By Cliff Kincaid
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
The election results have caused knowledgeable conservatives to conclude that the much-vaunted conservative media isn't as powerful as they thought it was. While conservative radio hosts are on hundreds of radio stations, taxpayer-supported public radio has 800 affiliates. Its bias, usually presented as objectve journalism, has a real impact on people.
Its recent treatment of the controversy over the launch of al-Jazeera English is a case study of how the bias is displayed on a daily basis.
On american University Radio, WaMU, on the Diane Rehm Show, there were three guests: Marwan Kraidy, director of the arab Media and Public Life Project at american University and assistant professor of international communications and international relations; David Marash, Washington anchor for al-Jazeera English; and Mark Jurkowitz, associate director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism.
No critic of the new channel was given a chance to speak.
Meanwhile, the public-TV NOW program on November 3 pulled another trick, presenting openly homosexual and HIV-positive commentator andrew Sullivan as a "conservative."
Here's part of the exchange between Sullivan and host David Brancacio:
Brancacio: "What is a nice conservative like you doing telling your friends and your readers to abstain from voting next week or worse?
Sullivan: "I've done more. I've said vote Democrat. Look. I'm an old-fashioned conservative. I believe in small government. I believe in low taxes. I believe in balanced budgets. I believe in individual liberty, personal responsibility, states rights and a strong competent defense. So, on all those issues, I have no choice but to oppose the President. The only way to get him to acknowledge reality and grapple with reality is by backing the Democrats."
an "old-fashioned conservative" who believes in gay marriage and a dangerous sexual practice called "barebacking?" That's andrew Sullivan.
a believer in small government? I've read his book and can find no objections to spending $200 billion on aIDS. Is that because Sullivan has a vested interest in big government when it comes to finding a cure or vaccine for a disease that affects him?
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