Blatant Bias
Every morning I awake excited and enthusiastic to work with young journalists at USC. I am not among the hand-wringers who fret over the future of public information. Indeed, count me among those who literally can’t wait for the Old to be replaced by the New. We will lose nothing and gain much.
I had that thought re-enforced today when I saw the front page of Politico which I reproduce in part above. Politico might be primarily an online publication but it’s run by former newspaper guys and it is a reliable font of hoary conventional wisdom [sic].
Just take a look at the photo above. You can see it is a “composite.” In other words, it was consciously constructed by a photo editor and then approved by a front page editor.
The left hand panel shows about 1,500 pages of paper. The President’s plan, which is referred to, is actually less than 20 pages. It’s not what we see in the pic.
To be fair, the Senate bill which Obama is basically supporting does, indeed, total to more than a thousand pages. So friggin’ what? Anybody here know how long an average bill stacks up to be? Does it matter? As a matter of fact it does. The first Bush bank bailout giveaway was based on a three page bill. Another 997 pages of details and conditions could have only improved that act of corporate welfare.
More importantly, is the inherent and rather blatant bias demonstrated in the photo. It clearly implies that Obama is imposing a very negative and bureaucratic burden on the nation. By contrast, that photo could have been some artful representation of 30 million benefiting from new health care insurance. But that would be biased, no?
February 23rd, 2010 at 8:19 am
Great point. It’s the subtle propaganda, stories based on faulty assumptions, misleading juxtaposition of photos etc, that is far more effective than pronoucements by Dear Leader pasted on every wall.
I don’t share your optimism regarding the future of journalism. Media consolidation will just shrink the boundaries of acceptable political discourse even further.
February 23rd, 2010 at 11:28 am
Marc:
I can understand your optimism. Because of the internet, new media models will emergent that won’t be dependent upon big name corporations. In my hometown of New Haven, CT — a good friend and veteran journalist, Paul Bass, has started a great online news service strictly about New Haven issues and politics. When folks discover a workable revenue stream (advertisment, paltry subscription rates, etc) these web-based new sites will take off.
As for the Health Bill — what do we expect from Politico? Its a fairly conservative political blog. But I think Obama is really underestimated, as you also pointed out. He is a Chicago-style politician, he knows how to get nasty if he has to.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
WATCH KEITH OLBERMANN TONIGHT. HIS SPECIAL COMMENT.
February 25th, 2010 at 4:34 am
What’s the problem? You guys reporting on the left, excuse me, you guys on the left who report are as biased as any. You have some balls Marc complaining of “blatant bias.” Yawn!
February 25th, 2010 at 9:47 am
Troll alert. After a brief hiatus, first troll spotting.
February 25th, 2010 at 10:47 am
GM, what are you doing up so early in the morning?
February 25th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
He wanted to catch the mushroom cloud when the Dems launch the ‘nuclear option’—caused he missed it the 13 times the Republicans pushed the button. He’s just getting a curbside seat.
February 25th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
I’ve been watching the HCR meeting in its entirety and I’m left wondering is there a senator who is more stupid or disingenuous than Chuck Grassley ? Lotta competition, but this idiot is truly a piece of work.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022592.php
February 25th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Carefull Marc, all those years you spent defending the mainstream media-conventional wisdom guys when they threw just such crapola at Bill Clinton has left the likes of GM awful soft. You’re going to kill the guy with this kind of reality based post.
During the Bush years when the Dems caved time and time
again to the worst President in Modern History (pimped, it should be noted, as a visionary by some of Coop’s favorites like
the inept Chris Matthews) they still managed oft times as not to
be portrayed as the “obstructionist” Dems. We may need the
Nuclear option!
The Republicans have voted as a block, a hundred percent “no” to Obama. The press spin? Washington is in
the hopeless tangle of “bipartisan” gridlock. Golly, the
Republicans just want to stop the spending!! I hope some
of Marc Cooper’s students noticed this, and can explain
some of it to him.
February 25th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Another note on the health care summit, John McCain was in full form – as the resentful old coot, spouting cliches and barely able to keep up even with his end of the conversation. It struck me again, and with full force, just what a bullet we dodged in the McCain-Palin bid to run the country.
February 25th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
McCain was like he usually is… A Jerk, but then, so was Obama.
Samuel, I’m a troll because I point out the obvious? That’s cute. No, really it is cute and you’re so nice to point it out. Really, I mean it! Yeppers, I’m laughing my little fanny off. Sure am!
February 25th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Question: Will reg be able to comply with a state resolution?
Only if he stops commenting.
February 25th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
LOL, nice job, troll–as if we didn’t know who “Reg Hoakster” was all along, but now you made it pathetically obvious with your slip-up.
You’re a troll because you ankle-bite and snip without substance. You’re emotional and partisan instead of reasonable and focused on debating falsifiable points. Slogans and sniping do not equal substance.
February 25th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
I think the President should “pivot” to jobs jobs jobs. But he won’t.
February 25th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
I…don’t think that’s him, Samuel. Reads like somebody who just stole `yeppers’ from the real GM.
But I could be wrong…:)
February 25th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Obama for the next Sea World trainer!
February 25th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Obama was a “jerk” at the HCR ? Wow…GMRopeRegHoakster truly lives on another planet. Obama was cool, calculated and remarkably polite in the face of some supreme dishonesty and drivel being spouted by the GOPers. Had he not shown an occasional edge in the face of some of the stuff that was tossed in his direction, he’d have looked like a wimp. He handled the “summit” brilliantly.
February 25th, 2010 at 5:59 pm
While he’s got his “little (!?!?!?) fanny” in gear, perhaps GMR would like to explain to us how a modest tax break for businesses making new hires – which no one claims as “panacea” to the horrible unemployment levels Bush left us with (after 8 years of extremely poor job creation stats, even in the “good times”) – is a “monstrosity”, as claimed on his Site for Sore Losers.
Total f…ing idiot !
February 26th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Stay classy, Woody.
February 26th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Did Woody comment ? Guess I missed that…
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:24 pm
LOL, nice job, troll–as if we didn’t know who “Reg Hoakster” was all along, but now you made it pathetically obvious with your slip-up.
It’s no news that Roper is a moron.
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:27 pm
I…don’t think that’s him, Samuel. Reads like somebody who just stole `yeppers’ from the real GM.
Uh, no.