Just Like Always- M$M Gives Us the Shaft

[asdjrocky]

I have to tell ya people, as I write this I’m more than a little depressed. I spent the day yesterday, trying in vain to find a story on my candidate. On MSNBC it was wall-to-wall Obama and Clinton, as it was on CNN. I had high hopes for the span, and when I checked in there, it was wall-to-wall Obama and Clinton, with some McCain, Huck, and Mitt thrown in just for fun. They even did a segment on Ron Paul. RON FUCKING PAUL!?!

I still have the third and final installment of my trip to Iowa to write, and I can't bring myself to do it. After watching the news yesterday, watching everything I could, it just doesn't seem like it matters.

Were it not for my activism, were it not for DU, were it not for just paying attention, I’d have no idea who John Edwards is. Hell, I was watching MSNBC yesterday, and Nora “I’m a big fat RW Pug” O’Donnell cut to a live interview with a reporter covering the Edwards campaign, and live, on TV, she asked him not one single question about Edwards.

Do you get what I’m telling you? He was a reporter covering John Edwards, and she talked to him for four minutes, without asking one question about John Edwards.

It went something like this. “We’re going live to blah-blah, who is on the road with the John Edwards campaign. Tell me, blah-blah, what do you think of Hillary and Obama?”

I’m not joking. It was like that.

I mean, I thought at least the Span was supposed to be fair, but not so much. I tried all day to find just one campaign appearance by the Democratic candidate that is running third, and I could’t find it. Maybe I just missed it, but I’ll tell ya, I managed to see every signal other candidate, some of them two or even three times. Hell, they even went to a Bill Richardson appearance. Please tell me if I am wrong. Was Edwards even on the Span yesterday? If he was, I missed.

How do Americans, just the common everyday people who have busy lives and jobs, make a decision, when no one tells them who is running? We’ve sent e-mails to the MSM, we’ve canvassed, we’ve sent money, we’ve done the grunt work, and for what? So the corporate media can ignore us? As well as the moneyed interest, in what was once a great and proud country? It makes me sick.

I know this is not the first time this has been talked about, but I just had to say something. No matter who you support, if you’re here on DU, and if you’re reading this, you must agree that John Edwards is totally getting the shaft from the corporate media. And if you have a brain cell left in your head, you must ask yourself why.

Edwards is getting shafted here, just like always. And America is not getting the full story, just like always.

That’s my rant.

[asdjrocky]

1. k

[Saturday]

2. I hear you.

To expand your rant...The media play on this whole primary has been an outrage.

[ihavenobias]

15. The MSM Coverage HAS been awful, especially for

Edwards.

Did you see the Elizabeth Edwards interview with Chris Matthews of Hardball from this weekend? If you haven't, you HAVE to get a hold of it and skip to the 6 minute mark to watch the last couple of minutes. You'll be blown away, not NOT in a good way!

That's why I say screw the MSM primary coverage when there are progressive alternatives:

http://bravenewfilms.org/election

[Horse with no Name]

3. You are 100% correct

Oh what we may have missed in the MSM Quest for Black man vs. Woman. The rest of the candidates had negligible coverage. It is sad.

[fadedrose]

4. am going to email msnbc

and complain about the lack of coverage for Edwards...

[lisainmilo]

5. maybe if enough people e mail thiem they will change...

I have already done this....

[asdjrocky]

10. We all gotta do what we can. Thanks Fadedrose. n/t

[BenDavid]

6. Hell, I can respect what you say about Edwards not being

discussed by the mediawhores, but at least when the mediawhores do, at least they are positive in their reporting,unlike when they report something about hrc. It is 100% negative. But this is what edwards did in 04. After he knew, hell the whole world knew kerry was going to be the nominee and the press only in passing spoke of edwards.

I have to agree with edwards decision to stay in the race but I believe he should drop out after super tuesday and not stay in all the way to the convention. What is the purpose of that? Unless it is to be the bull dog that will attack hrc for obama if hrc wins michigan and florida in january and has the mo going into super tuesday.

This is why I say there is still a whole lotta hope left in the clinton campaign. Stay with me for a minute here. Say obama wins nh and then sc. But we still have three more states in January. nevada, michigan and florida...oh for the sake of srgument lets say hrc wins the delegate count in nevada and wins the popular vote in michigan. Now the press will be reporting this as a major development. Now we all head south to florida and say hrc wins the vote count in florida. Now the press will be in hyper drive to try and either spin it as a fluke since the hrc campaign is nationwide or just say that hrc wins and obama's campaign will try and re-adjust for supper tuesday. Then say obama wins only illinois and a couple of other states but the 16 or so other states hrc wins....Now, you have something entirely different....

So, I can appreciate all the obama supporters being happy but I say let this play out all the way....

[asdjrocky]

7. I'm not talking about Clinton here-

The media is doing just fine covering Obama and Clinton. I'm not even sure they know how to spell Edwards.

And no way, by the way, Edwards drops out after Super Tuesday. He's fighting for the very soul of the American people.

[old guy]

8. Expect nothing from the corporate media.

You will be less depressed when they give you exactly that. They are the enemy of the people.

[asdjrocky]

9. Yeah-

I learned that long ago... but even an old wound still hurts sometimes.

[old guy]

11. Yeah,I know , It sucks.

[waiting for hope]

12. Nice Rant Rocky -

I think you are expressing what many here are feeling - Thanks! :kick: and a :thumbsup:

[waiting for hope]

13. Kick!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

14. MSM can't cope with more than a 2 horse race (3 is too many)

I think it is a shame that they don't cover Edwards. One barely hears about him.

He seemed in good spirits on TV this morning though

[chimpymustgo]

17. Interestingly, I've seen more coverage on him TODAY - than in the last 2 week!

I think the corporate media are realizing what short shrift they've given JRE, especially given Hillary's slide. Not that all the coverage today will do much good with voters - but truly - it's a testament to John and Elizabeth and their message and energy that they have broken through the media blackout to still pack their town halls and have such a favorable view among voters.

[balantz]

16. The oligarchy has advised its mouthpieces:

"Say little to nothing about Edwards, but if you must, make it negative. He won second in Iowa, and his national polling numbers have been rising, we must nip it in the bud. He has vowed to end our stranglehold on America and return the government to the people and he must be stopped. Your bonus will be on your next check."

[frogmarch]

18. Non DUers are noticing it too.

A group of my friends who don't read here noticed it right away when John placed 2nd in Iowa but was ignored. Lots of them said they don't like being told by the media who to vote for. Maybe when Obama fever starts to cool, more people will wake up and notice Edwards.

[balantz]

20. I've got my fingers crossed.

Perhaps after being lied to all of these years by the oligarchy's current administration people have wised up and know a dead rat when they smell it!

[saracat]

19. I have to agree but CSPAN did cover Edwards yesterday. I saw it a bit

and he was on Good Morning America, and CBS did cover him.Keith Olberman is mentioning Edwards and did so yesterday.Dan Abrams reported on him today.These are not huge bits but they are better than nothing.The problem is , in comparison, Edwards is getting "nothing".And it is really unfair.I think the one to approach is Olberman and Abrams. They seem aware.CNN is awful.I would try Jeff Greenfeils though.He has been fair in the past. Bob Scvheiffer at CBS should be emailed as well.
On another note the Daily Show and Colbert are back on and they haven't mentioned Edwards either but to be fair, they didn't mention much of anyone but Hukabee!

[KoKo]

21. Just so you know CNN just now promo'd "Obama & Clinton Take New Hampshir"

..coming up next." According to Wolf Blitzer. The polls haven't even closed, yet. Disgraceful.

[AmBlue]

22. Rocky, please do your third installment.

It's our words that give me hope. It's your stories of covering John Edwards' campaign that keep it alive. What they are doing is wrong. What they are doing is precisely why John Edwards fights, and he's not giving up so neither will I. Neither should you.

Sadly, what they are doing to him is actually his biggest endorsement. And at the very least, we are documenting it as citizen journalists.

Please write your story.

NEVER. GIVE. UP.

[DCKit]

23. Rec'd not because I'm an Edwards supporter....

but because we're all screwn as long as we allow the MSM to pick the candidates for us.

Then again, I guess Edwards is the only one I CAN support at this point. Dennis is never going to place, Joe's gone home and "business as usual/let's just get along" scares the shit out of me.

As much as I agree with the political strategy of empty speechifying during the primaries, this election is far too important for us not to know where the candidates stand on the vital issues. Thus far, John Edwards is the only one who's gone out on a limb and said anything of substance, and I like what I've heard. Considering the amount of airtime J.E. gets compared to the frontrunners, it's astounding that his message has gotten out at all.

That said, the House and Senate elections have never been more important. We need as many non-corporate/non-DLC/non-AIPAC butts filling seats as we can get in order to overwhelm the seeming Republic majority, replace the speakers, pull the vote back to the left and block the next President from taking us farther down the current path. You know, all the things we thought we voted for in 2006.