Friday, November 13, 2009

Leftist Media Bias of the Day

Last Thursday, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann held a healthcare-protest town hall on the Capitol's west lawn Here's how a New York Times blog post covered the event:
Jerry Hershberger, a market representative for an automotive company from Flower Mound, Tex., said he flew up just to protest the health care bill. "A little expense now compared to a lot of expense later," he said, explaining why the cost of the trip was worth it to him.

Mr. Hershberger, like many of the demonstrators, repeated some of the most common conservative and Republican talking points heard repeatedly on Fox News. "It’s not bipartisan," he said, standing outside the Capitol wearing a Texas Longhorns baseball cap. . .

Many of the demonstrators, like Judith Garloch of Newark, Ohio, said they were opposed to an increasing government role in the health care. . .

Ms. Garloch, who has a combination of Medicare and private coverage, said insurance should be sold across state lines to increase competition.

But Ms. Garloch, like many in the crowd who while visibly angry, could not articulate the main problems in the health care system or how they should be solved.
Which is it--aping FOX or lacking logic? Both--because the Times labels rather than reports. Either way, conservatives are stupid. That's all the news the Times ever prints.

(via TimesWatch)

4 comments:

Geoffrey Britain said...

I see, The implication by the NYT is that anyone lacking in depth expertise in health care is automatically disqualified from holding a valid opinion.

Yet note that by the Times own 'reportage' demonstrators correctly noted that 1.) the health care legislation in both the house and the Senate were strictly partisan efforts, 2.) the proposed legislation would result in an increased government role in the health care and, 3.) that part of a solution to addressing problems in the present heath care system is allowing insurance to be sold across state lines to increase competition.

All of this puts the lie to the NYT assertion that "many could not articulate the main problems in the health care system or how they should be solved."

This is known as agenda journalism. It's a betrayal of the very raison de etre of journalism. And it relies upon misrepresentation, essentially lying, justified by the view that the ends justify the means.

Fortunately, we won't have to endure the NYT much longer, like the dinosaurs they're gradually going extinct.

@nooil4pacifists said...

Yup, GB, on all counts--including the impending death of newspapers.

Assistant Village Idiot said...

Geoffrey, I noticed the same thing. The protesters correctly noted that it's really expensive and they don't want increasing government control. But they couldn't articulate the "real" problems.

I dunno. That sounds pretty close to the real problems to me.

OBloodyHell said...

> That sounds pretty close to the real problems to me

Oh, not at all.

The real problems are:

1) The people don't want to get behind Yet Another Expensive program.

2) The eeeevil GOP supports them in this.

3) No amount of "journalistic integrity" seems to be able to overcome the arguments the opposition keeps advancing.

You see, AVI --- you're not seeing the Real Issues that define the Real Problems.

You're just not wired correctly for it. This could be fixed by appropriate trepanning techniques, I promise. And all paid for on the government's dime, if Obamacare gets passed.