Downtown Los Angeles, circa 1983

Downtown Los Angeles, circa 1983
STMcC in downtown Los Angeles, circa 1983

Friday, July 21, 2017

“JOURNALISM’S AYATOLLAHS OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS.” [Page 102]

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BIAS:
A CBS Insider Exposes How The Media Distort The News
by Bernard Goldberg
published: 2001
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“Before September 11, the media elites, too often, behaved badly. And they will again”, BERNARD GOLDBERG writes on the first page of his important and impressive book, BIAS. “It is, after all, who they are.”
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I must begin by saying how much I respect and admire the courageous Mr. Goldberg. This is a self-professed “liberal”, a man who acknowledges that he had never voted for a Republican candidate for president in his entire life! And yet, he put his liberal ass on the line when he publicly confessed and complained about liberal bias in the news media. Not the liberal values mind you -- those he mostly endorsed -- but the bias, the way the media distorts the truth to manipulate the perceptions of the (easily manipulated) masses.
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Writing BIAS was not an act of courage, as that came after Goldberg’s retirement from CBS, when he could not be hurt by the revelation, and could only benefit from the book sales. No, his great act of bravery and neck-outta-the-turtle-shell honesty came in the form of a 1996 Wall Street Journal op-ed piece in which he criticized his industry for its underhanded practices while he was still dependent upon that industry for a paycheck. Goldberg is the proverbial dog who bites the hand that feeds it. And in short order, he was treated like a cur, given a one-way ticket to Pariahville. But he expected as much and did it anyway because he believes in fair play. Though politically, Goldberg and I have next to nothing in common, if I ever met him at Jolly Jacks, I’d buy the man a “Kocktale”. He’s a rare breed in today’s world of politics.
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The two factors that make this book a watershed publication on this subject are 1) that the exposure of the media’s Leftist slant (yeah, a “slant” like a “lien” on the truth) comes not from a protesting Conservative, but a dyed-in-the-wool lib, and 2) the slant is not just admitted but illustrated -- illustrated with unimpeachable examples and research into how, and how many times, certain socially important stories were framed and deliberately hung crookedly in the media museum for all the world to see. (You know, like this... ;-) See the Left-leaning reporter wink? That wascally weporter winks ‘cawse he pulls the wiberal wool over yer TV-satuwated eyebawls.)
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But what I liked was the book’s tone -- it’s both humorous and hard-hitting. Goldberg pulls no punches on his old cronies. Consider these examples:
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* “If arrogance were a crime, there wouldn’t be enough jail cells in the entire United States to hold all the people in TV news.” [Pg. 186]
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* “They love diversity in the newsroom. That’s what they say, anyway. They love diversity of color, diversity of gender, diversity of sexual orientation. But God forbid someone in their diverse newsroom has a diverse view about how the news ought to be presented. When that happens, these champions of diversity quake in their boots and practically make in their pants.” [Pg. 32]
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* “I know that homelessness ceased to exist because I watch television news. If homeless people still existed, Dan and Tom and Peter would have them all over the news ... I could be wrong, but I think homelessness ended the day Bill Clinton was sworn in as president. Which is one of those incredible coincidences, since it pretty much began the day Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president. What are the odds?” [Pg. 71]
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In blowing the whistle on the Liberal bias of both print and broadcast news sources, Goldberg tells us that “everybody to the right of Lenin is a ‘right-winger’, as far as the media elites are concerned. [Pg. 13] ... liberals have an uneasy feeling about tax cuts in general and are downright hostile to the kinds of cuts that benefit the wealthy in particular, even if they also help a lot of other Americans ... [liberal opposition to the flat tax] was visceral, from the same dark region that produces envy and the seemingly unquenchable liberal need to wage class warfare.” [Pg. 19]

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Do you realize what Goldberg just called liberals (whether he really meant to or not)? Well, if you’re not educated enough to figure it out, I’m not going to spell it out for you. Like hell I’m not! C-O-M-M-U-N-I-S-T-S. There! It’s out! Now maybe we can make some real progress in this political debate between Liberalism and Conservatism, America.
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The only aspect of Golberg’s BIAS that I must take issue with is his insistence that “there isn’t a well-orchestrated, vast left-wing conspiracy in America’s newsrooms.” He writes, “It is not some sinister plot, but about how mostly liberal journalists tend to frame stories from a mostly Liberal point of view ... No, we don’t sit around in dark corners and plan strategies on how we’re going to slant the news. We don’t have to. It comes naturally to most reporters.”

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I have no doubt that’s true. But by his own admission, members of the media “vote overwhelmingly Democratic.” [Pg. 118]; “By and large, the media elites, really are liberal. And Democrats, too.” [Pg. 122]; that there is “a disproportionate number of liberals” in the media [Pg.120]; and “in the world of media elites, Democrats outnumber Republicans by twelve to one.” [Pg. 124]
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No “left-wing conspiracy”? Hey, I didn’t just fall off the “potatoe” truck, ya know? (A nod to Dan Quayle there. An aside: You wanna learn how to spell better than a U.S. vice president? Just remember it this way: MR. POTATO HEAD only gets an “e” when he’s hangin’ out with other “potatoes.” Likewise his Marxist/Feminist girlfriend, MS. TOMATO HEAD. She only gets an “e” when she’s hangin’ out with her “Red” comrades, the other “tomatoes.”)
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But look, in a country fairly evenly split between Democrats (Liberals) and Republicans (?), and the success of alternative news sources proving no lack of Republican interest in the media, the huge disparity between the number of Dems and Reps in the mainstream media indicates a “Left-wing conspiracy” in hiring practices. Maybe there’s no collusion in the newsroom, but there would have to be one at the level where employment decisions are being made. How else did the newsrooms become so Liberal, and how did they maintain that Liberal “lien” on the media decade after decade? [See the book (link:] NONE DARE CALL IT TREASON: 25 YEARS LATER by John Stormer.]
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Other than this one disagreement, I found BIAS by Bernard Goldberg to be a solid indictment of the mainstream media’s bias. An exceptional book! Wanna see how this country’s view of things like Homelessness, AIDS, Feminism, and Affirmative Action was shaped by the media? BIAS is your book and Bernard Goldberg is your writer. Despite being a Democrat, his insistence that, at the least, the opposing Conservative viewpoint deserved to be heard, proved to me that he is more “good man” than “bad liberal.” Goldberg is Left but right, and you should buy his book.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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6 comments:

  1. Al Bondigas here. Although anyone with any semblance of a brain would know that there is not only bias in the main stream media, but outright collusion and lies, it's nice to have someone on the inside come out and admit it. He wrote another book after "Bias" that was pretty good as well; the title escapes me right now, but it was definitely worth reading.

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    1. JUDGE AL ~
      I haven't read his second book, but this first one is must-reading for anyone who still doubts that the Mainstream Media takes sides -- ALWAYS! -- in favor of the "Left" (which is just another word for "Communism").

      When one of their own admits it publicly, who can still doubt it? Only a tard, muh Bruhthuh, only a tard. (Which is just another word for "Andrew Leon".)

      ~ D-FensDogG
      [Link:) Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends

      Delete
  2. Goldberg tells us that “everybody to the right of Lenin is a ‘right-winger’, as far as the media elites are concerned.

    And 16 years later, let me go ahead and update that.

    Anyone who talks to people who are to the right of Lenin is a ‘right-winger’, as far as the media elites are concerned.

    I've seen so many self-professed liberal YouTubers get called alt-right Nazis and actually get put on ban or watch lists simply for having someone with a conservative view on their show. That's it. Because, see, they're giving them a platform for hate, and it's the YouTuber's job to silence them. Or shame them. Or punch them in the face, you know, because Nazis. Always Nazis.

    The funny thing is that all it's doing is making these influential liberal YouTubers more conservative, because who are you going to ultimately hang out with - the one who closer shares your views, but thinks you're a Nazi and hates you and wants to silence/shame/punch you, or the guy who disagrees with you politically, but as long as you're a cool guy he'll still happily buy you that Kocktale and chat with you?

    The fringe left thinks that it's building up a resistance that will either impeach Trump or guarantee a 2020 victory. And yet through cannibalizing itself as described above, they don't realize what they're actually doing is guaranteeing that 2020 victory... for Trump.

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    1. I hear ya. In fact, the Liberals have not done even one thing right to help their cause since Trump was elected.

      It's gotten so bad that they are now turning on each other (as you have observed).

      Not every Liberal is a conscious, self-professed Communist, but every Liberal is a Communist. (To be explained in my next major F-FFF blog bit.) And unfortunately for the Left, the conscious Communists (e.g., AntiFa, BLM, any group with the word "Socialist" in its name, etc.) are now even turning off the brainwashed, unconscious Communists (i.e., garden variety Democrats and Liberals).

      I have seen many self-labeled "Liberals" bemoaning and criticizing the Communist rioting in various cities since Trump was elected. They are going to keep at it until a great many "normal" Democrats either wake up and realize that they've been unwittingly propagandized into Communist ideology, or simply start to lean more Conservative as a natural way of distancing themselves from the rioting Libtards.

      Most people are not extremists, and if they find themselves being lumped in with extremists, they will step outside of the circle in one way or another. Either move outside of it, or simply drop out of the activity altogether.

      And things look good because the conscious Commies will NEVER stop, they will NEVER give it a rest, while continuing to alienate the normal, unconscious Commies.

      Earlier this morning, in fact, some Commie in a comment section asked me if I would still be wearing my "Proud Deplorable" T-shirts even after the impeachment.

      By the way, I replied:
      "Still cryin', huh? At this point, you are undoubtedly severely dehydrated."

      Get that boy some electrolytes! :^)

      ~ D-FensDogG
      (link:] Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends

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    2. What's most insulting about the instantaneous backlash to Trump is exactly that. These people are insisting that there is only black and white (so to speak). This is not the world as any rational person should understand it. So it makes it incredibly hard to take them seriously.

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    3. HiYa, TONY ~
      Good point! So many people on the Left (indeed, the vast majority) view everything from an extremist mindset. As you stated, it's black or it's white, and there are no variables, there is no nuance that might provide for various middle shades.

      There's that old maxim: Situations alter cases.

      Now, speaking for me personally, there are some issues in which I take a very hardline approach, due either to my Spiritual life and my adherence to the Inspired Word of God; or due to my allegiance to this country's founding documents (particularly the Constitution with its cherished Bill Of Rights).

      But in so many other instances, I recognize the reality of shades of grey. As a matter of fact, I have been saying the following for a number of decades, and it still holds up remarkably well:

      "So often people approach a question or a matter with an 'EITHER' / 'OR' outlook. But far more often than not, the correct answer is 'BOTH!'. At different times and circumstances, the real answer is 'BOTH'.

      I don't understand how that simple truth seems to elude so many people so much of the time.

      Thanks for your .02 cents, Tony!

      ~ D-FensDogG
      Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends

      Delete

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