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November 7, 2007 at 10:39:52
Double Standards at the New York Times by Dave Lindorff Page 1 of 1 page(s) |
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By Dave Lindorff The New York Times, which claims to draw a clear distinction between its news articles and its commentary articles, dropped any pretense of such a distinction in its minimalist "coverage" of yesterday's dramatic effort by Rep. Dennis Kucinich to force the House to consider the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney. In a small 230-word piece on Kucinich's privilege motion, and the subsequent vote to send his H Res. 333, now called H. Res. 799, to the House Judiciary Committee, after it has been consigned to limbo for over 6 months by the House leadership, the Times succeeded in dissing both Kucinich and the notion of impeaching the vice president. As the anonymous Times reporter wrote in the lead of this hit piece:
It is hard to know which effort has longer odds, the bid by Representative Dennis J. Kucinich, Democrat of Ohio, to become president of the United State, or his bid to unseat Vice President Dick Cheney by impeaching him.
The rest of the article, which made no attempt to lay out Kucinich's blistering expose of the vice president's criminal role in presenting false evidence to the Congress and American people to justify an invasion of Iraq, and his condemnation of the vice president for the international crime of threatening war against Iran, is spent describing how House Democratic leaders and Republicans sparred over Kucinich's bill, with Republicans helping to defeat a Democratic effort to table it, and with Democrats then pushing it off the floor and over to the Judiciary Committee.
The Times has clearly decided that despite its editorial positions blasting the criminal actions and blatant abuses of power of this administration, there should be no impeachment hearings on either Bush or Cheney. That might be okay as an editorial position, but the nation's leading newspaper, at least by reputation, has also decided it will buttress that position by either ignoring the growing nationwide impeachment movement, which it has been doing now for two years, or by using its news pages to undermine and ridicule impeachment efforts. That is not okay for a publication that hypocritically pretends that its news articles are fair and balanced.
Instead of assigning a team of crack reporters to investigate the vice president's ongoing crimes--for example his recent effort to drag the US into a war with Iran by going behind the State Department and pressing Israel to attack Iran, so that Iran would retaliate and the U.S. would be forced to come to Israel's aid (a treasonous act by Cheney that was reported in Newsweek magazine)--or the president's crimes (such as his role in obstructing the investigation of the Valerie Plame outiing, or his direct role in authorizing severe torture of captives), the Times is using its reportorial resources to squelch a mass movement for impeachment.
The paper is also joining the rest of the corporate media in yet another shameless effort to deny the American people a genuine political campaign of ideas, deciding well ahead of the primaries which candidates are worthy of coverage, and which ideas and issues are acceptable for public debate. Kucinich, who has been the most consistent and principled opponent of the Iraq War and the drive to attack Iran, the most knowledgeable and consistent proponent of genuine health care reform, the most solid defender of the Constitution and the most ardent defender of working Americans and of the poor among the list of Democratic candidates, is simply not covered by the Times, and is now written off in a suppposed news article as being unelectable!
What a pathetic display of bias, and what an insult to readers.
At least it helps me to understand why the paper has never reviewed Barbara Olshansky's and my book on "The Case for Impeachment," or in fact any of the excellent books on that topic that have been published over the past two years.
Impeachment, for the Times, is a non-story, suitable apparently only for sophomoric ridicule.
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DAVE LINDORFF is a Philadelphia-based journalist and columnist. His latest book, co-authored by Barbara Olshansky, is "The Case for Impeachment" (St. Martin's Press, 2006 and now available in paperback). His work is available at www.thiscantbehappening.net
http://www.thiscantbehappening.net
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Lindorff's standards
http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2007/11/7/114657/950/1#c1 by Jay Lovestone (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 103 comments) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 11:37:07 AM  (0+)
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Chummy with LaRoucheites too!
http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2007/11/7/114657/950/2#c2 by Jay Lovestone (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 103 comments) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 11:38:12 AM (0+)
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Reply: What kind of 'non comments' are these?
Links to links that lead to links. You got something to say--say it! by Jim Freeman (108 articles, 53 quicklinks, 227 diaries, 386 comments) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 11:57:01 AM (0+)
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Reply: This kind of crap shouldn't be allowed on the site
If a meeting is called on the Iraq War and 9-11 at the initiative of Cindy Sheehan, as the one referenced above held at the Constitution Center in Philly, and I'm invited to speak, I'm not going to refuse to go because Tarpley is also speaking. Does this jackass think that the Constitution Center is endorsing La Roache? If someone cannot criticize the points in an article, and simply wants to smear the writer, and especially if they do it by such a cheap tactic as guilt by association, they should be banned from the site. by Dave Lindorff (438 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 193 comments [10 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 1:21:59 PM (0+)
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The M.O. of the NYT has been laid bare by Chomsky & Edw
Herman in Manufacturing Consent, & many other related essays. Many other writers on the Left have long since recognized the real nature of the NYT's game. It has little to do with "informing the public." Rather, it's a mouthpiece for the US Establishment, which presents a version of the world to educated liberals, that's palatable to them, & tells them what to think. The newspaper is a tool for molding the opinions of this section of the population. It consistently shapes them in ways congenial to the ruling class. The NYT, like the WaPo, has cooperated with the US govt in withholding crucial information from the public, or in helping to supply govt spin, for decades. Though much noise is made about their publishing parts of the Pentagon Papers in 1971, that kind of thing (supposedly illustrating "independence" of the press) is very much the exception to the rule. The American media is NOT essentially different from the "state propaganda" that (we were always told) Pravda was supposedly an example of. It's different in terms of its subtlety, & its mechanism -- but not in terms of its conformity & obedience. In other words, this thing about Kucinich, which you rightly depict as deplorable, is nothing new. As you know, it's been going on for decades. by Richard Mynick (2 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 1552 comments [255 recommended, 5 rejected]) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 12:25:16 PM (0+)
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Chomsky
and Herman, Khmer Rouge apologists, http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/genocide/cambear2.htm#ch3 CHAPTER 3: THE CHOMSKY-LACOUTURE CONTROVERSY by Jay Lovestone (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 103 comments) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 12:52:57 PM (0+)
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Michael Kazin on Chomsky & Herman
"Propaganda Model" dissected, in the special double issue of Socialist Review, published just after Reagan's election. Go to a university library for bound volumes. by Jay Lovestone (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 103 comments) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 12:55:58 PM (0+)
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The Chomsky Hoax
http://www.paulbogdanor.com/chomskyhoax.html by Jay Lovestone (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 103 comments) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 12:56:49 PM (0+)
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Keep them coming
Got any more links? When you're done, let me know. I've got some links of my own. by Kevin Gosztola (302 articles, 146 quicklinks, 81 diaries, 1082 comments [77 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 1:01:16 PM (0+)
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Nothing New?
Well of course it's nothing new, but is it not worth saying that the corporate media, the same media that beat the drums for war with Iraq, without comment or coverage to those of us protesting for peace, even way back then, is responsible for the sad state of our country? For gawd's sake, people, wake up and smell the manure. Dave Lindorff has been instrumental in motivating a growing grassroots movement in this country for peace and accountability. You can no longer get your news from the lamestream media, even media such as the NYT who has been labeled part of the "liberal" media for far too many years. by Judy Ramsey (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 93 comments [3 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 1:09:56 PM (0+)
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The elephant of Empire that impeachment is exposing
You know, there’s actually an ironic truth to the MSM’s and the NY Time’s reporting that the Democrats narrowly averted “the embarrassment” of Kucinich’s bill to impeach Cheney coming to a floor debate. Yes, the Democrats avoided the embarrassment OF BEING EXPOSED by floor debate as being fully complicit enablers and partners with the Republicans in this facade of a two-party ‘Vichy government’ in our country. But like the ‘Vichy government’ in the 1940’s, the entire political process and the media are now being recognized as being loyal not to the people of America (or France), but to the corporatist Empire hiding behind those Vichy facades. Impeach Cheney and Bush —- and stop the corporatist Empire hiding behind this two-party ‘Vichy America’. by Alan MacDonald (11 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 131 comments [43 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 3:07:27 PM (0+)
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Howdy from "Jay Lovestone"
This comment has been flagged by an editorReason: (Inappropriate Content) Reflagged: Childish comment, following spamming the article with comments that do not contribute to dialogue and that, in a way, are personal attacks. This member has been banned for a month for these abuses.
Heh, thin skinned are we? by Jay Lovestone (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 103 comments) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 7:26:48 PM (0+)
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... and you expected ...?
I think the departing McKinney's Articles of Impeachment got more coverage then Kucinich's of cheney. Kucinich might be the only one with integrity remaining in our government who hasn't been corrupted by whatever forces that have taken over near everyone else in it. Yet he's the one ridiculed. We live in very dark times. I wonder how long it will be before the free information over the Internet will remain? I am absolutely positive that if we were Pakistan citizens we would have been rounded-up by now. I'd be willing to bet my life that not soon after Gouliani becomes the next POTUS (he will you know) people will start disappearing. by Mr M (8 articles, 0 quicklinks, 66 diaries, 2845 comments [654 recommended, 27 rejected]) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 9:04:27 PM (0+)
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no just one....profit
I have read criticisms of the media of the years some involving excesses, biased, sensationalist, intrusive and others of sinister plots in most instances they’re unrepentantly true. Yet the complaints continue one wonders why. The complainants often strike me as being likened to the man banging his head against a brick wall. When asked it achieved he replied “I want to move this wall” The bemused observer asked “does it work?” The man then puzzle by such a silly question replied “of course not it’s a brick wall!” “Then why do it at all?” “’cause it feels so good when I stop” Surely people have realized by now that News papers are really a just means of circulating advertising. News is on optional extra. They are now about Infotainment and profit. Nothing more nectareous than that…It’s a business responsibility to inform the people well that’s on the brass plaque in the editor’s office…or is in the executive washroom anyway they all have it somewhere. But as a practical principle ….please. Anyone who expects more is kidding themselves if it’s not simple dramatic and won’t get them more readers it doesn’t rate. News paper don’t care about an archaic charter anymore than Enron cared about its small share holders…it’s the capitalistic world we now inhabit. Profit comes first…come to think of it that’s all there is. As I said about Kucinich’s announcement it was desperation politics 101. A calculated stunt to boost his presidential prospects and it failed. This says nothing about his qualities just that his profile isn’t a big enough turn on for the voters. As I also said unless he has another rabbit he’ll be out of the primaries by the new year… he maybe a useful running mate. The trick to day is to find other ways to get your message out. To understand the system and plan accordingly. It seems that too many people attribte too higher or unreasonable standard on to people and businesses and then get upset when they're not met . by Andris (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 531 comments) on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 at 11:33:32 PM (0+)
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I think Mr. Lindorff
quite appropriately made a comment about a particular piece in the newspaper; we need to know how low it can sink. I also am happy that we have this guy ' Lovestone' banned at least for a while: he seems to use the 'guilty by association' technique. Again, he is not a leader of the CPUSA as he claims:) and Stalin did not do anything to HIM:) He seems to be having fun at our expense and although fun is OK, it becomes boring if he is the only one who has it. by Mark Sashine (72 articles, 19 quicklinks, 269 diaries, 4101 comments [131 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Nov 8, 2007 at 8:55:36 AM (0+)
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Reply: Yep...
This comment has been flaggedReason: (Other) Other
Well said, Mark. I'm getting a bit tired of the 'Seven Degrees of Hitler' game too... Keep up the good work, Mr. Lindorff. by C.Bid (0 articles, 7 quicklinks, 7 diaries, 739 comments [2 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Nov 8, 2007 at 10:09:56 AM (0+)
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