Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

New target for 'Occupy Wall Street' critics: Media
Politico ^

Posted on 10/25/2011 8:41:10 AM PDT by Sub-Driver

New target for 'Occupy Wall Street' critics: Media

By: Keach Hagey October 25, 2011 04:42 AM EDT

Conservatives looking to delegitimize the Occupy Wall Street protests have a new tactic — targeting journalists.

The criticisms are a kind of conservative twofer, allowing them to hit old targets like NPR and The New York Times by raising questions about their objectivity, while at the same time undermining the grass-roots claims of the new protest movement by suggesting it has professional help — or at least professional cheerleaders.

So far, both the Times and NPR have had to distance themselves from freelancers accused of getting too close to the protests, while MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan has come under scrutiny for leaked emails purportedly showing that he had helped the protesters shape their message.

Behind much of the criticism has been Andrew Breitbart, the conservative media provocateur whose sites have published both the leaked emails and Monday’s video of a New York Times freelancer speaking about the protests on a panel. But his critiques have been amplified by conservative talkers such as Rush Limbaugh, who last week held up the leaked emails of Ratigan and Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi as evidence that Occupy Wall Street was a “construct of the media Democrat industrial complex.”

Taken together, these critiques may just muddy the waters enough to do some damage to both the media and the fledgling anti-Wall Street movement. But when the case is examined in isolation, it’s hard to find much of a smoking gun, though that that hasn’t stopped media organizations from reacting defensively to the charges leveled at them.

“The problem is the Times pretends to be objective,”

(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 10/25/2011 8:41:12 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver
But when the case is examined in isolation, it’s hard to find much of a smoking gun, though that that hasn’t stopped media organizations from reacting defensively to the charges leveled at them.

Politico writers wouldn't recognize a smoking gun even if it were placed inches in front of their faces, smoking like an ashtray.

2 posted on 10/25/2011 8:46:50 AM PDT by Zeppo ("Happy Pony is on - and I'm NOT missing Happy Pony")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Zeppo

They can’t understand consistency. The New York Times, NPR, AND the rest of the MSM are the same. None of them report accurate, fact checked news. No “twofer” involved. It’s the liberals who love their liberal media, until they disagree with them, and then they hate them and call them conservative.


3 posted on 10/25/2011 8:52:07 AM PDT by Cherokee Conservative (If a tree falls over in the woods, and then snaps back upright as a joke, do the squirrels laugh?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Zeppo
Politico writers wouldn't recognize a smoking gun even if it were placed inches in front of their faces, smoking like an ashtray.


4 posted on 10/25/2011 8:53:46 AM PDT by Ron H. (Conservatives have the Tea Party. The Liberals have the Pee Party.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Ron H.

Wait until the “useful idiots” cease to be useful. We might finally get some honest reporting, but, like 1944 Germany, it will be too late.


5 posted on 10/25/2011 8:58:11 AM PDT by jivin gene (Breakin' up is hard to do)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver
Taken together, these critiques may just muddy the waters enough to do some damage to both the media and the fledgling anti-Wall Street movement. But when the case is examined in isolation, it’s hard to find much of a smoking gun, though that that hasn’t stopped media organizations from reacting defensively to the charges leveled at them.

This is the sort of reporting that results when functional chldren have learned big words and are turned loose on a word processor : nonsense.

"Your Honor, just because the reporter was in communication helping the bank robbers during the bank robbery it's hard to find much of a smoking gun..."

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

6 posted on 10/25/2011 1:15:48 PM PDT by Publius6961 (My world was lovely, until it was taken over by parasites.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver

“But when the case is examined in isolation, it’s hard to find much of a smoking gun”


Libs always use this line of defense when you point out their corrupt or communist tendencies - they claim that the case you’ve built against them is simply a bunch of isolated, non-related incidents.


7 posted on 10/25/2011 1:23:12 PM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter knows whom he's working for)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Publius6961

Remember that Ulrike Meinhof, of the Baader-Meinhof Gang, started out as a journalist.


8 posted on 10/25/2011 1:25:40 PM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson