In this week’s column headed “The customer’s always right”, Associate Editor Gil Smart observes:
“If the customer is always right, a business — that’s what Fox News is — will give the customer what he wants. What he wants, in this case, is reassurance; a credible narrative that his guy, his party, his ideology, will carry the day.”
“If conservatives trust only conservative media for the truth, but “the truth” is what the customer wants to hear, which isn’t necessarily the actual truth — the conservative information disadvantage is permanent. And that’s far more damaging than the inability to attract voters of color or youth.”
WATCHDOG: Please read his column, especially if you are a conservative whose mind remains open to ideas.
Recently my eldest son and I visited with dear relatives. I cautioned him to sidestep any discussion of the forthcoming election because their views are based upon what they see on Fox News, perhaps read in the Wall Street Journal, and the various fallacious and malicious Internet items that their like come across on the Internet and forward to one another (and sometimes us) as confirmation of the depravity of Barack Obama.
As sad as this is, theirs is not an isolated situation. We would love to hold conversations with informed conservatives who are broadly read and conversant with a variety of views and, most importantly, whose discussions are fact base. Facts, facts, facts!!! If they only watch Fox News and read the editorial pages of the WSJ of perhaps venture to the pages of The Economist, they won’t encounter opposing points of view.
We are an Eisenhower Republican who has been exiled to the Democrat Party. Perhaps ‘young Turks’ will soon take over the ‘Grand Old Party’, embrace the real world, and invite us back.
I have tried to have intelligent conversations to understand both parties and have found the Democrats are just as unreasonable as the Republicans.
There is a counter station spewing just as much imbalance as FOX is there not?
What do you think is the difference?
I have been quite amazed how crazed some folks are over Obama. I know an Obama Mama who is certain he is the second coming and she’s not alone.
Isn’t this article perfect proof of the political leaning of this site? Please don’t do that – we need balanced news for a change.
I know a family who warned all the grandchildren before they came to family events to not speak anything of politics and certainly never anything unsaintly about the Obamas or Grandma will attack them without mercy on behalf of the platform.
I fail to see the difference between the parties and am very dissapointed whenever your site fails in maintaining balance in its reporting.
EDITOR: We make no secret of our political leanings. Let the reader beware.
What we do deal in is accurate reporting and linking to articles of interest from a variety of sources and perspectives. Also we are a forum for the views of our readers, whether or not they agree with ours. In fact, we rejoice in thoughtful challenges and presentation of alternate points of view.
Yes, MSNBC in general is liberal while Fox is conservative. But MSNBC’s three hour “Morning Joe” is hosted by a former Republican Congressman and balanced by a liberal co-host. Moreover, MSNBC for the most part deals in facts. Fox’s run up in distorted reporting and wishful thinking concerning the recent election is but further evidence of its failure to do the same.
Rupert Murdoch understands he is in the entertainment business… having launched his career with skin magazines. As Gil Smart points out in today’s column, Fox and others like them feed ‘information’, actually propaganda, to their audience that the audience wants to hear, whetheror not it is factual or rational.
So there is a difference between the media on the right and on the left.
We see nothing wrong with sharing our views so long as we present facts and welcome a variety of opinions.
And LNP is GREAT at feeding us what they want us to “know” when it comes to the Convention Center / Marriott fiasco. LNP does NOT provide full disclosure of facts, nor does PSP. Gil should do some investigative reporting in his own backyard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And provide us with ALL the truth and ALL the facts!!!