Why Kerry will recapture "The Mo":

[Jack_Dawson]

Quite simply, the media is in love with its own power. Trust me I used to work in this industry and they are the biggest egomaniacs in the world.

In a neck-and-neck race, things are exciting. Every news story matters. Ratings are up, excitement is up, interest is up.

If Bush wakes up w/ an 11-point lead overnight, things get pretty boring. No drama, no excitement, no ratings. At this point the media overcorrects itself, and the Bush Slam stories start appearing more frequently, and Kerry is given more passes.

Bottom line: Build him up, tear him down, build him up. Let's hope Kerry's on the "upswing" around Halloween.

:beer:
:toast:

[Catfight]

1. And everyone was worried about Microsoft being a monopoly..HA

look at Clearchannel! FUcking hypocrites.

[cheezus]

2. both are dangerous consolidation of power

and I would argue that the dominance of microsoft has been just as damaging to the state of computing technology

[Generic Other]

3. I have suspected as much

Yellow Journalists: the Ones Who Have No Courage in Them

Once "yellow journalism" used to refer to the actions of reporters who exploited or exaggerated stories to create sensations in order to manipulate public opinion and sell papers. Today, yellow journalism is the standard and refers to the work of reporters who are cowards, afraid to honestly and objectively report news, afraid to critically challenge the status quo, afraid to take personal risks in the pursuit of truth.

A hundred years ago, yellow journalists operated on the fringes of respectability. They exhibited an unwholesome obsession with sensational crime stories, titillating scandals, society gossip. And they wrote columns dripping with lurid details.

Today, yellow journalists operate in the mainstream. They write for the NY Times and Washington Post as well as all the other metropolitan newspapers. They write for the small town papers too. They work for the major networks and cable television outlets. Yellow journalists are everywhere.

And make no mistake about it. They are cowards. All of them. Behind the pretty words, the glossy smiles, one can smell the fear. Fear of corporate bosses and their ad departments. Fear of polls and ratings. Fear of reprisal, of political muscle being flexed against them. Fear of anthrax. Fear of being “necklaced” or worse. Fear that lack of access if they fail to slant the news will hurt them professionally. Fear of losing their celebrity status. Fear of losing their jobs. Fear of being called unAmerican. Fear of taking personal risks. Fear of telling the truth.

In short, yellow journalists are afraid of everything except compromising their professional integrity. If this were not the case, the list of journalists who would have in the last few years resigned their positions in protest, under fire, or as an indictment of the practices of the current administration would be much higher. As it is, not a single yellow journalist has taken such a step in the name of their profession. Cowards.

Oh, they tell us they were not cowards. They wear fancy flag pins in their lapels to remind us they are patriots. Patriots who led us to war with banner headlines and flashy graphics in hopes of increasing their circulation, improving their Nielsen ratings, and selling more soap. They embedded themselves with our troops, and gushed with false pride as the president proclaimed victory over terror. As Michael Moore said "Truth became the major casualty."

Macho yellow journalists got American soldiers killed for a lie. Greedy yellow journalists bought their own consciences off with tax cuts for themselves. Arrogant yellow journalists smiled through their lying bleached teeth. Lazy yellow journalists used the white house talking points to help them do their job. Far easier to lip synch the daily line than research and write their own stories. Shallow yellow journalists focused on the titillating and the twisted to distract the public from higher priorities. Frightened yellow journalists collaborated with corrupt individuals to advance their own agendas.

Instead of bringing truth to light, the yellow journalists allowed their own shadows to further obscure all truth.

Cowards by any definition.