Why do you fall into the MSM's trap? I watched ABC Nightly News on Friday, Saturday, and last night.

[sinkingfeeling]

They just about dedicated 30% of their time to the 'feuding' between Clinton and Obama. They take Bill Clinton's words out-of-context and run it over and over. They 'blow' up one sentence by Hillary as some great slam against MLK. Then they spend precious minutes repeating all of this over and over instead of talking to candidates about meaningful issues. Both camps should issue one memo to the press and stop the bickering. I've been forced to ignore about 50% of DU's posts because I'm sick of it.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. The best discussion I have seen was was on Bill Maher with Matt Taibbi. Taibbi is great.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Taibbi

He writes for "Rolling Stone."
His father is Mike Taibbi, also a reporter.

[dorkulon]

24. Saw video of that at this blog:

http://buffalobeast.blogspot.com/2008/01/taibbi-on-real-time.html

He was great. Tony Snow was horrible.

[OneGrassRoot]

31. I just watched Real Time - I'm now a HUGE fan of Taibbi!

He totally dissed MSM even though he's technically part of it. Wish we could enlist his help to start some sort of grassroots effort to disengage people from the MSM trance and resultant apathy.

[dorkulon]

32. check out buffalobeast.com

It's a scathing politics/satire paper he founded. He also used to work for the eXile in Moscow.

[driver8]

2. I have not watched the MSM news in over two years.

It amazes me the shit that they put out in the name of "news".

I ignore about 75% of the posts on DU -- so much garbage and shit slinging.

[harun]

8. Me either, I blocked them all. I don't see why people willingly

watch propaganda all day. Kind of depressing.

[Arkansas Granny]

15. The network "news" items are chosen for the number of viewers

they will pull, not for their importance or accuracy. The more sensational the story, the more people will tune in to hear it. Therefore, you report on the political scene the same way you would on the Britney Spears saga to boost your share of the viewing audience. It doesn't matter if you are telling the truth or not.

[Atman]

27. That's like a battalion not wanting to know where the enemy is positioned.

Sure, you might not like that there is an enemy, but it sure will help one understand why so many people get their panties in a wad here over so many issues. The fact is, television won't go away just because you don't watch it. That bullshit crap message is still getting beamed into the homes of millions of people. NOT watching is as bad as only watching Fox...you miss an entire, vital side of the discussion. Vital, because it tells us what the enemy is doing.

.

[driver8]

30. I can't watch it -- it pisses me off and gives me knots in my stomach.

You may be right, but I just can't do it.

[niyad]

3. I don't watch or read msm news--and haven't for years. saves wear and tear

on the nerves--and my tv sets.

thank goodness for the net, so I can get my news from all available sources.

[rodeodance]

4. I only have networks also-no cable. and they are feeding the public full of crapola-very

little of the news--but as you say in your post.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. American political campaigns are ever so charming and dignified.

:sarcasm:

[panader0]

6. I'm no Hillary fan, but I think this "race" thing has been blown way

out of proportion. Race, gender and religion are non-issues to me.

[Cant trust em]

12. She could have corrected herself and moved on, but...

she chose to blame it on the Obama campaign when they didn't start the criticism. She could have gone on Meet the Press and done a "What I meant to say was..." but instead continued to make it a big deal. What started out as a communication gaffe has turned into a whole controversy. I think that most people on this site are interested in moving on.

[Warpy]

7. It's a habit

and can be broken. I broke it in 2004, disgusted by the same sort of campaign coverage--talking about the candidates and their itineraries, but never letting a candidate speak about anything at all and certainly not mentioning any issues at stake.

I started tuning into Simpsons reruns that were on at the same time, and found out that old cartoons were telling me more about the state of this country than all those overpaid, blowdried bobbleheads put together were.

I don't watch the nightly propaganda hour. I don't watch the trash on cable, although I occasionally tune in if I read that Olberman will have a special comment. Once in a blue moon, I'll watch Charlie Rose if he has a particularly interesting guest. Otherwise, those bobbleheads can just yammer to thin air, they're not getting into my living room.

People just have a habit established: come home from work, put a frozen dinner into the oven or microwave/call for fast food, flop down on the couch, and tune into the news while they're waiting for food. Those are all bad habits and they're remarkably easy to break.

[Mythsaje]

9. I haven't tuned into the Corporate Media "News" since the Iraq invasion.

This whole thing is a debacle.

[sandnsea]

10. Who issued the press releases to ABC??

Not the Obama campaign. The media covers exactly what the campaigns push for them to cover.

[Cant trust em]

11. Too right

Though how someone campaigns is valuable insight at how they would manage the country, it's not as important as what issues they support. I really need more policy coverage and less Entertainment Tonight.

[gkhouston]

13. Christ, why did you fall into the trap of watching ABC Nightly News in the first place? n/t

[sinkingfeeling]

22. Because all I've seen in the way of posts here for a week, is the same lead story.

I don't care where people are getting this 'she said/he said' 'this one's campaign put out this rumor/talking points/memo' stuff, but it's a waste of time.

[tom_paine]

14. Even for those of us who don't look at Cable TV Infoganda, we can't help it because

it seeps in from those who do.

The Bushiganda is part of the background, like the air we breathe. There is no escaping it. It works on a subscoscious level, as all good advertising and marketing does.

We get caught in the vortexes and eddies of DUers who are taken in, and of course by the Bushie Trolls who have their marching orders and know what to do.

Sorry if I sound despairing, but collectively we and our Democratic Leadership allowed this to happen by giving Bushiganda a clear and unnopposed playing field for 25 years. We still coninue to do so.

[Uncle Joe]

16. So long as they focus on candidate A or candidate B,

no one will focus on candidate C, that's why they do it. Candidate C is talking hard about the issues, but the corporate media don't like the message. It's all part of the corporate media manipulation game, their clients are the mega corporations and super rich that own them or buy their commercials, not the American People.

[donheld]

17. I checked out of the MSM news racket about 6 years ago

Why are you still falling for their crap?

[sinkingfeeling]

28. I'm not, but about 50% of DU posters just keep throwing fuel on the fire. Look at the number of

posts about 'race' or 'sexism' or 'memos' or 'talking points' and I can't tell DU from any other media source.

[donheld]

29. I hear ya

Seems to me some like to be tormented.

[TalkingDog]

18. You're talking about DU, right? Oh, wait....we dedicate 90% of our time

to said activities, so that can't be right.


Hmmm...MSM. 60% less sniping might make it worth a look see. :P


My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

[sinkingfeeling]

21. Don't you wonder where all these posters are getting their 'facts' in the great 'She said/He said'

debate? I used MSM in my opening post, but I'd sure like to know where DU's getting their news. Maybe all of them actually are 'journalists' in their spare time.

[TalkingDog]

23. Tin foil hat theory?

I have read of companies like Nintendo (and many, many others) hiring plants to cruise the hot gaming sites. They set up accounts and stay in touch and active for long periods of time, sometimes years. They gather info and then when a new product comes out, they are right there touting it all the way. Or dissing the competitons newest offering. Or egging on a promotor or detractor, so they stay out of the fray, but get their point across.

If you had an inkling you were going to make a run 2 years ago, web-savvy or promotion savvy folks might just use the same idea to "tweak" the system.


Je n'accuse pas, j'offre des idées.


My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

[tnlefty]

19. Another division created by the corporate media that I heard either

yesterday or Sat. in a discussion between Russert, David Brooks (:puke:), Susan Page (I think) and Chuck Todd:

The Starbucks democrats, those better educated, more affluent voted for Obama. These were more likely wine drinkers.

The Wal-Mart demcrats, less well educated, more financially vulnerable and more likely beer drinkers voted for Clinton.

As soon as I heard it just struck me as another way to try to divide us up and it was infuriating especially coming in the midst of the feuding already taking place.

[sinkingfeeling]

20. OK, but you all have been spouting the same crap here for days! You say you don't watch MSM news,

but you sure are posting the same junk they're covering on TV. Did you get from You Tube or read it online? The point is, this is a way to take your attention away from any important aspect of choosing a president.

[Uncle Joe]

25. I didn't spout it, but for the sake of argument, we're made up of thousands of people

with varying opinions, most are sympathetic to the Democratic Party, but some aren't, most care about the Constitution, but some are here just to stir trouble. I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise.

The primary difference between us and the corporate media is simple, the vast majority of the people on D.U. are posting here because of what they believe, whether rightly or wrongly unhindered by the potential loss of a job or paycheck. Six corporations own 90% of everything you see on television, hear on the radio or read in the newspapers or magazines. FOX "News" is just a red flag, to the others it's just a matter of degree, but it's all corporate.

Those corporations make their money by selling ads to other corporations, even if they had an enlightened owner or CEO, they can only push the envelope so far, if at all.

[mnhtnbb]

26. Whether they know it or not, the MSM is going to contribute to the rise

of John Edwards as the preferred candidate.

And if Hillary and Obama don't quit giving them ammo, they'll be pledging their support to Edwards
when he wins the nomination.