In this video, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) suggests that he would like to see both FOX and MSNBC taken off the air so that people felt better about Congress and their government. This is coming from a Senator who led the effort to kill dozens of public interest lawsuits suing telecommunication companies for violations of their privacy and supported the effort to bar any investigation into the torture program. The problem, it seems, is the new coverage.
Here is what Rockefeller said:
“There’s a little bug inside of me which wants to get the FCC to say to FOX and to MSNBC: ‘Out. Off. End. Goodbye.’ It would be a big favor to political discourse; our ability to do our work here in Congress, and to the American people, to be able to talk with each other and have some faith in their government and more importantly, in their future.”
When you have successfully killed dozens of public interest lawsuits, one can understand why you would believe that this is within your power. The premise appears to be that, without criticism and commentary on these cable programs, people would have more “faith in their government and more importantly, in their future.”
Patric,
There’s a distinction between gathering operative intelligence and being a wholesale consumer of propaganda. You fall into the former and there is nothing wrong with that, however, most FAUX viewers – including my father – fall into that second category.
Even the Romans learned the logical fallacy of not separating the message from the messenger.
I watched five interviews of George Bush last week, as he made the rounds promoting his book. By far the most probing of questions of the former President was by Bill O’Reilly.
That’s merely one example.
What view does Fox offer that is not available, better and smarter, in a dozen other venues?
Offhand, I think the only two things Fox offers that are generally not available are unvetted hoaxes gullibly accepted, and obnoxious falsehoods.
“But I suppose people who listen to Fox too much don’t know who Rockefeller is, nor what he’s done, nor what the First Amendment is, nor how to tell fact from opinion, nor Fox from news.”
No, actually, some of us watch Fox in order to be reasonably conversant on both sides. It’s called being open-minded.
Which – in the current climate – is about the only way “fair & balanced” can be achieved. My TV gets 349 channels. Leaving it up to any particular bloviator to give me an unbiased view strikes me as naive.
Given Rockefeller’s 40 years of strong support of the First Amendment, I think one can not fairly conclude he’s calling for government intervention to shut Fox down.
But I suppose people who listen to Fox too much don’t know who Rockefeller is, nor what he’s done, nor what the First Amendment is, nor how to tell fact from opinion, nor Fox from news.
These days cities can buy lawsuit insurance with a $10,000 deductible. If the cities are sued for beating up citizens or bull dozing their houses or permit fraud or malicious prosecution the most they have to pay is only $10,000. See
Colorado Intergovernmental Risk Sharing Agency.
http://www.cirsa.org/
Foreign insurance companies insure all CIRSA claims over $400,000 per incident.
It’s ironic. Rational people would never trust a government which would want to take a “news” network out.
But that is the irony Rockefeller implies.
He might not realize it (I doubt it) but he wishes a return to the polite and genteel one-sided leftist media that reigned during my entire lifetime UNTIL Fox News came along.
During that polite and bland media time, blood ran in US streets from inner city riots and to Vietnam protests. From Watts, to Cleveland, to Detroit, cities burned. Crime rose.
Kent state happened.
All calmly and politely reported by Walter Cronkite and the bland but evil leftist media.
As bland and evil as those who wish a return to it.