A Message to the World of Biased Media

Franz Hoffmann made me aware of this piece at the Free Republic site:

OPEN LETTER TO THE MAIN STREAM MEDIA: We are NOT Amateurs and we are going to kick your butts.

The article refers to the US media scene, but I guess some of it - like 99.9 per cent - applies to the German media as well...

UPDATE: Another great Cox & Forkum cartoon via Instapundit.

We have watched you for years try to tell us how to think, what to think, who to vote for and what to believe based solely on your own agenda. In past years, you have come to think of yourselves as the fourth branch of government, the movers and shapers of opinion and the arbiters of truth.

In case you have not been watching, America (make that: Germany) is sick and tired of you. We are turning away from you in record numbers. Your audience and readership is declining faster

than you can say the word 'bias', and instead of recognizing the trend, you have only become further entrenched and determined to force society to play by your rules.

Technology has allowed us to ignore you, and in many cases, replace you altogether. (...)

You believe yourselves to be solely qualified to pontificate on the day-to-day events going on around the world as if journalism school gives you a special insight into the truth. When I was in college, people went to J-school only if they flunked out of business school and did not want to become teachers.

Well guess what?

The world is on to you.

Persons with knowledge and experience are not only ignoring you, but replacing you as sources of information. These sources, which don't need anything but their personal experiences and skills when sharing information with the public; persons who have spent more time learning and doing than you ever will, are generally more accurate and informative than you know how to be.

The Internet and Blogosphere would scare you, if you were smart enough or honest enough to know better.

People with practical knowledge and experience discussing current and historical events with more ability than you, are sharing more factual and in-depth information, and at a rate which you could never compete. We are relegating many of you to overpaid gossip mongers, while you don't want to acknowledge that we are eating your lunch.

(...) You can no longer expect what you say to be taken for gospel, because we are no longer amateurs about information. Someone, somewhere on a little web site is going to smoke you out, report your biases, and make you less believable than you once were. Count on it.

You can tell us that Swift Boat Veterans for truth are liars, and NOBODY is going to believe you just because you say it. Have you checked the Non Fiction Best Sellers lists lately? But even then, we know enough now to notice when book sales are based on giveaways, fund-raisers, pre-orders and the like, to notice when you want to push sales of your favorite liberal author when their book sheds no light, tells no truth, shares no facts, but only advances what you want us all to think about you and yours. We are not buying it anymore.

I'm writing this, because I know you are watching. Just as you watched last week when one of us 'amateurs' beat you at your own game. It happens here all the time. Free Republic is not a group of 'amateurs' or nutcases, as you like to think of us. This board is a slice of America, filled with people from all walks of life, whose cumulative knowledge dwarfs that of you and your 'hired experts'. I was offended to read your reaction to people here and at the Blogs who shared what started here regarding your fraudulent flunky Dan Rather, and his attempt to pass off what was clearly a forged document as legitimate news.

You attempted to deride us, not take us seriously, dismiss us as partisans (which is apparently only a bad thing if one is conservative) and generally ignore the wealth of information we passed along to the public about one of yours trying to pull the wool over our eyes. We nailed Dan Rather, not you, and you can't stand it.

Last week, you tried to suggest that Republicans booed Bill Clinton after Bush wished him well. We caught you. We got in your face and made you take it back, because you lied. Don't you hate that? We Internet-based losers made you back down, when you felt totally free to mislead the nation about the behavior of some you don't agree with.

It is only going to get worse for you.

You can no longer tell us anything, and expect to be believed without question. You can no longer mix your agendas into your 'news' and expect to get away with it. We may not catch you every time, but eventually we will, and then many of you are going to have to get real jobs. And when you do, you are going to need more than the ability to mislead, lie, slander and ignore people who don't agree with you. In the future, expect for Blogs like Instapundit and others to be on you like a fly on stink when you attempt to mislead us.

Yesterday, you attempted to paint the young LT. Bush as a poor pilot, because he attempted multiple landings a few times while flying a training jet. Stories like this are the reason why Network News has lost half of its audience over the last 10 years. Could not one of you pampered info-princes figure out that a military pilot WANTS to practice landings as much has he/she possibly can? I guess not, when you are blinded by ideology to the degree that any information you receive can only be interpreted in the negative.

You want to call Bush AWOL, but you don't want to talk about his hundreds of flying hours in a jet that has killed lesser aviators, you only want to discuss what furthers your agenda, because you know that when Democrats win, YOU are in charge. You don't want to talk about our President's Master's Degree from Harvard while at the same time Al Gore could not hack Divinity school.

Don't you wish you could regulate us? We know you spend your nights praying to the gods of the Fairness Doctrine, hoping to silence us. Sorry, but we are here, and we are not going anywhere. Too bad we can't say the same for you. It is you who is being silenced as your audience is paying more attention to us, and tuning you OUT. Fox News is in 50 million fewer homes, but they managed to beat you silly during the Republican Convention. How did that happen? US; that's how. Because of us, the Internet, the Blogosphere, Talk Radio and others, the nation no longer see you as the gatekeepers of information.

Take a lesson MSM, though it hurts, try a little fairness. Give balance a shot, and stop being a mouthpiece for the liberal agenda. Pretend if you must, that Conservatives are not Neanderthals long enough to get through a news segment. I know it must hurt to not be able to prove your superiority to us in all that you do and say, but try it.

Finally, just embrace the horror, folks. You might actually learn something from us merry bands of 'amateur' journalists. You see, we don't have an audience to please. We don't have to sell ad-space, or get face-lifts to keep our jobs. That leaves us free to share information on the subjects we might know a little something about without angering our liberal masters. On Free Republic, you can at times find as many threads angry at Republicans as you can Democrats. We don't have to hire experts, if we don't know something, we can ask a fellow Freeper or use Google, much faster than you can pay someone to tell you what you want to hear. (...)

I'm not saying we are journalists; we have jobs and careers beyond 'he-said-she-said'. We do like to share what we know, and we don't even get it right every time. However, the truth is in the numbers. We have them and they are growing, while yours are shrinking more rapidly every day. If you don't change your ways and soon, you are going to become irrelevant before this decade is over. Many of you already are. (...)

The trends are in our favor. If you don't wise up, we will kick your agenda-driven ass.

May I second that, for the German media?

Comments

[Pamela]

Who wants them to wise up? We're having too much fun watching Dan Blather go down in flames.

heh. Beautiful piece. Just beautiful.

[john doe]

Boy, what a sad piece. Are you really, really sure you second this? Because it would make you... well look a lot like an embittered, ranting fool who doesn't understand half of what democracy is all about...

But thanks, anyway - "Biased Media" - that one never fails to crack me up.

[Pamela]

I have a question for the German residents of this blog. I am American. Among the many things not covered by media I have access to is insight on what is going on between West/East Germany. I would like to know more. Are there East German media I should know about/read? My understanding of most of the German posters on this blog is that they are West Germans.

I would like to know more about how the reunification is going. Are there any East Germans here?

Thanks in advance.

[andrew2]

John Doe

"Boy, what a sad piece. Are you really, really sure you second this...who doesn't understand half of what democracy is all about...".

Democracy in America is about of things including a free and objective press. Of course Doe, you are aware America is actually a 'Representative republic".

The state of American Journalism today is in need of self evaluation; anyone including you can see that.

Until then, the press stubbornly refuses to reform itself. Luckily there are lots of choices people can make when selecting what news sources to rely on. In addition I am of the opinion that as long as there is no serious effort at reform from the elementary school level on, we are producing both an uninformed citizenry and an indoctrinated 4th Estate who are programmed to follow not think, like yourself.

[andrew2]

I apologize for the typo:

....America is about ALOT of things....
. like you John.

[Joe N.]

John:

What is that you think would embitter someone enough to make them say it? Your search for flaws in the argument by focussing on the writer's disposition is a false refutation. It is unconvincing.

Your statement is analagous to 'staring at her breasts and not even listening to her words.'

[Joe N.]

I'm listening to the BBC's "Talking Point" program, and feel like the only way anyone can really 'have your say' is to set up a chatroom, called, say, "Mystery Science Talk Show 3000" while the program is running. Sooner of later, someone at the source will start to watch the dialog.
Something might sink in. Might...

[Pamela]

A must-read on the MSM meltdown from Wretchard.

( I would give ANYTHING to write like this guy. I am always reduced to mere helpless sobbing. )

http://belmontclub.blogspot.com/

[Helian]

I feel your pain, John Doe. It's got to hurt when the strangle hold of people who think just like you on the reporting and interpretation of the news is broken for good.

I have to sympathize with people who can't read English, because, not unexpectedly, the German mass media have been virtually silent about this amazing story. They, too, can hear the footsteps of the bloggers. It's a shame because it's been such a joy watching the old media dinosaurs flounder and stonewall over the CBS forgeries as the bloggers tore them apart. It really had the character of a defining moment in history. It was like strolling through an animated museum of old media tricks that are now hopelessly dated and, increasingly, pathetic. It's the dawn of a new era of access to information beyond anything we could have dreamed of 10 years ago.

Oh, Du Saeculum Bloggers, die Geist erwacht, es ist eine Lust zu Leben!

Congratulations, David, on being the vanguard of the new wave in Germany. We can all look forward to many happy hours listening to the howls of the priesthood of the old media as they sink gracelessly into oblivion.

Journalism is a trade, not a profession. I don't want to read any story other than news analysis written by a person who wants to "change the world". Who, what, when, where, why and possibly how. That's what we haven't been getting lately and I'm pissed! Let CBS implode. It's about time.

[Pamela]

anonymous wrote
>>Journalism is a trade, not a profession

I wish. Unfortunately, the status given to a free press in the founding documents of the United States has elevated this 'trade' to something equivalent to the priesthood.

Who else is allowed to protect their sources at all costs? It is very comparable to the privleged privacy of the confessional.

For far too long I have wished for the implosion of the mainstream media. I hope this Dan Rather debacle will be the equivilent of Martin Luther hammering his demands on the doors of the Church.

[Joe N.]

Big news WILL change.

I think we'll see some confusion, then a whimper.
Then: they're be using bloggers as sources, or sydicates.

Can you imagine a feed ON A BLOG that says CNN? "Come to my blog/feed, and watch network XYZ!" could be the tag. A few Instapundit scale behemoths will emerge, etc., etc. One will, of course be called David's Mediemkritik....

The other possibility is that network news will change altogether. Itself being like interactive TV. In which case freelance journalists could 'blog' (or whatever it morphs into) and the feed picks it up and distributes it in a sort of multi-feed fashion.

I'm just thinking out of the box (or out of the verdammte zip code) that news will mutate. The cable company will be the one collecting the money, which might make THEM the editorial mechanism - i dont know.

Either way, it will likely involve LESS rather that MORE editorial control, and in all likelihood, less fact checking by staff, and more by the PUBLIC.

[Trish]

@ Joe

this article backs up what you are saying:
No Disputing It: Blogs Are Major Players
Netizen's late-night post questioning CBS claims about Bush's service spreads at warp speed.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-blog12sep12,1,3703412.story?coll=la-home-politics

[Mike H.]

How will the media change? Fox News is doing it right now. With their write in segments, and incorporating blogosphere data into their broadcasts (the current debacle comes to mind), they seamlessly meld the two disciplines (amateur and professional communications).

I would go on, but someone else has the Guiness record for the longest sentence.

[gerd j.]

sehr gut dieser offene brief! Ohne blogs, ohne davids medienkritik fühlt man sich in germany
zurückversetzt in ddr-ähnliche informations- und gesinnungsdiktatur. Dieser antiamerikanische,
israelfeindliche gesinnungsjournalismus offenbart
die politische herkunft seiner propagandisten.
Auch für mich sind blogs wie davids medienkr.
frischluft in diesem stickigen gutmenschengermany.

lets enjoy this short era of enlightement as long the UN hasn`t established the ww web control.

[no comment]

who unveiled abu ghuraib? cbs or the blogosphere?

[Helian]

@no comment

"who unveiled abu ghuraib? cbs or the blogosphere?"

Let one hundred flowers blossom. Let one hundred schools of thought contend. (Chairman Mao)

Another appropriate quote from the "Zanti Perfectionists," , Outer Limits, circa 1962: "The warden is gone. Let us take freedom!"

[Sandy P]

Who unveiled the blue dress, Trent Lott and the forgeries?

[MaDr]

"who unveiled abu ghuraib? cbs or the blogosphere?"

Actually it was the US military in one of their press conferences in Iraq. The first mention was 7 months before CBS. The big update by the military was 3 months before CBS.

So where was the mighty MSM all that time? The Gunga Dans were busy carrying other liberal Kool-Ade.

[JR]

Ich bin geboren in Deutschland und ich fage mich wirklich, was zum Teufel mit diesem Land passiert. Blinder Anti-Amerikanismus, jeder Vierte Ossi will die Mauer wieder zurückhaben, PDS und NPD werden starke Partien!! Von Moralvorstellungen will ich in dieser "Erlaubt is was gefällt" Gesellschaft gar nicht anfangen. Nationalstolz ist ein Schimpfwort geworden, Geiz ist Geil das neue Landesmotto. Arbeiten, warum nicht, aber doch bitte nicht mehr als höchstens 35 Stunden bei 6 Wochen bezahltem Urlaub. Der Staat muß für uns sorgen, Eigenverantwortung und Risikobereitschaft sind "amerikanische Verhältnisse" die wollen wir nicht. Unser einst vorbildliches Schulsystem versagt und mittlerweile gehören unsere Kinder zu den dämlichsten in der Welt, nicht mal uns'Günter Jauch kann das mit seiner "Lernshow" ändern.
Jeden Tag fragen wir, warum die Politiker nicht endlich alles verbessern? Unsere Nation wankt bedenklich, wir sind auf dem besten Wege uns selbst zu demontieren. Man kann nur beten, das Gott unsere Wege weiter lenkt, Erbarmen hat mit einer Nation, die sich seiner mehr und mehr abgewendet hat.

@Pamela:
you were asking about East German media, and after a bit thinking and searching I realized there is not any which has nationwide importance. The big newspapers and tv channels are all based in West Germany, which is understandable as no DDR media could have been continued, and no newly founded could be established nationwide in these few years. Of course you find local newspapers like the "Sächsische Zeitung", and the "mdr" as a regional public tv channel, perhaps: http://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/umbau-ost/
This situation is already part of the problem. I just try to give you a short overview, even though it is my west German perspective. East Germans feel ignored, as they are not well represented in politics and the media. My sister is now living in the Eastern part and has adopted to "eastern thinking" so much that we often argue about these issues (she was finally awarded a honorary Ossi by her friends when she carried a basket full of coal for heating upstairs several floors). So she says that it is not fair that East Germans get less money for the same work, even in state jobs. Which is in my opinion symptomatic for East Germany: the positions are claiming and reproachful, and still contain a bit of socialist thinking. The state has to organize fair living conditions throughout Germany (which ignores the fact that even in a single company people may get different salaries for the same work). And when Easterns complain about the state to do more for them, Westerns hear that *they* should do more for them. This provokes of course an uneasy reaction, as the west has transferred one trillion euros into the east (admittedly a huge part of that went back to western companies), and in the west this is seen as the reason for the cuts in communal spending, like on theatres, streets, schools and so on.
This huge transfer of money was accepted without grumbling for about 15 years now, but at the moment the discussion gets more vivid. Just on these days the German President questioned if equal conditions can and should be achieved and sparked a huge debate. In general, the bigger cities in the south of the east, like Erfurt, Leipzig, Weimar, Jena, Dresden are doing relatively well and even attract West german job seekers, whereas the small cities, rural parts and the northern east have big structural problems. When President Koehler states that easterners have to be flexible and move to where the jobs are, one has to say it brutally: the young and the clever people are already gone. So it is difficult for the remaining, who live in "dying" cities with more and more empty flats, to be told to move as well. Therefore they demonstrate against (in my opinion necessary) social reforms, and therefore they turn the back to the big political parties and vote for the extremist left and right.
I hope you got a small impression on both positions. Because of the new debate sparked by Köhler, you will find discussions on these issues at the moment in every German media at a prominent place. If you look for news in english, perhaps you will find something here in the coming days:
http://www.faz.com/IN/INtemplates/eFAZ/default.asp

[Trish]

@ JR Der Staat muß für uns sorgen, Eigenverantwortung und Risikobereitschaft sind "amerikanische Verhältnisse" die wollen wir nicht.

Danke für die Formulierung. Jetzt werde ich die Anderen frustrieren anstatt "they" me.

Thanx

[no comment]

@ JR: ...Unsere Nation wankt bedenklich, wir sind auf dem besten Wege uns selbst zu demontieren. Man kann nur beten, das Gott unsere Wege weiter lenkt, Erbarmen hat mit einer Nation, die sich seiner mehr und mehr abgewendet hat.

0. der begriff "nationalstolz" ist vor allem meistens sinnlos. der am wenigsten akzeptable patriotismus ist der unreflektierte, besonders schlecht ist der religiös unterfütterte. die am ehesten akzeptable form ist m.e. der "kritische patriotismus", und dessen grundsatz lautet: unser land ist scheiße, wie können wir es verbessern?
1. sich auf einen gott zu verlassen halte ich für genauso bekloppt, wie sich auf eine regierung zu verlassen.
2. daß unsere kinder zu den dämlichsten der welt gehören bezweifle ich. daß sie weit dämlicher sind, als sie gemessen am potential unseres staates sein könnten, hat verschiedene gründe. man kann das teilweise auf die heruntergekommene einstellung zur bildung schieben, teilweise auf die landesregierungen, die m.e. den pädagogen zu sehr freie hand beim experimentieren lassen. mit beschwingter leichtigkeit werden hier menschenversuche (in form bizarrer lehrpläne in der grundschule) durchgeführt, ohne daß eltern sich großartig dagegen wehren oder wehren können.

[Kees Rudolf]

According to an opinion survey, organized by the New York Times, some six weeks ago, 80% of the American journalists characterize themselves as pro-Kerry. If Kerry is defeated by Bush, I will celebrate this as a victory of American good sense & independent thinking over the main stream media. But this victory is still uncertain.
I hope the author of the Open Letter to the Main Stream Media is not too optimistic.
Young people who want to become journalists usually have leftist ideas. They are recieving their professional education at the various schools of journalism, where the majority of teachers has leftist ideas too. To make sense of their life, they wish to have a salutary impact on the history of mankind. Seeing how influential information is, they wish to have their share in the control of the information flow.
The average reader of so called high quality newspapers usually is proud of his being well informed. He feels superior to the illiterates for his effort to understand actual politics by reading difficult and profound stuff, offerred to him by the country's leading intellectuals. More sophisticated people even read several newspapers, confident that in this way they can build up a balanced view and that they can dismiss as mere rumours or propaganda what they don't find confirmed in all those papers they glance through. So if you confront them with facts which the main stream media have decided to ignore, and which don't fit well in their prevailing views, they will look at you with disbelief and turn their back on you in contemptuous disregard.
I hope excellent blogs like this one can play a useful role, apart from giving to disillusioned readers of main stream newspapers the temporary relief of feeling not alone if you happen to disagree with the opinions main stream media quite succesfully try to impose on the majority around you.

[JR]

@ NO COMMENT
ZU O: Ich denke Patriotismus ist so ein wenig wie Selbstachtung. Ich kann daran nichts verwerfliches finden. Und wenn man sich selbst scheiße findet, auf geht's ans Verbessern.
zu 1: Den Glauben an Gott bekloppt zu finden ist für viele ja normal geworden. Ich bete trotzdem zu Ihm auch für vermeintlich verlorene Seelen.
zu 2:Zugegeben, es gibt sicher Länder, in denen es noch schlimmer ist. Aber die Meßlatte liegt nun mal höher. Hier sind wir uns doch ganz einig. Wenn Kinder im 1 & 2. Schuljahr erstmal hauptsächlich kuscheln lernen, dann geht es ja gut los.

[no comment]

@ JR

2. d'accord
1. halt, missverstaendnis! den glauben find ich nicht bekloppt, sondern nur, sich auf den gott zu verlassen. ich halte das fuer einen unterschied.
0. "...Patriotismus ist so ein wenig wie Selbstachtung". das kommt eben auf die art des patriotismus an: in den meisten faellen hat er mehr mit selbstbetaeubung zu tun als mit selbstachtung. das ist die form, die ich fuer schlecht halte. in diesem punkt halte ich die bundesrepublik fuer relativ fortschrittlich, da diese art patriotismus nicht mehr oft vorkommt. leider kommt auch der kritische patriotismus zu kurz. man beschraenkt sich aufs rumnoergeln und jammern auf hohem niveau. was nun den "blinden antiamerikanismus" angeht: den gibt hierzulande zwar, aber es gibt auch eine ziemlich wohldurchdachte kritische einstellung gegenueber der handlungsweise der usa. als christ muessten sie eigentlich ziemlich klar gegen die us-aussenpolitik stellung beziehen (vgl. kollateralschaeden im irak <-> eines dieser gebote).

There's a revolution going on. The bloggers, pajama wearing individuals, who are lawyers, professionals and other intelligent people have taken on the traditional network media in the states. Dan Rather thought he could go with a poorly researched story and get away with it. (He may have thought that he could manipulate the public and get away with it). His problem and that of the US media is that hundreds and hundreds of American bloggers started to research the basis of his story and low and behold his story has been debunked. He has tried to ask his fans to ignore the man behind the curtain (wizard of oz) and have faith in his news organization's checks and balances. Well - it ain't working. Oddly this is not being reported here in Germany. It's gotta be pretty scary for German Journalists to think that the "people" in "Schlafanzügen" will check their work and determine for themselves if it is believable or not. I look forward to the first acknowledgment of this revolution in the German media.

David and Ray - you guys are the harbingers of good news for Germany!!! You are true patriots!!

Keep on blogging!!!

[Trish]

oops the above entry is mine

[Kees Rudolf]

Ich weiss nicht ob es sich lohnt No comment mit einem Kommentar zu beantworten und ob ich das Alias "No Comment" nicht als Imperativ verstehen soll. Trotzdem meinerseits dieses Kommentar:
Sie sagen dass sie den Glauben gar nicht für "bekloppt" halten und dann schreiben Sie: "Als Christ müsste man eigentlich ziemlich klar gegen die US-Aussenpolitik Stellung beziehen (Vgl Kollateralschäden im Irak und eines dieser Gebote)". Wissen Sie, ich halte den christlichen Glauben wie Sie ihn interpretieren und die Schlussfolgerungen die Sie daraus zieen nicht nur für bekloppt sondern für suizidal. Glücklicherweise gibt es Christen die das Christentum anders verstehen.

[helian]

Check out this ZDF link and prove to yourself once and for all that the German media are living, as DYKWIA puts it, on another planet. Instapundit, LGF, and many others are staying on top of this story, and, at this point, it's clear that the "new" Bush documents are not only forgeries, but exceptionally clumsy and amateurish forgeries. Are you surprised that the German media don't seem to have "noticed." The U.S. media are also doing their best to sweep the story under the rug. Clearly we are seeing the dawn of a new era in the way people inform themselves. Blogs are indispensable if you want to stay reasonably well-informed about this story. I'm sure it won't be the last.

[S1IG]

@Helian:
Nicht vergessen: ARD/ZDF sichern doch "nur" die Grundversorgung - alles bezahlt Dank der GEZ-Wegelagerei....

[JR]

@no comment:
Verstehe leider nicht warum ich als Christ gegen die Befreiung der Irakis sein muß. Ferner ist es mir ein Rätsel, warum wir Christen (allen voran George W. Bush) nicht mal mit der Faust auf den Tisch hauen dürfen (bildlich) und den uns erklärten Glaubenskrieg anzunehmen. Unsere Welt steht vor einer großen Herausforderung und wir können sie entweder erkennen und unseren "Stand" verteidigen, oder klein beigeben mit Folgen die sich heute gar keiner vorstellen mag.
Christ sein heißt nicht automatisch alles zu akzeptieren, sondern auch das Gute vom Bösen zu unterscheiden. Wir haben den Kampf nicht begonnen, "Never forget who started it"!

[jo]

@Pamela

I would like to know more about how the reunification is going. Are there any East Germans here?

I'm an East German living in the US. I just came back from a visit of my old home and I have to admit that my fellow East Germans are amazing me. They have new Autobahns built from scratch, they have wonderfully re-built downtown areas, they have new hospitals, new train stations, new schools, new everything. Some of the cities even look better than comparable cities in the West. I was really impressed with what has been accomplished in the past couple years. But instead of being happy and thankful the East Germans go on the streets and protest every Monday because they feel left behind. I don't understand them anymore. As far as I'm concerned there is no real difference between the East and the West. It's just the mindset that is different.

[Foobarista]

@Niko: You forgot that Bush _is_ Hitler. So if he wrote the Hitler diaries, they aren't forgeries!