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Playing in to claims of media bias
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CommentNovember 12th, 2008
November 11th, 2008
November 7th, 2008
October 17th, 2008
Talk about giving people a cynical reason to claim media bias.
Our Web site — napavalleyregister.com — had a pretty embarrassing crash less than an hour after Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., made it official that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is his choice as vice-presidential nominee.
Our Web site — napavalleyregister.com — had a pretty embarrassing crash less than an hour after Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., made it official that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is his choice as vice-presidential nominee.
Guess what item crashed?
“McCain’s VP, what do you think?” was the title. About 40 readers had made comments, many in the hours just before the official announcement.
“McCain’s VP, what do you think?” was the title. About 40 readers had made comments, many in the hours just before the official announcement.
For an unknown reason — theories abound among our techies but are unproven — all the comments disappeared between 9:30 and 10 a.m. Friday.
Within moments of the crash the attacks began, claiming bias and discrimination and demanding extra McCain articles to make up for the error.
Within moments of the crash the attacks began, claiming bias and discrimination and demanding extra McCain articles to make up for the error.
The anger did not surprise me. For better or for worse, the media has become a part of the presidential story.
For example, a few hours before the crash, another editor in the newsroom was taking a call about the newspaper’s bias. This time, it was our supposed bias against Sen. Barack Obama. Before the June primary, we were fielding calls on anti-Hillary bias.
All this comes up in a super-heated political environment. Some media observers believe the mainstream press has fallen hard for Obama and that he is getting special treatment. Others say the media is dancing around some of McCain’s weaknesses.
Where’s the truth?
Somewhere in between, naturally. Some media outlets are unabashed supporters of one party or the other.
Others, and we put ourselves in this category, strive for balance. That’s why our editorial board is spending six weeks of Sundays examining the candidates from various vantage points. Balance is what we think our readers expect from us.
Nonetheless, partisans see red (or blue) when they read something they don’t like. That is simply the way American politics is played these days.
With our brief Web meltdown, I was able to locate a file with all comments listed in it, and I added that as an online article during the time the reader forum was down. This took care of some of the issues, but many of the natives were a heck of a lot more than just restless.
About three hours later, most of the comments had been restored by the techies, yet a batch from Friday were still missing.
All this gives people great reason to grab their cynical hat and chant media bias all the way to their favorite watering hole, or Web site in this case.
Meanwhile, the “Obama’s VP, what do you think,” reader forum has almost 100 comments.
I’m really glad this is a three-day holiday weekend. I’ll be walking around in the summer heat wearing my comment-proof armor.
Dan Ross is the Register’s Multimedia Producer. He writes on local state and national issue when he’s not fending off attacks from the left and the right. He can be reached at 256.2264 or dross@napanews.com.
For example, a few hours before the crash, another editor in the newsroom was taking a call about the newspaper’s bias. This time, it was our supposed bias against Sen. Barack Obama. Before the June primary, we were fielding calls on anti-Hillary bias.
All this comes up in a super-heated political environment. Some media observers believe the mainstream press has fallen hard for Obama and that he is getting special treatment. Others say the media is dancing around some of McCain’s weaknesses.
Where’s the truth?
Somewhere in between, naturally. Some media outlets are unabashed supporters of one party or the other.
Others, and we put ourselves in this category, strive for balance. That’s why our editorial board is spending six weeks of Sundays examining the candidates from various vantage points. Balance is what we think our readers expect from us.
Nonetheless, partisans see red (or blue) when they read something they don’t like. That is simply the way American politics is played these days.
With our brief Web meltdown, I was able to locate a file with all comments listed in it, and I added that as an online article during the time the reader forum was down. This took care of some of the issues, but many of the natives were a heck of a lot more than just restless.
About three hours later, most of the comments had been restored by the techies, yet a batch from Friday were still missing.
All this gives people great reason to grab their cynical hat and chant media bias all the way to their favorite watering hole, or Web site in this case.
Meanwhile, the “Obama’s VP, what do you think,” reader forum has almost 100 comments.
I’m really glad this is a three-day holiday weekend. I’ll be walking around in the summer heat wearing my comment-proof armor.
Dan Ross is the Register’s Multimedia Producer. He writes on local state and national issue when he’s not fending off attacks from the left and the right. He can be reached at 256.2264 or dross@napanews.com.
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a teacher wrote on Aug 29, 2008 4:51 PM:
Jon Stewart ripped "media" a new one the other day. His basic thought was you (reporters) are not these people's friends, so stop acting that way and report the news. "
kevin wrote on Aug 29, 2008 6:57 PM:
It WAS a darn strange coincidence. I think the thing just crashed because you had so many people trying to post all at the same time...
Strange that B.O. was praised over and over for the "brilliant" way he kept Biden's name secret. I haven't seen ANY media praising McCain for his acumen. And what about his timing?
BRILLIANT!!! "
NVR-Dan Ross wrote on Aug 30, 2008 7:32 AM:
I try to slip in something from you whenever I can!
As for timing, notice how after most conventions, the buzz for a day or two is about the nominee's speech, but this time around McCan stole the thunder with the Palin move? "
ADark1 wrote on Aug 30, 2008 12:22 PM:
It was Divine Intervention! pretty much like no rain , even tho certain Republicans prayed for it on the night of Obama's Speech, and what ended up happening? They ( Repubs) may have to reschedule thier convention due to a hurricane! Now to me? That is a bit more then ironic, its flipping hilarious and proves God has a sense of humour.. "
kevin wrote on Aug 30, 2008 1:55 PM:
Be careful what you wish for... "
ADark1 wrote on Aug 30, 2008 11:41 PM:
As far as BJ goes, he has at least enough sense to draw upon experience learned the hard way. At the cost of many lives.
Seems YOUR Prez didn't do either...not to mention a little common sense and empathy. Bush and Chaney have so much Blood on their hands at home and abroad its impossible to guess what special place they'll have in history...much less hell. Then again, we have those on the right who seem to forget those little facts too!
But as usual you and your buddies on the right neglect to look at the whole truth.
I hope Gustav in fact allows BJ to show what SHOULD have been done the FIRST time around...one thing he's got going for him,..he's not as out of it as Dubya. "
kevin wrote on Aug 31, 2008 8:59 AM:
It will be the same with President Bush. History will affirm that removing Saddam and moving Iraq to a Constitional democracy was a key decision in winning the war against Islamofascism.
Libs are so big on "empathy". Doesn't matter if you are successful or not as long as you pretend to "care". I for one DON'T care. If you want to live in a hole in the ground, below sea level, GO FOR IT. Just DON'T COMPLAIN when your hole fills up with water.
And don't expect ME to come BAIL YOU OUT....LOL. "
freeport56 wrote on Sep 1, 2008 10:22 AM:
I guess you guys missed Ray's July 2005 news cast tell the residents of New Orleans they were on their own, because the city diaster services has abused and the money wasted too early. Oh, yeah and th3e fact thae La Dept. of Hameland Security would not emergency services into the state to help out.
Governor Bobby Jindal should be congratulated for taking swift action to protect the citizens of his state. Unlike a previous administration that 5 days warning and did nothing. i will take a man of action any day! "
glenroy wrote on Sep 2, 2008 1:49 PM:
The media bias on the Katrina tragedy couldn’t have been more documented after that ‘phony’ film clip of a reporter appearing to be braving the deep waters of New Orleans as the storm was breaking, she claimed 14‘ deep … while rhetorically demanding to know ‘where is the federal government’…’it was all the result of the Bush Administrations ineptness etc’..….. after the crew finishing filming a 2nd camera kept rolling videoing her getting out that boat and walking over to her SUV and driving off….that wasn’t bias was it…that fatuous reporting in the extreme, a common partisan tactic. Of course the New Orleans Democrat Machine had left town long before the storm, but no mention of that fact. Didn’t see any such cowardice in Mississippi were they were smart enough to rid themselves of the Mississippi Democrat Machine a decade prior.
The morel of the story is that nothing serves the libs cause like an uninformed opinionated voter, who is equally reliant upon and forever quoting a fatuous media on everything they think the know. "
Hear Ye wrote on Sep 2, 2008 2:33 PM:
"The morel of the story is that nothing serves the libs cause like an uninformed opinionated voter, who is equally reliant upon and forever quoting a fatuous media on everything they think the know. "
Thats funny, If you replace "Libs" with "Repubs" then you get how myself and many others feel. It all depends on what side of the fence you're on. "
Bill wrote on Sep 2, 2008 2:58 PM:
ADark1 wrote on Sep 3, 2008 1:08 AM:
Its debatable whether or not you'll win the best fairytale award but you're in the running! "
Bill wrote on Sep 3, 2008 4:35 PM:
Ulmar believes that any one who reads books without pictures must be a sado-masochist. He realizes that there are only about six major corporations that own and control most media outlets but he suspects that Martin Sorros is secretly the CEO of many of them. Alternately it is that Damn Wabbit again.
The Wiz Ulmar has a Mickey Mouse theory of brainwashed zombie citizens lurking behind PC 90210 educations or private military and parochial mind liberation as opposed to the brainwashed PC public schools, manipulating the thoughts of those who read anything.
It is unfortunate that Pepe Le Pew will now be banned from political commentaries or any commentaries as he has offended the Francophones and Francophiles amongst us, merely because of a posters angst. Too much time in cyberspace has honeycombed many a thoughtless posters mind (as opposed to the internet shadow fogging them) and now the new revolutionary media form is “it must be true I saw it on a web site.” Was it a Lib or a Con controlled by “the Google this” crowd.
Is there a dictionary of emoticons so one can decipher the Internet code? "
plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Sep 3, 2008 11:11 PM:
For example: "The Wiz Ulmar has a Mickey Mouse theory of brainwashed zombie citizens lurking behind PC 90210 educations or private military and parochial mind liberation as opposed to the brainwashed PC public schools, manipulating the thoughts of those who read anything."
That sentence makes no sense whatsoever, and the next paragraph doesn't either. Speak up man, we can't hear you above the gibberish! "
Bill wrote on Sep 4, 2008 10:00 AM:
uh, And who is the WE you speak for? "