Ask PBS Why They're Using Frank Luntz To Evaluate Democratic Candidates
Today Media Matters for America released the following statement in response to a release issued this morning by Neal Kendall, executive producer of PBS' Tavis Smiley, regarding concerns over the announced involvement of Republican pollster Frank Luntz in PBS' upcoming forum for Democratic presidential candidates:
David Brock, President and CEO of Media Matters:
"While Media Matters for America is pleased with PBS' announcement this morning that discredited Republican pollster Frank Luntz will not appear on its Thursday-night programming, PBS has yet to address the fundamental problem with its choice of Luntz to participate in analysis of the PBS forum.
"Luntz's Republican ties, his history of being criticized by his peers for misrepresenting polling data, and his past personal and professional affiliation with GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani make him an inappropriate choice to provide the sole voice of expert analysis on Mr. Smiley's program in the wake of a Democratic presidential primary forum. The fact that PBS has not acknowledged Luntz's partisan affiliation -- either in its original press release or in today's statement -- makes PBS' use of him in this way all the more troubling.
But Charles Krauthammer said PBS is "obviously very liberal" on FoxNews yesterday, and I believe everything I hear on Fox News, so this is unpossible.
Just a first impression, he surely has a large head. :)
To be fair, they will allow Hugo Chavez to do analysis for the rebublican debates.
Both PBS and NPR are slowly aquiring the stench of GOP influence, librul as they are.
empy @ 3:
Or maybe Keith Olbermann to do the analysis for the Republican Debates.
►Shiva H Vishnu◄ @ 5:
Not a fair trade as Keith is credible. Hugo would be perfect. "I still smell the stench of sulfur from Guliani speaking!"
Ah! But, if anything, all of those qualities render him even -more- the obvious choice to represent a balanced voice.
See, this attempt to pull an strongly right charged element –past- the neutral central divide and into the realm of the left will cause him to be swallowed up and then ejected at superluminal speeds.
Luntz will exist in all political spheres, at all times, forever. Like some dark god of yore, laying down goofy judgments based on skewed polls.
How about this... NO analysis. Show the debate, and that's it. Let the people decide for themselves. I hate analysts. "Now that you've just watched our show, here's what you think about it."
Keep it up PBS. Your continuing demonstration of right-leaning partisanship is merely adding to the evidence. With the inevitable Democratic win in November '08, you're making the job easier. Those that allowed themselves to be manipulated by bushco and the 'Right' will find themselves out of a job and, hopefully, out of the business all-together. Remember, there are consequences for our actions.
Frank Luntz is pure slime. He is the poster boy for all that is wrong with politics and media in this country. Just like any slug, if you poured a bucket full of salt on him, he would dissolve. But, he is a darling of the right and they have made him very wealthy and I have yet to figure out what exactly he does other than distort words and truth. In this political climate I guess that is all that is needed. God Help Us.
Luntz is a dunce.
I'm always amazed that such cravenly dishonest people make so much money doing a bullshit song and dance.
Not to mention Luntz's shitty hairpiece. Talk about non-disclosure.
I find the anal-ists at the end of debates to be simply amazing. I think most write up and rehearse their piece before the debate.
The ones that do the Presidential State of the Union often don't appear to have even heard the speech. They'll just rattle off talking points and contradict what the President said.
OT - oh shit something just happened on Fox News ... and you want to make a bet they will come back and say that it's evidence that liberal/progressives want to shut down the conservative media
from huffpo http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/06/29/thief-tries-to-nab-report_n_543...
video http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2esk5_fox-news
worse was Smiley's remarks on the Lehrer show when this was brought up:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200706280006?f=h_top
I used to have some respect for TS, but those comments were no different what someone like Hannity would say.
pathetic
It's fair and balanced now right?
Conservatives fear that forcing stations to make equal time for liberal talk radio would slash profits and pressure radio executives to scale back on conservative programming to avoid escalating costs and interference from government regulators. Opponents of the Fairness Doctrine argue that radio stations would suffer financially if forced to air liberal as well as conservative programs because liberal talk radio has not proven popular or profitable.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/fairness-doctrine-hammered-309-115-2...
They wanted to give Luntz a chance to prove he's 'Fair and Balanced' enough to take over as Vice-President, News Division, at Fox.
PBS is becoming Fox's farm team? That's not very becoming for PBS.
I'm sure that Luntz will be fair and that his results will show that the focus group didn't particularly like John Edwards. The repugs fear him and are going out of their way to marginalize him.
A Modest Proposal:
Tell PBS that you will accept their choice of Frank Luntz to comment on the Democratic Presidential Candidates provided that they hire Donna Brazile to do the same on the Republican Presidential Candidates.
See. I can be fair and balanced about this. Can you be, PBS?..
...
JM @ 1:
I would to hear what reich-wingers think ISN'T librul.
Don't forget, Luntz is the moran [sic] that urged reich-wingers in the 90s to use the term "Democrat Party" as often as possible.
i don't know about his commentary but not only does he have a big head but that's a bad rug he's wearing.
he'll hang himself....someone on the left will rip him a new one...
Didn't Luntz say that John Kerry looked like a horse on Bill Mahr about a month ago or so? He has room to talk about somebody else's looks, doesn't he? He's the king of doublespeak - makes his living concocting bullshit spins for the republicans. I hate his fat waddle-necked, pussy-faced ass...
Well, for one thing he certainly looks very Mayberry in this doogie Howser of a photo...I didn't even know the dems debated on tavis ( last night) until today- does PBS not believe in advertizing? or only for repuke events ? yup Mayberry Boy there looks a little too scrubbed clean...and the commentor above says "waddlenecked "...I am not sure what that means- but it must be a new part of the PBS job description....
Tavis Smiley is acting like a total dick about this. His response comes off as tempermental and flippant. He says, "consider the source" [referring to Brock] .. Well, I will say the same thing whenever your name comes up in discussion. Your arrogant and smug behaviour is a real turn off.
Check out this awesome entry on him in Wikipedia:
"Since losing his hair at a rather young age, Luntz has chosen to wear a hairpiece or toupee that is quite easily detected. To some, his desire to wear a hairpiece to conceal his baldness serves as a perfect metaphor for his professional ability to manipulate the truth by describing things with words that would otherwise be antithetical to the description given by a reasonable person."
pbs survives on donations. i love the programming on pbs and am a loyal watcher and member. however they need to know that right thinking people are now in the majority. if they follow through with this luntz thing, they can count me off their rolls of doners. nevermore. others have to respond to their selection. always speak in the language they all understand....MONEY.
You know what pisses me off about Luntz? Before I knew anything about politics, and pundits, I watched this bastard before the 2000 election take a live poll from people right in front of the camera, and he asked for a show of hands on an issue, in which it did not go his way, but yet he STILL said, live on television, that the issue was split down the middle. It was more like 80% to 20% and he was on the losing end. I knew as of that moment, that he was not a trustworthy person.
They've lost me.
Bill Moyers is a gem. I watch him.
But I will never give them money again.
stonicus Says: How about this… NO analysis. Show the debate, and that’s it. Let the people decide for themselves. I hate analysts. “Now that you’ve just watched our show, here’s what you think about it.”
Exactly!! Well said, Stonicus.
Tomlinson is Typhoid Mary of NeoCon Disease
Hey Opie, where's Andy and Goober?
George @ 30:
Add Frontline & Nova, and I totally agree with you.
Luntz is a "clutz"....Check out his background. He worked notably for the Republican
Party as a political consultant; has made many statements and written articles in
attempts to discredit global warming FOR the bush admin; he is for expanding logging
for the logging industry in the Great North West and Alaska; and is for expanding energy
exploration by the BIG oil and gas industries...just to mention a few of his conservative,
right-wing beliefs...
Sailor Art Thomas Jr. @ 34:
What! No Pledge?!
No Yanni CD for you!
PBS has koolaid in all their drinking fountains.
PBS is going to run a Christian Reich "documentary" about the seperation of church and state.
The evil empire controls all the media now.
PBS was infected by this Administration years ago.
The cancer is still running it, and infected what once were legitimate unbiased shows such as The NewsHour.
I no longer watch, not that they or anyone else cares.
At least Bill Moyers had the good taste to leave.
Don't let the earnest, soporific delivery fool you. PBS = NPR = CNN = FOX = ABC = NBC = CBS = General Electric, Viacom, Disney, etc. ("Viewers Like You" notwithstanding.) One key difference however is PBS has Moyers. Maybe there's still hope for PBS, but I'd bet on Luntz's influence prevailing over Moyers's.
Public TV and radio will round up the yahoos around their new mission - surviving conservative politicians and preserving federal funding, Katie-ing up the news - but thoughtful intelligent audiences will find other places to go. The bad will drive out the good.
To insure continued public funding from Congress, PBS executives are more than willing to bend over and taking it up the tailpipe from the knuckle-dragging, bed-wetting portion of their viewership; their willing to pose as "fair and balanced" to a bunch of elephant-asses who believe our human ancestors were riding around on dinosaurs a couple of thousand years before the birth of Christ, leading one to conclude "Keeping Up Appearances" has a larger, more influential PBS viewership than "Nature". Just give me Bill Moyers.
Luntz was hired by one of Tomilson's plants that hasn't been rooted out of the PBS yet. The question is who recommend Luntz and who hired him?????
Just follow the money and all your questions will be answered!!
luntz has a bid head because god was making up for nothing below the belt on luntz.
Wasn't it PBS that just had that lunatic Melanie Morgan on as a legitimate spokeperson for something? WTF! Who's doing their
recruiting?
Wow, does he look gay.
I think Luntz had a face lift. His jowls aren't as big as in other shots I've seen.
Or someone photoshopped them down a bit.
The Bush Administration has corrupted PBS with it's President and Board Members. David Bronchocio and Bill Moyers are the remaining beacons of truth. Even the Leher News Hour is no longer a quality program.
Luntz has been doing what everyone has been doing: selling his talents to the highest bidder. If the Dems are willing to address the Issues, ie Iraq, healthcare and immigration, and rephrase these Issues in terms of hope, the Luntzes of this world are quite happy to sell their Orwellian catchphrases to the democrats. If anything, the liberal blogosphere needs to reassert itself: from villifying the Bush administration to pitching new Ideas.
Hey, great pic of Luntz - where'dja get it? From the local "Megan's law web site?"
Luntz is a putz. A 250 + pound putz.
vince @ 26:
Absolutely!!! I was shocked that he was so hostile about it!! It was totally uncalled for!
He is not that way, even when dealing with Right Wing Thugs!!! So why on MeadiaMatters????????
It will be real interesting to see what Mr. Smiley has to say about the debate when he is on Meet the Presstitute this Sunday. I haven't detected a lot of bias in him yet but he sure seems to be laying down with a bunch of dogs!
i have no respect for smiley, and he can keep his so-called 'covenant.'
I have quit supporting PBS. The only thing they ever had that was worth watching was Moyers (which I am watching again), Frontline, Nova.
They are trying their darndest to change Frontline to reflect republican views of the world, and they are rewriting Nova in an attempt to make science so BORING that students don't want to enter the field anymore.
I am beginning to think we should send our brightest children to public school in foreign countries.
Bill Moyers is the only thing worth watching on PBS.as far as News that deals with any Major issues we face today. The worst is the News Hour. I now donate my Money to more progressive organizations then PBS. Or as we say in our house Pretty Bad Shit. PS. Frank you can take that dead rat off your head anytime now.
Tavis Smiley was on NPR and gave a lame excuse. He pretty much attacked Media Matters in the process. I'll take yours and Media Matters' perspective, thank you.
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