Several national newspapers praised the four-hour PBS Frontline series beginning Tuesday night titled "News War," on how Team Bush (and Team Nixon before that) undemocratically waged war on the press. There's not much on whether the press was undemocratically waging war on the elected president in those cases. (Who, pray tell, voted for the New York Times to run the country?) The man setting the table for the first two hours is Arun Rath, who the South Asian Journalists Association website jokingly notes "acquired a semi-classical education at Reed College in Oregon ('Atheism, Communism and Free Love')." What a surprise for an NPR/PBS producer.
In a new interview on the SAJA website, Rath explained how he was somehow completely incapable of tracking down conservatives to comment on the show's arrogant liberal thesis, namely that the press is crucial to save democracy from freedom-crushing Republicans:
We tried without success for nearly a year to get someone from the administration to talk to us, but at the last minute we scored an interview with Dan Bartlett. That, and a number of other key interviews came about from simple persistence and effort over a long time by a number of producers.
We were originally going to feature a lot more about the rise of conservative media in this series, but it just wouldn’t fit in the end; plus we’d tried without success to get interviews with the big names at Fox News, and to talk about conservative media without such key players (Rush Limbaugh et al also turned us down) felt a little weak.
Suffice it to say PBS has not contacted the news watchers at the MRC. It's probably also easily guessed they didn't call the many conservative talk show hosts and members of Congress who could build up a decent head of steam about the arrogance of Obama-worshipping newspapers who wage war on the war on terror.
CORRECTION: The following sentence was incorrect: "Suffice it to say PBS has not contacted the news watchers at the MRC." Frontline executive editor Louis Wiley protested that they had. I asked our publicists, and they located an e-mail from April 2006, requesting a 90-minute interview with MRC president Brent Bozell, which was refused. I was not aware of the request, and I was wrong.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
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"We were originally goin
February 13, 2007 - 17:32 ET by Galvanic"We were originally going to feature a lot more about the rise of conservative media in this series, but it just wouldn’t fit in the end; . . . "
This must be PBS's idea of fair and balanced. 'We thought about offering an opposing viewpoint, but we didn't have room for it, so we didn't air it.' Yeah, right.
Who's watching? Who's intervi
February 13, 2007 - 17:33 ET by JDWWho's watching? Who's interviewing?
JDW
Kerry: "You know, education, if you make the most of it ... you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."
The reason PBS was turned down by Conservatives is clear.
February 13, 2007 - 17:36 ET by acaiguanaThe reason PBS was turned down by Conservatives is clear.
Any Conservative interviewed by them over the years has seen their interviews edited to hamburger; misrepresented in context; and generally framed as 'nut case' right-wing idealogues.
So, gee, nobody wanted to play in the sandbox.
I am sure that the MRC understands how it needs be very careful how it commits itself to such shows.
ACA
...
Hillary Clinton says: "I want to take those profits."
The true debate will occur on
February 13, 2007 - 17:40 ET by BDThe true debate will occur on the blog tomorrow rather than in the actual show tonight....
It is soooo much easier to ro
February 13, 2007 - 17:39 ET by BDIt is soooo much easier to roll the popular opinion to ones needs when there is no vocalized dissent from those pesky conservatives....
That is the true trademark of NPR/PBS
That name, "Rath"
February 13, 2007 - 17:44 ET by Chris NormanThat name, "Rath" is appropriate, don't you think, being about half of "Rather"?
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Famous novel
February 13, 2007 - 17:52 ET by misterbillFamous novel:
"The Gripes of Rath"
An ugly American is one who does not support his country.
bill,You are on your game tod
February 13, 2007 - 17:58 ET by Chris Normanbill,
You are on your game today. :)
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Chris I am inspired by the likes of Joshfm.
February 13, 2007 - 18:07 ET by misterbillChris I am inspired by the likes of Joshfm. Some time back, I confessed to getting silly and childish when I realized that reason, logic and common sense would not penetrate a debater. I became a practitioner of "non sequitur" answers. It actually helped me in my professional career. Yesterday and today, our sensible members have posted URLs to sites where the truly knowledgable experts have posted information that, in my logic absolutely refutes GW beyond a doubt. I was once a believer, (Yea, brother) in GW. I have read darned near every article and for me, it's over. It's all bullfeathers and Algore is an absolute criminal to spout his nonsense or if he truly believes is eligible for a frontal lobotomy. Except in his case "frontal" is relative.
My compliments to the President of the Czech Republic.
An ugly American is one who does not support his country.
Well, I think a sign of wis
February 13, 2007 - 18:22 ET by Chris Normanbill,
I think it's a sign of wisdom when we realize that it's a waste of time and effort to argue directly with those who insist on being wrong. While we're being silly, I'll repeat one of my favorite lines - I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy. :)
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
LMAO Good one.
February 13, 2007 - 18:31 ET by misterbillLMAO Good one. I shall remember it and use it to take the edge off sometime.
An ugly American is one who does not support his country.
But isn't the new saying mor
February 13, 2007 - 21:47 ET by FastEdBut isn't the new saying more current and topical - I'd rather go huting with Chaney, then driving with Kennedy.
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V
PBS...Pure Bull Shite.
February 13, 2007 - 17:45 ET by bigtimerPBS...
Pure Bull Shite.
How much you want to bet that
February 13, 2007 - 17:48 ET by Darth DutchHow much you want to bet that Rath is just flummoxed that the Administration wouldn't grant him an interview on the topic of theAdministration "waging" war on the press? (as if any President is required to meet with every member of the press, especially one that is so bent on attacking them.)
Dutch
Isn't all the blandly liber
February 13, 2007 - 17:52 ET by Chris NormanIsn't all the blandly liberal dreck on PBS routinely praised by the MSM, while only a few bearded professors in Berkeley, Madison, and Chapel Hill actually suffer through it?
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Dreck! what a great word. I a
February 14, 2007 - 01:43 ET by old croDreck! what a great word. I am probably giving away the meaning of the second part of my login name, but who gives a dreck.
"The Rath of Con" for you trekkies out there.
"Let our opportunities overshadow our grievances."
Booker T. Washington
I'm sorry, Tim.
February 13, 2007 - 17:54 ET by Dave RSorry, Tim, I guess I got more than a little, ahh, animated over that one. The "we couldn't find a conservative to come on our show" excuse is starting to wear a little thin with me, as it seems we are hearing it more and more.
It is one thing for the MSM to use it, but another thing entirely for PBS or NPR to do it, as they are using the police powers of government to force me to support them. ABC, CBS, NBC and the rest of the DimLib MSM aren't engaged in that practice. At least not yet.
I hate newspapermen.....I regard them as spies.....If I killed them all there would be news from Hell before breakfast. -Gen. William T. Sherman
Dave R... Great tagline! I a
February 13, 2007 - 17:58 ET by bigtimerDave R...
Great tagline!
I adore it!
The truth too!
bigtimer
February 13, 2007 - 18:13 ET by Dave RYeah, its kind of my way of getting back at the NYT and the Washed-up Post for publishing classified information that I feel put Americans in danger.
I wrestled with it for a while, as I am currently sitting here in the North Atlanta suburb of Marietta, literally within sight of Kenessaw Mountain and the route Willie T. took on his (in)famous March to the Sea that pretty much knocked the South out of the Southern War of Independence.
Honestly, other than the quote and his philosephy of warfare, I haven't a whole lot of use for Sherman, as he did, after all, burn my hometown to the ground. It would have been nice if my favorite general of that war, James Longstreet, had said it, but I have to settle for Willie T's wonderful quote-though uttered 140+ years ago, is still relevant today, particularly in these strange times.
I hate newspapermen.....I regard them as spies.....If I killed them all there would be news from Hell before breakfast. -Gen. William T. Sherman
Dave R...I love the history y
February 13, 2007 - 18:22 ET by bigtimerDave R...
I love the history you put in the above post, I am forever learning!
I had relatives on both sides that fought in the civil war...I love reading some of the inserts from letters and diaries that are in my family tree....
You did great at getting even with the leftist press in my opinion with the tag-line....words speak volumes...yours do.
"Couldn't find conservat
February 13, 2007 - 17:54 ET by uc"Couldn't find conservatives to speak"??? What did they just drive by without knocking, honking or calling?
Are they announcing their new more truthful title for covering liberals tonight? you know, we are the "tickle the truth" crowd now not the "press for the truth" crowd? I think I can't find the show tonight.
of all the things the republi
February 13, 2007 - 18:17 ET by buddycof all the things the republican congress failed to do, not gutting pbs was the thing that made me the most angry.
no, i don't want to take away big bird but i do want NO MORE federal tax dollars spent on democrat propaganda. this is harmful and pathetic. it is a disgrace that they could not get the courage to stop this. they tried to deal with it in a screwed up gutless way when all they had to do was terminate funding to try to control expenditures. hell the dnc has cnn, cbs, nbc, msnbc, abc all speaking for them. why do we need to finance pbs.
Bernie Goldberg
February 13, 2007 - 18:41 ET by Gary HallFor goodness sakes. Frontline could have asked Bernie Goldberg. He would have had something to offer to make the program a bit more interesting.
If, as Rath says, he couldn't
February 13, 2007 - 18:51 ET by Chris NormanIf, as Rath says, he couldn't find any conservatives, then Goldberg is right. These people do live in a bubble and that bubble must be made out of lead.
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
I tend to believe them
February 15, 2007 - 11:51 ET by publius2007Most of the "loudest" conservative voices (Limbaugh, Hannity, etc.) don't want to be put in an uncomfortable position. They're more at home staying behind their mics offering up punditry. When they are challenged on their shows, their responses are typically name-calling and emotional appeals. They don't want real debate -- they appear to be very ill at ease whenever a conversation approaches that.
Publius