Glenn Beck’s Misinformation Campaign Against Swine Flu (H1N1) Vaccinations Are Unprecedented In Mainstream Media (MSM)…
Fox News Channel -- Far Right Wing Of The GOP And Glenn Beck Pushing Suicide By Its Viewship By Urging Avoidance Of H1N1 Vaccines
Newsweek’s Jacob Weisberg, in a piece entitled “The O’Garbage Network” (Fox News isn’t just bad. It’s un-American.), beside pointing out the obvious — the fact FNC is anything BUT the “Fair And Balanced” cable news network it claims to be and in fact, does promote the Conservative agenda if not the G.O.P. itself, it also points out the fact, as alluded to above, Fox News has allowed itself to become the first MSM outlet in history to actively promote the untimely deaths of its viewership:
A “Snip“:
FIrst off, I don’t think any “Fair And Balanced” person would agree FNC is overall, a “Fair And Balanced” network. As far as its news reporting goes (here I go again — sure to torque off my fellow Libs), I do believe Shepard Smith does, INDEED bring us a “Fair And Balanced” and frankly, quite entertaining approach to simply reporting current events and breaking news. I’d rather watch him than any other reporter, frankly — he appears sincere and is quite entertaining. Then again, what does he get — two or three hours per day to report “news” then the rest of the time, there’s no “news”, only far-right, Republican-leaning propaganda to be seen on the network. That’s just the way it appears to MOI at least. Your mileage may vary, of course.… Rather than in any way maturing, Fox has in recent months become more boisterous and demagogic. Fox sponsored as much as it covered the anti-Obama “tea parties” this summer. Its “fact checking” about the president’s health-care proposal is provided by Karl Rove. And weepy Glenn Beck has begun to exhibit a Strangelovean concern about government invading our bloodstream by vaccinating people for swine flu. With this misinformation campaign, Fox stands to become the first network to actively try to kill its viewers. …
In closing, there are no surprises here. Like I said — anybody with an IQ over 100 already knows The FNC is right-leaning and Glenn Beck is an entertaining “madman”. On the other hand, if even one single American were to die from the swine flu virus because he or she made his or her decision to forego an H1N1 vaccine based upon the rantings of a lunatic and the network who sponsors, broadcasts and promotes such rantings, the authorities should become involved and the responsible should be held accountable for their actions…
Particularly when considering the ONLY disclaimer FNC makes to its viewship is “We are Fair And Balanced”.
***
Other blogger’s opinions on the Newsweek piece: Drudge Retort has an interesting piece and discussion going on about what makes FNC-like organizations and Glenn Beck-like ideologues “tick”; Maha of The Maha Blog doesn’t put all of the blame of the demise of the MSM on Fox but fairly assigns the role of catalyst to its collapse; The Raw Story takes us through a much more in-depth look at FNC vs. The White House…
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6:03 pm on October 18th, 2009 1
I actually like Shepard Smith as well, and (God help me!) I think Bill O’Reilly CAN BE a good journalist as well. His interview with Barack Obama during the campaign was probably the best one to date.
But regarding the vaccine… My stepmother actually begged me not to get my 3-year-old daughter a flu shot after watching this guy. I had to explain to her that the chances of her dying from a flu shot (regular or H1N1) are less than those of getting hit by lightening. Then I explained that, due to her age, she’s part of the group that could die from complications if she gets the flu and that hundreds of thousands of such people die from the flu every year. No, science isn’t perfect, and some people do have complications when they get such immunizations, but her odds are better just getting the shot.
9:24 pm on October 18th, 2009 2
OK, so a left leaning periodical is accusing Fox of acting like the liberal media.
And, lets separate the actual news part from the talking head pundits. The news part is pretty damned straight on their reporting. Yeah, they do show more negative stuff about the former junior senator from IL than, oh, MSNBC, but then, they don’t whore for him either.
On the other side of the coin, the talking head pundits are not any more vitriolic than their opposite numbers on the left. The only real difference, other than political polarity, is that people listen to them. Which, I think, is what really puts a twist in the lefts collective(ist) knickers.
Joe Lovell Reply:
October 18th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
@Joe Lovell, Dammit, did it again.
Anyway, out here in o, so liberal, tolerant, diverse, and inclusive N. Cal, the ones who rant about the vaccines are the dirt hugging, tree worshiping, granola smoking, pot munching leftwing moon-nuts.
Fandb Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 9:46 am
@Joe Lovell, Good points Joe. Also, for example, Rachel Maddow is much more anti-conservatism than Glenn Beck is anti-liberalism.
10:11 pm on October 18th, 2009 3
Bill Maher is also urging people not to take the H1N1 vaccine.
Anybody who buys into that should read “The Great Influenza” about the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Flu can be a damn serious business and viruses are mutating all time. The early outbreaks in 1918 were mild and very few who caught it died. They were the lucky ones.
By the end of the year, 5 million people were dead in the US alone and 50 million worldwide. Just like with this virus, the young and healthy were hit the hardest. They had no vaccines back in those days. Read the book. Skip nutcase Beck’s “5,000 Year Leap” and read something worthwhile.
7:17 am on October 19th, 2009 4
A tale of two marches on Washington….
One took place in the late summer of 1963, the other in the late summer of 2009. One was promoted by a preacher from Georgia named Martin Luther King, the other by a former “shock jock” from the state of Washington named Glenn Beck. Ouch! Even mentioning the two of them in the same paragraph is somehow disconcerting.
In 1963, the the people were singing, We Shall Overcome.
Forty-six years later, the chant was, We Shall Undermine.
In 1963, a vast and varied demographic of the American people – all races and religions – descended on the nation’s capitol to peaceably and nonviolently protest an injustice that was occurring in certain areas of the country to people of a certain skin pigmentation.
Forty-six years later, a Convention of Pissed-Off White People – united only by the fact that they were all habitual viewers of a single cable news channel – rolled into Washington to hurl invective at an African American president for creating a mess that he had absolutely nothing to do with creating.
In 1963, the signs people held up were optimistic: “With Liberty and Justice for All.”
Forty-six years later, the signs were ominous: “We Came Unarmed – THIS TIME!”
On August 28, 1963, the hearts of people who marched on the city of Washington DC were filled with love and hope.
On September 12, 2009 they were just full of shit.
Let us boil the comparisons down to their juicy essentials, shall we? Martin Luther King had a dream. Glenn Beck has a scheme.
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
Fandb Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
@Tom Degan, So, according to your fable (which is full of Lies, by the way), you do not believe that the people have a right to free speech or to an opinion that differs from your own.
Anyone who would write that drivel is the one who is really full of it.
Tom Degan Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
@Fandb, But Fandb, it was all true! Honest it was! Cross my heart!
But seriously, you say it was full of lies but you neglect to point out a single one. Tell me what I said that was untrue and I’ll return a comment.
All the best,
Tom Degan
Mike 300 Spartans Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
@Tom Degan, How did you determine that the crowd in 1963 was all religions, how did you determine that? The crowd in 2009 was pissed off White people, are you sure there were no non-whites in the crowd? Did you know Glenn Beck has a radio show? How do you know some followers of Beck didn’t show up not united by one cable channel?
Tom Degan Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
@Mike 300 Spartans, Now let’s just face some facts, okay?
The overwhelming majority of people who attended this silly event were WHITE. Were there any blacks there? I don’t doubt that there were some. But as Malcolm X once observed, you can always count on a handful of “House Niggers” (His exact words) to add a little tokenism to any event.
Cheers!
Tom Degan
Fandb Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
@Tom Degan, “the chant was, We Shall Undermine” — Not true. Didn’t happen.
“…united only by the fact that they were all habitual viewers…” — Not true. This was not the only thing uniting them. In fact, it was one of the least important commonalities among these groups.
“rolled into Washington to hurl invective at an African American president for creating a mess” — Not true. That is not why they came to Washington.
“they were just full of shit” — Not true, just your opinion.
And I see that you did not deny the fact that you do not believe people have a right to free speech, or to an opinion that differs from your own.
Alabama Moderate Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
@Fandb, You are aware, btw, that there was another march on Washington that was just as big (if not bigger) than the Tea Partiers and received less coverage, right? In fact, it received almost no coverage from Fox News.
Fandb Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
@Alabama Moderate, I really hope you’re not going to try to compare the few 10’s of thousands in the Gay Pride march to the hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of “Tea Partiers”. Even you wouldn’t do that, would you A/M?
If that isn’t the march you’re talking about, then which march are you talking about?
8:54 am on October 19th, 2009 5
Swine Flu is another Alinskization of something that occurs every year into a crisis of immense proportions that must then be solved by UNDERDAWG…..OBAMA to the rescue.
So far 300 people have died from the h1n1 virus. ITs the Freakin COLD. As far as influenza goes its extremely mild….but according to UNDERDAWG…….ITS A CRISIS and were ALL GONNA DIE.!!!!!
HEP ME!! HEP ME!!
Have no fear….OBAMA DAWG is here………I’ll save you!!!! And remember…..
Don’t forget…..
Please consider……
That IF….IF>>>>>IF>>>>>IFFFFFFFF!!!! We have health care for all but 24 million we would NOT HAVE A CRISIS…….WE WOULD ALL BE SPARED THE COLD!!!
Remember……Republicans hate you!!…They want you to die……
But I>>>>>>UNDERDAWG>>>OBAMA>>>>WILL SAVE YOU!!!!
Alabama Moderate Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
@GawdDayumAmerica, And yet, fewer people have died from complications with the H1N1 flu shot than from complications with the H1N1 flu. I believe the last count was 36 recorded complications with the H1N1 flu shot. I like my odds with that better than my odds with the flu.
GawdDayumAmerica Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 8:29 am
@Alabama Moderate,
Really? Getting the flu shot or not getting the flu shot?
That is the question.
Every year 30,000 people die of the regular ole flu and yet you do not hear the government screaming……CRISIS……..YOUR ALL GONNA DIE IF YOU DONT LET ***US*** take care of you.
Alinskization of the political process to force upon Americans. This is nothing more then an Alinskization of the flu to show how desperately we need health care for all. They do not know how to come out of Radical mold to govern.
Its BIG BROTHER. ObamaDawg to the rescue.
9:57 am on October 19th, 2009 6
It is funny to watch. Anita Dunn goes after Fox News and all the little Obama-bots fall in lock step behind their leader. Now it is fashionable to attack the only source for conservative opinion and thought on television. We can’t have any alternative opinions, can we? We must crush all dissent and independent thought. We cannot withstand the scrutiny of opposition, so we must destroy it. Sort of reminiscent of pre-WWII Germany, isn’t it?
Anita Dunn has even admitted that the Obama campaign fed the media (MSM) just the information they wanted them to have. And the MSM ate it up, embellished it, and published it with a thrill running up their leg the whole time. The Obama administration still controls the MSM. But they don’t control Fox. And that just sticks in their craw. They can’t stand it, so they have launched a smear campaign against Fox News. And all the little Obama-bots fall in lock step behind their god-king.
Sad that any citizen would be willing to let the government get away with something like this.
SJ Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
@Fandb,
“Very rarely did we communicate through the press anything that we didn’t absolutely control,” Dunn said, admitting that the strategy “did not always make us popular in the press.”
-Anita Dunn from interview on Jan 12
FandB,
With the ratings boost our President (and his advisors) is giving FoxNews, it just makes you wonder if the Obamas don’t have stock options for Newscorp.
Here’s some more Anita, unplugged, heh heh heh.
“Whether it was a David Plouffe video or an Obama speech, a huge part of our press strategy was focused on making the media cover what Obama was actually saying as opposed to why the campaign was saying it,” she said. “One of the reasons we did so many of the David Plouffe videos was not just for our supporters, but also because it was a way for us to get our message out without having to actually talk to reporters. … We just put that out there and made them write what Plouffe had said as opposed to Plouffe doing an interview with a reporter. So it was very much we controlled it as opposed to the press controlled it.”
10:41 am on October 19th, 2009 7
@GTL- Go ahead and bring criminal charges against people who dissuaded someone from using the swine flu vaccine who actually dies, right after you arrest everyone who promoted smart cars to people who die that could have survived if they had been in a real car. You don’t have to hit a telephone pole to have a fatal crash with those, it probably would be fatal to hit a parking meter.
11:56 am on October 22nd, 2009 8
That’s right sheeples, line up for your gov’t distributed inoculations, don’t worry it is the good stuff, you can trust us. Then follow the sheeple in front of you through the door on the left for your next gov’t indoctrination, oops, I mean inoculation.
3:42 pm on October 24th, 2009 9
You guys are crazy. Just say