"Where Does the Right-Wing End and the Media Begin?"

[EV_Ares]

This is part of an interview with Paul Krugman on the relationship between the right-wing and the media, and other matters:

Where Does the Right-Wing End and the Media Begin? By Rory O'Connor, AlterNet: I had the opportunity to sit down this week with ... Paul Krugman... He certainly pulled no punches during our conversation...

Rory O' Connor: ...What role if any do the media play in movement conservatism?

Paul Krugman: The media are a very important force... They shape perceptions, and they conceal issues. Look at the 2000 presidential campaign, for example, where the media were so heavily biased against Al Gore. That's what brought Bush to within a Supreme Court decision of the White House. ...he role of the media in not telling you reasons why you should be skeptical about the course of the war, for example, it's enormously important. ...

here are several major parts of the news media that are for all practical purposes part of "movement conservatism" -- Fox News, the New York Post, the Washington Times -- and in which other news organizations are intimidated, at least to some extent. I sometimes talk about ... "asymmetrical intimidation." If you say a true but unflattering thing about Bush or in fact about any other prominent conservative, oh, boy! People are going to go after you. I mean, I've got people working full-time going after me, right? But if you say a false, unflattering thing about a Democrat or a progressive, no risk ... And that shapes coverage, no question about it. It's better now, but it's still very asymmetric. The other thing ... about the media is their addiction to the trivial. We've got the most substantive election coming up, I think, ever. ... And what are we seeing news stories about? John Edwards' hair and Hillary Clinton's laugh ... this is horrifying! And again -- it's asymmetric. ...

ROC: It sounds like you're saying there's a bias in the media. If you are, what is the bias?

PK: The media's bias, a large part of it is in fact right-wing bias, because they are effectively part of the right wing. Fox News ... there's ... no liberal equivalent..., there is no network that, if a conservative got the Nobel Peace Prize, would have responded the way Fox News did to Al Gore's Peace Prize...

(entire article & interview @ link below)

http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/

[daninthemoon]

1. Can you imagine if there were pictures of Edwards or Obama

in full drag like ghouliani? What would the rw talk radio outcry be like? How often would we be seeing those pictures? I'm not saying he can't dress up and look pretty if he likes, but the double standard by the media is fully exemplified by this. Any superficial embarrassment they can lay on a dem, they trounce like they can't let go of it.

[phen43]

2. that's why for the most part MSM likes Hillary right now

I believe they want a race with Hillary so they can attack her and build up the GOP!! Come on Hillary supporters - jump right in and help me out!!

[RC]

3. Not quite!

They want Hillary alright. And they really do want her in the White House. She is on the record as a hawk and not wanting to stop the blood shed in the Middle East. Hillary being in the White House will give the criminals someone to blame for their failings and at the same time they don't need to worry to much about seeing their stuff undone to any large extent. Given a level playing field, Hillary would be way back in the pack.