"Fair & Balanced" But Hardly Truthful

I don't know how many of you noticed the fuss about ABC's censorship of Boston Legal last Sunday, but it's ironic, the show was about free speech. The Disney-owned ABC asked the writers to remove a reference to FOX News Network. Who could ever think that Fox News is biased? Horrors! So, ABC played it safe by censoring the script of Boston Legal! Yet, we, fans of the show, noticed the writers' jibe at ABC, that censorship is alive and well and it's applied even on a ..drama show! Also, they left in the script the reference to new documentary Outfoxed (on R. Murdoch's war on journalism and the distortion of the truth). Smooth!
I've worked as a journalist, and I've never pretended that I didn't have an opinion. But opinion is one thing and distorting the facts is another matter. Journalism is about the hunt for the truth. Is it not? As usual, the Boston Legal writers made some excellent points. In the Cronkite days, you could turn to the news to find out what was going on if you didn't trust what the government was telling you. Not anymore. News for the most part is seen as another purely commercial, entertaining activity. Give the people what they want, a character on Boston Legal argued. Why not?, Over at FOX News there is a better world--we're winning the war in Iraq (with hardly any casualties), the economy is performing beautifully for every American, and you do feel that you are in the company of fellow patriots!
On the same day, The New York Times reported that at least 20 federal agencies have made and distributed pre-packaged, ready-to-serve television "news segments" to promote President Bush's policies and initiatives. Congress' Government Accountability Office (GAO) determined that these "video news releases" were illegal "covert propaganda" and told federal agencies to stop. But, last Friday, the White House ordered all agencies to disregard Congress' directive! Expect nothing more, or less. The Bush administration is using hundreds of millions of our tax dollars to manipulate public opinion. This is illegal, but this also is in your face politics--the ethos of the neo-con Republicans and as practiced by Bush. Just take a look at his judicial appointments and his rewarding of the liars and the incompetent people of his praetorian guard to see this concept applied.
Send a message and tell them to stop using our money for mindless covert propaganda. Media Matters is another excellent site that monitors distortions by the media, especially those who don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.
The self-proclaimed "fair & balanced" network is indeed right: it's fair both to the neo-cons & the traditional conservatives; and, it's balanced between promoting intolerance and ignorance. We have to admit that Fox's been very effective! Its viewers, who also tend to be Bush supporters (surprise?), still believe that we've found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and that Sadam & Osama are blood brothers! [editor's note: Let me check on the tooth fairy thingy and I'll get back to you]
As the late Senator from NY, Patrick Moynihan, used to say, everybody is entitled to his opinion, but not to his own facts!