tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3423725371920868922.post7853404471285615426..comments2024-03-27T13:28:18.163-04:00Comments on Balter's Blog: In Defense of the 'Balloon Boy' DadMichael Balterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08311614050647338141noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3423725371920868922.post-17797901324933328222009-11-02T13:09:09.756-05:002009-11-02T13:09:09.756-05:00It's also easy for well-intentioned people to ...It's also easy for well-intentioned people to moan about what other well-intentioned people supposedly aren't doing.jqbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07510836914645398165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3423725371920868922.post-90611696271059746812009-10-27T06:49:47.396-04:002009-10-27T06:49:47.396-04:00I meant news media, not new media, although that i...I meant news media, not new media, although that is true too.Michael Balterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08311614050647338141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3423725371920868922.post-85999660789034447532009-10-27T06:48:51.502-04:002009-10-27T06:48:51.502-04:00Burns makes many good points, but I think his anal...Burns makes many good points, but I think his analysis is still very consistent with the idea that both the new media and the liberal/left side of the spectrum are too obsessed with Fox, with the result that its influence gets pumped up even more than it deserves based on its own efforts. It is easier for even well-intentioned people to spend lots of time moaning about Fox, the Christian right, etc etc than to really get out in the streets and organize for what people need. The health care reform struggle is a good example of this: The right, with its tea parties and its Fox bullhorn, has out-organized the left on this issue, making Obama even more timid on the "public option" than he was starting out. Too much focus on what the right is doing, not enough focus on what the left should be doing--it's an old story!Michael Balterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08311614050647338141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3423725371920868922.post-31460574906554393712009-10-27T06:45:34.869-04:002009-10-27T06:45:34.869-04:00Here's another Media Matters piece on Fox News...Here's another Media Matters piece on Fox News:<br /><br />http://mediamatters.org/columns/200910230044<br /><br />As it notes, <br /><br />"... And of course, Tapper is ignoring that the attacks of Fox's triumvirate dictate his own network's -- and the rest of the media's -- agenda as well. Is there any doubt that Glenn Beck's war on ACORN -- he's reportedly mentioned ACORN 1,224 times (versus 50 mentions of Al Qaeda) since his Fox News show started -- is the primary reason his network and other media are still talking about the organization? ..."<br /><br />The claim that Fox News is insignificant is at great odds with the reality of the American political arena.jqbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07510836914645398165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3423725371920868922.post-60287697758679565482009-10-27T06:16:32.254-04:002009-10-27T06:16:32.254-04:00It's ridiculous to think that FOX's influe...It's ridiculous to think that FOX's influence is measured solely by its number of viewers -- talk about pretending and fiction! Here is some far more sensible analysis by Media Matters' Eric Burns:<br />http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-e-burns/fox-news-is-the-story-wit_b_330102.htmljqbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07510836914645398165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3423725371920868922.post-68786075212620725092009-10-25T13:54:31.036-04:002009-10-25T13:54:31.036-04:00I'm glad someone has injected some sensible th...I'm glad <b><i>someone</i></b> has injected some sensible thinking into this whole "balloon boy" episode. It's really sad, and not just because it was a hoax. My heart goes out to the family, in a way, but especially to the children. It must be hell, living like that.<br />Anne GAnne Gilberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03045500116098233731noreply@blogger.com