The problem with conservative media? They’re lying.
This week has seen the public immolation of two prominent right-wing media provocateurs, Andrew Breitbart and Tucker Carlson.
Both were outed for disseminating “exposes” of liberal wrong-doing that turned out to be deliberately edited so as to create an outright deception.
Carlson printed parts of emails written by mainstream journalists on a private listserv, purporting to show that they wanted the government to “shut down” Fox News.
Breitbart disseminated a now-famous video that claimed to show an African American Agriculture Department staffer discriminating against a white farmer.
Turns out both were deliberately, unambiguously false. Which brings me to my problem with conservative media.
I happen to like the evolution of more ideologically-driven journalism. I still think there’s a place for “straight” news, but it’s interesting to have good reporters chasing a wide range of narratives and facts and issues.
I’m even comfortable with the Right’s conviction that most mainstream reporters (like myself) are closet-liberals.
I happen to think they’re wrong. But if that’s what motivates a conservative blogger (or editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal) to get up a little earlier and dig a little deeper, that’s great.
Unfortunately, that’s not what’s happening on the Right. Far too often, conservative journalists are pushing narratives and arguments which simply have no basis in fact.
It’s not just that they’re copping to an ideological bias and going with it. No, they’re actually telling lies.
They use the techniques of populism (when Fox News producers secretly cheerlead crowds to chant slogans) or propaganda (when videos are selectively edited) or deceptive framing (omitting important fact and context) to paint a picture of issues that are, simply and uncomplicatedly, false.
Here are some of those narratives currently being circulated:
1. White people are being victimized by people of color.
This kind of thing used to be the purview of fringe racists, but it’s now a common theme on Fox News (showing constantly recycled images of a couple of Black Panther goofs) and Rush Limbaugh.
Yes some whites have experienced discrimination in various forms. But by every accepted metric, black and Hispanic Americans face far more challenges (including racism) than their white neighbors.
2. Illegal immigration has created chaos on our southern border.
Yes, illegal immigration is a serious problem and policy fixes are needed. And yes, Mexico is wrestling with an incredible wave of drug-related violence.
But crime rates in American border cities are actually down and there is zero evidence that some kind of lawless Mad Max zone is developing in Arizona and New Mexico.
3. The President of the United States is a foreigner and perhaps a Muslim sleeper agent who has infiltrated our political system.
The conservative media has recycled this bugaboo for two years, despite conclusive evidence that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii to an American mother.
As recently as July 19th, the Washington Times ran an illustration of his Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan wearing a turban, suggesting that she — a Jew — might be planning to promote Islamic sharia law.
4. American democracy has been so debased by Democrats and liberals that armed conflict may be necessary or appropriate.
This may be the most irresponsible conservative narrative of them all. From Fox News commentator Sarah Palin to Glenn Beck, conservative media personalities have winked and nudged repeatedly at the idea that “our country” may need to be “taken back” by some means other than the ballot box.
They repeat narratives about “taxation without representation,” while side-stepping the fact that America is a nation of laws, written and approved in majority-votes by officials we have elected.
So the problem with the conservative media isn’t that it’s conservative — but rather that the most prominent TV and radio shows and blogs simply aren’t telling factual, accurate stories about American life and American problems.
Here’s how conservative writer David Frum described it in a column this week.
When people talk of the “closing of the conservative mind” this is what they mean: not that conservatives are more narrow-minded than other people — everybody can be narrow minded — but that conservatives have a unique capacity to ignore unwelcome fact.
Someday soon, conservatives will run Washington DC again — if not after this election than after another election that will follow.
Let’s hope that they’ll have better sources of information than the Limbaughs, the Hannities and the Breitbarts who are now shaping the Right’s worldview.
Almost forgot…
We still have to call them on it when they lie, or just plain manipulate the facts to make them into something they’re not.
Bret, I have to assume that you agree that Pope Benedict is also a Nazi.
Eric Severied (sp?). There was an interesting man and a true professional.
I don’t remember Chet Huntley ever having an expression of any kind. Gonna have to google him now!
Now, PNElba, you get on my case if I play word games, so don’t do it yourself. I used the word collaborator. I’m not all that familiar with the Pope, being a Protestant kinda guy, but if he claimed it was some of the best years of his life, that the power gave him messianic thoughts….I would have severe reservations about him. Of course a man can change and if the Pope has accepted responsibility for anything he did that was wrong and tried to make amends for it, well that’s a little different than Georgie Boy who expresses no guilt, remorse or responsibility for any wrong doing he may have done.
Bret, do you also believe the Pope is a Nazi?
Sorry, this blog site is acting squirrelly recently. Bret, Soros was 14 year old kid!!!! That doesn’t mean anything to you at all? You must have been the most responsible, ethical, bravehearted 14 year old in history. Do you have any empathy for people whatsoever? Just to fill you in, the Pope grew up in Germany and joined the Brown Shirts when he was 16. I excuse that action as well.
P- My empathy extends to those who express regret or misgivings or at least feel some guilt or remorse for their actions when young. Soros doesn’t even attempt to do that. The Pope appears to have made some attempts to make amends. In my quick search I found nothing indicating the Pope described that period of his life as “the best year of my life”.
FYI- Since you want to somehow bring me into this, I’m still dealing with personal demons that haunt me from my youth. I’ve done and said things that I shouldn’t have and when I grew older I realized how very wrong those things were. I certainly don’t refuse to accept responsibility or try to justify my actions like Soros does. In my mind anyone that participates in something like that, turning on his “own people”, would be likely to carry some extensive mental trauma throughout life. Those that don’t are aberrations in my experience. Most of those I’ve run into are sexual criminals and child molesters. No, I’m not saying Soros is a pervert, I’m saying in my experience that’s where I’ve run into the few people that resemble Soros apparent personality.
Where do you draw the line at giving excuses? What about the Menendez boys? They were just a little older than Soros or the Pope. I know there have been other children who have murdered people. At what age or in what circumstances are you prepared to forgive someones actions? So you excuse the gangbanger that shoots a rival gang member dead when both are 15? Or commits rape? I can see if in later years they have a change of heart and sincerely express regret, but Soros doesn’t do that.
Bret,
I read the Canada article on Soros, and it’s repeating a brain-dead Ann Coulter lie. Read this thread for the complete “60 Minutes” transcript, and note the selective editing in your objective news source.
http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=43876
To call Soros a Nazi collaborator, and then sound high-minded about “facts” in news coverage later in the thread, is funny. In a really sad kind of way.
I never said CFP was objective. I believe I called it melodramatic. And I’ve read and watched the 60 Minutes interview. I’ll put it on you since you say it all a lie. Prove it’s a lie, prove that he didn’t say what he said and that he’s expressed any regret for taking part in the Nazi regime. Prove it. I’ve looked, I can;t find where he expresses one iota of guilt, remorse or even vague feelings of unease over it. And I’d read the Snopes piece too, nothing but opinion, no new facts to dispute what Soros own words say.
What’s sad to me is that the left will defend a man who takes part in the same type of high finance boondoggles and schemes that they whine about all the time simply because he’s bankrolling their cause. “Wall St is made up on evil, uncaring, profit driven greedy devils, except for the ones that are our side!”
Jeeze, look in the mirror guys.
When people feel that their conversation is private and that they are among friends, they will speak from the heart. When their remarks are exposed, they will show contrition and want you believe that they mis-spoke.
They may try to change their appearance, but what is in their heart doesn’t change. I laugh every time I hear the response, “but they apologized.”
I don’t know if Brian M will find this, but on several occasions he has accused Glenn Beck of inciting violence. So in this case that would be Brian lying. Proof? I just happened to catch Glenns show Monday 7/26/10. Get ahold of the first 15 minutes after the start of the 2nd hour Brian and you’ll hear Glenns pleas AGAINST anyone using violence of any sort, just as I’ve heard him do countless times before.
If you’re going to accuse someone of something and then an entire group of lying, at least do your research.
Dispirited. Greatly. Why is it that Americans who sound most upset…and who share their HEAT so freely with others online…do so while shedding SO LITTLE LIGHT on themselves?
Guard your anonymity as you will. But if you don’t post with your full (real) name…try doing yourself a favor. Ask: “Am I going to get heard or get in a shouting match?” If the latter is your answer…you’ll know what to do. You know that we ALL die soon enough; so why would you want to throw your words into white noise while YOU are still alive? Communicate TO BE HEARD…while you still can :)
As in St Lawrence County Family Court Judge Barbara Lake Potter? Right. You can use whatever name you like, those who frequent a site will come to know you by that name. That’s all you need.