Posted on 12/28/2008 12:27:48 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Viewing the United States through the eyes of a foreign national is one thing. And viewing the United States through the eyes of foreign media professionals is another thing.
So as we close-out 2008, and begin a new year with the soon-to-be President Obama, the view from the “foreign news desk” may shed some light on some of the ways in which the world misunderstands both our country, and our President-elect.
I don’t have any “McCain scandal” to tell. No tabloid-style inside scoop about John McCain and Sarah Palin squabbling behind the scenes on election night, or Palin’s daughter’s boyfriend’s mom doing drugs, or “marital tension” boiling-over between celebrity Sarah and jealous husband Todd.
But on November 4, I was at McCain-Palin headquarters in John McCain’s hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. The headquarters were set-up at the luxurious Arizona Biltmore Hotel and Resort, a facility where Mr. McCain has spent election day for every one of his previous Senate campaigns, relaxing and watching the returns being reported.
I was hunkered-down in the “central media center,“ which was, essentially, a very large banquet facility packed with electronic equipment, and journalists and technicians from, literally, all over the world.
By 1pm Mountain Time, having watched multiple reports on the Fox Newschannel and CNN about “exit interviews” at polling centers on the east coast, there was a bit of a “lull in the action.” That’s when Ian, a reporter from Dublin, Ireland seated at the work station next to me, asked me to join him for lunch. And after some shop talk over food and beverages, the conversation got really interesting.
“You realize Europe wants Obama to win this thing, don’t you?” he asked.
“I know that’s a widely-held perception” I replied.
“You don’t think the polls are accurate?” he asked.
“I’m skeptical of them."
“The problem with McCain,” Ian explained, “is that he is perceived as being another war monger, jus like Bush, and Europe is fed-up with Bush.”
“Yes, that is another widely-held perception” I told him. “But I’m even skeptical of this supposed hatred of Bush.”
“What’s to be skeptical about?” he asked.
“Well, consider this” I told him. “During the Bush presidency, no less that four heads-of-state have campaigned on Bush-like themes of cutting taxes, and taking a strong stance against Islamic-driven terrorism, and also promised to their countrymen closer ties with the United States and the Bush Administration itself. Stephen Harper of Canada, Angela Merkel of Germany, Nicolas Sarkozy in France, and Tony Blair of England all campaigned on these platforms, in one fashion or another, and they all won their respective elections. So while the opinion polls may reflect Bush hatred, ballot boxes have conveyed something different, and I take the election outcomes more seriously than I do opinion polls.”
Ian seemed a bit surprised by this analysis, yet he didn’t try to argue about it. Changing the topic, he then asked me “so is Fox Newschannel really the most popular cable tv news outlet in the U.S.?”
“Yes, it is consistently ranked the highest in viewer ship” I told him.
“I find that ‘fair and balanced’ moniker to be very amusing” he said. “Seems to me that much of what I see there is anything but balanced.”
“I think you need to separate the news from the talk shows” I told him. “Fair and balanced is meant to describe the news product, while the talk shows are opinion and editorial-based.”
“But do you even agree that the news is either fair, or balanced?” he asked.
“I do” I told him. “Juxtaposed with the liberal bias that is inbred within other news organizations, Fox is refreshingly un-biased.”
“That’s interesting” he said with a smirk on his face. I could tell he was skeptical, but was politely choosing not to argue.
Later that night, when the clock struck 9pm on the West Coast, and California was “called” for Obama, and Obama was thus declared the winner of the election, several American journalists began cheering, “high-fiving” each other, and dancing about in the McCain media center. A shot of staffers jumping and hugging on the set at CNN in Atlanta appeared on our big screen monitors, as well. “Oh dear God,” Ian exclaimed in his thick Irish brogue. “You weren’t jokin about the bias.”
“Pardon me” I replied, not quite understanding his point.
“I said you weren’t jokin about bias in American media” he said. “What’s with all this celebration for one candidate over the other?”
“It’s real” I told him. “You’re seeing some American media professionals in a rare moment of candor. Usually the bias is more subtle, but it’s always present. That’s why you can’t believe all the wonderful things told to you by the American press about Obama and other liberal politicians, nor can you believe everything terrible told to you about Bush and other conservatives.”
Conservative Americans have developed a healthy skepticism of our nation’s dominant, mainstream media. It’s time, now, to develop a skepticism of how our nation is being portrayed in the foreign media, as well. This will be especially important as we enter into the era of Obama.
Rome just started to burn and the media elites are holding gas cans and matches. It’s going to be such a long four years, it’ll probably feel like eight (or more).
This is spot-on. The world has been moving rightward this decade.
Not surprised, but I did take the trouble to forward this column to a bunch of friends.
Austin Hill is an excellent commentator. He has a way of illuminating what we already know so as to reinforce and remind us of what we’re fighting for.
Excellent!
I can hardly wait for the liberal print news media to die off completely. I want everybody who works for liberal big-city toilet tissues like the New York Times to lose their jobs and their homes. After that, I’d love to see the liberal cable news networks announce big cutbacks and layoffs.
FRegards, and Happy New Year!
LH
Mr. Ian sounds like Canadian opinion also.
What makes Austin Hill think that I feel foreign news media are “fair and balanced”? Nearly 80% of all foreign media is 100% controlled by their governments!!!
What is consistent in every story about the MSM is that they are in the tank for Obama. Unlike the fiction surrounding Sarah this narrative of the MSM has been confirmed and reconfirmed by many different observers.
One thing for certain, when it comes to Obama being the 'preferred' candidate - while probably true overall - but it is also true that the Europeans who favored Obama have no more clue as to 'who' he is. . .than do, still, those who voted for him. The 'idea' of Obama carried him; not the reality. So much for too late smart.
That said, there were a great many people; throughout Europe (and let us not forget our friend Australia and friends in Australia) and 'at-large' in the world; who could not imagine American voters could be so politically ignorant as to vote for Obama.
We have proven them wrong, of course.
No surprise here. I’ve got lots of foreign friends who tell me that their media lies.
The American media and press are about as unbiased as Bagdad Bob.
God, yes. Their names are unpronouncable and they’re all anti-Zionists.
ping
Do you notice that the “MSM” is inverted Brush Script?
All I Wanted for Christmas Was a Newspaper - Bloggers are no replacement for real journalists
“This is spot-on. The world has been moving rightward this decade.”
Yes, because many of them found out the hard way that leftist policies are usually anti-human beings, not at all fair and definitely not pragmatic.
Ahh.... He left out the part where McCain was the RINGLEADER of this celebration.
Not that there would be surprises, but pictues are always helpful.
bookmark for later
The children who have absorbed “leftist speak” are now becoming adults and creating the mothership for liberal touchy-feely lifestyle - which will not only engage the USA but has already put down roots in Europe and elsewhere thanks to the media falling in behind the creators of this robotic movement.
What irks me is that the rest of the world continues to expect the USA to clean up its messes militarily so they can move on with their touchy feely elitist kissy huggy pretense at the “good life”.
The American citizen will simply become a subject of taxation to sustain a increasingly unstable ponzi-scheme that will implode shortly after the current criminals running it have cashed in their chips and fled for greener pastures, should any exist.
Exactly... Without names it’s a great story, but nothing to really bite into. I’m guessing these are the nameless, faceless workers in the control rooms and such they are referring to though - not the newscasters themselves. The names and faces we know are probably smarter than to get caught outwardly celebrating in the manner described. As you said though - they really need to start naming names.
Somehow people need to be informed and awakened in the general public - all of us political junkies are well aware of the never-ending bias - however, the general public I don’t think realizes how bad it really has become...
This year has already felt like eight years...with the month and a half since the election feeling like four years.
bookmark
The world’s elites hate America till they need us to protect them.
When the fighting’s over they go right back to hating us.
You have it exactly right.
Austin Hill’s going to become a new favorite of mine...
The liberal media and press bias in our beloved country is real, not imagined. The misguided, undeserved hatred of Bush was transferred to McCain and Palin. While Bush has certainly not acted like a conservative republican in office especially these last four years, it is still worthy to note that Bush and his policies prevented another 9/11 style attack on our country. But it is not only us. The sharing of intelligence throughout the worldwide network of agencies responsible for international security and the cooperation of many other nations around the world has helped immeasurably as well. But the fact remains that Bush and his policies of taking the offense against terrorism and getting the cooperation and help from other allies and friendly nations who have also been affected by acts of terrorism themselves has in large part responsible for no further attack on our country. However the media and press bias shown by the liberal press in this election cycle has been the most blatant and disgusting display I have ever witnessed in my entire life. Furthermore it should be given credit to the American people who have recognized such liberal bias and are now boycotting the very media and press by cancelling their subscriptions to ultraliberal unfair newspapers such as the New York Times and by not watching any programming offered by the three majir networks. The liberal media and press refused to do their job during this election cycle, they purposefully ignored their responsibilities as the nation’s watchdog and chief protector and so their collective reputation has been irreparably damaged, probably for all time and they have nobody to blame but themselves.
At least Baghdad Bob had an excuse - there was a boot on his neck. What's the MSM's excuse?
Some people are aware and that’s why AIR AMERICA went bankrupt. Al Franken, I hope you’re listening and paying attention, you big dumb jerk.
Many foreigners surreptiously funneled money in the form of campaign contributions into the Obama campaign. This should be investigated and prosecuted. No foreign money should be allowed to sway an American election. Of they say that Bush stole the 2000 election than I can say that Obama didn’t win the 2008 election, HE BOUGHT IT.
<CRICKETS...>
Thank you! And how about Ian's own lack of objectivity and poor powers of perception (especially being an "enlightened" euro)?
And for the record, McCain was RELIEVED when he lost. His campaign was nothing more than a foil and extended good-will tour. The only way McCain was going to continue to get his dumb-ass on Letterman and Leno was to LOSE. And that's all he's ever wanted. Power AND popularity.
This article isn’t revealing about McCain or Palin and what happened behind the scenes that night, so the title is misrepresentative of this piece.
ping
Our last election should have been built on the concept of “NO” to other nations and Grow Up, Handle It Yourselves!
I’m sick of being the world’s dog.
The MSM will evolve into the official Ministry of Propaganda for the Obama administration and become increasingly irrelevant. Their patent bias during the last election will cause all but their most die hard fans to abandon them for the alternative media. Their only hope for survival is to silence the alternative media through reimposing the Fairness Doctrine.
And who, with the perpetrators in-charge, will be pressing this investigation and prosecution?
Wow, what a refreshing report of the truth. An inside look at the obamedia.
Pray for W Our Country and Her Freedom Fighters
SHouldn’t that say Happy Holidays?
The Journos are shameful.
There is a local news station in Phoenix that I have always liked. They aren’t perfect and sometimes have been fluffy, but the newscasters seem genuine (maybe I have a bias, because they were kind 14 years ago when my dad was killed. didn’t make up stories, didn’t camp outside my house, didn’t try to act like they were giving me the third degree, etc.). My son noted on the morning show of this station, the newscasters didn’t say Obama’s name very loudly. On election night I noticed one of the newscasters, while reporting the news did not look very happy that McCain had lost.
I have often noticed the Muslim countries themselves telling America, “We hate you. Give us money. Leave us alone. Give us money. Let us fend for ourselves.” It reminds me of my cousin, who’s son contacted him long enough to get money from him, then had nothing further to do with him.”
I often wonder whatever became od Baghdad Bob.
Good question.
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