BlogHer - DEBATES - Comments

"Picking" One Question from Each Side Does Not Equal Balance

Kristy Sammis — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:07:38 -0500

My partner and I yell at the television (literally) all the time. "Balanced" is not as simple as quoting an unsubstantiated source on one side to refute factual statements on the other. Yet it happens all the time.

For example, a report may cite that Bush has the lowest approval ratings in history (documented, factual). To "counter" this (why does it need countering?), the same report will find and quote a Bush supporter, such as someone in his own administration.

Makes me crazy.

A long time

heivilinj — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:31:06 -0500

I developed a bad impression of journalist in the mid 1980s when I discovered the facts of the government's "six hundred dollar toilet seat". Nothing I've seen since then has improved my opinion. They rank only slightly higher than politicians and below used car salesmen.

Jim Heivilin

So Why Should I Listen To A "Journalist"

Gena Haskett — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:23:47 -0500

This is painful for me to say and it hurts to write it. I was raised in a city that had 3-4 newspapers, a day with straight up news in all of them.

The Daily News for knowing which Mafia person got whacked and where, the Bulletin, the Inquirer for local and world news and the Tribune on Tuesdays and Thursday for African American news

There is no equal kind of coverage in television news. I give up on it. Especially after all of them sucking up without question military planted shills. This literally killed people. I'm not even sure about PBS news. Maybe it needs to crash and burn in order to learn important lessons.

Gena - Out On The Stoop

Press is manipulating NOT reporting.

Catherine Morgan — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:59:20 -0500

The press is manipulating NOT reporting. And their manipulation works, the American voter is putty in their hands.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
CatherineBlogs, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

Press performance has been appalling

Maria Niles — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:58:01 -0500

I don't believe it is the job of journalists to play the role of Karl Rove advising a 527 group on how to swift boat and then claim the questions are fair and tough because Republicans will ask them in the fall. Nor do I think digging up a question born of email forwards and finding a questioner to ask and give them cover is legitimate.

The press has not been in service to the public which fails us as citizens and voters.

Music Video of the Cleveland Debate spin room!

Jill — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 15:13:22 -0500

Ok - all tips and advice accepted - here's my first "music" video - courtesy of clips from the 2/26/08 democratic primary debate at Cleveland State University

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

www.politicstodayusa.blogspot

Politics Today USa — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:53:30 -0600

www.politicstodayusa.blogspot.com

My earing is stuck!

acfabulous — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:21:02 -0600

Here is the thing about women, we all want success. Even those who are oppressed and claim to be happy when you know they aren't. Deep down there is an undeniable sisterhood bond between us all. Is that enough for Hilary to win? I think its at least enough for me to say that I'd help unhook your earing if you were tearin' 'em off in a fight preparation :)

Thanks to all who've commented. I love the feedback.

"You have to laugh at yourself cause you'd cry your eyes out if you didn't" Indigo Girls

www.myspace.com/acfabulous

So naive

Jill — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:34:16 -0600

Thanks for sharing that, Dana. Wow - see - I always figure that I have traveled enough, asked enough questions, read enough, watched enough, seen enough not to want to ask, "Really?? You are kidding, right??" re: "Or when I tell them that I have ancestors who were Polish Jews, and I get the spiel, "Well, obviously they were smart enough to convert to Christianity."

I just can never believe people say that. The stories about people looking for horns on Jews' heads etc. But I know, I know - they're all true. I just can't believe it. Even at 45. I just cannot believe it, even when I see some of the absolutely hateful sites on the Internet.

Sigh - I know they are out there in regard to many different minorities - whether it's religion, race, gender and so on. This is probably a topic for another thread. It's part of what causes me to have issues with religion in general.

I think the person does live in a bubble, but he is certain that he is helping save the world, not suprisingly.

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

Thanks for this link. I

Dana J. Tuszke — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:24:49 -0600

Thanks for this link. I still think it's bogus, especially after he said he was proud to have Hagee's support. I just don't get that.

I remember reading something

Dana J. Tuszke — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:23:39 -0600

I remember reading something similar about Hagee's remarks after Hurricane Katrina and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It's like the man is literally living in the Bible.

McCain backing away from Pastor Hagee

Kim Pearson — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:59:31 -0600

The Wall Street Journal has a story quoting McCain as saying he disagrees with Hagee's views.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

Just re-reading some of what's been written about Hagee

Kim Pearson — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:56:58 -0600

I wonder what Sen. McCain and Gov. Huckabee have to say about this:

"All hurricanes are acts of God, because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God, and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that.

"The newspaper carried the story in our local area, that was not carried nationally, that there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came. And the promise of that parade was that it would was going to reach a level of sexuality never demonstrated before in any of the other gay pride parades.

"So I believe that the judgment of God is a very real thing. I know there are people who demur from that, but I believe that the Bible teaches that when you violate the law of God, that God brings punishment sometimes before the Day of Judgment, and I believe that the Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans."

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

Jill, the person you

Dana J. Tuszke — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:47:02 -0600

Jill, the person you describe sounds like he lives in a bubble.

I get so angry when I hear people making insulting remarks about Judaism. And sometimes, they think it's okay to make those comments to me, as if I won't get mad because I'm Catholic.

And then, if that isn't enough, they look at me like I'm an alien when I remind them that Jesus was a Jew, and how it insults me that they would say such wretched things about him and his people.

Or when I tell them that I have ancestors who were Polish Jews, and I get the spiel, "Well, obviously they were smart enough to convert to Christianity." (Before I have the chance to tell them several of my ancestors died in the Holocaust, of course.)

There really are people in this world who promote such hatred. It's infuriating.

This Hagee is pure evil, I think. For him to say such despicable things..... I can't believe McCain is happy to receive his support. Ugh.

Wow - thank you

Jill — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:26:11 -0600

I know/knew very little about Hagee - this is incredibly eye-opening and I agree with you - it is a double-standard.

When I was blogging on a now defunct political blog called Wide Open, we were two left-leaners and two right-leaners. One of the righties gets into the Muslim stuff in the worst way, name-calling and really, wretched stuff along those lines. Well when he was going on his tear about how awful a certain Muslim would be for Ohioans and he was all upset that as a Jew, I wasn't upset too (talk about more blatantly wrong assumptions - like, because I am Jewish I support everything Israel does or whatever), AND that I wasn't thanking him and all the Christians who seek out and destroy anyone who is Muslim (I am exaggerating a bit here - but he is overzealous in his defense in the name of protecting Jews).

And so at one point, we had this heated comment thread where I told him that I wished he excoriate anti-Semitic Christians as regularly and as vehemently as he does any and all Muslims. And you know what he wrote? He wrote that there's just so little anti-Semitism now that that's not necessary.

Yes - I fell off my chair when I read that.

Anyway - thank you - there is a serious blind-spot on this.

Jill
Writes Like She Talks