Townhall.com, Where Your Opinion Counts
Talk Radio:   Bill Bennett   Mike Gallagher   Dennis Prager   Michael Medved   Hugh Hewitt   
BREAKING NEWS  LeftArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican   RightArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican  
Columns, funnies & more in your inbox!
  • Check the boxes and send us your email address to receveive your free newsletter
  • Your daily must-read of conservative columns, cartoons and news. Coulter, Sowell, Krauthammer and more.
  • Townhall.com’s weekly inside scoop on what’s happening behind the scenes in the world of politics. When news breaks, we report.
  • Signup to receive the latest daily Townhall cartoons
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Floyd and Mary Beth Brown :: Townhall.com Columnist
Media Malpractice: Propaganda Replaces News
by Floyd and Mary Beth Brown
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
[+] Text [-]
 
Poll
Do you feel the leaked information from a global warming alarmist organization is meaningful?



A new documentary movie by courageous filmmaker John Ziegler entitled "Media Malpractice" made its theatrical début last night in Seattle, Wash. The movie systematically proves how corrupt and dishonest the American media were during the campaign of 2008.

The film was revealing, coming just days after a similar well-orchestrated effort by the Obama administration, Democratic Party officials, and liberal advocacy groups in league with the mainstream news media against Rush Limbaugh and Gov. Bobby Jindal as their primary targets.

Even the president played his part in the bizarre, staged play by telling congressional Republicans, "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done."

Ironically, the plan to attack Limbaugh was already being hatched while the unfair attacks on Gov. Sarah Palin, documented by Ziegler, were reaching a crescendo last fall.

The manipulation can only be called propaganda. Old-fashioned, unbiased journalism has died. The Limbaugh attacks in the news, we now know, were cooked up by Democratic strategists James Carville and Stanley Greenberg last fall. Internet-based Politico reveals the White House involvement in the conspiracy when it reported, "A senior White House aide has been tasked with helping to guide the Limbaugh strategy."

Members of the media are performing their part of the script. Three speeches and the media's response to them serve as concise illustrations of the media role in the propaganda machine. They acted in unison, attacking and vilifying Limbaugh and mocking Jindal. Conversely, they are a choir of praises for the "tone of his speech" when reporting about Obama's address to Congress.

Limbaugh delivered his terrific speech at the CPAC conference and it was broadcast nationwide. He detailed the differences between ultra- liberal Barack Obama's big government agenda and the ideal of smaller government. He explained why conservatives care about the individual. Limbaugh's speech inspired the crowd, reminding them of the founding principles of America. He showed how starkly Obama's philosophy differed from traditional American ideas, while explaining what exactly is at stake in this present debate. Continued...

1 2
| Full Article & Comments | Next >
Share:
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
 
About The Author
Floyd and Mary Beth Brown are both bestselling authors and speakers. In 1988, working from their kitchen table, they formed Citizens United.
 
TOWNHALL DAILY: Be the first to read Floyd and Mary Beth Brown's column. Sign up today and receive Townhall.com daily lineup delivered each morning to your inbox.
Not worth reading!
I had to stop reading after the second line of the forth paragraph. Only a completely ignorant fool could believe there was ever such a thing as an unbiased media.

Boosting critical thinking is the key
There will always be a faction of the media and the public that will cling to their liberal bias even in the midst of the country's collapse under their policies. *However*, I believe there is still room for hope.

First, I think there is a large group in the public that would recognize the folly and disaster of the liberal agenda if we could get them to engage some critical thinking skills. The problem is that they've never been taught those skills. As an example, see this fantastic (and unusual for the MSM) debunking by ABC of Obama's statistic on medical bankruptcies: http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenumbers/2009/03/medical-bankru p.html. I think we need a well-thought-out campaign to increase the public's critical thinking skills along these lines. (I started a blog toward this end at http://rightthinking.blogtownhall.com.)

Second, I think there's plenty of market niche for more media outlets that would, under either existing or predicted market demand, go beyond the endless soundbite cycle and do careful and thoughtful news analysis -- checking the facts, analyzing the reasoning behind the political arguments, and framing issues in a way that the public really grasps the big picture. Even the most conservative outlets like Fox News are very soundbite-oriented, shallow, and sensationalistic. I guess I dream of a hybrid of Fox News, NPR, and MythBusters.
Sign Up to Post Your CommentsSign Up to Post Your Comments
If you are already registered, click here to login. Otherwise, please take a few seconds to register with Townhall.com. Once you sign up, you’ll be able to post your comments immediately, use the action center, get podcasts, and more!
Note: Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required.
Salutation:
First Name:
*
Last Name:
*
Email:
*
Nickname:
*
Note: Nick name will be shown when you post comments.
Address 1:
*
Address 2:
City:
*
State:
*
Zip:
*
Phone:
      
Your daily must-read of conservative columns, cartoons and news. Coulter, Sowell, Krauthammer and more.
(Bi-Weekly) We highlight the best opportunities from our partners for surveys, action items and more.