Reply #63: Sorry, but I don't see the problem here. [View All]

[Mercury_Rising]

Does being liberals make us right? No.
Does being conservative make others wrong? No.

I don't see the solution to the current state of politics in this country as a liberal press vs. a conservative press. While it may be a necessary interim step to returning to balance (to have Air America got head-to-head with Limbaugh, etc.), if that's our long-term solution, we're all in a heap of trouble, because we continue to pit people ideologically against one another. I don't see that that solution ends up accomplishing anything but deeper polarization.

It seems to me that the way to bring disparate voices together is to offer, in an honest and forthright way, varying opinions in an ideally actual fair and balanced forum. There are people on the right and left who can communicate with each other in an intelligent, civil way. Unfortunately, they're being drowned out by the shrill, relentless attack-mentality "journalism" of the right. We liberals are therefore put in a necessary position of attempting to counter attack in the same shrill tone. Again, probably a necessary short-term (2-4 year) evil, but hopefully leading to a saner, less divisive solution.

In the long run, unless we create and support media platforms in which reasonable people with opposing views can be heard in the same venue, I don't think we can hold a lot of hope for bridging the huge cultural/political divide in this country. I simply don't think any media platform is going to draw in reasonable viewers by catering to only one side.

While many people perceive Public Broadcasting as the "liberal" media, they're not. They are fair and generally balance in a true way, which often means they do go after targets that happen to be conservative. But, many on the right interpret these as attacks directed at them personally or as a group, when, in fact, these reports are simply being honest. But unless they offer a wide range of opinions, they leave themselves open to the "liberal" label and, in turn, the potential to lose millions of listeners/viewers who might well be convinced that the conservative way of doing business is not necessarily the right way.

While all of this may be pie-in-the-sky idealism, I don't think it's an unrealistic goal. CBS stands (an outside) chance of creating something like this as they rethink their news organization, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. CPR probably continues to hold the most hope for altering the media landscape.

Caveat: In the meantime, in the face of relentless attacks from the right, I will not play dead and I will not accept the trash journalism of Republican shills. I will not watch this great country go down at the hands of manipulative corporate/political/religious/media extremists bent on world domination.