Posts Tagged ‘media bias’

Why is this a story?

Posted: July 13, 2010 by datechguy in media, opinion/news, tea parties
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I found this Washington Post story at Memeorandum odd:

While many conservative organizations immediately decried a federal judge’s decision last week to invalidate the federal ban on recognizing gay marriages, tea party groups have been conspicuously silent on the issue.

Conspicuously silent? Why would the Tea Party as an organization have anything to do with a Gay Marriage any more than the ASPCA, the Sierra Club, or the American Dairy Association would? Why is an organization whose focus and purpose is fiscal reform care?

Short answer: It wouldn’t. But the goal of the media is to break up tea party support. So lets go for it!

The large tea party-affiliated organizations, including FreedomWorks and the Tea Party Nation, declined to comment on Tauro’s ruling because of their groups’ fiscal focus. “That’s just not something that’s on our radar,” said Judson Phillips, founder of the Tea Party Nation. He acknowledged, however, that some in his group — though not a majority — are opposed to the Defense of Marriage Act.

Opps bad luck Washington Post, no doughnuts for you.

Now individual members like myself might oppose gay marriage in general and that ruling in particular but I would no more expect the tea parties to worry about that than I would the Sable Baseball league.

A story that won’t get promoted from the local news

Posted: July 13, 2010 by datechguy in local stuff, media, opinion/news
Tags: ,

There is a story at the Worcester Telegram that I suspect will never make it to the New York Times, Washington Post, Morning Joe or Memeorandom Here are the details:

Local gay activist Albert M. Toney III has been charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old youth last month in the locker room of the YMCA.

The 17-year-old told investigators he was standing in front of a fan in the locker room of the YMCA at 766 Main St. June 15 when Mr. Toney, who was nude, approached him from behind, grabbed his buttock and pressed himself up against him without his consent, according to a statement filed in court by police Sgt. John W. Lewis. Mr. Toney, a former Worcester police officer, then allegedly invited the 17-year-old to join him in the steam room.

A longtime gay activist and advocate for gay and lesbian youth, Mr. Toney is president of AK Consulting Services, an education/diversity training and consulting company.

He was active in the campaign for same-sex marriage rights in Massachusetts and was the first openly gay candidate to run for Worcester City Council.

Ok so we have a public figure, well known in the community, active in the same sex marriage fight and a “youth advocate” charged. Will this story be in any of the above venues? Will it make any papers beyond Worcester? Will there be a memeorandum thread? I think not, the media will not consider this more than a local story. However with a few edits of the Bold Text I can make it a newsworthy story, observe: My edited text is in Italics:

Local Catholic Priest Fr. Albert M. Toney III has been charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old youth last month in the locker room of his parish.

The 17-year-old told investigators he was standing in front of a fan in the locker room of his parish at 766 Main St. June 15 when Father Toney, who was nude, approached him from behind, grabbed his buttock and pressed himself up against him without his consent, according to a statement filed in court by police Sgt. John W. Lewis. Father Toney, a former Worcester police officer, then allegedly invited the 17-year-old to join him in the rectory.

A longtime local priest and advocate for catholic youth youth, Father Toney is president of AK Consulting Services, a Church run education, training and consulting company.

He was active in the campaign against same-sex marriage rights in Massachusetts and was the first Catholic Priest to run for Worcester City Council.

See? A few edits and Viola; A story worthy of the New York Times, and a memeorandum thread. Will this story get any media play without said edits? Oh sure, around the same day that Andrew Sullivan endorses Sarah Palin for president on the Chris Matthews show.

Update: the trick would also work If I replaced “Gay Activist” with “Tea party Activist”.

Update 2: Stacy picks it up at the Spectator Blog

Today Mika went on about the unemployment bill being blocked…

Posted: July 1, 2010 by datechguy in media, opinion/news
Tags: , , ,

looks like she didn’t read the Globe Yesterday either.

Another blow to the conventional wisdom…

Posted: June 30, 2010 by datechguy in employment, opinion/news
Tags: , , , ,

If you do a search of stories on the Unemployment extension or lack thereof you will see a lot of stuff like this:

Republicans are united against the extension

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander M. Levin (D-MI), a co-sponsor of the bill, said in a press release yesterday that

“Republicans in Congress are clearly more focused on their short-term political standing than the immediate economic security of millions of Americans who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and are unable to find work.”

Evil Republicans yada yada yada, just like the tea party stuff we’ve heard so many times before. You would think it was part of journolist.

Interestingly enough if you look at the Globe today you find this:

Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts is planning to introduce legislation today aimed at extending unemployment assistance for the long-term jobless, funding summer jobs, and providing more Medicaid funding to states.

His plan would pay for the additional spending using unspent stimulus funding, along with cuts in other areas.

“There are some programs in that legislation that are important to Massachusetts during this economic crisis,’’ Brown, a Republican, says in a video message he is planning to release this morning. “But we need to find a way to pay for them.’’

Scott Brown? An Evil republican extending unemployment? That’s has to be as unlikely as democrats showing up for a Tea Party Forum.

How about that actually paying for that extension. As someone in tight shape who could use that extension I understand that the money is coming not from the Government but from my fellow taxpayers. Once people forget this we become a society of dependence.

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