Press downplays anti-Bush groups

Washington Times ^ | 8/26/04 | James G. Lakely

[kattracks]

Press coverage of liberal political activist groups attacking President Bush has been less intense and less critical than current coverage of a group questioning Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry's service in the Vietnam War.

[snip]

According to a Lexis-Nexis search, major U.S. newspapers, magazines and television networks filed nearly 400 stories in the past 10 days about the anti-Kerry ads put forward by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Most of those stories have run since last Thursday, when Mr. Kerry accused the group of being a "front" for the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign, and the articles have explored that charge and examined the group in depth.

[snip]

Research by The Washington Times revealed only 34 stories this month that mentioned the liberal 527 group MoveOn.org, which has been attacking Mr. Bush on television and the Internet since the spring, posting on its Web site an ad that compared the president to Adolf Hitler.
    Of those 34 stories, 27 concerned MoveOn.org's new ad countering the Swift Boat veterans and accusing Mr. Bush of shirking his duty in the National Guard during the Vietnam War -- a charge that the White House refuted by releasing his military records and noting his honorable discharge.
    Just two of those stories mentioned that MoveOn.org began their attacks on Mr. Bush's National Guard service in April.
    Another 527 organization called "America Coming Together," which is funded by billionaire financier George Soros and is working to defeat Mr. Bush, turned up fewer than 20 times in the Lexis-Nexis search of stories that mention the group at least twice -- a low threshold for stories that would reflect a careful examination of the group.

[VisualizeSmallerGovernment]

I tend to agree. Even with the pro-Kerry spin, most news reports boil down to: "Kerry's VietNam service is under question and Kerry is complaining about it."

Anyone not paying attention will come away with either "Kerry's service is under question" or "Kerry is complaining about something". Neither one would make a truly independent person suddenly vote for Kerry.

[walford]

The Swift Boat Veterans certainly got their money's worth by all of the free media coverage which was fanned by the intense reaction by Kerry himself.

MoveOn.org, on the other hand, has been allowed to get away with depicting the president as Hitler [and other outrageous characterizations/distortions] without corresponding media exposure. The Gatekeepers of Big Media [see Tony Blankley's column from yesterday] certainly recognize that there are elements on their side that the Great Unwashed would find too offensive. Thus many of their ideological compatriots' rantings do not make it to press.

That is why when there is an 'anti-war' protest, we only see a sanitized version. You're not likely to see stories like these in the mainstream press:

Violent Behavior Gives Lie to Anti-War Message
Media coverage had a profound effect upon the turnout in two opposing Oct. 25 2003 rallies in Washington D.C. When the two sides clashed, the media were absent – thus removing any motivation to curb certain behaviors as well.

Details of a Recent Anti-War Rally the Media Left Out

What will they do with themselves when the war is over? Get a job? Take a bath? Cut their hair? Get a life? Go back to whatever hole that they crawled from and stay out of my town? Take the silverware out of their faces? If only...

[BigSkyFreeper]

I tend to look at it this way. Many stations have refused to run the SBV ads, for whatever reasons I don't know, but as long as the ads are being scrutinized on the news, the ads get free airtime.

Kerry is getting hung by the media, and they both don't know it.

[BigSkyFreeper]

I will add that I haven't seen the ad run in a normal commercial time slot, but I have seen the SBV ads hundreds of times each on CNN, MSNBC, and FNC.

[SuziQ]

Ben Ginsburg pointed this fact out quite well on Nightline tonight. The host kept trying to interrupt him, but Ben soldiered on and made his points very well!!

[VisualizeSmallerGovernment]

ABSOLUTELY NOBODY outside the beltway, now or ever, has ever given a rat's rump about Campaign Finance Reform. The Campaign Finance Rules are as arcane as the NBA Salary Cap regulations. I remember one time Juwan Howard got traded and it took 2 weeks to figure out that the trade was illegal under the salary cap. If NBA lawyers can't figure this stuff out, why should anyone else care?

If violations of Campaign Finance laws were enough to unseat a candidate, then Al Gore would have never even been nominated to be president in 2000. What got Al Gore in trouble was lying about stupid stuff like inventing the internet and his dog's arthritis medication. If he hadn't kissed his wife when he did, and planted the drunk driving story, he would have lost in a landslide.

It doesn't take some huge stretch of the imagination to consider the possibility that John Kerry is a big blowhard who puffs himself up while trampling on the feelings of the little people. That perception will stick to him, because it is 100% true.

[537cant be wrong]

hey now,
i think that you have made a very good observation of the sheeple. i see a pro bush add and i say yeah go get em.
i see a anti bush add and i screem DIE you loser bast*rds.
i dont give a rats arse who internally is connected to who.

welcome aboard.