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They Decide Not Report, or Biased and Unbalanced It is quite charming to hear our beloved Uncumbent, the usurper W. railing against the terrible impact of 'shadowy' groups running political ads without being bound by hard money limits. Particularly charming since presumably part of why the conservatives haven't really ramped up their 527s is they don't see the need; after all they have their own 'news' network. Our so-called president is concerned about these 'shadowy' groups and the effect they might have on our democracy. No worries about having a big swath of the public airwaves controlled by a conservative Australian who uses his media to either shill for the conservative cause, or to berate and belittle anyone to the left of King George III (that's not a typo, it's a reference to the British monarch we wrested independence from). All in the guise of 'journalism.' For those who don't know, real journalists actually do report stories from a neutral position, and actually do have a concept of fairness in how they represent different viewpoints. OK, now that I've gotten that out of my system.... Saw [1]Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism this weekend. Highly recommended. Doesn't just trash Fox for their relentless pro-Republican stance, but exposes how far from actual journalism they have strayed. It is really hard to fathom how their approach can possibly serve democracy. Their style, and presumably aspirations, are more of the state voice for a repressive dictatorship. The complete lack of critical faculty is truly appalling. My new slogan inspired by the film is: Most American Who Get Their News, Don't Get Any News. So much for an independent fourth estate acting as a check on imperial aspirations of corrupt government. On the subject of 'shadowy' groups, this is apparently the latest example of an all-out war being waged by the conservatives to take control of language itself. Curious how those who clearly favor an autocratic form of government, and obviously think that a class of elite should be calling all the shots in our country would harp on an absurd phrase such as 'liberal elite.' Nothing but shameless misdirection. Now when people hear elite they think liberal, when they should be asking themselves: why should corporate executives have more say in the running of the country than ordinary people? Now we are hearing about 'shadowy' groups, a term which seems to accurately describe pretty much everything Dick Cheney is involved with, but is a misnomer in the case of most if not all of the liberal 527s, for example moveon.org. By twisting and distorting our language, which is the core reality which allows us to communicate and conceptualize as one culture, they are serving to deepen rather than narrow the cultural differences which we must be capable of overcoming to remain a unified country. References: 1. http://www.outfoxed.org/