Remember Charlotte Observer editorial the other day from Repub?

[AllyCat]

Well, I emailed him to say how dead-on I thought he was in regards to the Bush* and Co. failures and the debacle of the media working for him.

Got an email back from him. Article is now pay only, but he was basically talking about the Fairness Doctrine and the extent to which the media does not do its job. It was great and written by a life-long Republican. Edit: I found the link!

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/opinion/12870675.htm

Here's his email (and he included my comment about the Fox News SC decision):

Greetings,

Thanks much for your email in response to my column in Tuesday's Charlotte Observer. I have received about three dozen responses so far - most of them far longer and more thoughtful than usual. 5 people think I'm a nuts or a communist, 2 provided additional insights and the rest were positive comments. Below are excerpts from some of those emails for your insight. I'm sorry I can't respond personally to all of you. Keep the comments coming. My next column is on November 8th.

Bob Perkowitz


COLUMN COMMENTS:

It amazes me that despite much evidence to the contrary about Iraq, the state of our economy, evidence of corruption, CIA leaks, etc, many Bush supporters not only refuse to acknowledge evidence of these problems, they get angry at anyone trying to bring such information to light!

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As for the war protest, 250,000? Right. And, I wish they would have had more media coverage. My hunch was because this protest was nothing but a bunch of loonies who for the most part are a bunch of clueless liberal, fringe wingnuts.

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I READ YOU OPINION PIECE THIS MORNING. THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE SOUNDS CRAZY TO ME FIRST OF ALL, WHO WOULD DECIDE WHAT CONSTITUTES A CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE? SOME ARE OBVIOUS AND SOME ARE NOT. THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE SOUNDS LIKE CENSORSHIP TO ME.

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You need to investigate the leadership of that antiwar rally. They represented A.N.S.W.E.R., Ramsey Clark, and all the other anti-capitalists, pro-communist groups that go around the world at every World Bank meetings. It was a non-event and The Observer was correct to put in on 4a and then give the pro-America group equal space.

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>From the Fox News Supreme Court case where anchors were fired for FAILING to report a fictitious story (Fox won with the court saying they had no legally binding agreement to report the truth) to the daily spin of what is really happening with the war, to the failure to cover election problems in 2004 unless it benefits the those in power, I am astonished at how our somnolent and compliant press has manipulated public perception about a pack of lies.

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I would like to add to the large amounts of fan-mail I sincerely hope you have received in response to your column “One-Sided media are misinforming and dividing America” in the Charlotte Observer. You have correctly identified one of the many ailments to inflict our democratic society in recent years - namely the vacuum of true accountability in government.

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As one who, when I taught freshman composition, advocated reading across the spectrum, from George Will to Maureen Dowd, I want to thank you for your words. If the college students come unprepared for critical thought or logical analysis, what can we expect of the electorate at large? Our country makes progress when people of good will, regardless of philosophy, debate differences in principle and reach a compromise that, inevitably, satisfies none but benefits all.

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Thank you for taking time to write about the fairness doctrine. In my view this is the main cause (but not only) for splitting of Red and Blue America. There are people of good conscience on both sides of the aisle but you wouldn't know that based on talk radio and the nightly news. Since the people own the airwaves and broadcasters only license them, shouldn't they be required to offer fairness?

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Suggesting that NPR, PBS, or the New York Times are alternate news sources and will result in balance, is just the final evidence that you are either trying to hide the truth or just totally oblivious of the facts. If you are interested in the truth or at least hearing an alternate viewpoint, I strongly suggest Weapons of Mass Distortion by L. Brent Bozell III or anything by Ann Coulter.

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Your belittle Sinclair News, but I ask you, which side had more documented factual information on their side, the Swift Boat Veterans or John Kerry and his supporters?

[texpatriot2004]

1. Glad to hear the responses were mostly + I enjoyed it very much

Thank you.

[quiet.american]

2. That last response to him -- classic Kool-Aid --

-- I think it's an excellent idea for him to list samplings from reader responses in his response letter. Kudos to him for his article and his response.

[dad]

3. .

You missed an even funnier letter to the editor about that where the guy went off about the liberal media, citing the Wall Street Journal as one of the left-leaning examples.

[AllyCat]

5. Sorry I missed that. That is really, um, interesting.

Obviously, that writer has never read the WSJ.

[AllyCat]

4. Yeah, that last post was right funny, that...

Actually John Kerry and his supporters had the facts. The Swift Boaters were lying and proven to be doing so. But, you can't beat sense into a RW nutjob.

[quiet.american]

8. You got it. They are clinically insane. n/t

[Kurovski]

6. I like the one ALL IN CAPS!

Talk about "sounding crazy."

The letter-writer says The Fairness Doctrine is censorship.

All too typical Right-wing brilliance; everyone having a chance to speak is "censorship". :crazy:

[Esse Quam Videri]

7. Makes me wonder how

Bob feels being affiliated with the same party as some of these right wing nut jobs. I find it absolutely unbelievable that people are still supporting this fascist regime. However, some of these kool aid drinking supporters are obviously the ones Bob is referencing in his article about needing to find more sources of "news" then faux and pigboy