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Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

Samizdata quote of the day

“Fox News often operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party.”

Anita Dunn, White House communications director and fan of the greatest mass murderer in history.

So one network for the Republicans and three for the Democrats then.

21 comments to Samizdata quote of the day

  • David Gillies

    Going after a news channel, especially in a country with a First Amendment, is a remarkably tin-eared thing to do. I hope this backfires spectacularly on the loathsome Obama and his thuggish administration. They used to say, don’t pick a fight with a man who buys ink by the barrel. This is an even more cack-handed display of petulance and arrogance.

  • David Gillies

    Oh, and just in case there’s any confusion, this is the same Anita Dunn of whom footage exists of her claiming one of her biggest philosophical influences is Mao Zedong. That’s right: Obama’s White House communications director is on video praising the greatest mass-murderer of all time. This administration is rotten to the core

  • So one network for the Republicans and three for the Democrats then.

    Forgot CNN, no?

  • Dishman

    A point of phrasing…
    Mao was the worst mass murderer of all time.

  • the other rob

    Dishman – sadly, no, he was very proficient at it.

  • Richard Garner

    Is ABC now fully Democrat now John Stossel has moved to FOX?

    On broadcasting bias, I was watching the headlines this morning on the BBC, and they mentioned the story of Obama arranging this meeting to negotiate agreements on tackling global warming. Whilst the headline was being read on the voice over, though, stock footage of deserts was rolling across the screen. I remember wondering, “why are they showing deserts? Are they trying to tell us that without these agreements there will be more desert? Is this desert itself ’caused” by global warming”? Clearly the footage was intended to make viewers think something.

  • Laird

    Alisa, CNN no longer matters. It’s on a par with MSNBC.

  • Laird, sorry, but I don’t get it: why does CNN matter less than say NBC or CBS?

  • Paul Marks

    CNN matters – it is background propaganda in airports and hotels.

    As for Fox News – many people on it are Democrats (and yes ABC does seem to have had a purge of most its last remaining nonleftists – the station was cooing over the cute-little-kid-loves-Obama-asks-why-bad-people-hate-President story a few days ago).

    Also Neil Cavotu led the charge against TARP last year – so hard that Bush Administration people bycotted his (Fox News show).

    As for Glenn Beck – almost needless to say, he despises many Republicans (and has said so for years).

  • Kim du Toit

    Fox News is actually far more critical of Republicans than any of the other networks are about Democrats. To say that FNC is the communications arm of the Republicans is to laugh. They wish.

    If the Stupid Party really did run Fox News, their ratings would be even lower than CNN’s.

  • PersonFromPorlock

    I went on line sometime around 1997 and I don’t believe I’ve watched two hours of TV since.

    As far as journalism (TV or otherwise) is concerned, I define it as “the craft of finding inexpensive, entertaining filler to go between the ads” and don’t worry about it.

  • jso

    Does TDS (a three letter word for boring) count as it’s own news network? After all, the majority of people ages 18-40~ say they get their news from Jon Stewart.

  • Fox News often operates almost as either the research arm

    Research – now that’s a novel thing to find in the broadcast media.

  • Person: I’m with you, but the reason both you and I should worry about it is that the majority of voters still watch that crap.

  • I count at least 6 Demoncrat news networks: ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, NPR, PMSNBC…

  • Tim: they multiply too, don’t they!

  • kcb

    I don’t think Fox news is intentionally geared for republicans. It simply presented more than one point of view.

    You say “one network for republicans and three for democrats”…

    To be more precise it would be one network that attempts to be balanced against:

    ABC
    CBS
    NBC
    CNN
    MSNBC
    PBS (Government Funded)

    Speaking of media, let’s not forget about 89 percent of newspapers (could be more).

    If a non leftist wants to read/view something from the MSM that does not spew leftist points of view the pickings are mighty slim.

  • watcher in the dark

    Doesn’t the BBC figure in the Obama fan club too?

  • Paul Marks

    Yes it does – as do much else of the British media.

    For example, for the “Independent” newspaper (loss making and highly dependent on a private sugar daddy and on government ads) the main front page story today was how good Mrs Obama was with a hoop toy (big picture of the lady playing with the toy and so on).

    No I am not making this up.

    As for the American media – their latest trick is to pretend that people who do not like the Republican party are Obama fans (ABC was making a big thing of the decline in the number of people who describe themselves as Republicans – and claiming this represented a surge of support for Comrade Barack).

    Actually the people who no longer call themselves Republicans are conservatives and libertarians who despise every Marxist principle that Barack Obama stands for (especially as follows a mutant form of Marxism that, following the ideas of Maurice Dobb and Pierro Straffa back in the 1940’s, mixes Keynesianism with Marxism).

    For example the Tea Party movement hates the Republican establishment – but they are not Obama fans.

    “How many people do this movement represent?”

    An indication of that will be how many votes Mr Hoffman gets in New York 23.

  • Laird

    Paul, FWIW when I saw that photo my opinion of Michelle Obama went up. I have never been able to master the hula hoop (even when my midsection was much narrower than it is today)!

  • It being first thing in the morning I initially read Paul’s:

    and claiming this represented a surge of support for Comrade Barack

    as “a surge of support for Conrad Black”. Sadly this was not the case.