It was amazing to me as early today I watched television news, flipping from channel to channel to see the latest on the terrorist attack in Spain. I was shocked (even thought I shouldn’t have been) when I got to CNN only to see Chris Cuomo blasting a guest for alleging there were illegal and horrendous acts committed at Charlottesville by others than the KKK White Supremacist gang. Seriously? Is this what America has come to? Fifteen people died in a Spanish terrorist attack and authorities are still trying to find the murderer. Every other news network in the world is giving minute by minute updates and information on the attacks in Spain, and CNN chooses to have their morning anchor scream at an invited guest, “The sky is falling, the sky is falling!” rather than report the news. I will not even respond to Cuomo’s idiotic, untruthful, and unsubstantiated claims and comments about where the fault lies for the three deaths in Virginia. I don’t think Donald Trump: was there, ordered the demonstration, permitted the demonstration, wore a hood, carried a shield or club, or drove the car that killed Heather Heyer or had anything to do with a police helicopter crash. And all the Leftist Media members want to focus on one thing and one thing only: “Trump did not condemn ONLY the Supremacists, and he did not do his condemning soon enough or vehemently enough!” Does it shock anyone but me that the national experts on news instead of reporting ALL the news would shade what they give to the public based totally on their perspective? I’m certain very few are actually shocked. Why? Americans are growing numb to the Liberal news outlets not reporting the news — they are “telling stories” that they want Americans to see and hear instead of the news. It is very obvious in 2017 that their #1 desire is to discredit the President by creating and feeding their narrative promoting an illegitimate mandate to impeach the President. Their quest for that begins with convincing Americans that the President has done, is doing, and will do things that warrant impeachment. They know that Constitutionally there can be no Presidential impeachment for any thing other than “high crimes and misdemeanors.” They, however, feel with THEIR power and THEIR strength, they can cry “fire!” loud enough and long enough to convince Americans — including members of Congress — that President Trump is guilty of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” And they lie, give false reports with fake “anonymous” and “confidential” sources so as to frame their narrative as the only “real” and “just” and “correct” narrative to have.
I have a novel suggestion: let’s let Americans ask the Media one simple question, “What should President Trump do instead of (insert the ‘gripe of the day’ they have against the President here)?” Would you not love to see and hear Wolf Blitzer explain exactly what the President should do to stop a nuclear holocaust between North Korea, the United States, and the other countries that would be forced to take sides? Or maybe Morning Joe could tell Americans exactly what Putin did to rig the 2016 election and why Obama did nothing to try and stop it even though he knew about it a couple of years before the election? And what would Joe do to stop whatever election interference there is? Shepard Smith: what should President Trump do to stop terrorists from coming to the United States? How and why should he do that instead of what is currently in place? Chris Matthews, tell us how President Trump should stop the runaway national debt and how that is even possible without severely curbing government spending and/or raising taxes on the Middle Class? Chris, how would you stem the tide of murders in Chicago?
You get my point: “IF” the Media had a history of reporting the news, no one would give a thought to asking them for answers to questions like those above. But they quit reporting the news LONG ago. Today they are not comfortable unless they make themselves PART of the news. They stroke each other — even across network and newspaper borders with competitors — confirming the analysis of others simply to give to the public a false sense of credibility for their competitors, knowing they will receive the same confirmation when they present their fake analysis. Many Americans continue to fall for the ploy. How is it possible that the American public would be so naive as to continually fall for this unprofessional and disgusting practice of cheating the public?
The simple answer to that question is in looking at American life today as compared to the “today” of our parents and their parents. “Today” then was extremely different. Regarding news: the hometown newspaper was the primary source of news Americans used to stay plugged in to the happenings in the U.S. In the evening, most had one favorite newscaster from the three lone television stations available to retrieve that day’s news wrap-up: ABC, CBS, and NBC. There was NO cable, satellite, or internet news available. It all came in print, AM radio, or local newspaper added to the network television news broadcasts. Our parents and grandparents simply took for granted what they read, saw, and heard were facts. We know today that was not necessarily true. How?
The way we learned was with the almost daily addition of some new news outlet on satellite television or radio, an internet news site, a blog, cable television independent news operations, and online newspapers that all have multiple editions throughout each day and night. The buffet of news for Americans every day contains pretty much what any American could possibly want to see or hear in news. And each comes from a source that has a particular slant they hope to achieve with what and how they present to the public. Pretty much all have a story to tell. And NONE simply report the news to Americans and let Americans interpret meaning of those news stories to the nation and to them in their personal lives.
I was devastated when I heard that Dan Rather lied in a news story and got caught. He was Walter Cronkite’s replacement when Cronkite retired from CBS News. Cronkite was the one guy in the 60’s and 70’s that when he spoke, everyone listened, knowing whatever he said was “Gospel.” With what we’ve learned from today’s “news” environment, I’m pretty certain Cronkite and Rather had a particular slant in their reporting. But we did not have any “other” news sources that could possibly give us a different perspective to use to determine the validity of what Cronkite and Rather gave to us. We just took them at their word:BIG mistake.
Because of the “instant news” capability today, and because of the hundreds of competing news sources, Americans have become lazy in analyzing news. Our lives are so busy our parents and grand parents would be amazed that we are able to get anything accomplished! Because of technology primarily, we expect “instant” everything — even our news. And because we are so busy, we are too busy to spend the time necessary to ferret out the truth in what we hear from “news” sources. Those in the news know that. And they take advantage of that. Most in the news share a liberal tilt and therefore cannot resist the temptation to shade their news toward that personal liberalism in which they live. Americans in their hurry and hustle listen and watch the news they’re exposed to that really is not news but simply the newsperson’s opinion. We all tend to believe the news that we hear and see everyday, especially when it is consistent. Until FOX News, there was NO conservative news source. Until FOX, conservatives could only rely on the few newspaper columnists who shared their ideals, and those few conservative radio hosts they could find. Rush Limbaugh came along in the late 80’s and turned the liberal media on their ears. Since then it’s been catch-up for the Liberal media. It’s been comical to watch how they hate Rush, but over and over again fail to emulate him, though they try.
Mickey Slaughter — former NFL Quarterback for the Denver Broncos and longtime Offensive Co-ordinator for Louisiana Tech’s football team — taught me a term that fits all of the news folks described above, especially when it comes to ONLY painting “their” perspectives into the news they report in ways that usually only fit the narrative they choose and not necessarily an honest one. That term is “drive-by shooters.” Think about it: usually when there’s a shooting, it is between at least two people who have ought with each other. And it usually happens in a yard or inside a house as a result of a confrontation. The shooting that is the hardest to forecast, monitor, and even stop are drive-by shootings. Why is it so difficult to prepare for those? No one knows exactly why they occur until after they occur, don’t know when they are going to happen, and often don’t know who is involved in them until afterwards, and sometimes never know that at all! The same holds true for the “drive-by” news people.
I am sick and tired of Liberal reporters, show hosts, commentators, Senators and Congressmen and Congresswomen, and political “gurus,” who spew these broad criticisms of President Trump and his agenda with no revelation of what the President should have done instead of or not done anything at all. Drive By’s don’t get involved in the actual fight. They simply pass by and lob an opinion or allegation into the crowd with no explanation for their doing so and certainly no suggested solution for whatever resulted in their “shooting.” It’s really easy to stand on the sidelines and shout insults at those participating in the game. So New York Times, Washington Post, Chris Matthews, Shepard Smith, Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo, and Morning Joe: it’s time to put on your Big Boy pants and act like real men who know what they’re talking about. Why not start earning those big salaries you all have and report the news? “If” you are going to editorialize, disclose that to your readers and viewers BEFORE you spew that venom. And for a change, why not explain why you feel the way you do and tell the world what YOU would do instead of what others did that you are criticizing? Don’t you owe your readers and viewing audiences some real factual information and perspective? Certainly Americans can take your opinions and will willingly do so IF you honestly disclose facts. When bloviating with opinions, why not stop talking down to your audience? Liberal elitism is by its nature pretty much “in your face.” Soften the blow of that a bit by talking “to” Americans rather than talking “at” Americans.
“Just because you think your opinion is right does NOT mean you are right. And just because you think something is wrong does NOT mean it is wrong.” We know that. It’s time you accept that too and start acting like adults.
