Chinese divers won a record seven gold medals during the 2008 Olympics. But even they didn't leap as headlong into the Beijing tank as did NBC. That's how you might describe the collective verdict of the Fox News Watch panel this evening on NBC's regime-friendly coverage. The subject arose as part of the show's Year in Review, and began with a clip of Matt Lauer unctuously questioning a ChiCom official:MATT LAUER: There's a recent poll that said some very high percentage of the people in China are happy with their lot in life. Something around 80%. You compare that with the polls in the United States that say only about 25% of Americans are. What's the root of their happiness here?View video here. The panel lit into the network's coverage, with even the liberal-leaning Jane Hall and Kirsten Powers joining the NBC-scorching consensus.
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Excerpts:
JIM PINKERTON: NBC made a billion-dollar bet on the Olympics, and they weren't going to blow it by antagonizing Communists over little things like persecuting Christians or killing Tibetans, or stuff like that.
JANE HALL: I thought [NBC's coverage] was pretty bad . . . I mean, this is serious, serious outcomes for being in the tank. This is, this is bad.
KIRSTEN POWERS: Well, I have to wonder if they weren't trying to justify what they did in that interview, sort of saying "see, it's not so bad over here, because look how happy they are." I mean, it's just a little bit twisted I think, if you know anything about China, to think that that's the case. I would say it's a highly-suspicious poll, probably.
BILL SAMMON: It reminded me of the occasional mainstream media foray to Cuba, where we're told that "they have such a wonderful health-care system." The difference is that those mainstream media stories are motivated by ideology or bias or call it what you will. This one was motivated by money. They had a billion-dollar bet: they didn't want to lose that money.
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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root of their happiness
December 27, 2008 - 20:54 ET by choselife3xUhhhhh.....They're mind numbed Commie robots who don't want to be shot/beaten/raped/imprisoned for failure to conform?
Just a guess......
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
3x,
December 28, 2008 - 09:38 ET by AgnosticWhile the second part of your statement rings with a lot of truth the people of China have endured too much to be considered mind numbed (at least those outside of the government). After all they don't have a real choice when appointing a government official and therefore can't be blamed when an unqualified socialist who breaks many of his promises before getting into office. In that respect they are probably no more mind numbed robots than Americans.
The phrase, "but for the grace of God" comes to mind.
A person may be won over with logic and reason but the masses must be bought with spectacle and platitudes. - 2008 Elections
'No more mind numbed than Americans'
December 28, 2008 - 09:43 ET by choselife3xHave you been in a coma for the past year? :)
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
Off and On - Yes!
December 28, 2008 - 09:54 ET by AgnosticWe are talking portions of the population I believe and a relation between the amount of people who actually believe the government propaganda in China and the people who believe the propaganda of the MSM and Obama.
Don't get me wrong I believe America to be by far the greatest of countries and with even more potential than we have yet to realize but it such things as our last couple of elections and the current actions of our government do shock my faith a little.
I also believe the Chinese people, not to be confused with the government, deserve a great deal of credit for learning ways to survive and raise families under the thumb of such tyranny. The survived so well that given the hint of freedom in a world economy they strived to compete immediately.
A person may be won over with logic and reason but the masses must be bought with spectacle and platitudes. - 2008 Elections
I've got no argument with
December 28, 2008 - 10:47 ET by choselife3xI've got no argument with that. :)
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
cl3x
December 28, 2008 - 09:55 ET by botgB-ho did get elected, (i think we agree on more than we disagree)
an accurate poll from China? oh yeah right.....
----- Radical Liberal
Maybe NBC is thinking of moving...
December 27, 2008 - 21:21 ET by jarrett.edwardsWith NBC's ratings tanking here in America, maybe they are thinking of moving and becoming the National Broadcaster of China. The only problem is they want be able to take MSNBC with them, because they are too far left even for the Communists.
25%? Maybe they should poll
December 27, 2008 - 22:20 ET by rbosque25%? Maybe they should poll real Americans who love their country not just the staff at NBC.
→ NBC
December 27, 2008 - 22:25 ET by Cool ArrowHow many times must we be taken back to "Casa Blanca"?
Well, once again, " I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!"
And let me tell you, I'm just as shocked as Captain Renault was.
Next week, see what Lauer will do to get an interview with Bob Mugabe. Only Matt gets to call him Bob.
What a crock of B.S. You
December 28, 2008 - 00:07 ET by mostlymoderateWhat a crock of B.S. You come to MY town which is a little suburb in California, I assure you that over 75% of us are very happy. I bet NBC asked a bunch of loons on the street in New York and THAT'S why they found so many unhappy people. It was probably the coldest day of the year too!
OR, it could just be that China doesn't let all of it's neighboring countries to illegally emigrate into China sucking resources, jobs, healthcare, tax dollars, increasing crime, drugs, overfilling classrooms and causing overpopulation.
Bill Sammon
December 28, 2008 - 00:25 ET by zoro7957...................BINGO!
Where did they take that poll?
December 28, 2008 - 12:47 ET by ironchefofmunchiesIt is clearly unfair to take the poll measuring happiness in New York. After all, people have been LEAVING New York in greater numbers than arriving for some time now.
You think happy people stay in New York rather than moving somewhere else? Of course not-so the pool they are using is artificially inflated with "unhappys" making it an unrepresentative sampling of "America".
People in China MAY BE happier than people in New York City. I could see why, given the taxes and freedoms are probably better in China than in NYC.
Say you're happy, or else!!!
December 29, 2008 - 11:05 ET by ckbennetttnI guess the other 20% were shot or thrown in prison?
“I am the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effete, politically correct, arrogant liberal.” --Barack Obama
Keep wondering
December 29, 2008 - 12:40 ET by RR GOPKeep wondering if/when Kirsten Powers will grow out of this Liberal stupor she's in? Nothing sadder than a geriatric Communist.
This is one of the many quandaries Libs find themselves in. They adore Castro but have to contend with the fact that a previous God, JFK, allowed the Bay of Pigs Invasion to go through. They ignore the dozens that Che personally executed.
They adore Mao and all the 'great things' the Party has done for the People's Republic of, but have to contend with the reality of Tiananmen Square.
They hate Hitler but ignore the millions of Russian dead at the hands of Stalin. They don't even talk about how many Greeks were killed by the Communists there after WW II, nor Katyn, nor Budapest, nor Prague, nor how the Red Army stayed out of the Polish Warsaw Uprising.
They hate the Nazis and cry puddles over the Holocaust, but viciously assault Israel every time that country does what it has to in order to defend itself.
They idolize the Dalai Lama, but, again are put in the position of either vocalizing their support of the Tibetan people or implying that the Communists are oppressive murderers.
They were elated that the U.S. finally left the otherwise peaceful peoples of Southeast Asia to their own devices, but could not bring themselves to condemn Communism even with the mass murders under Pol Pot, the ethnic cleansing of the Vietnamese Montagnards, etc.
Oh, the many trials and tribulations of Leftist hypocrisy! :-(
One of the 24% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 89% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.
They're so happy
December 29, 2008 - 23:31 ET by NorthCoasterThey're so happy, is reminiscient of the apologists for slavery. Communism is just a modern approach to Feudalism with the Party Leaders substituting for the Royalty. The end result is the same with the leaders getting the spoils and the workers toiling, toiling, toiling. Oh well, so long to the promise of monetary equality.