Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] last days

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On Wed, 6 Sep 2006, Christian M. Cepel wrote:

> Mike Miller wrote:
> > No.  I was asking -- I forgot to put a question mark after "concerns you." 
> > My guess is that you think ABC can get scientist who will say whatever 
> > they want to hear, but I think they are more honest than that.
>
> I've always been of the opinion that when someone says, "such and such a 
> news source is fair, honest, not biased", that what it means in plain 
> English is, "They say what I want to hear and reinforce my pre-made 
> opinions.  Why... they're as smart as I am."

Like Fox News.  In case someone wasn't following this whole thing:  I 
never made any such statement about any news organization.


> But then I think you've said PBS, BBC, and NPR are unbiased at some 
> point (I'll admit I'm wrong if I am.), which is just rubbish.

You're probably wrong.  I would say that the research shows that people 
feel that mainstream news is biased against them.  "Unbiasedness" can 
never be demonstrated because there is no absolute standard.  We do know 
that "conservatives" think that NY Times is biased to the left and that 
"liberals" think that NY Times is biased to the right.  I think PBS and 
NPR are very high quality news sources -- put me on the record for that. 
I'll say the same for NY Times, LA Times and Washington Post.  I don't 
know as much about BBC.


> I did look at a couple episodes of the PBS news hour before shutting off 
> the cable.  It was agonizing tripe and rubbish.

Wow.  You are really messed up my friend.  What was the problem?  They 
didn't say "Jesus is Savior" or "George Bush is always right" often enough 
for you?

The thing is, PBS Newshour always has expert opinion on multiple sides of 
an issue.  They have Bush Administration appointees on the show regularly. 
Seriously, where do you get this?  What did you see that is causing you to 
make this outrageous claim?  I'm truly befuddled by your claims about PBS 
Newshour.  In fact, I have never, never in my life, heard anyone say 
anything against PBS Newshour except for you and your claims are as 
extreme as one would ever make against a news show -- "agonizing tripe and 
rubbish" is something you could use for, say, Pravda in the 1960s.

Mike

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