My Observation on The News: Liberal V. Conservative ...

I grew up in a family that reads newspapers and watches the news. Every day, we received a morning and evening newspaper; the “Portland Journal” and “The Oregonian” (now, just “The Oregonian”).

My father awakens at 4:00 each weekday, as he has since I was a child, and spends an hour thoroughly reviewing and then neatly putting the paper back together in its original order. After he left for work, the rest of us took turns at the morning news over our bowls of cereal, but, admittedly, were not as fastidious about reassembling the newspaper. When I moved to California, after ordering electricity, telephone and gas, I subscribed to the “Los Angeles Times” – thus, beginning a new generation of household newspaper subscribers in our family.

A few years ago, I returned to Portland. During my first breakfast at home, I collected the neatly re-organized newspaper and began my daily read. A few pages into the front page section, I realized that I was no longer in liberal L.A., but in a place where conservative viewpoints were virtually verboten and could find scant evidence of balanced, unbiased journalism.

During the 2008 Obama campaign “The Oregonian” became so biased for Obama that I felt the word “advertisement” should appear on every news and Op-Ed page. Eventually, the only section of the “Obama-gonian,” as I now refer to it, I found to be accurate and unprejudiced was the television log.

(A few years ago, the paper’s only conservative commentator left and now there is no respectful disagreement or counterpoint to the often egregious errors or Obama favoritism.)

Obama-gonians and Bias
I’m certain that my hometown paper’s liberal bent is not unique, but decided to verify that observation. What I discovered corroborated my views:

According to the Media Research Center, the American Society of Newspaper Editors found that liberals outnumber conservatives by a four-to-one ratio; newspaper editors admit that 71% of reporters sometimes/often influence coverage and in 2008, 70% of Americans said journalists wanted Barack Obama to win the election.

Even more disturbing:

“Nearly nine out of ten Americans (89%) think reporters “often” or “sometimes” let their own political preferences influence the way they report the news” – Media Research Center

In the April 4, 2010 Sunday edition of “The Oregonian,” I glanced at the Op-Ed section. In the right-hand “Short Takes” column, there were a few gems that are representative of the daily Op-Ed features and letters to the editor:

“Tea parties and militias: When being Republican just isn’t narrow-minded enough.” Randy Bynum, Southwest Portland

“Would it not be a welcoming change if the tea partiers focused their attention on out-of-control federal spending, insufficient taxation [your eyes did not deceive you, this contributor wrote “insufficient taxation”] and needed banking reforms instead of racial hatred, homophobia and acts of violence?” Gene H. McIntyre, Keizer, OR.

FYI, Gene: this is the (generally accepted) tea party movement platform: “fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, less government, states' rights and national security.” Source: Fox News. Yes, Fox News – get over it.

Tempest in a Tea Party
Based on the iconic Boston Tea Party of 1733 when colonists rebelled against an oppressive government and taxation without representation, the Tea Partiers of today are often misrepresented by mainstream media, as noted by Mr. McIntyre, and portrayed as racist, homophobic and violent.

Of course, the media isn’t alone in its dark view of conservative protest: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the protestors are like Nazis and a senior aide circulated a document regarding their rallies: “…the tea parties are "not really all about average citizens," the document continues, saying neo-Nazis, militias, secessionists and racists are attending them.”

Obviously, the defamation of the conservative activist isn’t confined to a politically compromised media; it rains down from the highest levels in the Washington bureaucracy. Perhaps Washington liberals are in a panic as they observe the expanding crowds at rallies, the newly-vocal conservative dissenter at Town Hall meetings, the peaceful, but passionate troops at national and local marches. Certainly, there were people who acted inappropriately – one can find fringe elements or bad behavior in any large group. While that’s not an excuse, the truth is these incidents are the exception and not the norm.

Only one major news outlet is consistently friendly and fair to conservative issues: the much maligned by the left, Fox News Channel. Interestingly, Fox News Channel earned its highest ratings ever in the first quarter of 2010.

Fair and Balanced – and Killing the Liberal Competition

Fox News has ruled the cable news genre for years; CNN, formerly the “Most Trusted Name in News,” lost half its audience in the latest cable rankings. “Larry King Live” lost 43% of his audience and other CNN programs also saw a double-digit loss in viewership. MSNBC is in the cable news ratings basement:

Total Day: FNC – 1,105,000 viewers, CNN – 394,000 viewers, MSNBC – 369,000 viewers

Prime Time: FNC – 2,032,000 viewers, CNN – 503,000 viewers, MSNBC –680,000 viewers  (Source: Nielsen, reported by TVByTheNumbers.com)

Granted, the Op-Ed “Short Takes” and Letters to the Editor are not written by the paper’s reporters, but by its readers. The examples quoted in this blog are not unique; the authors’ opinions are seemingly representative of the average Portland reader or at least, these are the letters and comments that The Obama-gonian deems fit to print.

My hometown has a strong liberal bias (a favorite bumper sticker: “Keep Portland Weird”), but is the bias perpetuated and supported by local media or is the media accurately reflecting the political mindset of the community? Since the reportage and reader input tilts far to the left and pollsters confirm that the media leans liberal offers a perplexing paradigm of politics and journalism.

This much is clear: the most conservative-friendly news outlet is the pre-eminent news source in America. Almost all of the national polling companies tell us that the media has a liberal bias and Americans believe they will use that bias to influence their reports. These same pollsters tell us that our current president’s approval ratings are steadily dropping, and faith in our Congressional leaders has faltered.

My liberal neighbors denounce “Faux News Channel” as a wing of the Republican Party and accuse the network of political partiality. However, the polls, as well as the emergence of multitudes of marchers, protestors and tea parties tell a different story.

I guess we’re just not on the same page … yet.



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The Fundamental Transformation of America - Special to The Bold Pursuit ....

While Clio recuperates from a blogging injury, The Bold Pursuit is pleased to share with our readers some of the finest work from the conservative blogger community. Today, we are delighted to feature a blog from "Tony's Take":

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The Fundamental Transformation of America

How long has Mr. Obama been President? Not even one year yet and look at all the things he has accomplished. This is the change he promised us. Does anything matter to you anymore?

When Obama wrote a book and said he was mentored as a youth by Frank, (Frank Marshall Davis) an avowed Communist, people said it didn't matter.

When it was discovered that his grandparents, were strong socialists, sent Obama's mother to a socialist school, introduced Frank Marshall Davis to young Obama, People said it didn't matter.

When people found out that he was enrolled as a Muslim child in school and his father and step father were both Muslims, people said it didn't matter.

When he wrote in another book he authored “I will stand with them (Muslims) should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.” people said it didn't matter.

When he admittedly, in his book,said he chose Marxist friends and professors in college, people said it didn't matter.

When he traveled to Pakistan , after college on an unknown national passport, people said it didn't matter.

When he sought the endorsement of the Marxist party in 1996 as he ran for the Illinois Senate, people said it doesn't matter.

When he sat in a Chicago Church for twenty years and listened to a preacher spew hatred for America and preach black liberation theology, people said it didn't matter.

When an independent Washington organization, that tracks senate voting records, gave him the distinctive title as the "most liberal senator", people said it didn't matter.

When the Palestinians in Gaza , set up a fund raising telethon to raise money for his election campaign, people said it didn't matter.

When his voting record supported gun control, people said it didn't matter.

When he refused to disclose who donated money to his election campaign, as other candidates had done, people said it didn't matter.

When he received endorsements from people like Louis Farrakhan and Mummar Kadaffi and Hugo Chavez, people said it didn't matter.

When it was pointed out that he was a total, newcomer and had absolutely no experience at anything except community organizing, people said it didn't matter.

When he chose friends and acquaintances such as Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn who were revolutionary radicals, people said it didn't matter.

When his voting record in the Illinois senate and in the U.S. Senate came into question, people said it didn't matter.

When he refused to wear a flag, lapel pin and did so only after a public outcry, people said it didn't matter.

When people started treating him as a Messiah and children in schools were taught to sing his praises, people said it didn't matter.

When he stood with his hands over his groin area for the playing of the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance, people said it didn't matter.

When he surrounded himself in the White house with advisers who were pro gun control, pro abortion, pro homosexual marriage and wanting to curtail freedom of speech to silence the opposition people said it didn't matter.

When he aired his views on abortion, homosexuality and a host of other issues, people said it didn't matter.

When he said he favors sex education in Kindergarten, including homosexual indoctrination, people said it didn't matter.

When his background was either scrubbed or hidden and nothing could be found about him, people said it didn't matter.

When the place of his birth was called into question, and he refused to produce a birth certificate, people said it didn't matter.

When he had an association in Chicago with Tony Rezco, a man of questionable character, who is now in prison and had helped Obama to a sweet deal on the purchase of his home, people said it didn't matter.

When it became known that George Soros, a multi-billionaire Marxist, spent a ton of money to get him elected, people said it didn't matter.

When he started appointing czars that were radicals, revolutionaries, and even avowed Marxist/Communist, people said it didn't matter.

When he stood before the nation and told us that his intentions were to "fundamentally transform this nation" into something else, people said it didn't matter.

When it became known that he had trained ACORN workers in Chicago and served as an attorney for ACORN, people said it didn't matter.

When he appointed a cabinet members and several advisers who were tax cheats and socialist, people said it didn't matter.

When he appointed a science czar, John Holdren, who believes in forced abortions, mass sterilizations and seizing babies from teen mothers, people said it didn't matter.

When he appointed Cass Sunstein as regulatory czar and he believes in "Explicit Consent", harvesting human organs with out family consent, and to allow animals to be represented in court, while banning all hunting, people said it didn't matter.

When he appointed Kevin Jennings, a homosexual, and organizer of a group called gay, lesbian, straight, Education network, as safe school czar and it became known that he had a history of bad advice to teenagers, people said it didn't matter.

When he appointed Mark Lloyd as diversity czar and he believed in curtailing free speech, taking from one and giving to another to spread the wealth and admires Hugo Chavez, people said it didn't matter.

When Valerie Jarrett was selected as Obama's senior White House adviser and she is an avowed Socialist, people said it didn't matter.

When Anita Dunn, White House Communications director said Mao Tse Tung was her favorite philosopher and the person she turned to most for inspiration, people said it didn't matter.

When he appointed Carol Browner as global warming czar, and she is a well known socialist working on Cap and trade as the nations largest tax, people said it doesn't matter.

When he appointed Van Jones, an ex-con and avowed Communist as green energy czar, who since had to resign when this was made known, people said it didn't matter.

When Tom Daschle, Obama's pick for health and human services secretary could not be confirmed, because he was a tax cheat, people said it didn't matter.

When as president of the United States, he bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, people said it didn't matter.

When he traveled around the world criticizing America and never once talking of her greatness, people said it didn't matter.

When his actions concerning the middle-east seemed to support the Palestinians over Israel, our long time friend, people said it doesn't matter.

When he took American tax dollars to resettle thousands of Palestinians from Gaza to the United States, people said it doesn't matter.

When he upset the Europeans by removing plans for a missile defense system against the Russians, people said it doesn't matter.

When he played politics in Afghanistan by not sending troops the Field Commanders said we had to have to win, people said it didn't matter.

When he started spending us into a debt that was so big we could not pay it off, people said it didn't matter.

When he took a huge spending bill under the guise of stimulus and used it to pay off organizations, unions and individuals that got him elected, people said it didn't matter.

When he took over insurance companies, car companies, banks, etc. people said it didn't matter.

When he took away student loans from the banks and put it through the government, people said it didn't matter.

When he designed plans to take over the health care system and put it under government control, people said it didn't matter.

When he set into motion a plan to take over the control of all energy in the United States through Cap and Trade, people said it didn't matter.

When he finally completed his transformation of America into a Socialist State , people finally woke up........ but it was too late.

Any one of these things, in and of themselves are bad, but does that not really matter? Can you add to this list? I can name two more just from today. Did I mention giving terrorists the same rights as American Citizens? I guess that doesn't matter either.

And.... when you add them up one by one you get a phenomenal score that points to the fact that our Obama is determined to make America over into a Marxist/Socialist society. All of the items in the preceding paragraphs have been put into place. All can be documented very easily. Before you disavow this, do an internet search. The last paragraph alone is not yet cast in stone. You and I will write that paragraph. Will it read as above or will it be a more happy ending for most of America ? Personally, I like happy endings.

If you are an Obama Supporter, please do not be angry with me because I know your president is a socialist. There are too many facts supporting this. If you seek the truth you will be richer for it. Don't just belittle the opposition. Search for the truth. I did. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Constitutionalists, Libertarians and what have you, we all need to pull together. We all must pull together or watch the demise of a society that we all love and cherish. If you are a religious person, pray for our nation.

Never before in the history of America have we been confronted with problems so huge and numerous that the very existence of our country is in jeopardy. Don't rely on most television news and what you read in the newspapers for the truth. Search the internet. Yes, there is a lot of bad information, lies and distortions there too but you are smart enough to spot the fallacies. Newspapers are a dying breed. They are currently seeking a bailout from the government. Do you really think they are about to print the truth? Obama praises all the television news networks except Fox who he has waged war against. There must be a reason. He does not call them down on any specifics, just a general battle against them. If they lie, he should call them out on it but he doesn't. Please, find the truth, it will set you free. Our biggest enemy is not China , Russia , Iran ; no, our biggest enemy is a contingent of politicians in Washington DC . http://speaktony.blogspot.com/