What does it say about the quality of news being given to the American public when Charles Gibson talks about "Rent-A-Pet" but ignores the FISA proceedings yesterday?
The media wants you to care more about how not to commit to a Pomeranian than the fact that your government is spying on you.
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Hillary's new response to Obama's response to her debate ad....but a parody...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3QaUwLNN5g
Oh - and I didn't ignore FISA...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7X8u5IEEBc
I've noticed this too. Big country problems and they give us 'news' about some poor pet. 'PEOPLE' come first MSM!
Profits before people. Same shit, different day.
Because the News is now considered entertainment.
The dumbing down of America makes it easy for this Administration to do what it wants
without anyone noticing/caring.
This is the great danger when a free press is destroyed.
We've been warned about it for decades; the 5 or so companies that now own most of the media in the USA have "evolved" it into something smelling and looking like shit.
We have Bill Clinton to thank for this. He enabled it.
We had CNN on in the background today and I don't recall a single mention of anything about FISA OR Iraq or even the election. It was one local personal tragedy after another. I was thinking "Geeze, this is national news?" Pitiful. Absolutely pitiful. CNN is a total waste of time. I don't even know what station Charles Gibson is on. But most TV news is worthless.
That's why people are watching Cspan, listening to NPR and reading posts in Crooks and Liars.....By the way...I think he's on now...but no one here is watching....
If people don't like it...call the drug company that is paying big money to advertise on his show... I called and complained to Rush Limbaugh's advertisers.... Sutter Health pulled their ads.... Now if you listen to Rush...they ask you to say you heard their advertisement on his show...
Call the advertisers!
enor @ 5:
Dumbing down America is what "no child left behind" is all about.
This is our corporate media. Forget what skeptics say that this is only a response to what the market wants - BULLSHTICK. Look at what is happening with the internet and our community online. We want information and we want it unfiltered. Corporations need to keep people ignorant because if the people were truly aware of what is happening to our government as we speak, there would be outrage and a complete overhaul of the system.
FISA is soooo 2007 whereas cute lil' animals are forever.
-AF
Lollimom @ 6:
W-W-Wait a cottonpickin' minute, Bill Clinton? He writes ABC's evening news? Well, sheeet, he should be fired then, doncha think?
Somebody smell a red herring? (sniff, sniff)
speaking of major news . . . wasn't uno the cutest little thing??? reminds me of the beagle that bit me when i was three--
Katie @ 12:
Do your homework before posting here. You don't seem to know your facts.
Lollimom @ 14:
No, YOU do your homework. If you're talking about the press' go-along with the TREATMENT of Bill Clinton in the 90's by a Republican congress, you may have a point. But Bill Clinton himself is not to blame for any de-evolution of the mainstream news. They did it all on their own, with the help of the right-wing machine. Your blaming Clinton is baseless and inflammatory only.
Modern Imperialist Capitalism can only thrive with a dumb ignorant public.
L.A. Confidential @ 16:
I'm not saying everyone is dumb and ignorant but I think you get my drift.
The others are those who are easily distracted by "stuff".
Who is Charles Gibson? What does he do?
Or perhaps the media wants not to commit to the facts. That your government is spying on you is beyond the scope of their mission which is to make money.
Katie @ 15:
Bill Clinton gladly signed it into law.
Radically Moderate @ 20:
I can't believe there are people that lived through the 90's that are laying this all at Clinton's feet. The bill he signed does not instruct the mainstream media to report crap. They do that all on their own. Grow some logic.
Bill W. Charlie Gibson is someone who is a something but does nothing and offends no-one,, except that for all those reasons he's utterly offensive ( to me anyway).
Katie @ 15:
This is my last response to you.
Bill Clinton signed into law the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which allowed a handful of REPUBLICAN individuals and corporations to buy up media outlets, and ultimately turn news into right-wing propaganda. Bill Clinton ultimately destroyed the ability of democrats to get a fair shake in CORPORATE MEDIA. That includes your nightly news, your newspaper, and the overwhelming number of "conservative" talk shows on your radio.
Bill Clinton was warned of the consequences of his actions, and he ignored the people who begged him not to sign the Act.
Your ignorance on this matter is breath-taking.
Lollimom @ 23:
And the media companies themselves bear no responsibility? Breathtaking ignorance indeed.
Katie @ 21:
Bill was wrong to allow further media consolidation and some of his advisors told him so. We lost very much control over local content, you cannot deny that, after all the MSM are just borrowing our airwave spectrum. Do you have any ideas on how we can regain local control?
Don't watch TV (what a relief).
So, if Charlie Gibson says something, all right, the birds and the squirrels I feed on my deck don't care about it. Nor do I.
Do like pets, although I'd never rent one.
Life in the U.S. (including blogs) is about entertainment.
MSM = Nothing/Zero/Nada
Try CSPAN channels/ or NPR Radio/ or Democracy Now/ and of course C&L
Look, all I'm saying is that when we see the MSM spew shit about dogs over real information as they do, to first blame Clinton is jumping way too far back. The finger-pointing should be at the individual networks, and if they do not report what we think is important, then we do not buy the products they advertise, and they will either remain the same and lose audience, or they change according to what their audience wants. You ask for suggestions about what to do about it? Living in the past, going to "evil Bill Clinton" and sanctimoniously wagging your finger like a Republican is not the answer. You spend money, do it according to what advertisers support the shows you like, and withhold your dollars from the ones you don't. And most importantly, let them know how you spend and why!
And I'm not even voting for Hillary!
Nicole,
I had a particularly rough couple of days. Sometimes everything washes over me like a wave and I'm forced to just ride it out and hope I make it through.
Yesterday (my time), you were what got me through. Your kindness meant more to me than I could ever put into words.
It seems like such a petty thing to say, but, thank you. From the very bottom of my heart, thank you. If ever you, your family, or anyone at C&L need something and I may be of help, please, you need only ask.
You were an angel yesterday, and I don't say that lightly. You were an angel.
Again, thank you, and I'm starting to feel a little better.
Tim
Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened...it also occured a few weeks earlier (sorry, but I don't remember what else they covered that day...all I know is that the FISA stroy was conspicous by its absence).
VietVet8666 @ 26:
Well, another bird and squirrel feeder. Thought I was a loner. I have one squirrel who will come right up and take a piece of bread right from my hand. It's along story but I saved the little guy when he was young.
He got well and moved across the street, But comes over for breakfast.
When NPR mentions FISA, they fail to observe that by voting for retroactive immunity for the Telecoms, the Senate is enabling the coverup of a crime. This itself is a criminal act. No one is above the law. Don't they get it?
Maybe it's more about the braindead nature of Charles Gibson, not to mention his bosses... Infotainment and ratings instead of important shit like, you know, actual news... Yep... what big brains they have.. Smart....waaaay smart... NOT! JD
Tim in Japan @ 29:
At risk of sounding glib, right back at you. Anything.
Katie @ 21:
I think the problem is that too few organisations own too many newspapers, radio- and TV stations. There used to be limits on how many types of medium one could own in the same market. WGN in Chicago was an exeption, becaus laws are not retroactive.
Some time in the nineties this was de-regulated. Now you have few owners and many markets. Almost like a media-monopoly. Whoever enabled this is the real culprit. This does not free the media of its responsibility as the "fourth branch" of gov't.
It's called Faux News for very good reasons.
My cat wants you all to know that she objects to the whole tone of this post.
Thanks for this post. I keep thinking the same thing day in and day out.
I saw CNN the morning of the FISA showdown, the talking head woman anchor in the morning basically said something to the effect that Bush really wants to get this surveillance legislation passed. I did a double take. The statement was so nonchalant and completely missed the whole point of the story. She reported is as a non-story when in reality the Lamo Republicans and their weak kneed Democratic counterparts are rubber stamping the systematic gutting of our Constitution.
But that is not news. What Bush wants without a true explanation of what that is is the news.
Katie @ 28:
I assure you that I never sanctimoniously wag my finger like a Republican........uh, I have a sanctimonious Republican Doctor that does that when I go in for a checkup. ;-)
I'm grateful that Bill Clinton stood up to the Repugs who tried to remove him from office, however he should be able to take his lumps for grand mistakes just like the rest of us.
L.A. Confidential @ 31:
I thought I was the only one, too. Nine squirrels this morning. Peanuts, corn, sunflower seeds -- damn, they eat better than we do. Cardinals, tufted titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, finches, blue jays. They go through a lot of feed.
But it sure beats the hell out of TV.
who?
oh charlie gibson.
nevermind.
What does it say about the quality of news being given to the American public when Charles Gibson talks about “Rent-A-Pet” but ignores the FISA proceedings yesterday?
It says the corporations rule this country as well as opinion through the use of public air waves and that if we had an FCC that was really doing its job we wouldn't have to suffer fools any longer!
It's all well and good to mock Gibson, but a majority of Americans get their news from television network news. You may consider them fools and beneath notice, but many of them vote - how do you think we ended up with the Moron in Chief.
The truth is Americans as a group are incurious about, in Dumb and Dumber Patricia Cohen says actually hostile toward, the world around them - even that part within the borders of the United States. They don't know that countries exist let alone where they are. Our history was the fourth period course they slept through. They see little difference between evolution and creationism. We're not stupid, just lazy.
Given the choice, most would watch Survivor rather than the Lehrer News Hour.
FWIW - the Lehrer News Hour devoted a significant portion of the program to the FISA Bill. Did you watch it? Or were you streaming video from YouTube? LOL
I saw the clip today where WPE said the telcoms are afraid of being sued.
This is, not surprisingly, not true.
They are afraid of getting arrested. If they do not get retroactive immunity, they are afraid they are going to jail.
I'm a little concern about this as well. I didn't see much in my local news paper regarding the fisa bill. Though I'm hoping they will address it tomorrow.. or next week.
I don't think we can blame the people.. as if it's all of their fault. I think it's everyone's fault. We get the government we deserve. When one side decide to pull up the fear card.. and the other side doesn't fight back.. or try to reason with the people.. this happens.
To an extent.. does anyone here watch CSpan.. or saw the hearing.
It's pretty easy to be lied to right now.
It also seems some congressional committees think that baseball players(is it?) are once again juicing up on steroids. That's way more important than say a President who breaks the law everyday and our country is going broke by conducting an illegal war. Priorities?? Washington and our Government controlled media no longer comprehends the concept.
It's called ratings! When you give people news that makes them think, they turn the channel!
All one has to do is look at the video from "Rappin Rove" with David Gregory on stage -- and watch the audience reaction shots. There's Charlie, just yukkin' up the laughs! Ten to one he also laughed a few years earlier when Bush played his slideshow "Those Weapons o' Mass Destruction ought to be around here someplace... Nope, not over here... How bout over there?!" hah hah hah hah!
That was such a good one.
Yeah, our dear dear Conglomerate Media Cartel. Catapulting bullcrap over the filter, filtering out the real news of the day, week, month, year.
Lollimom @ 6:
What the fuck are you huffin'?
Bill Clinton! Jesus Christ, grow up!
I had to listen to CNN for four frigging hours a couple of days ago while I was sitting in the waiting room at my car dealership, and all they talked about was the hearings on Roger Clemen's steroid use. I couldn't even change the channel because a couple of numbnuts were glued to it like there was no story in the whole world more important than the downfall of their sports hero. Not a breath about any other story, let alone the FISA bill. I'm sitting there, gritting my teeth, wondering what kind of Twilight Zone episode we're living in when Congress - Congress! - has nothing more important to worry about than whether some ballplayer had a needle or two jabbed into his ass at some time in the past.
That was the only time in the last few years that I've watched CNN, and by any luck, it'll be the last time ever. I swear a 9.2 earthquake could hit Los Angeles and all those brainfarts would report on would be whether or not Britney Spears was wearing underwear when it happened.
In the early 1990s 26 corporations owned the major media. Now 5 do. This process was enabled by Bill Clinton's zealous backing of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, as Lollimom notes correctly. Clinton has since stated, in retrospect, that support of the Act is one of his biggest regrets as president. In the many months leading up to passage of the bill, Ralph Nader spoke out tirelessly against it and tried to educate Congress and the public of its ramifications in terms of consolidation of media ownership and thus range of viewpoints. Clinton knew exactly what he was doing. It was a 70 billion dollar giveaway to big media at the public's expense.
Americans are losing rights. Puppies, make up , how to cook an egg.....
Seems no news outlet does American news anymore , only American politics.
It is a distraction folks.
Great catch Nicole. Sins of omission are as important to track as sins of commission.
Sibil Edmonds ring a bell???? Why is it the Murdock papers in London has had this story on the front page for 4 weeks now but not any of his papers in this country have said a word?
US news is only an illusion.
As far as they are concerned, the media's priorities are right. It is the media's intent to support any process which destroys Constitutional democracy in this country. Their assigned role in that process is hypnosis and manipulation of their victims, the public.
None of these media organs are performing journalism. They are 5 principal corporations, with a few minor but influential other players, working in unity to achieve an effective monopoly on all mass-consumed information. Their message is coordinated and uniform and is intended only to manipulate and passify the American people into accepting and mindlessly supporting what goes against their own personal and collective interests.
The only venue where their pervasive propaganda is failing is in the blogosphere. But, they are working towards, and have every intention of succeeding at, closing that "gap" in their control.
Remember, this same media is responsible for everything you know and believe about 9/11.
..
If Edward R. Murrow came back and saw what was being done in the name of journalism, he'd never stop throwing up.
..
Do you all remember John Mark Car, He was on every news station 24/7, during the time Israel was bombing the hell out of Lebanon. The Big three cable companies showed The Car trip being flown back from Thailand, and lo and behold he was never even charged with anytdhing. One big Hoax after another.
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