American Media

[Steve Schacher]

Remember during the 2000 campaign when Public TV (PBS) stations across the country (most notably WGBH in Boston and KQED in San Francisco) were caught sharing their pledge drive donor lists with the Democrat Party?

Also, here's a recent related story, with all the appropriate apologies and promises to look into it), 'Talk' says Townsend donation a mistake. Here's an excerpt:

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Talk magazine gave $1,000 this year to Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend for her anticipated gubernatorial bid in 2002, but the contribution was mistakenly attributed to fellow Hearst Corporation holding WBAL.

Townsend campaign Treasurer Jeffrey Liss said yesterday the incorrectly attributed donation, which was included in a campaign-finance report filed last week, was a mistake made by campaign accountants.

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[Guest Shingen]

I heard they finally finished the 'official recount' (has anyone else heard this) and found that Bush won fair and square, but I haven't heard it reported on the main-stream media...

Wonder why?

[Guest $iLk]

Actually, MSNBC had a hard on that Gore would have won IF all the illegal votes had been counted.

They are preaching that if Gore had been able to count ILLEGAL ballots he would be our president and our country would be a socialist utopia.

[Guest Shingen]

I SHIVER at the thought of Al Gore leading our military in Afganistan...

[Menchise]

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They are preaching that if Gore had been able to count ILLEGAL ballots he would be our president and our country would be a socialist utopia.

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Gore is not a socialist. In fact, his policies were practically the same as Bush's, which is why the media was so pre-occupied with personal issues during the campaign (Bush's distant past of drug and alcohol abuse, Gore's makeout with Tippa, Bush's inability to say 'subliminal', Gore's makeout with Tippa).

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I SHIVER at the thought of Al Gore leading our military in Afganistan...

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Are you kidding?! He's a one man army! He could bore the terrorists to death!

[Guest]

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He could bore the terrorists to death!

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Oh my god, I actually agree with Menchise on something political!! Great day in the morning!!

Gore would also be hiding in a bunker with Tipper going, why did I run? Why did I run?!!! I shouldn't be president, why did I run?

[Scotty]

A husband and wife were watching the news on television:

The devastation of the World Trade Center; the videos of different countries around the world crying with Americans over past weeks; reporters updating and attempting to analyze political tradgedy; President Bush making speeches.

The wife turns to the husband and says, "I'm so thankful that Bush is our President. He is doing such a wonderful job. It's unbelievable the way he has stepped up and handled this situation. I'm so grateful he's our Commander and Chief."

The husband turns to the wife and says, "Shut up, Tipper!!"

Scotty

[Guest Shingen]

This morning on CNN, it was 'reported' that the Rain Forests of Brazil are being destroyed at a rated of 6800 miles PER YEAR!! (their number, not mine) Does anyone else see anything WRONG with this number?! I mean, the continetal(?) US is only like 3000 miles across from sea to shining sea, so if the report was right, that would mean that somehow, someone is consuming the equivalent of the ENTIRE area of the U.S in a year... (or something like that...my math may be screwy)

regardless, does CNN ACTUALLY believe that number is realistic? Do they even CHECK the facts before they air it???

...makes me wonder...

[Menchise]

Are you sure that they said 6800 miles and not 6800 square miles?

[Guest Shingen]

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Are you sure that they said 6800 miles and not 6800 square miles?

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Isn't a square mile larger then a linear mile? Still, is seems like a VERY large number to me..., and I believe the reporter said mile, no square mile...

[Steve Schacher]

A square mile is a measure of area; a linear mile is a measure of distance.

Also, this is just becoming news now? This has been going on for at least a decade. Brazil has been cutting down their rainforests in order to make cattle grazing land for McDonalds, et. al. I'm surprised that the mainstream press is only just now getting to this. There must be some agenda being served by reporting this now.

[Põdi]

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and I believe the reporter said mile, no square mile...

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Doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Reporters are notorious for not researching the details (or just getting them plain wrong). I remember when there were the Legionnaires disease outbreaks, the reporter kept going on about the 'Legionella viurs' and there's me screaming at the screen 'It's a Bacteria you f***ing idiot!'

Maybe they think 'virus' has more fear potential than 'bacteria'.

Edit:

Also, 6800 square miles is roughly the size of an area of a square with sides 80 miles long.

[ 11-21-2001: Message edited by: Paddy Gregory ]

[Guest $iLk]

Just like "right wing homophobic racist gun nut" has more flavor than "gun rights activist".

[Põdi]

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Originally posted by $iLk:

Just like "right wing homophobic racist gun nut" has more flavor than "gun rights activist".

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I see your point, but that is a matter of interpretation. Calling a bacteria a virus is just plain incorrect.

[Guest $iLk]

Depending on how you look at it calling a "gun rights activist" a "right wing homophobic racist gun nut" is a totally incorrect misrepresentation.

Just because a person owns guns, he is assumed to be:

1. Right Wing - even though the Black Panthers and Black separatist groups use guns and are extremely left wing

2. Homophobic - because he is secure enough in his stature to be able to handle a gun I guess?

3. Racist - because he is assumed to be white - see #1.

4. Gun Nut - which implies him to be an extremist and out of touch with mainstream society because he is following the constitution and those trying to destroy it are supposedly normal?

I don't know, I think it's all misrepresentation.

[Põdi]

OK, misrepresentation is probably a better description. I just hate it when they get details wrong. Happens a lot with scientific/medical stories.

[Menchise]

That reminds me of the half time commentary during the State of Origin series (for those members who are not from the east coast of Australia, it's a three game series of rugby league matches between Queensland and New South Wales). The commentators were examining the statistics on a bar graph, except that they kept calling it a flowchart.