Spin Doctors
Whenever my remote control leads me to the likes of Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, et al, I can't help but chuckle at the puppet-like loyalty they show to the Bush administration and the far-right, conservative agenda.
I wonder why it is that so many rabid viewers love these spin-doctors so much. I also wonder why stations like Free Speech TV fail to garner such loyal viewership.
I've actually been thinking about that sort of thing a lot, recently, especially considering Clear Channel Radio is dropping Air America, the liberal talk radio show, from many of its markets.
Is it that the average American is more conservative than one would predict? Is it that the above mentioned are such good "journalists" that people want to see that talented group? Is it that liberal ideas are just not as good as conservative ones?
These are questions that come to mind. I think the first step in evaluating the state of America is to objectively analyze what's going on.
Then I consider shows like "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report."
The Daily Show hosts a very evident liberal bias on the part of Jon Stewart, and parodied conservative views by the correspondents of the show.
The Colbert Report is a parody of the likes of Sean Hannity and cohorts.
Liberals love these shows, even though they're not ramming ideaologies down our throats the way the conservative spinmeisters are.
I hesitate to draw too many conclusions from the above examples, because when one speaks of TV viewership, considering dozens of aspects of demographics is in order.
But a conclusion to which I personally have come is that I don't think it is in the nature of liberals to need to have their ideas reiterated to them, over and over again. Most liberals I know are able to entertain a wide spectrum of ideaological ideas. I personally get bored hearing my world views projected to me every day. I like to hear differing opinions.
That's why I think Air America and Free Speech TV do not do as well: their core demographic are liberals, and they're not reporting the news in a way stimulating enough to them.
Just my $0.02, though.
I wonder why it is that so many rabid viewers love these spin-doctors so much. I also wonder why stations like Free Speech TV fail to garner such loyal viewership.
I've actually been thinking about that sort of thing a lot, recently, especially considering Clear Channel Radio is dropping Air America, the liberal talk radio show, from many of its markets.
Is it that the average American is more conservative than one would predict? Is it that the above mentioned are such good "journalists" that people want to see that talented group? Is it that liberal ideas are just not as good as conservative ones?
These are questions that come to mind. I think the first step in evaluating the state of America is to objectively analyze what's going on.
Then I consider shows like "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report."
The Daily Show hosts a very evident liberal bias on the part of Jon Stewart, and parodied conservative views by the correspondents of the show.
The Colbert Report is a parody of the likes of Sean Hannity and cohorts.
Liberals love these shows, even though they're not ramming ideaologies down our throats the way the conservative spinmeisters are.
I hesitate to draw too many conclusions from the above examples, because when one speaks of TV viewership, considering dozens of aspects of demographics is in order.
But a conclusion to which I personally have come is that I don't think it is in the nature of liberals to need to have their ideas reiterated to them, over and over again. Most liberals I know are able to entertain a wide spectrum of ideaological ideas. I personally get bored hearing my world views projected to me every day. I like to hear differing opinions.
That's why I think Air America and Free Speech TV do not do as well: their core demographic are liberals, and they're not reporting the news in a way stimulating enough to them.
Just my $0.02, though.
posted by Tim C at 11:05 AM
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