Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Jeff Buchanan]

It's easy to get into trouble when using the terms left and right.

Maybe a better way to talk about the press is to first don't be general - pick one then describe by what lens a particular media group sees the world through.

Two examples: Fox News/Roger Ailes, now Rupert Murdock - stridently conservative; NPR, clearly liberal ..... and there are extremes on either end of that spectrum, e.g., Brietbart, The Guardian, Hannity, et. al. and Limbaugh to the right and the NYT and Slate to the left.

I'd put ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and MSNBC pretty far away and to the left of Fox ....... their correspondents almost uniformly view the world through two different lenses and their reporting of the news reflects that.

So, what I meant by an "angry press" is a confrontational one involving correspondents and journalists interpreting events through a liberal lens.

[AlabamAlum]

I don't think it's unreasonable to admit that the majority of the press leans left. For that matter, the majority of academia leans left, as well. Traditionally, the majority of business execs and finance lean right.

There has actually been some research on the media's political orientation. I'm too lazy to search for it, though. I think that we all have to question perspective and slant in what we read and see and be vigilant to not accept editorialization and opinion as fact.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I don't think it's unreasonable to admit that the majority of the press leans left. For that matter, the majority of academia leans left, as well. Traditionally, the majority of business execs and finance lean right.

There has actually been some research on the media's political orientation. I'm too lazy to search for it, though. I think that we all have to question perspective and slant in what we read and see and be vigilant to not accept editorialization and opinion as fact.

The problem with this Administration and what has many people worried, is that they are calling into question the existence of 'fact' and 'truth'. Kellyanne Conway is already being widely quoted for what she said this morning: Sean Spicer didn't make false statements, he stated 'alternative facts'.

Many, many people have noted that authoritarian and communist regimes throughout history have stressed the importance of getting the people to doubt everything and trust no one but The Leader.

[entropy]

btw.. for the record.. saying Michigan will never win another game is VERY different than saying I'm going to abort a child because Trump is having his inauguration today. I think many are going to extremes and looking for ways to be the victim right now. (and that happened 8 yrs ago too..)

with that.. carry on..

[AlabamAlum]

The problem with this Administration and what has many people worried, is that they are calling into question the existence of 'fact' and 'truth'. Kellyanne Conway is already being widely quoted for what she said this morning: Sean Spicer didn't make false statements, he stated 'alternative facts'.

Many, many people have noted that authoritarian and communist regimes throughout history have stressed the importance of getting the people to doubt everything and trust no one but The Leader.

?War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.?

?Big Brother is Watching You.?

?Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one?s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them

[Dr. Strangelove]

Yeah this Orwell quote is very popular right now

[ame]https://twitter.com/VagabondWahine/status/823215869555707904[/ame]

[iam416]

Ironic coming from the left.

[iam416]

Academia is considerably more than "leaning."

[AlabamAlum]

Academia is considerably more than "leaning."

Overall, that is correct. I qualified that because, as you know, I teach now. It varies greatly on the major and the region.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Academia is considerably more than "leaning."

Groupthink in hiring. And there's groupthink in every organization ever. Few orgs except for maybe some tech companies and (heh) the Trump organization want new employees that 'rock the boat'.

[iam416]

Correct. And LOL @ Trump Organization. Well done.

[froot loops]

The issue right now is not about bias, the White House is flat out lying and it is over something stupid. Any media organization that doesn't call out the lie is suspect. It has nothing to do with left or right.

On top of that who cares about the size of the crowds? It does not matter, it is an incredibly stupid thing to reveal yourself as a liar.

[The Oracle]

But yet no media is calling it a lie to them that I've seen. "Falshoods"

[hack]

Two things that could really help:

1. understand that ``the media'' is a ridiculous term for such a diverse lot. That's really got to stop. If you need help understanding it, do a comparative look at how they cover the same story. And bias isn't just a left/right thing. I'm sure each of you, in your own fields of expertise, can read the coverage and come up with your own examples of that. (Except Wiz, who is an expert in all areas.)

2. There's never any reason to get anything from TV. If I were the arbiter of media complaints my first rule would be that you can't complain if you're watching TV news. It's just silly.

[Dr. Strangelove]

A lawsuit is being filed tomorrow against Trump that will claim he is violating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/22/us/politics/trump-foreign-payments-constitution-lawsuit.html?_r=0