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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDoes CNN Deserve to Be Reelected?
I need help, and I know I am not alone. Over the past few weeks, I have been living in parallel universes. And right about now, I am thinking of breaking up with CNN.
In one universe, I pored over the national and state polls at Real Clear Politics several times a day (okay, several time an hour) and followed Nate Silver's detailed analyses on his 538 blog. I saw President Obama's likelihood of winning increase substantially -- from the 60-something percent range to just over 90 percent. I focused on the battleground states, as did Silver, because of the decisive importance of obtaining 270 votes in the Electoral College.
In the other universe, I listened to CNN each night and read its offerings online. (I avoided Fox News and MSNBC because one does not reasonably go to them for objectivity). In the CNN universe, the national polls received the overwhelming majority of the emphasis, and CNN's experts portrayed the race as simply too close to call.
Presumably, if these pundits had had to bet $1 million on the outcome and were given even odds, they would have been indifferent about which presidential candidate to support.
What was going on here? Was Silver not as brilliant and careful as he appeared to be, but completely nuts? Were the state polls not telling me what they were telling me? Were they systematically biased in the president's favor? Was CNN departing the reality-based community?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-s-siegel/does-cnn-deserve-to-be-re_b_2094364.html
patricia92243
(12,598 posts)the elections - so I watched them. Went back to MSNBC after that.
And DU, of course
mfcorey1
(11,001 posts)SubgeniusHasSlack
(276 posts)They have sucked since time warner bought Ted Turner out.
didn't know Ted Turner sold them out. They have too many conservatives acting like news reporters. If they really wanted to know the state of the race and what happened in Libya, then they needed to get the other side of the story from the White house. Instead they accept everything the Repukes told them. I don't know how you can trust any investigation done by Issa after his debacle against Holder. Issa had a criminal record expunged anyway when he allegedly hijacked somebody's car. Why is this guy in Congress?
lapfog_1
(29,219 posts)They depend on ad revenue... ad revenue depends on viewers...
People watch a horse race or a tight ball game, but not the ninth inning of a 8 run lead.
Nate Silver has a vested interest in being 100% correct or as close as possible.
Media will always make this a close race and give credibility to both sides... that's why they don't call "bullshit" when the candidate out and out lies about something, that's why they give both sides equal time even when one side is looney tunes batshit crazy (people also watch train wrecks as it turns out). Hence the Ted Nugent, Donald Trump, Sarah Palin coverage.
Nate Silver has a vested interest in being right.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)Where should we put the logo on CNN's tumbrel?
That's my question.