Having made my first post on this site today despite being a longtime lurker, panels seem like an intriguing idea to me. I would like the opinions of others on how to battle bias of local reporters and editorial boards. I do this on my own but I'd like to know what, if anything, has worked elsewhere with the drive-by media.

We need an outlet for confronting local papers and their editors that either block conservative letters or insist on changes that they do not require for liberal letters. Regional NB writers, etc. is a great idea. Count me in for Maine!

Having attended the Last 2 Yr. Birthday happy hour, and enjoyed it tremendously, one cannot help but know we're a "national" group.  For now...We shall all continue to be "miles and miles" apart.   

Because of the Physical location realities, It would be very difficult to create attendance of more than a few for Meetings, Get Togethers, etc....Doesn't mean we shouldn't try, or combine with other functions, we just will not be able to physically materialize the NB participants in masse.....until we hit the 40,000 member mark...or somewhere in there.

When it comes to signing petitions, throwing our Weight around a Single NB representative, a NB non-partisan issue, we have the MRC guys to support and back up, and NB is a part of that representation.   

one suggestion.....

Design/SELL SOME T-SHIRTS....dudes... 

What good is a Free Press, if it is a False Press ?   David Foote  GoE

Maybe find a method to highlight some CNSNews stories that support NB focus (or any CNSNews story for that matter).  And/or other relevant info from MRC such as alerts to when MRC/NB associates will be featured in the media.  I appreciate the emails from these sources but perhaps a wider audience could be reached via NB.

I offer the following as an example:

(CNSNews.com) - In covering the 2008 presidential campaign, the network morning news shows are "overwhelmingly focused on Democrats, [and] they are actively promoting the Democrats' liberal agenda," according to a study released today by the conservative Media Research Center (MRC).
continued...

The default "Insert/edit Link" target should be "open in new window."

My suggestion is that Newsbusters might have regional blogs not every day, but certain bloggers who are familiar with regional stories and news which one can not easily access in the national media.

As an example, I was watching feed yesterday of the return of Senator Tim Johnson, Democrat of South Dakota. As I predicted in watching this schemer he played his invalid card to the max and hinted at the heir apparent being his boy wonder.

In details, the media was told the event would start at 4pm, but the local powerhouse of KELO would not do live coverage as Oprah was in that time slot. So the other stations ran the most ridiculous "Soviet style" stories like when a leader used to die. They had on political commentary of "what to expect", "don't expect too much from Tim" and "no one better play this for politics against Tim.

(In direct contrast when Republican Gov. Bill Janklow was in the hospital in Minnesota, the stories were speculated and read with glee "how he was dying". There also was never a welcome home Bill party covered by all the media outlets.) 

Of course as I predicted Johnson ran this as an hour and 15 minutes campaign commercial. You had the lovely Democrat Stephie Herseth as MC and as noted at 5 pm, just as EVERY local broadcast started their early news, up stepped up Junior Johnson to go live around the state.

There was the introduction of the entire Johnson family, newly adopted black kids on parade and even a staged "Kennedy event of kids out of control back stage"......like the Johnsons had no idea they were all going to be trotted out.

Then at exactly 5:03 pm, must like the infamous 6:03 announcement he was running for Senate during the drama of Johnson's wife's breast cancer, out wheeled Tim.

The one mistake Johnson screwed up on was the campaign signs all hid him from the cameras.

As I had been warning in blogs all along, the Democrats have been lying about Johnson. He is paralyzed on his entire right side. Is wheelchair bound, he has difficulty speaking and there were times he was talking no one could understand what he was even saying for an entire sentence.

The entire event was meant to show Johnson capable of doing the job, but he made a mistake in his speech stating his staff, Herseth and Republican Senator John Thune were doing the lion's share of the work.

Johnson made adequate harp string appeal and in having run into the guy before in knowing what a buzz saw short temper he has, he honestly was more pleasant in smiling. That though mimics greatly the head trauma cases of patients being more "simple" or child like in their manner as those of us with experience in special needs people.

Without "testing" in real Senate issues, Johnson proved nothing in his return except having limited mental capacity. 

All of that is the perfect Edwards story in no one can pick on the invalid, but it is what I mean in Newsbusters would I believe be better served if regional bloggers with a pulse on things like Elizabeth Edwards being the beast neighbor with insights that only someone from Carolina would know. It would add the "feel" to stories posted here.

As an example, I always enjoyed it immensely when Rush Limbaugh used to tell about the people he met at parties, because those kinds of stories really give the 3rd dimension. Otherwise it is just Obama and Clinton in controlled print.

Thanks for listening.

*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS

What management system does NB use? Is it WordPress or Drupal? If it's Drupal, I can help by doing module development.

I would love to see NB sit down with someone from the NYT, WaPo, NBC, CNN, etc., and have a discussion about this site's findings and specific examples and ask those folks to comment.

A Repository for links, studies, quotes, etc categorized by subject would be nice. An added bonus would be the ability for registered users (maybe select users) to upload documents, papers, etc. so we can all share a centralized information resource.

Policing it would of course be a huge job...I would be willing to volunteer (probably up to 6-8 hours/week) to assist in moderating/maintaining the Repository as I'm sure others would be willing to contribute as well. Managing the Repository could also be the final test for your interns to prove their worth and mettle to qualify for permanent employment. 

"There are millions of people in Iraq who have sacrificed in the hope that the United States will finish its work here. We should never forget that." -- Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, Commander U.S. III Corps

I'm not as knowledgeable about, nor as skilled on the computer, as I'd like to be, so I don't what's possible and what's not.  I also don't know what's really practical, or useful, to do with my computer.  But I know what I like and dislike.   Having said that...

I go to only two sites a day, almost every day: WorldNet Daily, and NewsBusters.  After reading something that gets my blood pressure up, I'd like to be able to tell someone what I think about it.  But doing it with a NewsBusters comment is simply preaching to the choir.  I'd like to be able to go directly to a message board at NBC, or CBS, or Reuters, and tell them what I think of their policies, or what I think of a certain writer, or a story, etc.  Or, I'd like to click on an e-mail address and send them a e-mail. 

So I'd like to see a link to a message board or an e-mail address at the end of...not EVERY story...but quite a few of them.

Thanks for asking.  OH...almost forgot...I'd like to have a selection of "smileys" available.  A simple little yellow dot can take the sting out of a comment, or tell the world you're just kidding, can turn a criticism into a friendly suggestion, etc.  Please give us smileys. 

- An hour TV show just after "Face the Nation/Meet the Press", etc. on Sundays; or maybe a lead-in to Fox's "1/2 Hour News Hour", Sunday eves would be great.

- Merchandise: Bumper Stickers, T's, Flags/banners (for cars).

- Annual Regional Convention for family