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Sarah Palin, the Mainstream Media Filter, and the Growing Culture of Casual Lies

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A reporter reports on the facts. A reporter strives to find the facts. A reporter is unbiased and a beacon of truth. That's the code.
If that's the way it worked, we would have no problem. Let the politicians tell their lies, report upon them, and let the people make up their mind.
The issue is this...
Mainstream media - CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC - are all incredibly biased in their approach. They have given Obama a free pass - he has not been asked a tough question.
People complain about Fox News - and they should there as well.
We have a television media that follows party lines. It's downright dangerous. Hearing only what you want to hear is not healthy for anyone. Liberals bashing conservatives on CNN. Conservatives bashing liberals on Fox News. Neither bothering to watch the other channel to learn the other opinion....neither bothering to give a damn about the truth.
Palin has a point when she talks about "the mainstream media". There are definitely more liberal leaning media outlets than conservative. So by definition, it's mainstream. Obama has a point when he criticizes Fox news...they report from one side only (as does the liberal mainstream).
If any of these reporters were doing their job, reporting on the events, seeking to uncover the truth, and letting the facts speak for themselves, we'd all be better off.

jeffrey of OH 10:12PM October 09, 2008

Being a woman myself, she embarrasses me! Being a woman, she scares me! I would love to see a woman in either the VP or P spot but way above and beyond that I want (we need) a man or woman capable of doing the job - Sarah Palin is no where close.
I saw an interview with Sarah while Hillary was still in the running - Sarah was at no loss of words for what she considered a weakness in Hillary. Sarah went on to state that Hillary was representing all women so she needed to get tough. Well Sarah, I have seen nothing but weakness from you and no, you do not represent all women - you represent only the few that would insist their 17 year old daughther was mature enough to marry their redneck boyfriend and raise a child together, would buckle under a Katie Couric interview but still insist they have what it takes to go up against the problems of the nation and of the world, that would council a pregnant rape or incest victim that above all they should have the child because if you ran the world there would be no other option available.
Sarah - you don't speak for ME - "don't cha know"?

Mad as heck of CA 2:21PM October 07, 2008

The assumption here that politicians lie but mainstream media does not is hard to prove....our media is full of paid for advertising and promotion for anything or idea that the buyer wants to get accross to the public for his own advantage and democrats are not better or worse than republicans...Hitler said that the bigger the lie the more people will belive it and of course he was an expert in that field ... the ace of spades is a propaganda device which is used by paid advocators of a certain set of people to persuade the public to think and behave the way they want then to....the ace of spades is of course, the big lie.....and in my view is no worse now than in the past.......advertising, propaganda and journalism is all part of the same cloth and it is not easy to tell the difference at times...... So far Gutsy Palin is doing a good job and I believe that the public is tired of those endless wind bags who think otherwise...

Steve Roisman of CA 8:32PM October 06, 2008

The assumption here that politicians lie but mainstream media does not is hard to prove....our media is full of paid for advertising and promotion for anything or idea that the buyer wants to get accross to the public for his own advantage and democrats are not better or worse than republicans...Hitler said that the bigger the lie the more people will belive it and of course he was an expert in that field ... the ace of spades is a propaganda device which is used by paid advocators of a certain set of people to persuade the public to think and behave the way they want then to....the ace of spades is of course, the big lie.....and in my view is no worse now than in the past.......advertising, propaganda and journalism is all part of the same cloth and it is not easy to tell the difference at times...... So far Gutsy Palin is doing a good job and I believe that the public is tired of those endless wind bags who think otherwise...

Steve Roisman of CA 8:31PM October 06, 2008

This is oppression. Who gave the aproval to override the people? The majority spoke not to rescue Washington Mutual and they overrode the decision. This is a huge slap in the face. Then, they don’t even have the courage to look out for the best interest of the people in the midst of their bad decision. If they are going to force this upon us, like a dictatorship, then they should at least try to redeem themselves by using the tax money that they intend to hit us with to buy the people stock in Washington Mutual (AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mack, etc.). The people have spoken.

Dennis Fischer of CA 7:18PM October 06, 2008

What about illegal infiltration? Why has neither candidate mentioned it at all! Email your favorite person at least once per week and ask them what their position is. Fully 75% of people polled are against this travesty. Why won't they come clean? Most Hispanic Americans are vehemently opposed to illegal infiltration, so that's not the issue. What is it?

ChristmasTree of NY 5:38PM October 06, 2008

I do worry about the MSM's abdication of their responsibility of illuminattion. They don't report news but make news. I do worry not about the outcome of this election. One pillar of the American civilization falls apart along with other pillars: the Congress with very low rating; the college system bismirched wih two free credits for those working for a candidate, biased themes for English writing; the crumbling financial fortress. All these aspects could help tell what the Americana will be. Will China, Iran, Venezuella ... replace us on the international scene? New York Times, NBC ... know it. Oriental philosophy professes that no thing is permanent. But the MSM makes the permanence shorter than it's supposed to be. Should I laugh or cry?

tue ton of GA 5:33PM October 06, 2008

The bias in reporting is unbelievable! I can't seem to find many true journalists out there.
I don't need an interpreter to tell me what the person meant when they said something. I don't need a network to tell me who "won" a debate. I don't need some cheap huckster promoting a predetermined perspective on the news...in spite of the evidence.
All I need are the "facts" In case that is confusing, let me clarify. Unedited footage is great! Don't worry about taking out the parts you disagree with...leave it in...I'll decide what to make of it.
I suppose that is why the major networks are not on my speed dial...

Eric 5:03PM October 06, 2008

I can't believe all the people that Ms. Palin thought that she was talking just to them while she was winking and calling herself a joe sixpack. Believe me, I don't want Joe sickpack, I mean Joe sixpack leading the country or even driving to the whitehouse. These people think that she knew all these things before her debate. She was coached and she is a quick learner and when she makes speeches, she read from a teleprompter. When I see her on the TV, all I see is Tina Fey and she makes me laugh. She is a joke. She needs to go home and take care of her baby. As for any writer, they can write whatever they want, especially when its true. I voted for Senator Obama and so will all the people that want a better choice

Kate of AZ 1:21AM October 06, 2008

Now they have Ms. Palin creating a smear campaign on Senator Obama saying that he pals around with terroist. McCain and Palin can't come up with anything better than to put down their opponent. Just goes to show how low they are. What if Senator Obama was to bring out the troopergate problem that Palin has still not addressed and about her being sued in Alaska and what about the Keating Five issued a while back that probably nobody remembers anymore but that John McCain was involved in some banking/financial crime but was not prosecuted for being involved in that situation? And these issues were and are true and I don't think that they want anyone to bring these issues up.

Kate of AZ 1:01AM October 06, 2008