Way To Go, Michael Moore!
Michael Moore has started a nationwide speaking tour in an effort to spur voters to oust George Bush and I am glad he is doing so. Moore is someone the left has needed for quite some time now. He is not afraid to speak his mind or pull any verbal punches and he does it with a sense of humor.
Now Moore makes a statement here and there that isn't always exactingly accurate, but in comparison to all the conservatives I see on TV that have no problem making highly innaccurate utterances without any challenge from the news hosts, I'll accept the slight mistake from Moore once in a while. The fact is no one from the left or right is always 100% accurate.
Any time I've seen a number of the conservative pundits (they shall remain nameless as I don't want to give them anymore attention than they deserve) spouting off on TV I'm literally shaking my head and saying, "no, no, no, that's not true!" Sometimes they are so wrong within just a few sentences, I just have to change the channel to something more honest, like The Weather Channel.
Worse, they bully and interrupt any opposition viewpoint. They've figured out that to win debates on sound bite TV they simple use up as many sentences as time will allow. They just spew off a few lies and the opposing viewpoint is immediately stuck correcting the lie rather than discuss the issue. But even before they've corrected the lie, the conservatives are trying to interrupt with a new lie. And most of the TV hosts sit there and rarely correct any disinformation coming from the conservatives, yet will question repeatedly a liberals statements.
I'll never forget the grilling given to former international weapons inspector Scott Ritter by TV host Wolf Blitzer and this was months after it had become clear that no WMDs were to be found in Iraq. Ritter you may recall was a lone voice prior to the war saying that Iraq didn't have anything and that the Bush Administration was perpetrating falsehoods. I've always thought Scott Ritter should write a book about his experiences with the media. He was shunned prior to the war for not agreeing with the standard misbeliefs and even after the war he was given few opportunities to give more expertise on WMDs or rather lack thereof.
But back to Michael Moore who is as well shunned by most of the media. He has found his own niche to getting his views out there, through his movies and books. He has had problems with distribution through the main sources, but it arrives as Moore has become a sure money maker. In other words sometimes profits overcomes unofficial censorship in the big corporations. But Moore wouldn't probably be so popular if it wasn't for the fact that the media has become so conservative with less choices for progressives to pick from.
On radio, progressives had to create their own network, Air America. There are so few outlets to hear a progressive viewpoint on radio I have given up listening to virtually every station in my area except for my local NPR station which was at least only neutral. I do have one progressive show here in the Detroit radio area, but it is only three hours run late Sunday night. I have become a listener of the show almost religiously as that is the only thing offered to me. The Peter Werbe Show, WRIF, Sunday nights 1100pm through 100am.
Detroit which has a large population of liberals can get plenty of Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly (dang I mentioned those liars) among the assortment of conservative voices on our corporate radio. Yet, where are the progressives on my local filled up radio dial?
Maybe Michigan native Michael Moore could get a radio show going. Hey, Mike, when you are finished with your tour, how about thinking about Detroit radio? Some station would have to take a chance on you, after all you have proved to the corporations that you can deliver dollars. Think about it, please.
Link
Now Moore makes a statement here and there that isn't always exactingly accurate, but in comparison to all the conservatives I see on TV that have no problem making highly innaccurate utterances without any challenge from the news hosts, I'll accept the slight mistake from Moore once in a while. The fact is no one from the left or right is always 100% accurate.
Any time I've seen a number of the conservative pundits (they shall remain nameless as I don't want to give them anymore attention than they deserve) spouting off on TV I'm literally shaking my head and saying, "no, no, no, that's not true!" Sometimes they are so wrong within just a few sentences, I just have to change the channel to something more honest, like The Weather Channel.
Worse, they bully and interrupt any opposition viewpoint. They've figured out that to win debates on sound bite TV they simple use up as many sentences as time will allow. They just spew off a few lies and the opposing viewpoint is immediately stuck correcting the lie rather than discuss the issue. But even before they've corrected the lie, the conservatives are trying to interrupt with a new lie. And most of the TV hosts sit there and rarely correct any disinformation coming from the conservatives, yet will question repeatedly a liberals statements.
I'll never forget the grilling given to former international weapons inspector Scott Ritter by TV host Wolf Blitzer and this was months after it had become clear that no WMDs were to be found in Iraq. Ritter you may recall was a lone voice prior to the war saying that Iraq didn't have anything and that the Bush Administration was perpetrating falsehoods. I've always thought Scott Ritter should write a book about his experiences with the media. He was shunned prior to the war for not agreeing with the standard misbeliefs and even after the war he was given few opportunities to give more expertise on WMDs or rather lack thereof.
But back to Michael Moore who is as well shunned by most of the media. He has found his own niche to getting his views out there, through his movies and books. He has had problems with distribution through the main sources, but it arrives as Moore has become a sure money maker. In other words sometimes profits overcomes unofficial censorship in the big corporations. But Moore wouldn't probably be so popular if it wasn't for the fact that the media has become so conservative with less choices for progressives to pick from.
On radio, progressives had to create their own network, Air America. There are so few outlets to hear a progressive viewpoint on radio I have given up listening to virtually every station in my area except for my local NPR station which was at least only neutral. I do have one progressive show here in the Detroit radio area, but it is only three hours run late Sunday night. I have become a listener of the show almost religiously as that is the only thing offered to me. The Peter Werbe Show, WRIF, Sunday nights 1100pm through 100am.
Detroit which has a large population of liberals can get plenty of Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly (dang I mentioned those liars) among the assortment of conservative voices on our corporate radio. Yet, where are the progressives on my local filled up radio dial?
Maybe Michigan native Michael Moore could get a radio show going. Hey, Mike, when you are finished with your tour, how about thinking about Detroit radio? Some station would have to take a chance on you, after all you have proved to the corporations that you can deliver dollars. Think about it, please.
Link
posted by jon at 1:52 PM
2 Comments:
I don't think Air America is progressive. Then again, I don't listen to their full format. I mainly catch Randi Rhodes and all she ever does is moan about Bush and praise Kerry as a messiah.
I don't even get Air America in Detroit, if I want to hear it I have to go to the Internet. What I've heard on Air America is what I would describe as simple "left." But before Air America there was no left network on the radio, so it's a beginning. There are some shows here and there that are good, Thom Hartman for instance. Try, http://www.whiterosesociety.org/ for some choices of progressive radio shows.
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