Remember how the media claims they are fair and balanced? Remember how "journalists" say that all they do is "report the facts" and that their overwhelming lefitism is left at home when they ride their eco-friendly bikes to work? Remember how they claim that they are the "watchdogs" of politicians and don't involve themselves in politics? Apparently the Chicago Tribune didn't get that memo because an Obama supporter visited a local Chicago store to snap the picture to prove that Obama shirts are being offered in exchange for a subscription.
So on my way to Saloon Democrats, I stop by the Walgreens on Clark and Lake. And what do I see just inside the entry? A woman with a bunch of baseball hats and tee-shirts trying to sell subscriptions to the Chicago Tribune.
The deal is, if you sign up for the Chicago Tribune at one dollar a week, you can get one of the hats or teeshirts for free. And what's on the teeshirt? Why "Obama" of course. It wasn't the official campaign logo but it was his name splashed across the white cotton fabric. The only reason I noticed is because the woman called out to everyone entering the store saying they could get a free "Obama" teeshirt if they signed up for the Tribune.
So much for just being "reporters," eh? But remember, the media is NOT in the bag for Obama!
But, doesn't this cozy relationship between the Trib and the Obama campaign seem to put their objectivity in doubt?
Of course, there was a day when the media did overtly chose sides and support particular candidates. I wouldn't mind if we'd go back to those days. Because what we have now is the claim that the media is dispassionate even as they support Obama with their every move while pretending they aren't! I'd rather the truth from the media than a lie any day.
(Photo Credit: IllinoisDemNetwork.com)
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Put their objectivity on
June 19, 2008 - 17:06 ET by bigtimerPut their objectivity on display? What objectivity?
Outrageous as far as I am concerned.
No bias here...move on.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson
Geez, is there no law for
June 19, 2008 - 17:11 ET by general companyGeez, is there no law for this. If this doesnt wake up the sheep, nothing will. Unbelivable!
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
I don't know what "law" you
June 19, 2008 - 17:13 ET by Warner Todd HustonI don't know what "law" you would want. The Trib IS a privately held company, after all!
Yea, I dont know either.
June 19, 2008 - 17:29 ET by general companyYea, I dont know either. Papers pick sides all of the time. But it seems to me that this is activly campaining and fund raising by the paper. Even if the funding is just more ink for the Trib so they can print more articals on Obama.
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
And THEY want the fairness
June 19, 2008 - 21:44 ET by kgAnd THEY want the fairness doctrine for radio. Give me a break.
"Forget change, I want improvement!"
"But, doesn't this cozy
June 19, 2008 - 17:10 ET by Clear thinker"But, doesn't this cozy relationship between the Trib and the Obama campaign seem to put their objectivity in doubt?"
Ya think?
45 Communist Goals for America http://www.nationmakers.com/com_goals.htm
Fish Wrap
June 19, 2008 - 17:14 ET by the strugglerIn Louisville,sign up for the Courier-Journal and you get a free dead fish.
At least...
June 19, 2008 - 17:17 ET by Warner Todd HustonAt least the fish is valuable!
"I suscribed to The Tribune
June 19, 2008 - 17:32 ET by Chris Norman"I suscribed to The Tribune and all I got was this lousy Obama tee shirt"?
hey for a buck a week you get
June 19, 2008 - 17:35 ET by jefflebowskiSomething to wash your car with and a emergency source for toilet paper.
Iwouldn't subscribe to the Dallas Morning News if it was free! Nothing of value there
Jeff Lebowski
www.angrywhitedude.c...
Uh, A mistake by a low level
June 19, 2008 - 17:19 ET by Chris NormanUh, A mistake by a low level employee - it's hometown pride - uh, it's not THAT Obama - uh - uh - we will be reviewing our policy...
the bigger prize, hard to say
June 19, 2008 - 17:46 ET by mom_roxAre you sure she didn't say, "If you buy this Obama T-shirt, I'll throw in a free Tribune subscription"?
A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
- George Bernard Shaw, 1944
Truth in Advertising
June 19, 2008 - 18:02 ET by JohanWell at least now we know how unbiased the ChiTrib is, ie., not very. It's truth in advertising coming full circle. For years conservatives have pointed out that many newsrags and networks were biased towards liberals, and the only response was denials from the media. Now after years of pointing out the facts that the bias exists, some of these so-called unbiased sources are going completely commando and being as biased as ever. The ChiTrib is one paper that is now fully open and honest about their bias. As for TV, does anyone doubt that MSNBC and CNN are not fully on board with Team Obama? Does one sliver of evidence exist that contradicts this truth? Don't even need to mention the NYTimes, they should be taxed like a 527. Does anyone doubt that we will soon start to see coordinated attacks between Team Obama and all of these news sources? Soon we'll see the NYTimes publish false accusations about McCain, oh wait, they already did that. Still waiting for the sketchy unsourced story critical of Obama to appear on the pages of the The Crazy Old Gray Lady.
I have a good idea (at
June 19, 2008 - 18:12 ET by RukusI have a good idea (at least in my punkin')...
Let's all get the damn shirts and put a BIG red circle around it and a slash through it! A few bucks a month, aaand we can use the "news" paper to line our bird cages! Or whatever you want to use it for. We could wear them proudly. Of course the downside is we'd be giving money to the ChiTrib...supply and demand, supply and demand, crap! I'm short on TP right now sooooo...
"Nuke 'em 'til they... oh hell, just shoot 'em!"
An even better idea would
June 19, 2008 - 19:54 ET by motherbeltAn even better idea would be if everyone in the area signed up, took the Tshirt, and then called and cancelled the subscription the day before it was to start!
mb... Now that is a great
June 19, 2008 - 19:59 ET by bigtimermb...
Now that is a great idea!
I'm laughing out loud here thinking about if that was possible to really happen...how much fun would that be?
Pay backs are hell...heheheee...
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson
Or you could buy a
June 19, 2008 - 19:58 ET by muh-oonOr you could buy a subscription and then wrap the t-shirt on your head like a turban or a headscarf right there at the table. Then ask the person at the table if they will help you wrap it so that the name is showing.
I am beginning to wonder if
June 19, 2008 - 18:13 ET by mostlymoderateI am beginning to wonder if the media in America has EVER been objective. From ABC, CBS, NBC to the New York Times and the LA Times, I don't think ANY of them have been objective for the last 40 years.
This is the icing on the cake. This makes me feel McCain is hopeless against Obama.
Well...
June 19, 2008 - 18:16 ET by Warner Todd HustonWell, now THAT is just the point, isn't it?
No, the media has never, EVER been unbiased. Even more to the point it was never supposed to BE unbiased. It has only been since the 1960s when the media began to claim that they were unbiased, that they were the so-called guardians of democracy.
It is a lie that they are unbiased. That is the whole reason NewsBusters exists, to prove the lie to that claim.
Hell, in the past we have
June 19, 2008 - 18:23 ET by BDHell, in the past we have tried to get simple coverage of military affairs out of the press, things that would support individual troops and units in combat zones etc.
We have always been given the old "We would love to help, but we have to be IMPARTIAL after all and cannot support US troops over the enemy - it would not be right" mantra from the various news organizations. They claim to be citizens of the world and are not allowed to take a stake in anything AMERICAN at the expense of the rest of the world.
But I guess Impartiatlity only covers the troops. Liberal candidates on the other hand........
BD... Bingo...Bulls-Eye
June 19, 2008 - 18:25 ET by bigtimerBD...
Bingo...Bulls-Eye or better yet SHACK using your terms...
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson
Danke sehr....!
June 19, 2008 - 18:29 ET by BDDanke sehr....!
Of course well all know Fox
June 19, 2008 - 18:35 ET by goldbarOf course well all know Fox News isn't biased.
For the Socialist goldbar
June 19, 2008 - 18:40 ET by UnsaneOf course we all know that Socialists like you live in overwhelming, intense, palpable FEAR of a piddly, crappy cable channel that might, at most, reach 1% of the population on a busy news day.
By the way, I don't see them offering McCain t-shirts for subscriptions to their news channel.
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
I'm fairly new at this so I
June 19, 2008 - 18:55 ET by RukusI'm fairly new at this so I can add Goldbark to my list? Seems so.
This list is getting long, what's up with that?
"Nuke 'em 'til they... oh hell, just shoot 'em!"
Rukus... I affectionately
June 19, 2008 - 19:44 ET by Clear thinkerRukus...
I affectionately call him 'leadbar'.
45 Communist Goals for America http://www.nationmakers.com/com_goals.htm
LOL! I stand corrected
June 19, 2008 - 20:16 ET by RukusLOL! I stand corrected CT!
"Nuke 'em 'til they... oh hell, just shoot 'em!"
I dunno
June 19, 2008 - 21:06 ET by Indiana JoeI kind of liked "Goldbark."
Woof, woof!
;^D
Correct
June 19, 2008 - 18:40 ET by general companyCorrect, so proud of you.
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
Wow, great comeback. What a
June 19, 2008 - 19:52 ET by Chris NormanWow, great comeback. What a zinger. As the liberals shop worn and shaky response to all the documented liberal bias in every other media organization, Fox is, truly, "the most powerful name in news"...
Halliburton.
June 19, 2008 - 20:37 ET by ckc1227Halliburton.
Contribution
June 19, 2008 - 19:03 ET by ScrapironSomeway this should run afoul of the FEC (if we had an effective one) rules on contributions.
Old, Retired and glad of it.
What's really sad is, the
June 19, 2008 - 19:42 ET by Indiana JoeWhat's really sad is, the ChiTrib is (was) considered the more conservative of the two dailys.
Just imagine how in the tank the "progressive conscience" of Chicago (i.e. the Sun-Times) is for Obama!
The Rest of the Story
June 19, 2008 - 19:46 ET by respectfulconservativeNotice Warner Todd Huston uses the passive voice: "T-shirts are being offered," not the active voice: The Chicago Tribune is offering t-shirts. Does anyone know that the newspaper is offering them or was it just this one woman?
I would like to know the full situation. If the tribune itself is really giving away the t-shirts this could be a huge story. If not it is nothing.
Don't get me wrong. It
June 19, 2008 - 21:04 ET by Cureboy675Don't get me wrong. It wouldn't surprise me if The Chicago Tribune was in the tank for Obama. But it would surprise me to learn that a big-city newspaper would be so blatantly stupid as to say "Oh heck yeah, let's give away Obama T-shirts to somebody who subscribes". That you could walk into the The Chicago Tribune office, buy a subscription, and the person behind the counter would say "And here's your free Barack Obama shirt". If they are that blatantly stupid, then that is definitely something we need to know about.
But my guess would be its just some local so-and-so trying to get more people on their route. There are regularly people in my supermarket giving away Girl Scout cookies or jars of honey to people who subscribe to the Omaha World Herald.
But even if that is the case, The Chicago Tribune needs to get a hold of this local so-and-so and politely demand that they knock if off!
"I don't want your 'us or them'..." -- The Cure
if you had finished reading
June 19, 2008 - 20:05 ET by crsheddif you had finished reading the blog you linked to ( Obama shirts are being offered in exchange for a subscription ) you would have been able to relate the untarnished record.
"...I just wonder whether it's a bit ironic for a newspaper that in its entire 161 years has always backed the Republican candidate for president..."
i know, i know, endorsements are on the editorial page. but the shirts are the sales department, not the reporters. basically the same thing, neither is the reporter or the news pages.
dirty commie liberal paper, broke their 161 year record of unbiased journalism.
dirty commie liberal paper,
June 19, 2008 - 20:17 ET by bigtimerdirty commie liberal paper, broke their 161 year record of unbiased journalism.
Why crshedd...how refreshing to have a few good words from you.
The truth shall set you free...I knew if you stuck around long enough you would see the light.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson
"would have been able to
June 19, 2008 - 20:34 ET by Rukus"would have been able to relate the untarnished record."
then:
"dirty commie liberal paper, broke their 161 year record of unbiased journalism.:"
Says it all.
"Nuke 'em 'til they... oh hell, just shoot 'em!"
The Trib
June 19, 2008 - 20:41 ET by Warner Todd HustonThe Trib is the paper responsible for destroying the candidacy of Jack Ryan, the GOP candidate that would have faced Obama for the Senate. The Trib broke the "story" of Ryan's sealed divorce papers and ruined his candidacy making the GOP go with Alan Keyes, instead.
The Trib has been drifting more left each year since.
I wouldn't stand on their supposed reputation as the "conservative" paper in Chicago!
Still, I never called the paper a liberal paper, so you really have no place to act as if I did
sorry you took it that way.
June 19, 2008 - 20:48 ET by crsheddsorry you took it that way. i called it a dirty commie liberal paper, not you.
didn't mean to imply you called it that. i just pointed out a 161 year history as compared to the 1-2 week promotion that got you all worked up.
OK, no problem.
June 19, 2008 - 20:53 ET by Warner Todd HustonI thought you were scolding me. Thanks for the follow up.
Here's a crazy thought
June 19, 2008 - 22:59 ET by UnsaneUm, maybe the Tribune shouldn't endorse...
ANYBODY!!!
Ever thought of that?
(I dispensed with the San Antonio Express-News long ago for similar reasons. Likewise, I have never bought a Houston Comical.)
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
WTH... They are the SOB's
June 19, 2008 - 20:50 ET by bigtimerWTH...
They are the SOB's responsible for releasing the sealed divorce papers of Ryan.
I hope they rot.
Now I am really mad.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson
Yes they did and a
June 20, 2008 - 06:38 ET by red_dragon311Yes they did and as a reader of the trib, I voted for ( I am sorry to say ) Barack H-word Obama himself. I have stopped my subscription
and I have a radical revolutionary friend at work who e-mail's me stuff frim time to time, and this is one of the lastest....how the right is attcking Michelle Obama. I was gonna save it for the opne thread but the puke on my computer needs to be cleaned off now so I did here ....and enjoy it Warner
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Gerald Ford
RD311, Ya know what is funny
June 20, 2008 - 11:13 ET by Warner Todd HustonRD311,
Ya know what is funny about that report you linked. It didn't really SAY anything!
What, it says it
June 20, 2008 - 14:23 ET by red_dragon311What, it says it all!!!!
that the repbulicans are attcking Michelle H-word Obama isn't that saying enough,
(sarc off)
But it is a radical "white people hate blacks" website...I figured you like to see what we are up against.
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Gerald Ford
Exactly
June 20, 2008 - 15:15 ET by Warner Todd HustonYou are right that we are up against nothing but "feelings."
While that article didn't really say anything logical and made no factual conclusions, it WAS filled with feelings.
Thanks
Ah yes, proof once again
June 20, 2008 - 15:29 ET by BDAh yes, proof once again that conservatives think logically, liberals emotionally....
WTH--It's an Insurgency, we're Being ATTACKED !!!
June 19, 2008 - 21:15 ET by JayTeeIt's another attack by Osama !!...uhhh, I mean Obama.....
Illinois is just so HAPPY that one of their Politicians STILL hasn't been arrested, Indited, Jailed, or Resigned due to Scandal....so you'll have to Forgive their Enthusiasm for what's his Name.
The Republican Revolution will not be Televised
Where is the FEC!!!???
June 20, 2008 - 06:53 ET by c5thenThis is obviously and illegal campaign contribution. Why is this not being investigated?
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
Because they're totally-useless
June 20, 2008 - 07:25 ET by sarcasmoCongress needs to defund them, 100%, forthwith. There's nothing wrong with a paper blatantly taking sides. Why do people here think it should be illegal?? The owner of the newspaper is taking a risk with his-not-your property. That is, or at least should be, his right.
You may not like it or agree with it, but he's not hurting you or anyone else by taking political sides. I happen to find it refreshingly honest, compared to the "fair and balanced" horsecrap peddled by most of the biased media. A news media outlet, by its actions, just came very close to honestly saying: "Yes! We're taking sides!" Isn't that what this site spends countless electrons trying to get most of the news media to admit? Why look a gift horse in the mouth??
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
Because it IS against the law!
June 20, 2008 - 07:51 ET by c5thenYou may not agree with the law, but it is illegal for any entity to contribute to a campaign beyond the $2,500 limit that John McCain and Russ Feingold got passed. Things like what the Chi-Trib is doing have been ruled contributions in kind and are covered by the law.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
You're right that I disagree with the law
June 20, 2008 - 07:57 ET by sarcasmoBut for all we know they've either set up a "527" or some other legal dodge to get around it, or maybe just limited themselves to $2 grand or so worth of shirts & hats. The law and the bureaucracy aren't working as currently implemented. I still say "defund."
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
Well we agree on getting rid of the FEC
June 20, 2008 - 09:14 ET by c5thenThey don't investigate or enforce the laws unbiasedly. They only investigate and enforce to maintain the current two party system.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
I wouldn't be seen wearing that shirt
June 20, 2008 - 08:44 ET by JTPpainting my basement in the dark!