Washington Post television critic Tom Shales conducts an online discussion on Tuesdays. Today's session featured this exchange:
Dunn Loring, Va.: Re your column disparaging Liz Cheney's style, what was the last column you wrote so harshly criticizing a liberal pundit?Tom Shales: Ah yes, it's our dear old Dunn Loringite. Dunn Loringer. Whatever. You have an ideological axe to grind and it's awfully predictable. Where do you get the idea that if someone criticizes a conservative they must also criticize a liberal? Is there some kind of "equal time" law or "fairness doctrine" that applies to everybody who says anything that is broadcast or cablecast? That's absurd. CONSERVATIVES DOMINATE THE BROADCAST AND CABLE MEDIA IN THIS COUNTRY. They have very little to complain about in terms of access to an audience. When was the last time you criticized a conservative? It's a meaningless question whichever way it is asked.
Shales disparages the questioner for having an ideological axe to grind, something he no doubt has never been accused of himself . Later, there's a follow up question:
Reston, Va.: Tom, I'll give you that conservatives have got the radio all sewn up (mostly because nobody listens to liberal radio shows so they die), but how do conservatives dominate cable media? FOX is only one channel, up against CNN, MSNBC, and don't forget ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS. Sure FOX's ratings beat MSNBC and CNN and PBS put together, but that's about viewer choice. Clearly on TV, liberals have more voices, but like radio, less people watch them. . ..
Tom Shales: MSNBC as a "liberal" soap box is a somewhat recent development. Frankly I don't like ideology-based channels no matter what they're selling. They're mostly preach-to-the-choir things anyway, so I shouldn't let them bother me. Maybe there are more liberal voices on TV but that didn't stop America from electing Ronald Reagan and not by a Bush mini-margin either.
So in a matter of minutes, Shales goes from all caps certainty to "Maybe there are more liberal voices on TV. . ." His certitude is challenged by another participant:
Atlanta, Ga.: Tom, I'm a big fan, but can you explain this sentence?
CONSERVATIVES DOMINATE THE BROADCAST AND CABLE MEDIA IN THIS COUNTRY
I think you meant to write that Liberals dominate the broadcast and cable media in the country. True, Fox News has the highest cable ratings, but other left-leaning outlets on cable and, certainly, network television are more numerous than right-leaning.
Do you have examples of the conservative dominance?Tom Shales: Well now let me see. The networks are all owned by Big Business and Big Businessmen certainly tend to be conservatives. The Fox News Channel isn't a minor detail to be lumped in with other networks; it is a 24-hour-a-day conservative propaganda machine; MSNBC is liberal only during prime-time and late-night, don't you think? Phil Donahue is off the air and has been for years; he was too "liberal." Perhaps with a liberal in the White House, the pendulum WILL swing the other way for a while. . .
So then he's reverting to his first assertion, with a mild slap at those businessmen, like George Soros and Jeffrey Immelt probably, who tend to be conservative.
Shales appears to be confused. That condition likely is a great credential in the mainstream media.
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Comments Policy
"The networks are all owned
September 1, 2009 - 16:53 ET by Maideneer"The networks are all owned by Big Business and Big Businessmen certainly tend to be conservatives."
Here's a load of crap of a quote. This man is a complete moron. I swear, we really are living in the Twilight Zone.
Shales Has Always Been a Tool.
September 1, 2009 - 20:04 ET by farstar99All that drug and alcohol abuse pickled his brain.
"Big Business" And "Conservative" - Inseparable
September 1, 2009 - 20:47 ET by Intellectual HonestyWith maybe the ironic slight exception of Big Liberal Media, any big business in this country, whether run by Republican-donating or Democrat-donating CEO's and boards has to be "conservative" in their business dealings or they won't remain a big business and would be well on their out of business. That's because Big Business has to at least break even unlike their government counterparts (Government is THE Biggest Big Business) that can rack up huge deficits and still decide to spend more.
There are tons of politicians from both parties that own stock in Big Business. There are many politicians from both parties that worked for or own/ed Big Business outright. In the end the difference between the Dems and Pubbies is Pubbies support a open markets and thus are not hypocrites (unless doing illegal transactions, insider trading, etc.) while Dems demagogue Big Business but still partake while attempting to shift to Keynesian economy and working towards a fascist model of allowing businesses to exist but dictating what can be made, how many, when, where, by who etc. And they make sure they then have stock in those very same companies to enjoy the fruits of government contracts, subsidies, etc.
Most big wig Dem pols and their CEO partners say that they believe in "social/economic justice" stances and act on them but damned if they will be held to the same standards. Ted K had the luxury to demand a new health care structure that rations for the many because he knew (and proved) that he would not accept, expect or settle for anything less than the best medical treatment up until his very last breath.
X
September 1, 2009 - 16:55 ET by serfer62Hahahahahahahahahahaah
pant pant
hahahahahahahahahahahaha
lmao
September 1, 2009 - 17:06 ET by katainkent*shares her paper sack*
no really ... don't hyperventilate ... that's bad. (lmao)
(note to self : spellcheck after catching breath)
___________________________________________
We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. ~Thomas Jefferson
Up is Down
September 1, 2009 - 17:02 ET by allanfwelcome to the world of Tom Shales.
Alice bring that looking glass over.
And the far left media think they are mainstream
September 1, 2009 - 17:17 ET by kg"DumbAssity of Dope"
Shales is WaPoop personified...
September 1, 2009 - 16:56 ET by wnaegeleSigh!
Poor Shales....he's a spun
September 1, 2009 - 17:01 ET by bigtimerPoor Shales....he's a spun top with nowhere to go.
'Go Green...Recycle Congress'
Buddy Miles
September 1, 2009 - 19:05 ET by jdlybrand"I got a story ain't got no morals,
Let the bad guys win ev'ry once in a while.
Will it go 'round in circles?
Will it fly high like a bird up in the sky?"
"What a revoltin' development this is!"
Chester Riley
Liberals dominate the media by numbers
September 1, 2009 - 17:08 ET by c5thenBut moderate or conservatives dominate in the ratings. There are many more liberal choices to choose from yet most of America chooses to watch or listen to the conservative ones. Why is that?
Throw 'da bums out!!!
no incumbent re-elected, with very few exceptions!
www.loyaltoliberty.com
fox channel is 24 hour
September 1, 2009 - 17:10 ET by JAJTfox channel is 24 hour Conservative propaganda and MSNBC only Liberal during Prime time! oh please! Fox news dominates because it chooses not to be a parrot like the other talking heads. JAJT
I remember Jerry Springer
September 1, 2009 - 20:05 ET by arkansaszippersI remember Jerry Springer had pretty high ratings for a while - now why do you suppose that was? Probably his high level of integrity...
→ Arkyzip
September 1, 2009 - 20:08 ET by Cool ArrowDo you remember the time slot in which Springer appeared?
We will Barry you! - Russian prophecy
Right after school I think -
September 1, 2009 - 20:10 ET by arkansaszippersRight after school I think - I remember watching it right after school. I mean, before they banned the fighting, that is. It got pretty lame after that.
One thing is being the
September 1, 2009 - 17:15 ET by NonArabOmarOne thing is being the owner and another is being the operator. Media companies are owned by monolithic nonsentient corporate entities where a bunch of people own pieces out of it expecting a share of the profits but the people working these companies and operating them are LIBERAL.
It's like car companies. The company may be owned by those seeking profit but the people making the cars are "proletariats" who are represented by unions that back socialism.
In a non-LSD affected
September 1, 2009 - 17:19 ET by Chris NormanIn a non-LSD affected world, these answers from Shales would disqualify him immediately from someone to be taken seriously. He's in Garafalo-land now. AND another liberal resorts to childish name calling and smart assisms to deflect relevant criticism. They must all be reading the same handbook on rules of engagement.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
the same handbook, Chris
September 1, 2009 - 17:25 ET by Mike BatesSaul Alinsky's Greatest Hits?
Michael,It's really
September 1, 2009 - 17:36 ET by Chris NormanMichael,
It's really getting noticeable now. I really wonder if they think anyone besides the people who like Keith Olbermann will appreciate their smart aleck "wit"? How far do they think this will get them with the average reader or voter? Obnoxious elitism (and outright lying) will undo all of them in the end.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
"smart assisms"
September 1, 2009 - 18:25 ET by RukusLOL Chris! I like it! : )
Gary
A liberal's generosity is limited only by your income.
I couldn't think of another
September 1, 2009 - 18:34 ET by Chris NormanI couldn't think of another term to use to describe the language these tools use. Some of the other terms sounded too complimentary - like I admired or even acknowledged their "wit". I wish I could find another term to describe that - because whatever it is, it sure isn't witty...
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Smart assisms?
September 1, 2009 - 20:10 ET by R D HelmChris,
LOL-Never heard that one before.
Damn, I have had such a sheltered life.
And if you believe that...
-Dave
Even when the government tries to kiss you, it is just a prelude to a good screwing. -Neal Boortz
Phil Donahue?
September 1, 2009 - 17:33 ET by Darwin AkbarSeriously, Shales, is that the best you can do? Am I to assume that because Phil Donahue doesn't have a show on MSNBC anymore, that there are no liberals on cable news?
Didn't his last pathetic attempt at a cable news show end in 2003? I seem to recall that he couldn't get a single rating point. I mean, Keith Olbermann may be a loon, but at least he does have some viewers.
I suppose Shales makes no mention of CNN because he, like 99% of the people in this country not sitting in airports, doesn't watch CNN.
Why should anyone expect
September 1, 2009 - 17:35 ET by fitzfongWhy should anyone expect Tom Shales to have a clue what ideology "dominates" broadcast news? When he doesn't have his face buried in a pint of Ben & Jerry's, he's watching "The Apprentice 'All Stars'" or "Survivor: Season 25...the Island of Jesus, this show is still on?".
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." -George Best
Give the poor man a break
September 1, 2009 - 17:37 ET by richb313Oh come on. Give the poor man a break. He was just trying to get his Victim Status Card validated for the next big liberal shindig. Entrance to one these affairs is denied without a current validated Victim Status Card.
I wonder why
September 1, 2009 - 17:47 ET by 10ksnookerPeople don't want to sit for hours listening at liberals lie? It's always amazed me that people don't want to do that.
But then there is always ABCCBSNBCCNN and about all the newspapers they could fall back on.
And the founder of CNN was certainly conservative --
September 1, 2009 - 18:00 ET by Gary HallAnd the founder of CNN was certainly conservative -- NOT!
And following Ted Tuner's departure from CNN, it's liberal bias has only tilted further left.
PS. I really love those conservative dominated radio shows, like Air America, PBR, and Pacifica Radio - not to mention PBS. And then there are the national newspapers (NYTimes, WaPost, LATimes) and the national magazines (Time, Newsweek, and the rest of the conservative magazines at the checkout stand in the grocery store).
Yikes - (;~/ gary
Gary,
September 1, 2009 - 20:16 ET by R D HelmActually, I loved CNN in the early days. Crossfire was a pretty good show back then.
Then Ted met Jane, then Ted married Jane, and CNN went to Hell in a hand-basket shortly thereafter, with Ted following close behind.
-Dave
Even when the government tries to kiss you, it is just a prelude to a good screwing. -Neal Boortz
Dave..
September 1, 2009 - 20:20 ET by Gary HallWell, it was new.. and that, in itself, was exciting; but I don't think we'd consider that it was a conservative effort - yea? And you're on to it; CNN definately went downward along the way. The odd tweak here is that Jane turned religous, and Ted balked - remember?
(;~> gary
Tom's been drinking too
September 1, 2009 - 18:01 ET by HockeyKidTom's been drinking too many of his eponymous cocktails.*
*A "Tom Shales" = Wild Turkey on the rocks
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
Like most lefties, Shales
September 1, 2009 - 18:06 ET by robert108Like most lefties, Shales never answered the question; instead, he made a personal attack on the questioner, a sign of weakness in his position.
So, who's going to write
September 1, 2009 - 18:10 ET by RR GOPSo, who's going to write something like that next...Roger Ebert?
You'd think that someone who gets paid to sit on his a@@ and watches as much TV as this guy would have a clue as to which ideology runs the genre.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 86% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.
Shales needs to put down the Kool-Aid...
September 1, 2009 - 18:17 ET by PrairieSky"The networks are all owned by Big Business and Big Businessmen certainly tend to be conservatives... MSNBC is liberal only during prime-time and late-night..."
Yeah, Tom...right. He can at least get the facts right before he begins bloviating. NBC is owned by GE, whose chariman and CEO is the ultra-liberal, Jeffrey Immelt. NBC is operated by Jeff Zucker, another well known insane ultra-liberal. And as for MSNBC being liberal only during prime-time and late-night, when was the last time he actually watched MSNBC at night? As far as CBS and ABC are concerned, they are both owned and run by liberals, and the same, obviously, is true for CNN. The only major broadcast network that isn't liberal owned and run is FoxNews, thank heavens.
Shales is an idiot.
"The problem is not that people are taxed too little...the problem is that government spends too much." ~President Ronald Reagan
PS, He's also a liar, so
September 1, 2009 - 18:20 ET by Chris NormanPS,
He's also a liar, so he figures he might as well tell a whopper.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Chris...Oh, that's...
September 1, 2009 - 18:23 ET by PrairieSkya given...Liberal=liar.
"The problem is not that people are taxed too little...the problem is that government spends too much." ~President Ronald Reagan
PS, Of course "whopper"
September 1, 2009 - 18:36 ET by Chris NormanPS,
Of course "whopper" doesn't begin to describe the breathtaking braziness of Shales assertion.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Chris...Yep...Pick a word...
September 1, 2009 - 19:11 ET by PrairieSkylie, whopper, tall story, prevarication, fiction, misrepresentation, villification, etc., etc. Whatever you may call it, Shales has trouble discerning and telling the truth.
"The problem is not that people are taxed too little...the problem is that government spends too much." ~President Ronald Reagan
Sky... Right you are...I
September 1, 2009 - 18:40 ET by bigtimerSky...
Right you are...I caught that too about Shales regarding msnbc only being liberal in the evening...talk about laugh out loud funny.
For me his immaturity is pathetic...with laughs thrown in.
'Go Green...Recycle Congress'
bt...Shales is irrelevant...
September 1, 2009 - 19:16 ET by PrairieSkyand so are his bankrupt opinions...Does anyone really give a rat's a$$ what this yutz thinks and says?
"The problem is not that people are taxed too little...the problem is that government spends too much." ~President Ronald Reagan
I don't know whether it is good or bad, but if not...
September 1, 2009 - 19:08 ET by jawebster1for "NewsBusters", I would never know what a "complete dunderhead" like this Shales guy is saying. I choose to listen to "talk radio" and watch "Fox" because I can always count on my point of view being represented. That doesn't happen very often in the main stream media which I stopped paying attention to just about the time I learned to read. Jim Webster
Shales
September 1, 2009 - 19:20 ET by NorthCoasterWhat planet are you living on?
YOU OBVIOUSLY DON'T WATCH ANY BROADCAST OR CABLE NEWS!
The worm has turned . . .
September 1, 2009 - 19:21 ET by GalvanicTom Shales: . . . You have an ideological axe to grind and it's awfully predictable. Where do you get the idea that if someone criticizes a conservative they must also criticize a liberal? Is there some kind of "equal time" law or "fairness doctrine" that applies to everybody who says anything that is broadcast or cablecast? . . . "
Apparently there is, because everytime a conservative pundit like Michelle Malkin or Laura Ingraham criticizes Obama's out-of-control spending habits during a debate, the first response from the left is "Why didn't you criticize Bush's spending?"
What a Maroon!!!
September 1, 2009 - 19:28 ET by nadadhimmiWhat a Maroon!!!
Just watched Liz on Hannity,
September 1, 2009 - 20:58 ET by JAJTJust watched Liz on Hannity, man-she rocks! she'll tell you like it is with facts and stays emotionally calm. JAJT
Takes after her dad. "The
September 1, 2009 - 21:05 ET by QueenMumTakes after her dad.
"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out
of other people's money."
—Margaret Thatcher
JAIT... That she does, I
September 1, 2009 - 21:06 ET by bigtimerJAIT...
That she does, I seriously hope she runs for something...even Prez...which I've mentioned long ago. ;-)
'Go Green...Recycle Congress'
If you think that msnbc is
September 1, 2009 - 23:13 ET by toneyukiIf you think that msnbc is just a little liberal some of the time then yes there is a lot of "conservative news"
careful my friend, we might wind up to the right of Obama!
Depends on your point of view I guess
He's been drinking too much liberal Kool-Aid
September 2, 2009 - 09:24 ET by Mary Louise TurnerTom Shales has been drinking too much liberal Kool-Aid for too long, and his "brain" has atrophied as a result.