Fair and Balanced?
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Fair and Balanced
Fair and Balanced
05/04/2004 09:16 PMRead this Editorial titled Leader: iTunes ain't what it used to be
from Silicon.com. If you're like me you'll see many glaring errors.
Let's start...
"Fair and balanced" polls
"Fair and balanced" polls
06/25/2004 01:34 PMFox New: Is "Fair and Balanced"
"ridiculous"?
Fox New: Is "Fair and Balanced"
"ridiculous"?
07/18/2004 06:39 PM"Is 'Fair and Balanced' ridiculous?" So opened the
FOX News
Watch segment examining
Robert Greenwald's
film,
OutFOXed. And
astonishingly, the uncontradicted view of FOX News Watch was "yes"! As
Neal Gabler put it,
"To say that this network promotes the Republican view ... is like
saying that the Pope is Catholic. It's self-evident ... pretty much
undeniable." But, he asks, as if he hadn't actually seen the film, "So
what?"
So what? Well first, start with the question that opened the segment:
Fox says it is "Fair and Balanced." If it is "self-evident" that it is
not, then I guess we agree then that it is "ridiculous" to say that it
is. And second, "obviously" media critics get this about Fox. Anyone
who critically watches Fox gets this about Fox. But as one questioner
at the San Francisco opening put it, for those who aren't media
critics, and for those who don't actually watch Fox, just how
"ridiculous" Fox's claim is is something significant. My bet is that a
cross-section of FOX viewers would be surprised just how false Fox's
claims actually are.
The discussion opened with
Jim
Pinkerton of Newsday calling the film "dull and didactic." He then
asserted that the film says that media networks are "either worse than
the Mafia that ran Cuba in the 1950s or worse than the Soviet Union."
When I heard him say that, I understood why he saw the film as "dull
and didactic": if this is his view, he didn't really watch the film.
The opening allusion to the Mafia comes from
Robert McChesney, where he
compares how the Mafia carved up Cuba with how the government carves
up media ownership -- nothing to do with the media being "worse than
the Mafia." The allusion to the Soviet Union, also McChesney's, again
had nothing to do with Pinkerton's claim. McChesney's claim was simply
that propaganda is most effective when the audience is unaware --
unlike in the Soviet Union.
The other simple fabrication of Pinkerton was that the film comprised
"two or three disgruntled employees." That's true if by "two or three"
you mean seven (
four
listed here; three requested anonymity). But the more fundamental
fabrication is the suggestion that the film's claims are based on
nothing more than the word of "two or three disgruntled employees."
The film has five independent sources for its "self-evident," as
Grabler puts it, conclusion: (1) former Foxies, (2) Fox memos
(unmentioned by anyone on the show), (3) independent studies of Fox
viewers, (4) media commentators, and (5) clips from Fox shows.
Cal
Thomas -- who was one of the people in the film -- found the film
flawed because it "ignored the many Democrats I've had on my show."
Again, not true. The movie never asserts that there are no Democrats,
or liberals on the show. It just asserts -- not denied by Thomas --
that the "balance" is "unbalanced." Indeed, in one of the best parts
of the film, Greenwald reports a media group that studied months of
Brit Hume's "Special Report" and found over 80% of the guests on that
premier show were Republican -- and that most of the Democrats were
centrists. Not balanced, and not a fair picture of the facts reported.
Thomas goes on (with his wonderful announcer voice -- I love listening
to him) to say something extraordinary however. Here's the quote:
"I think the reason that this network looks so Republican
... is by contrast on [sic] what the others do. If you went and did --
as the Media Research Center has done -- clips of what is said on the
broadcast networks ... you would find an enormous tilt to the left. So
by contrast it looks conservative."
I think we need more
Media Research Centers on
both the Left and Right and -- imagine this -- even without a
political agenda! But I've not seen that they've put together "clips"
as Greenwald has. And again, the film is comparing what Fox News
actually is to what Fox News says it is.
Jane
Hall (Who? She's an assistant professor in the School of
Communication at American University) complained the film was flawed
because it left "out any evidence to the contrary." There were plenty
of liberals on Fox she said -- for example, she said, she was a
liberal. She also mentioned Jeff Cohen, cofounder of
FAIR, was on Fox News Watch "for five
years."
Jeff Cohen? Actually, the movie not only doesn't ignore Jeff Cohen. He
is
one
of the most critical interviewees. And again, the film doesn't say
there are no liberals on Fox. The show instead reports
Clara
Frenk reporting that the "quality" of the liberals was far less
than the quality of the conservatives -- in the sense that the
liberals were either "unknown" or "weak."
Hall also repeated the total non-thought that has been framed around
this film -- that somehow the film is weak because it didn't get Roger
Ailes to respond. The film in fact has Roger Ailes stating Fox News
was to be a fair and balanced news program. It also has Roger Ailes
stating Fox News failed its viewers on election night by allowing
George Bush's cousin, on the basis of extremely weak data, to call the
election for Bush. But even if it didn't twice include Roger Ailes in
the film, the idea that before you release a film critical of someone
you must include their comment is inane. I've had many critical
reviews of my work published, some very intelligent, some others not.
Never has anyone asked me for my comment on their review before they
publish it. Indeed, to do so would be unethical.
But my favorite part of the whole show is the contrast between segment
one and segment two. The review of Outfoxed was in segment two.
Segment one was about -- I swear -- "Media bias." For a full segment,
Fox News Watch focused on a single statement by Newsweek's Evan
Thomas. As
Media
Research Center quotes him,
The media want Kerry to
win. They’re going to portray Kerry and Edwards as being young and
dynamic and optimistic, and this glow is going to be worth maybe 15
points."
This single quote by a single editor at a single
magazine apparently proves, according to the show, that liberal "media
bias" exists. Yet a film gathering (1) former Foxies, (2) Fox memos,
(3) independent studies of Fox viewers, (4) media commentators, and
(5) clips from Fox shows is, by contrast, "not that fairly put
together," said
Eric
Burns, the show's host.
I guess they would know. They're the trademark holder for the words
"Fair and Balanced" (at least until the
challenge to that
trademark gets resolved).
Now your cell phone can be fair and
balanced, too
Now your cell phone can be fair and
balanced, too
07/23/2004 04:52 PMFair and balanced, at least 27 percent
of the time!
Fair and balanced, at least 27 percent
of the time!
03/14/2005 06:14 PMA new study crowns Fox News Channel the king of biased reporting.
A Fair and Balanced Review of the Mac
Mini
A Fair and Balanced Review of the Mac
Mini
02/05/2005 09:16 PMMac Mini: The
Emperor's New Computer: Attention: Before you rip the living hell
out of this guy, please remember that he went to DeVry. And
he has an MCSE.
The Mini boots up into a stripped-down operating system which Apple
calls OS X, similar to the stripped-down WindowsCE OS found on many
handhelds. The mini OS is going to be a significant hurdle for many
buyers who are used to Windows or have favorite Windows software
packages they need to use. Think of it more as a first computer for
your daughter or niece than as a machine to get any serious work done
and you’ll get the point of the Mini and its target market. It
might also be the perfect computer for grandmothers or autistic
children, for example.
Outfoxed: How Murdoch's network gets so
fair and balanced
Outfoxed: How Murdoch's network gets so
fair and balanced
07/12/2004 07:22 PMABC's 60 Minutes is absolutely not fair
and balanced
ABC's 60 Minutes is absolutely not fair
and balanced
11/03/2003 09:33 PMI spend a lot of Time watching Fox news and stay away from the heavily
liberal biased ABC, NBC, CBS...
balanced and fair: Geist on copyright
reform
balanced and fair: Geist on copyright
reform
06/16/2004 03:46 AMMichael Geist's latest
column in the Tornoto Star
maps a sane process to realizing balance in IP. Help spread the
sanity.
Making American Forces Radio fair and
balanced
Making American Forces Radio fair and
balanced
06/24/2004 08:07 AMAs Rush Limbaugh cries foul, the Senate moves toward loosening the
right-wing propagandist's stranglehold on the military's airwaves.
Dingell Joins Republicans to Protest
CBS's Mini-Series "The Reagans": Demands
"Fair and Balanced" Portrayal of 40th
President
Dingell Joins Republicans to Protest
CBS's Mini-Series "The Reagans": Demands
"Fair and Balanced" Portrayal of 40th
President
11/02/2003 03:12 AMCongressman John Dingell .. and much more .. his letter ..
letter
house.gov/dingell/10-29-03.html
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Balanced Passion
Balanced Passion
01/16/2004 11:33 AMWhat is more important in business today: Spirit or sobriety?
The Balanced Scorecard
The Balanced Scorecard
06/17/2005 03:20 PMCIO Jun 11 2005 7:42AM GMT
Bush gets checked and balanced
Bush gets checked and balanced
06/29/2004 08:43 AMThe Supreme Court rules against indefinitely locking up detainees --
and deals a mortal blow to the president's vision of his own limitless
power.
Efficiency must be balanced with
security
Efficiency must be balanced with
security
05/27/2004 09:35 PMComputer Weekly May 28 2004 1:07AM GMT
Super Science Fair Projects: Complete
Guide to Science Fair Projects, Topics
and Experiments
Super Science Fair Projects: Complete
Guide to Science Fair Projects, Topics
and Experiments
05/24/2004 06:24 AMSuper Science Fair Projects: Complete Guide to Science Fair
Projects, Topics and Experimentshttp://www.super-sc
ience-fair-projects.com/Today your teacher announced
that your school is going to have a science fair and students are
responsible for exhibiting their projects. What do you feel?
Enthusiastic? Despondent? Dreadful? Fearful? Excited?" This statement
opens the Super Science Fair Projects site. Actually, whether student
or parent, science fair projects, while great ways to get students
actively involved in learning the scientific method and problem
solving, can be tough assignments. This site may help you with one of
the hardest parts: coming up with an idea. The site does a great job
of walking the visitor through the steps needed to plan and implement
a project, from Choosing a Topic, the Scientific Method, and writing
the Project Report. There are even tips on displaying your project,
rehearsing, winning over judges, and what to expect the day of the
fair. This is definitely a great tool to tap into when planning a
science fair project.[From The NSDL Scout Report for Math,
Engineering, and Technology, Copyright Internet Scout Project
1994-2003.
http://scout.wisc.edu/]
Precariously balanced atop Öolong
Precariously balanced atop Öolong
03/14/2005 06:29 PM
Peop
le of the pancake: "I see within us all (myself included)
the replacement of complex inner density with a new kind of self—evolving under the
pressure of information overload and the technology of the
'instantly available'. A new self that needs to contain less and less
of an inner repertory of dense cultural inheritance—as we all become
'pancake people'—spread wide and
thin as we connect with that vast network of information accessed
by the mere touch of a button." Writing on the
Edge,
Richard Foreman and George Dyson speculate on a 'thin-client' view of
the self where most cultural processing occurs not only somewhere
else, but by something else!
[reality checks provided by Kevin
Kelly, Jaron Lanier, Steven Johnson, Marvin Minsky and Douglas
Rushkoff, among others :] Internet can be a means to finding
balanced life
Internet can be a means to finding
balanced life
04/17/2004 03:39 AMSeattle Times Apr 17 2004 8:22AM GMT
Poll: Most People Prefer Balanced Budget
(AP)
Poll: Most People Prefer Balanced Budget
(AP)
04/13/2004 02:27 PMAP - About six in ten, 61 percent, chose balancing the budget while 36
percent chose tax cuts when they were asked which was more important,
according to a poll conducted for the AP by Ipsos Public Affairs.
Linus swiped Linux from SCO, says
balanced study
Linus swiped Linux from SCO, says
balanced study
05/17/2004 03:07 PMHow to Perform a Balanced Evaluation or
Comparison Using a Matrix
How to Perform a Balanced Evaluation or
Comparison Using a Matrix
01/09/2004 09:52 PMPoll: Balanced Budget Beats Tax Cuts
(AP)
Poll: Balanced Budget Beats Tax Cuts
(AP)
04/13/2004 07:36 PMAP - About six in 10, 61 percent, chose balancing the budget while 36
percent chose tax cuts when they were asked which was more important,
according to a poll conducted for the AP by Ipsos Public Affairs.
Apple: fair play or failure to play
fair?
Apple: fair play or failure to play
fair?
08/07/2004 01:18 AM Is Apple playing fair or not? On the one hand, it's their device,
their music store, and their software.
Alien puppet Linus swiped Linux from
SCO, says balanced study
Alien puppet Linus swiped Linux from
SCO, says balanced study
05/17/2004 07:24 AMWell, almost...
Are You A Balanced Individual? Can You
Handle Life's Topsy-Turvy Leanings?
Are You A Balanced Individual? Can You
Handle Life's Topsy-Turvy Leanings?
12/04/2003 07:13 AMMarble Mayhem .. Too hard
spikything.plus.com/games/marblemayhem
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this site | 4 links
IBM Unveils Business Intelligence
Strategy for Balanced Performance in an
Analytic Environment
IBM Unveils Business Intelligence
Strategy for Balanced Performance in an
Analytic Environment
04/06/2005 03:48 PMClaudia Imhoff recently spoke with IBM's Karen Parrish in an exclusive
interview. [PRWEB Apr 6, 2005]
"the petition to make the Federal Trade
Commission and Congress must act to
prevent Fox News from using the
deceptive and misleading trademark 'Fair
and Balanced.'"
"
"the petition to make the Federal Trade
Commission and Congress must act to
prevent Fox News from using the
deceptive and misleading trademark 'Fair
and Balanced.'"
"
07/21/2004 02:44 AMThe Fair Tax
The Fair Tax
05/01/2004 09:06 AM
The FairTax is a consumption
tax designed to replace the entire federal income tax system,
including personal, payroll, corporate, self-employment, capital
gains, gift, and inheritance taxes.
[more!!] Ah fair use, where would we be without
you?
Ah fair use, where would we be without
you?
06/24/2005 06:53 PMJason Kottke
was just on G4's Attack of the Show, and thanks to my hacked TiVo,
it's available as a 85Mb
MPEG2 torrent.
Jason did great for live TV, which is just about the most stressful
thing in the world. He seemed relaxed, though the host seemed a little
manic. I assume a producer was screaming in the host's ear to keep
Jason moving, which caused the host to cut Jason off whenever he
started sounding reflective. My favorite parts were the host violating
the Adsense terms of service by goading people into clicking his ad
links and the graphic "Blogging for Bling" in the background (because
clearly, Jason's only in it for the benjamins).
It’s Not Fair
It’s Not Fair
09/11/2004 12:31 PMBack in May,
I
whined that Jeremy Hedley of Antipixel would get better pictures
than me even if he was using a drugstore disposable. Well, OK, so it
turned out to be a cellphone camera. Sigh. (Oh yes, and Simon
Phipps
has a little
masterpiece today, too).
Hey...not fair!
Hey...not fair!
04/09/2004 04:02 PM"You look intimidating when you aren't smiling" - Jasmine Lam
See...I'm not giving anyone dirty looks on purpose. And yes,...
It's a fair CoP
It's a fair CoP
03/24/2005 08:31 PMvnunet.com Mar 25 2005 12:10AM GMT
Fair NAT 0.74
Fair NAT 0.74
05/11/2004 09:02 PMA tool that distributes bandwidth in a fair manner among the clients
in the LAN.
Fair NAT 0.68
Fair NAT 0.68
05/03/2004 10:45 AMA tool that distributes bandwidth in a fair manner among the clients
in the LAN.
Fair use, or not fair?
Fair use, or not fair?
04/09/2004 04:09 PMLast week we posted a story written by my colleague David Graham
titled Proven: Windows is more secure than Linux. It was one of the
better-read pieces on the site this week. Four days after the article
was posted, David did a Google search and found more than half a dozen
sites had linked to the piece -- flattering. But at least three sites
posted all or a substantial portion of the piece on their own sites --
and that's a problem.
Fair Use in Action!
Fair Use in Action!
07/27/2004 06:08 PM
We enjoyed the shot above from the completely legal Barbie-in-a-Blender
art gallery, from the folks at free culture. The full story behind the site
is here.
so it's only fair to join in
so it's only fair to join in
11/01/2003 06:24 AMlargest fire disaster .. CALIFORNIA'S REQUEST ..
fire
latimes.com/la-me-fema31oct31,1,443306.story
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site | 5 links
Photos From Toy Fair
Photos From Toy Fair
02/14/2004 05:15 PMLooks like things got started a bit early today up at Toy Fair in New
York. Here's our first upload of photos from the show. We have three
servers with the files on them which should hopefully ensure fast
browsing. There is also a set of miscellaneous photos of non-Star Wars
things some might find interesting.
Gentle
Giant -
Miscellaneous
Gentle
Giant -
Miscellaneous
Gentle
Giant -
MiscellaneousFair Use with DVDs
Fair Use with DVDs
07/08/2004 08:25 PMNY Times: Whose DVD? A Debate Over Copies. The free copying tools are
available through Internet sites that are not directly subject to
American law, often because the nations that those sites call home
permit individuals to copy material for their own use. People seeking
such tools need only pose the question in an Internet search engine to
find dozens of sites devoted to the subject, including the Afonic DVD
Guides site (www .dvd-guides.com), run by Joseph Chatzimichail, a
20-year-old electrical and computer engineering student in Salonika,
Greece.
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Fair and Balanced?
