Zach LarkinsMEDIA SCANDALS
Thomas Sowell is one of my favourite writers. He has a knack for hitting the nail on the head 95% of the time. The other 5% constitutes the times I disagree with him. He recently wrote an article that put things in perspective and is worth taking a closer look at.
Sowell opines that if the ‘Washington Madam's' phone numbers contained the names of Karl Rove and Ted Kennedy, which name would be given precedence in the media? Not too hard to figure that one out. Today's media is extremely liberal and it is blatant in its reports. Conservatives who try to show another side to the story are dismissed as irrelevant or brain- washed. But a study of some facts should dispel this myth.
Much of what the media reports as a scandal is not a scandal at all. It is merely shouting ‘Fire' in a crowded movie house in order to sell papers.
The Bush administration recently fired eight US attorneys. That is not a scandal, unless, of course, you want to believe it is. It certainly wasn't a scandal when the Clinton administration fired every single US attorney in the country. What's the difference? Why is one and not the other a scandal? These attorneys serve at the pleasure of the sitting president and can be fired at any time, for any reason or for no reason. What constitutes a scandal in what Bush did? Clinton fired the whole lot to get rid of the ones who were investigating him for corruption while he was governor of Arkansas. Eight vs all. Who pulled off the greater cover-up?
Newt Gingrich was chastised when he received a large advance from a publisher when he was Speaker of the House. This is a scandal? Why then wasn't it a scandal when Bill and Hillary received large advances from a publisher when they (she) ran the White House?
Senator Harry Reid received $1 million from a real estate deal involving property he no longer owned. But the new owner has gotten favourable treatment from the government and there is no hint of scandal attached.
There is a lot of hue and cry about the government knowing what books you check out of the local library, under provisions of the Patriot Act. What a scandal! But what about the hundreds of confidential FBI files on Republicans that were turned over to Clinton when he was in office? Oh, that was ‘just a mistake'. These files are supposed to be kept confidential for a reason. No one would want to be anonymously charged as a pedophile to satisfy someone else's ambitions. Would Clinton's impeachment hearings have been different if some Senators didn't have to worry about being taken down with him if they forced him out of office? As for the library books, do you really believe the government has the resources to waste in tracking you to see if you checked out a book on cooking or terrorism? Hardly.
Don Imus lost everything for making one stupid remark. What a scandal! Well, how about Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson making racist remarks? No, no scandal there. Yet they have more influence on race relations than Imus ever will have.
Scandal is what the media deems it to be. And that is sad. It will be a great day when we can get back to reporting news objectively and letting the public make up their own minds rather than being steered into what the newspapers and TV want us to believe.
Sources: Thomas Sowell Media Choices Windsor Star
Sowell opines that if the ‘Washington Madam's' phone numbers contained the names of Karl Rove and Ted Kennedy, which name would be given precedence in the media? Not too hard to figure that one out. Today's media is extremely liberal and it is blatant in its reports. Conservatives who try to show another side to the story are dismissed as irrelevant or brain- washed. But a study of some facts should dispel this myth.
Much of what the media reports as a scandal is not a scandal at all. It is merely shouting ‘Fire' in a crowded movie house in order to sell papers.
The Bush administration recently fired eight US attorneys. That is not a scandal, unless, of course, you want to believe it is. It certainly wasn't a scandal when the Clinton administration fired every single US attorney in the country. What's the difference? Why is one and not the other a scandal? These attorneys serve at the pleasure of the sitting president and can be fired at any time, for any reason or for no reason. What constitutes a scandal in what Bush did? Clinton fired the whole lot to get rid of the ones who were investigating him for corruption while he was governor of Arkansas. Eight vs all. Who pulled off the greater cover-up?
Newt Gingrich was chastised when he received a large advance from a publisher when he was Speaker of the House. This is a scandal? Why then wasn't it a scandal when Bill and Hillary received large advances from a publisher when they (she) ran the White House?
Senator Harry Reid received $1 million from a real estate deal involving property he no longer owned. But the new owner has gotten favourable treatment from the government and there is no hint of scandal attached.
There is a lot of hue and cry about the government knowing what books you check out of the local library, under provisions of the Patriot Act. What a scandal! But what about the hundreds of confidential FBI files on Republicans that were turned over to Clinton when he was in office? Oh, that was ‘just a mistake'. These files are supposed to be kept confidential for a reason. No one would want to be anonymously charged as a pedophile to satisfy someone else's ambitions. Would Clinton's impeachment hearings have been different if some Senators didn't have to worry about being taken down with him if they forced him out of office? As for the library books, do you really believe the government has the resources to waste in tracking you to see if you checked out a book on cooking or terrorism? Hardly.
Don Imus lost everything for making one stupid remark. What a scandal! Well, how about Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson making racist remarks? No, no scandal there. Yet they have more influence on race relations than Imus ever will have.
Scandal is what the media deems it to be. And that is sad. It will be a great day when we can get back to reporting news objectively and letting the public make up their own minds rather than being steered into what the newspapers and TV want us to believe.
Sources: Thomas Sowell Media Choices Windsor Star
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everything you hear today from the media smacks of "scandal"...it's really getting ridiculous....
You can't even turn on CNN or MSNBC anymore for real news, because all you're going to hear about is the death of some poor, drugged up has-been promiscuous gold digging actress, or about some minor no name politician being "called on the carpet" for not accounting for all of his campaign contributions...
Good christ, give it a rest!
I could care less whether or not Paula Abdul is high all time on American Idol, or if Johnny Depp has become a communist...do either of these people effect MY life in anyway?
Uh no, they don't! So who really gives a crap? Unless it's a story about somebody handing out free money, then I don't want to hear about anymore "scandals" from the media...
Great blog! Well said!
Take care..
Your buddy,
Nick
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