Why has Obama's former minister dominated the news?
I've been astonished, though probably shouldn't be surprised, at the prominence that news organizations — chiefly the cable networks — have given during the past 10 days to the flap over remarks by Barack Obama's former minister, to the exclusion of all the pressing issues facing this country.
The video above provides some context to explain how the Fox News "virus" has infiltrated other news outlets. MoveOn is offering people a chance to sign a petition urging news outlets to stop this nonsense:
This week, Barack Obama gave one of the most honest and inspiring speeches on race in American history after weathering days of the media's relentless, divisive, and racially charged attacks. But have you wondered where these attacks came from and why they dominated the news?
Reporters like NBC's Tim Russert focused on the "Reverend Wright controversy" only after FOX and other right-wing media did. It happens over and over: FOX airs a right-wing smear and the mass media repeat it. Film director Robert Greenwald just released a short video called FOX Attacks Obama: Part 2 which shows how it happens.
We are launching a petition demanding the big networks stop parroting FOX and distracting Americans from real issues. We'll hand-deliver your signatures to major media outlets next week. Watch the video, and sign the petition, here:
The petition, which we're launching with Greenwald's Brave New Films, says: "FOX is a Republican mouthpiece, not a legitimate news organization. Real news organizations must reject FOX's smears of Barack Obama, not parrot them and distract Americans from the pressing issues of the day." The more signatures we deliver, the bigger the impact—so please tell your friends.
Media watchdog group Media Matters has chronicled how FOX spent months trying to smear Obama by associating him with Reverend Wright's words. Greenwald's new video shows how the attacks successfully migrated to the mass media—Tim Russert repeated Sean Hannity's smears virtually word-for-word!
Meanwhile, the big networks all but ignored Pastor John Hagee, whose endorsement John McCain was "honored" and "proud" to receive. Hagee says Katrina was God's punishment for homosexuality, Jews are to blame for anti-Semitism, and Catholicism is the "Whore of Babylon" and "a cult."
It gets worse. At the same time they relentlessly reported on Obama's pastor, most network journalists also ignored Rick Parsley, a televangelist who McCain called his "spiritual guide" when accepting his endorsement last month. Parsley has said:
I do not believe our country can truly fulfill its divine purpose until we understand our historical conflict with Islam. I know that this statement sounds extreme, but I do not shrink from its implications. The fact is that America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed...
Ignoring McCain's spiritual advisers while going after Obama's is what we expect from FOX, which is more a Republican mouthpiece than a real news organization. But when real news outlets follow FOX's lead, we have to hold them accountable. Otherwise, FOX will continue to elevate smear after smear against Democrats into the mass media in 2008.
March 21, 2008 in Media, Politics | Permalink
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"FOX is a Republican mouthpiece, not a legitimate news organization."
So then, since CNN and other news organizations are Democratic "mouthpieces," does that not make them "legitimate" news organizations? This is what free speech is all about, no matter which side of the aisle you stand on. Republicans have been "smeared" just as often by so-called Democractic mouthpieces. This is another ridiculous move by MoveOn, but then again, I expect nothing less from them.
Posted by: Jonathan C | Mar 21, 2008 1:47:07 PM
On cable news in particular, there is always a "narrative."
Clearly, there is a narrative on Fox News to smear Obama.
I challenge you to provide evidence of comparable hit jobs on Republican candidates by CNN or other news organizations that aren't components of the Republican political machine.
It always amazes me when the right views CNN or network news operations as "liberal" or "Democratic," yet when it comes to specific examples of bias, the evidence amounts to an anthill compared to the mountain of anti-Democratic bias at Fox News.
Posted by: JD | Mar 21, 2008 2:12:44 PM
I'll let Harvard's own scientific research of the subject speak. After all, numbers don't lie: http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=278808786575124
An excerpt: "CNN was the most hostile toward Republicans, MSNBC, surprisingly, the most positive. MSNBC was also the most favorable toward Democrats (47.2%), Fox (36.8%) the most critical."
I don't disagree that Fox is the most critical of democrats, as this study even proves. But this is just one organization, and the majority, as you will find here, is hostile towards Republicans. But again, that's why our country is so great... Let freedom of speech reign!
Posted by: Jonathan C | Mar 21, 2008 3:40:44 PM
Indeed. Any news organization that has not been critical of what this Republican administration has been doing to the country for the past 7 years is not much of a news organization. :~)
Posted by: JD | Mar 21, 2008 5:13:47 PM
I believe that the reason why Barrack Obama's minister is such a big story is because of Barrack's wife's statements.
When Michelle Obama said that during this campaign was the first that she felt proud of America, this statement raised a lot of questions about Barrack's political beliefs and patriotism.
If Obama wins the primary, this will continue to be a very bad issue for him.
Posted by: Fred | Mar 22, 2008 8:40:32 PM
