This isn't intended as a flame or anything, but... Where did the sudden obsession with bashing CNN come from? To the best of my knowledge, CNN had never been mentioned on Slashdot (did I miss a story or something?), then there were suddenly two polls (the other one was "Best Sci-Fi Costumes") with options that bash CNN. Can someone fill me in?
That said, the options about driving nails under your eyeballs and about WWII forklifts were quite arbitrary, but I assume that those were meant to be arbitrary.
I think the dual nature of the option was ideological in nature. The right wing is convinced CNN has a heavily liberal slant. It doesn't, but these are the same people who think Dan Rather's a pinko leftie. Fox News is unabashedly conservative. So I guess the assumption is depending on your political leaning, watching either CNN or Fox would be extremely unpleasant.
The prior poll probably referred to CNN's often-mocked space age facelift they've just gone through.
The right wing is convinced CNN has a heavily liberal slant. It doesn't, but these are the same people who think Dan Rather's a pinko leftie. Fox News is unabashedly conservative. So I guess the assumption is depending on your political leaning, watching either CNN or Fox would be extremely unpleasant.
This cracked me up.
So restated: "The networks that agree with my personal political, leftist affiliation, are non-biased. Sometimes it may seem that they are biased, but I agree with them, so they aren't. Fox, on the other hand, doesn't slant stories towards the left, so therefore they are biased."
Actually, the way to determine whether someone or something is biased, is to invert it ideologically and see whether it seems biased from the other point of view.
FOX has literally dozens of shows which features a proudly openly conservative news personality who constantly lauds the GOP and bashes Democrats, without any counterveiling opinion by any co-host. For CNN to be liberal, it would have to have the same number of such programs in the opposite direction.
In point of fact, there are NO such shows in the entirety of TV. The brand new minted Donahue program is the first in over a decade that has a liberal who controls the agenda, but that's on MSNBC. Further, you don't hear him calling Bush a Coke head Criminal, like Rush and his dozens of imatators did - and continue to do - to Clinton.
In fact, by spiking stories about Bush (his continued gaffes, his defrauding investors, his misuse of eminent domain laws to steal land from farmers, his father's using his influence to get his failing oil businesses funded, his fantasy budget projects, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc) CNN shows its true colors to be conservative. If Gore had even been periphally associated with any of those scandals, the press would be clanging the gong day and night about it, but because it's a Republican in the Whitehouse, they just shut up.
When conservatives complain that the "press is liberal", what they really mean is that they have been unable to stifle EVERY SINGLE liberal voice in the US media. Being only 90% effective isn't good enough for them, and any show which actually has an even number of liberals and conservatives in which the liberal wasn't selected for his singular ability to be toungue-tied (such as CNN's crossfire) must perforce mean that the entire network is therefore liberal. (When it is really is on the moderate end of the GOP spectrum.)
In point of fact, there are NO such shows in the entirety of TV. The brand new minted Donahue program is the first in over a decade that has a liberal who controls the agenda
Apparently you never watched Geraldo Rivera's show on CNBC. Or the Rosie O'Donnell Show. Or The View. Or 48 Hours. Or Primetime Live. Or This Week with Sam and Coakie. Or anything written by Aaron Sorkin or David E. Kelly. Or most of NBC and UPN's sitcom line-ups...
Heck, it's a running joke on 20/20 that Barbara Walters practically refuses to talk to John Stossel whenever he has a segment.
Sorry - when I meant show, I meant news show. The fact that hollywood tends to slant left is not in dispute (despite notable conservatives such as Heston and Reagan).
When he was on previously, Donahue was just as left as he is now. But he was by and large not talking politics or defending politicians. But there is a difference between a a show about "relationships", and a political program.
Insofar as your assertions that shows such as "48 Hours", Primetime, and This Week are liberal, you obviously must believe that when you see a single segment you don't like, that means the entire program must be biased left. The truth is that centerist programs will have equal numbers of segments that slant in each direction - something that you extra-chromosome types can't seem to fathom.
Most liberals would die for equivalent access that John Stossel has on conservative programs. Unfortunately they don't just "refuse to talk to them" - they don't have them on.
Ah, you have no point so you turn to insult. Typical move.
"If people don't think exactly my way, they MUST have an extra chromosome or judge entire shows based on one segment, because i'm the king grand high poobah of everything!"
The truth is that centerist programs will have equal numbers of segments that slant in each direction - something that you extra-chromosome types can't seem to fathom.
Y'know, up until this point, I actually thought you were serious and worth responding to. Thank you for saving me the trouble.
I'm not exactly sure what your problem is. "Extra-Chromosome Republican" is a term Lee Atwater coined to refer to conservatives who called their fellow GOPers liberal. (In case you don't know, Atwater was the man behind the hard-ball political tactics of George Bush's 1988 presidential campaign.)
And, given that you're attacking center-right news programs as "liberal", I think it's not only inoffensive, but fairly discriptive of your views.
I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.
-- Oscar Wilde
A Legitimate Question? (Score:4, Insightful)
That said, the options about driving nails under your eyeballs and about WWII forklifts were quite arbitrary, but I assume that those were meant to be arbitrary.
Re:A Legitimate Question? (Score:1)
The prior poll probably referred to CNN's often-mocked space age facelift they've just gone through.
Re:A Legitimate Question? (Score:3, Insightful)
This cracked me up.
So restated: "The networks that agree with my personal political, leftist affiliation, are non-biased. Sometimes it may seem that they are biased, but I agree with them, so they aren't. Fox, on the other hand, doesn't slant stories towards the left, so therefore they are biased."
Sheesh!
-Bill
Re:A Legitimate Question? (Score:2)
FOX has literally dozens of shows which features a proudly openly conservative news personality who constantly lauds the GOP and bashes Democrats, without any counterveiling opinion by any co-host. For CNN to be liberal, it would have to have the same number of such programs in the opposite direction.
In point of fact, there are NO such shows in the entirety of TV. The brand new minted Donahue program is the first in over a decade that has a liberal who controls the agenda, but that's on MSNBC. Further, you don't hear him calling Bush a Coke head Criminal, like Rush and his dozens of imatators did - and continue to do - to Clinton.
In fact, by spiking stories about Bush (his continued gaffes, his defrauding investors, his misuse of eminent domain laws to steal land from farmers, his father's using his influence to get his failing oil businesses funded, his fantasy budget projects, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc) CNN shows its true colors to be conservative. If Gore had even been periphally associated with any of those scandals, the press would be clanging the gong day and night about it, but because it's a Republican in the Whitehouse, they just shut up.
When conservatives complain that the "press is liberal", what they really mean is that they have been unable to stifle EVERY SINGLE liberal voice in the US media. Being only 90% effective isn't good enough for them, and any show which actually has an even number of liberals and conservatives in which the liberal wasn't selected for his singular ability to be toungue-tied (such as CNN's crossfire) must perforce mean that the entire network is therefore liberal. (When it is really is on the moderate end of the GOP spectrum.)
Re:A Legitimate Question? (Score:2)
Blockquoth the poster:
Apparently you never watched Geraldo Rivera's show on CNBC. Or the Rosie O'Donnell Show. Or The View. Or 48 Hours. Or Primetime Live. Or This Week with Sam and Coakie. Or anything written by Aaron Sorkin or David E. Kelly. Or most of NBC and UPN's sitcom line-ups...
Heck, it's a running joke on 20/20 that Barbara Walters practically refuses to talk to John Stossel whenever he has a segment.
Re:A Legitimate Question? (Score:1)
When he was on previously, Donahue was just as left as he is now. But he was by and large not talking politics or defending politicians. But there is a difference between a a show about "relationships", and a political program.
Insofar as your assertions that shows such as "48 Hours", Primetime, and This Week are liberal, you obviously must believe that when you see a single segment you don't like, that means the entire program must be biased left. The truth is that centerist programs will have equal numbers of segments that slant in each direction - something that you extra-chromosome types can't seem to fathom.
Most liberals would die for equivalent access that John Stossel has on conservative programs. Unfortunately they don't just "refuse to talk to them" - they don't have them on.
Re:A Legitimate Question? (Score:0)
"If people don't think exactly my way, they MUST have an extra chromosome or judge entire shows based on one segment, because i'm the king grand high poobah of everything!"
Get off your high horse.
Re:A Legitimate Question? (Score:2)
Blockquoth the poster:
Y'know, up until this point, I actually thought you were serious and worth responding to. Thank you for saving me the trouble.
Re:A Legitimate Question? (Score:1)
And, given that you're attacking center-right news programs as "liberal", I think it's not only inoffensive, but fairly discriptive of your views.