Posts : 11868 Join date : 2010-07-25 Age : 74 Location : Commie occupied N.J.
Subject: Media mistakes about Tuscon Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:34 pm
Politico by Gary Bauer
Whenever a big news story breaks and a consensus begins to emerge about its meaning, it’s useful to ask a simple question: What if the opposite of the consensus is true? What if the developing narrative not only distorts the story’s real meaning but has it backward? Not surprisingly, by asking this question, one can often get closer to the true story. Case in point: the Tucson massacre.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the killing of six people, many observers, from the sheriff of Pima County to analysts on the left, linked the unspeakable crimes to conservative talk radio and the tea party movement. The strong emotion and impassioned rhetoric that are said to be staples of those institutions, they argued, fostered a climate of hate and promoted the violence committed by Jared Lee Loughner. A study of news stories immediately after the shooting that linked it to “harsh rhetoric” found that 82 percent focused on the alleged role of conservatives, according to the Media Research Center. Just 11 percent discussed liberals. This theory became so entrenched that it later apparently prompted one victim of the shootings to threaten the life of a tea party organizer. But consider: What if, by giving disgruntled Americans healthy and democratic outlets to express their opinions and frustrations, the tea party movement and talk radio make political violence not more likely but less likely? Let me explain. As co-host of a political radio talk show, I know how passionate and heated the debates can become, but I see this as a strength, not a weakness. Talk radio allows people to vent their frustrations and know that their voices are being heard. The tea party movement — with its rallies, town hall events and political conventions — has an effect similar to that of talk radio. Both forums allow candid and intelligent discussions of issues that the mainstream media often ignore. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Fox News host Glenn Beck may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But they make a lot of Americans feel that at least there are a few people in Washington and the media who represent them. Talk radio and the tea party don’t manufacture anger and frustration, as some critics claim. Anger and frustration exist because millions of Americans encounter a government they view as increasingly unresponsive to their interests and values. Meanwhile, they see that more and more issues have been taken out of the hands of the people and their elected representatives and put into the hands of unelected judges.
CloseTea party leaders and many radio hosts talk a lot about the nation’s founding documents and events. But that does not mean they are preparing to take up arms if they don’t get their way. Our nation’s founders were compelled to start a revolution because they had no other option. As the Declaration of Independence states, they believed that the “long train of abuses and usurpations” committed by Britain’s King George III, designed to reduce them to living “under absolute Despotism,” gave them not only the right but the duty to revolt.
What we’re seeing in Egypt is what often happens when government stifles free speech and refuses to allow its people to express their opinions or influence political life. While the original tea partiers took to the battlefield, current tea partiers are expressing themselves through peaceful protest, political activism and, most important, the voting booth. Those who blame Tucson on talk radio and the tea party are trying to exploit the tragedy for political gain by advancing a common logical fallacy. They are failing to distinguish between correlation (Tucson happened at a time of strong political rhetoric) and causation (Tucson happened because of the strong political rhetoric). In truth, according to data compiled by the Disaster Center, the growth of talk radio since the 1990s and the emergence of the tea party over the past few years have coincided with significant decreases in violent crime rates. Some on the left have tried to exploit Tucson as an excuse to revive the Federal Communications Commission’s Fairness Doctrine. Besides being an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech, this law ignores talk radio’s role in helping level the media playing field. It is no coincidence that most of those railing against the tea party and talk radio also disagree with what they stand for. Many presumably saw no problem with the “climate of hate” displayed on the left during George W. Bush’s presidency, with acts of violence by gay-rights activists against churches and other supporters of traditional marriage, or with the vitriol commonly found on left-wing websites and in other media outlets. Conservative talk radio and the tea party movement are part of the give-and-take of democracy. To blame them for the heinous actions of a madman does violence to logic and to the fundamental American principles of fairness and justice. Gary Bauer is president of American Values, chairman of Campaign for Working Families and co-host of “The Bauer and Rose Show” on SiriusXM Patriot satellite radio.
Alley_Oop Mod/Admin Admin
Posts : 15226 Join date : 2010-06-06 Age : 76 Location : Denton
Subject: Re: Media mistakes about Tuscon Fri Feb 11, 2011 6:17 pm
Everyone wants to play the blame game and nobody wants to really fix the problem!!! Bunch of idiots!!! JMHO!!!
UncleFrank Honored Armed Service Member
Posts : 11868 Join date : 2010-07-25 Age : 74 Location : Commie occupied N.J.
Subject: Re: Media mistakes about Tuscon Sat Feb 12, 2011 3:32 am
It will only get worse, I feel we are in a spiral descent that is starting to gain speed.
Alley_Oop Mod/Admin Admin
Posts : 15226 Join date : 2010-06-06 Age : 76 Location : Denton
Subject: Re: Media mistakes about Tuscon Sat Feb 12, 2011 5:57 am
If we don't get the rest of them replaced and some of the ones we put in there that are not doing what they are supposed to do!!! Has to stop one of these days and the sooner the better!!
UncleFrank Honored Armed Service Member
Posts : 11868 Join date : 2010-07-25 Age : 74 Location : Commie occupied N.J.
Subject: Re: Media mistakes about Tuscon Sat Feb 12, 2011 11:10 am
I'm not sure it will ever stop. They are all out for themselves whether wealth, fame or both. They are like a bunch of leeches, just sucking the last bit of blood out of the population of this country and the world.
Alley_Oop Mod/Admin Admin
Posts : 15226 Join date : 2010-06-06 Age : 76 Location : Denton
Subject: Re: Media mistakes about Tuscon Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:39 pm
They will get to the point where there is nothing left if they keep on! JMHO!!
UncleFrank Honored Armed Service Member
Posts : 11868 Join date : 2010-07-25 Age : 74 Location : Commie occupied N.J.
Subject: Re: Media mistakes about Tuscon Sun Feb 13, 2011 4:34 am
I dont think it will ever change. If it does change it will be for the worse.