low standards of living. You will also find people have a feeling of hopelessness and a feeling there lives will never improve. They are very dissatisfied with their health care and they all want private health insurance from their employers as a perk.

By the way government bureaucrats live like kings in all of those countries.

“But I do believe that an educated person cannot be truly conservative”.

Statistics show that conservatives are more highly educated as a group than liberals.

“The greater the fund of knowledge, the more open the person tends to be. One cannot be educated and narrow”.

I agree with this. That is why educated people tend to be conservative rather than liberal.

In summary, liberals are the most close-minded people on this earth as they reject any new idea for government that did not exist in 1932. Liberal policies have brought nothing but death, destruction and privation to minorities. Liberals don’t care about people; they care only about the acquisition of political power.

Karol, don't be so quick to dismiss Rowena and Michael. I don't agree with what they're saying, but the fact they're saying it says a lot, if you know what I'm saying.

Okay, too cute by half. But by self-describing as liberal they buy into certain assumptions and prejuidices. One of the freebies you get when you call yourself liberal is you get to be open minded without having to do that little "compare and contrast" exercise you just demonstrated for Michael. Another couple of freebies is you automatically become more intelligent and compassionate. You never have to think about unintended consequences or even examine results. Those Great Society housing projects were a great idea by a compassionate man, and that's all that matters.

As a liberal you can fly to the opening of a scary movie about global warming without worrying about the high-altitude emmisions of greenhouse gasses by the jet you're in. Because, you know, your heart is in the right place even if your ass isn't.

Sorry, I'm in rant mode.

Cathy Seipp in NRO:
<Snip>
As a Hollywood conservative, Chetwynd has long had a touchy relationship with the press. During a news conference last year for his previous docudrama — Showtime's DC 9/11, about how the White House handled that terrible day — the murmurs of disapproval I'd been hearing from colleagues about Chetwynd's pro-Bush sympathies came to a head during one remarkable exchange:

Question: "You did contribute to [Bush's] campaign?"

Chetwynd: "Yeah, the limit was $1,000... Would it make a better film if I'd given $1,000 to Gore?"

Question: "Yes."

Chetwynd: "Why?"

Question: "Because it would show less potential bias."
My fellow hack was absolutely serious; if you'd donated money to Bush, you are therefore biased toward Bush, but if you'd donated money to Gore you are not therefore biased against Bush. Supporting Gore was just the normal default position, as everyone knows. Chaw!

All right, let's just take a deep breath for a moment.

Karol, please! Are you comparing my professional ability to play well with others to some barely concealed racial animus? Racism comes from hatred fed by ignorance. Your "some-of-my-best-friends" analogy is way off the mark. (We will leave aside for present purposes the fact that I am Jewish.) I don't hate anyone, conservatives included. My only point was that I just find the general philosophy of the modern Republican party to be too statist and much too heavily weighted toward the comfort of the well-to-do at the expense of the majority. Your critique follows your well-worn tactic of attributing to me opinions I do not hold and then decrying them. You seem to love the straw man approach.

So, Jake, I recommend that you check into the contributions of the wealthiest Americans to the Repulican party. Bush has raised more money than any incumbent president in U.S. history. Those are not "bribes" as well? Both parties are part of the same hypocrisy. I worked on Capitol Hill and I saw the system up close. As a lobbyist, I get telephone calls and faxes regularly from Republican and Democratic members of Congress -- liberals and conservatives -- asking directly for money. No one is free from potential conflicts of interest from a tainted system.

Michael, your ignorance was exactly my point. The comments I made via blacks or Jews (and hi, I'm Jewish too, don't try that shit with me) were ignorant as were yours about what conservatives are (and my point was that just because you know some doesn't mean that you can generalize about all of them). As for your arguments, I let you bury yourself. The only two times I can recall taking you on was 1.when you needlessly insulted Ari (which you recanted) and 2. your comments on the administration supposedly trying to stop Moore's movie (which you also recanted).
Here are your words: 'I do believe that an educated person cannot be truly conservative' and I'm calling bullshit.

The open mind is liberal because it is aware of the ambiguities of life and the frailty of the human condition
Michael, you're so full of yourself, somebody had better give you an enema.
You are neither open minded, nor aware. What can a bratty little snob possibly know about "the frailty of the human condition"?
People who are normally called "liberal" are so rarely liberal in the real meaning of the world - or progressive, as they like to call themselves. They actually tend to oppose the spread of liberty and progress. And they think that anyone who doesn't condemn "the system" is uneducated and close-minded. How much more pathetic can you get?

A "bratty little snob"? Jesus, I'm way older than that. And I love the idea of progress; that's exactly what every porgressive wants.

And I still thank the Republican party is too committed to state power and too consumed by their interest in people's morals, not their economic welfare.

Karol, I'm not ignorant! Argh! I just think that you use analogies the way old people fuck: clumsily and not very effectively. But I like you, I really do. You're one of the best things in the blog world.

Just want to correct one thing above: big media is decidely not losing money. Whenever you hear anyone in the newspaper or television business complaining about "not making enough money," they usually mean "in comparison to how much money I'd like to make." Newspapers commonly enjoy profit margins in the 20% range, and TV stations are even higher (there's a reason a broadcast station license has been called "a license to print money").

Even though audiences are declining, media companies are still making money hand over fist (often by cutting salaries, leading to the disgruntlement of many journalists, but that's another topic).

Michael,
In this country, most bratty little snobs are called "Professors", and demand an aweful lot of reverence, so your age doesn't really give you much credit. You can beat your chest how much you love "the idea progress", but your bigotry tells me that you only love YOUR - awefully limited -idea of progress. That's why I call you names. If you continue reasoning like a little brat, you should be called a little brat. If you want to grow up and open your mind a little, I can only welcome that.

Ivan, in the generous spirit that you have established here and on your own blog -- NO FACTS, NO LOGIC...JUST PERSONAL ATTACKS -- I wish to state that you are without a doubt one of the biggest fucking morons it has been my displeasure to meet -- and I've met 'em all in 23 years in D.C. And good night to you, little man.

Mark- If Chetwynd gave money to Gore and then made a Anti-Bush Docudrama. He would have been accused of having a pro-Gore bias. I see nothing that proves pro-Gore is the default position.

I think the reason there are more liberals working in the media is that liberal minded people are drawn toward the profession more than conservatives.
I would bet that there are other professions that attract more liberals than conservatives, such as:

Social Work.
Environmental Science Work.
Human Rights Work.
Civil Rights and Civil Liberty work.
Consumer Advocates.
Conservationism.
Charity work.
Nature work.
Animal humane work.
Artist, musicians.

My comment was just a flippant one - I didn't mean anything deep by it. I don't know if the US media has a liberal bias - I don't read too much of it; I'm not American.
Personally I prefer as little bias as possible so I can make up my own mind but there you go.

Michael,
I'm not really offended. In fact, being called a bigger moron than anyone in DC sounds more like a complement. You have to do better than that ;)

Michael,

Funny how the left loves state power when it comes to things like gay marriage, huh?

I'm glad you like me but you still did call me stupid for daring to be conservative.

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