Is it news, or propaganda?

[left-of-center2012]

I had my TV on this morning while cooking myself breakfast (sausage and eggs, with an English muffin).
Not paying much attention, I’d put on a news broadcast, which turned out to be
“CBN Newswatch - News From a Christian Perspective”.

One of the first topics was a five minute segment on why the ‘liberal left’ is aligned with Islamic Jihadists.
Both, said this broadcast, want to destroy Christianity and democracies in order to set up totalitarian governments.

Holy crap! (says I to myself, out loud, and at my TV)
What a bunch of nonsense!

It was more like extreme right week propaganda than news.

Sadly, this is the type of 'news' my right wing, evangelical siblings watch (and believe).

[Wellstone ruled]

1. Best label for years has been Infotainment.

[cyclonefence]

2. Does any accountant-type know what the rules are about political speech on religious tv programs?

I am assuming that donations to these evil people are not tax-deductible--am I right about this? I was a huge fan of the PTL club back when Jim and Tammy were at their height, and they begged daily for money to build more shit on their christian theme park. They offered three days/two nights and stuff like that, but I wonder if they made clear to their donors that they could not deduct their contributions on their 1040s? I think everybody knows that if you receive something of value in return for your donation, you can't deduct that donation except for the part that exceeds the gift in value, but what about the old ladies who sent in $10 for a prayer cloth?

[LakeArenal]

4. My favorite PTL moment

Was when they wanted to build the golf course and Jim says, Send us $1000 for a round of golf for Jesus..

[cyclonefence]

6. oooh--someone else with a deep, dark shameful tv secret!

Come sit by me! Did you see them the day Colonel Sanders was on, talking about his colon cancer? He said he strained and prayed, and prayed and strained, and *PLOP* out it came praise Jesus!

[LakeArenal]

8. Ha ha. The New York Housewives of my time!

What inane and ridiculous thing would they bring up next... I am sure that they had a direct effect on what I think of organized religion today.

Happy Independence Day!!!

[Igel]

9. Non-profit religious organizations

can't engage in partisan activities.

That doesn't mean saying bad things about (D) or (R) in general, about saying things about policies, about taking stands on issues.

It does mean telling parishioners to vote for a particular person.

Whether donations to that particular group are deductible depends on the paperwork they've submitted. In what you wrote I see there's nothing that would disqualify them.


By "prayer cloth" do you mean something like a prayer shawl or a bit of greasy cloth worth perhaps 0.1 cent?


As for the content, it strikes me as ludicrous. On the other hand, I've read a lot of things that I considered no less ludicrous from people of other political persuasions. Same flawed logic, same flawed conclusions. Just applied to a different set of facts and suspicions.

[Not Ruth]

3. Much like midget wrestling, it has an audience, best not to take it seriously, keeps listeners calm

[spanone]

5. the 'Christian' thingy has been hijacked over the years....imho.

look at people like pat robertson....it's been distorted to the point where Christ wouldn't recognize it.

it's just another right-wing perspective cloaked in a Christian setting...

[Solly Mack]

7. It depends. I follow the rules of propaganda in making the determination for myself.

Always keeping in mind that just because something is true, that doesn't mean it isn't propaganda.

Propaganda can be both true and false - it all depends on source and intent/motive.

ETA: You were watching propaganda. It was meant for an intended audience and it also contained distorted info (lies, included) meant to harm the opposition. A mixture of gray and black propaganda.

[kentuck]

10. Propaganda all is phony.