Americans go to the polls today in spite of main stream media reports that Republicans and Tea Party candidates swept every race. Usually it is only Fox News that tells their audience what the results of elections will be in advance of an election, but in this election cycle, real journalists are jumping on the Republican bandwagon in a big way.
There is also a disturbing trend of pundits parroting Republican talking points critical of the Obama Administration as if the RNC is reporting the news. The problem is that the pundits are not Fox News employees or commentators, and it is not just television and radio that are reporting winners in advance of the election. Print media are reporting that Tea Party candidates are in the main-stream and that they express the mood of most Americans.
In Time magazine’s 8 November issue, the cover story’s headline reads, “Party Crashers – How a new breed of Republicans tapped into voter rage and upset the Establishment – but can they govern?” The “Special Election Preview” hit newsstands on Thursday, and the cover implied that Meg Whitman, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Christine O’Donnell had already won their respective races. The only question, according to Time was, “can they govern.”
A McClatchy newspaper in California endorsed Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman by listing the candidates’ campaign talking points as if they were facts. They also echoed teabagger sentiments about Democrats, and Obama in particular; without any references or factual information. The newspaper in question serves a very conservative area, but their objectivity has disappeared in a climate where advertisers and corporate interests have taken charge of the narrative as far as politics is concerned.
The latest outrage involves ABC’s hiring of Andrew Breitbart as an analyst on election night, and it typifies the favorable media bias that George W. Bush enjoyed for most of his presidency. It is a dangerous path when the media refuses to report the news. Pundits and commentators editorialize and it is accepted that opinion is part of commentary, but it is unacceptable when the news reports are campaign slogans and policy positions of one political party.
The media is supposed to be the one part of society that tells unbiased truth so voters can make informed decisions, but during this cycle, the media has aligned with conservatives. Is MSM reflecting the mood of the country, or following directives from the Republican Party like Fox News? There has been very little reporting on campaign financing by foreign entities, or correction and clarification when a candidate deceives the public.
Most Americans are not political junkies, and the only news they see is on television, newspapers, or magazine covers. American people are not that sharp at discerning a candidate’s qualification for themselves, so when the media reports the winners, repeats campaign slogans as endorsements, and unfairly criticizes any candidate during a campaign, something is wrong.
There are reports that many Democrats will not vote in this election for personal reasons, and one hopes that liberals are smart enough to sift through the media bias and realize that the election was not last month. In states like California, there are 2.5 million more Democrats than Republicans, but the news has already given victory to Republicans.
Americans who do vote today have been told who won the elections, so it’s no wonder there will be a small turnout. It makes sense that internet news is displacing print journalism, and it is too bad, because without real investigative reporting, bloggers and internet news outlets would not have stories.
It is a bad time in America, and the media that are so crucial to a free society are not doing their jobs. When you vote today, ignore media reports that so-and-so has already won, because the elections are today; in spite of media reports to the contrary.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn't look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
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