In a post titled "Jacob Weisberg Loses It," Dave Price has a lot of fun demolishing some of Weisberg's more ridiculous assertions in Newsweek.
Clearly, poor Weisberg has lost it. Assuming, of course, he ever had it. What I find myself unable to ignore is another incredible Weisberg assertion.
Did you know that CNN's bias is the fault of Fox News? Neither did I, but Weisberg explains:
That Rupert Murdoch may tilt the news rightward more for commercial than ideological reasons is beside the point. What matters is the way that Fox's model has invaded the bloodstream of the American media. By showing that ideologically distorted news can drive ratings, Ailes has provoked his rivals at CNN and MSNBC to develop a variety of populist and ideological takes on the news. In this way, Fox hasn't just corrupted its own coverage. Its example has made all of cable news unpleasant and unreliable.
I don't know where Weisberg has been all these years, but CNN has exhibited unpleasant, unreliable, ideologically-biased coverage for decades! Does anyone remember "Baghdad Pete" Arnett? Or how about the days when it was called the "Clinton News Network" and no one had even heard of Fox News?
But now all of a sudden, their bias is Fox News's fault?
Sigh. (I guess if you believe that, you'd probably believe that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was the fault of the United States.)
What this means, obviously, is that the reason Weisberg lost it was because Fox News made him lose it!
posted by Eric on 10.19.09 at 04:19 PM
Comments
Well, there is something about their talking points meme for the day or the week that seems to jump at you from their promos to their news to their shows. "Some say..." is one of their great repeated lines usually followed by the latest schtick. Yes, they will have on a lib talking head over the course of the day to respond to this "some say" assertion. O'Reilly and Greta will mention it, Rove will, of course agree with it, and Hannity will spend half of his show on it.
Dwight · October 19, 2009 5:38 PM
Tune in next week, when Weisberg proves the Internet caused the fall of the Roman Empire.
Obviously, the difference between the two should be fairly clear, but the mere choice of what one reports, or leads with, is just that, a choice. Also, the amount of "balancing" and background included as all sorts of subjective elements, but I belabor the obvious.
Darlene, what is your point, that FOX is objective in the news pieces and opinionated in the opinion ones? Do you deny that one can usually see what the theme for the day or week is on FOX?
By the way, I heard on the network news last night that in te latest poll, 57% agree (or something to that effect) with Obama's role as Commander in Chief. I was waiting for that factoid to get mentioned on O'Reilly last night, but I never heard it, and he was discussing with two Dems
Obama's Afghan policy.
Dwight · October 20, 2009 8:04 AM
"Some say..." is one of their great repeated lines usually followed by the latest schtick.
Are we talking about Fox or the Obama admin? Isn't The One sort of infamous for dueling strawmen? I recall a couple AP article on the subject.
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler
Don?t bang your head!
Well, there is something about their talking points meme for the day or the week that seems to jump at you from their promos to their news to their shows. "Some say..." is one of their great repeated lines usually followed by the latest schtick. Yes, they will have on a lib talking head over the course of the day to respond to this "some say" assertion. O'Reilly and Greta will mention it, Rove will, of course agree with it, and Hannity will spend half of his show on it.