Power Line News

From Brent Bozell’s Media Research Center:

The big three broadcast networks have gone out of their way to avoid labeling scandal-scarred New York Governor Eliot Spitzer as a “Democrat.” An examination of the fifteen ABC, CBS and NBC morning and evening news shows through Wednesday night finds Spitzer was called a Democrat just 20 percent of the time—twice on CBS, once on ABC, and never on NBC. So, how do the networks treat Republicans involved in sex scandals? Always, always as “Republicans.” Looking at the ABC, CBS, NBC morning and evening shows in the days after the most recent scandals broke, Republican Senators David Vitter (July) and Larry Craig (August) were labeled “Republican” on every show (100 percent). Yet for Democrat Spitzer, four out of five news programs (80 percent) have skipped his party identification.

Read the entire article at http://www.mrc.org/cyberalerts/2008/cyb20080314-2.asp#2

As I have long maintained, the only difference between the so-called mainstream media and the Democratic Party Publicity Office is the mailing address.

The discrepancy is probably due to conservatives being so sanctimonious and self-righteous about their so-called moral standards—e.g., “family values” and all that.  The press loves to point out their hypocrisy, and the reading/viewing public probably gets a chuckle out of it.  Which makes for more newspapers being sold and more TV ads being watched, which means more $$ for the owners of those newspapers and networks.  And that’s what capitalism is all about, isn’t it, making more $$?  You conservatives love unfettered capitalism, so what are you complaining about?

....so what are you complaining about?

That the liberals are quite willing to sht where they eat, and have no traditional moral standards from which to stray.  And no, environmentalism and radical egalitarianism are not moral standards.

People like you, peachy, count on the moral capital in this country, upheld and promoted by conservatives, to provide a platform from which you proclaim your “rights” to licentiousness.  You undermine and erode the very foundations of civilization that protect you, and are too stupid to see the nihilism in it.

A failure to live up to certain standards does not disqualify the standards, nor does it render the failer sanctimonious.

Hypocrisy is not the worst of sins, and is oftimes the tribute vice pays to virtue.

Edited to add: Interesting that the subject of the bias is the great moral failings of one of your own and you somehow manage to expectorate a response denigrating conservatives.  Why don’t you at least pretend to deal with your own roosting chickens?

Liberalism is a mental disorder.

Rusty Bill - 15 March 2008 09:52 AM

The big three broadcast networks have gone out of their way to avoid labeling scandal-scarred New York Governor Eliot Spitzer as a “Democrat.”

rusty Bill, when a politician is involved with a prostitute and copious sums of money are involved, OF COURSE IT’S A DEMOCRAT!!!  No party affiliation needed, just like saying “Chicago” w/o needing to put IL.  Or “Los Angeles” w/o CA.

It’s the opposite of how we know it’s a Republican sex thing when no money changes hands.  E.g., Senator Larry Craig toe-dancing in the men’s room for a freebie.

Glad I could help.

Impeachbush is exactly right: the Republicans are the party of wholesome, traditional, family values, so when a Republican is caught cruising the men’s room at the airport, it’s more a part of the story than when a Democrat is caught with an expensive hooker. When Republicans get caught, the Powerline response is always, “Sure, but Democrats get a free pass.” Well, Spitzer certainly didn’t get a free pass: front page news, and resignation within 48 hours. So you guys have to fall back on something else, and it’s counting how many times the word “Democrat” appears.

Apparently the D-word appeared more frequently after he resigned. One of the more entertaining things I’ve seen here was the right-wing explanation that before Spitzer resigned, the media had to protect the party, but after he resigned, that was no longer necessary.