Has Anyone Taken A Hard Look At Brian Lamb?

[ThomWV]

Every time I see Lamb hosting any of the call-in segments on C-Span I get annoyed. He clearly favors the Republican viewpoint and it shows in every segment he is part of.

It was my belief that the Congress allowed the cameras in, and that C-Span's charter demanded absolute neutrality. I believe it was that promise that allowed C-Span to absorb the duty of the networks and cable industry to provide equal access to the airwaves.

It is my understanding that Lamb's original pitch was to start a network that would give essentially equal time to the events of each party and would shine its camera lens on the Congress without regard to who was speaking without comment. This network would be funded by contributions from the existing media and in providing such funding they were essentially buying 'equal time credits'.

If that is the case then C-Span under Lamb seems to have lost the right to its charter. I think it would be very good to see if a watchdog group like Media Matters were to take a look at C-Span and see if the perception of a Right Wing bias holds water. Does anyone agree?

[Atman]

1. Yeah, totally neutral...like when they showed the ANSWER rally...

...instead of the March On Washington. CSPAN was no better than the networks.

[hwmnbn]

2. I agree with you...

He is more RW than neutral. I'm not sure who calls the shots on guests and day to day operations, but any coverage can be consciously skewed.

[Catherine Vincent]

3. I'm sorry. I disagree.

Brian Lamb and CSPAN are the most fair and balanced out there. They try very hard to be that way.

[Gregorian]

4. I thought they were fair, until recently.

Now I see the same thing you're talking about. They cut Dems short, they boost Republicans. They had that little dipshit girl Republican on for their 25 year anniversary. It just seemed way too obvious.

It might take a study. Check how much time is given to each side. Then record precieved attitude toward each side.

[David Zephyr]

5. I also disagree, ThomWV

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think Brian Lamb is a great American and maybe because I'm such a bookworm myself that I am grateful his many contributions to our society over the many years now.

I don't think he is a Republican, but I do respect your viewpoint.

--DZ

[acmejack]

6. Then who would air Congress? Only the industry has the wherewithall

If C-span was living up to it's charter they would be providing all three of the C-span channels in the basic cable package.

In a better place, everyone would be entitled to view the People's business at no cost.

[Catherine Vincent]

8. I don't think it's up to CSPAN to provide all three cspan channels

in our cable package. I hear the moderators say to contact your cable company if you want cspan2 and cspan3.

[napi21]

7. The hosts on cspan do the BEST job of any network at being fair.

You have to remember, they are humans too! I think they do their very best to remove their personal feelings from their job, and they all do the best of any host or network on TV.

I've found many on DU who always accuse show hosts of being slanted when they don't always agree with their point of view, and that's wrong too. Unbiased means that you will agree and disagree with what you see and hear at least half the time.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

14. Not the hosts, the policy.

1000 people on one line.
100 people on another line.


Both get equal voice. Fair or skewed? :shrug:

[napi21]

15. That's not the way it works.

They have so many lines, and no I don't know how many. When you call, you get a busy unless you get a free line. That line isn't answered until just before you can go on air. The reason given is so you don't have to spend too much money on long distance calling while just waiting to get on.

They do take alternate calls D & R and fit Independant ones in as they come in.

I think they do the best job possible. I must say, I don't know if I could remain as detached as those hosts do if I had that job.

[KharmaTrain]

9. Brian Worked For Repugnicans

I've long posted and noted Brian's right wing bend and the overall right wing lean of C-SPAN...especially Washington Journal.

The original concept of C-SPAN was to be nothing more than a closed circuit camera on the podium of the House (This was how C-SPAN was when I first got it in 1981) and went off the air afterwards. The talk shows and interview shows came later...and most were pretty mundane.

Pardon my tiredness for not getting the links, but it's easy to find...Lamb worked for Ford in the 70's and it's been reported he's also a fellow at several Repugnican "think tanks". Many on his staff are also former Repugnicans...or have some GOOP connections.

C-SPAN doesn't have a charter...it plays under the same rules as the other cable channels. The only people Lamb is beholden to are the cable operators who throw money at him...in return, carrying C-SPAN "fulfills" an obligation to providing public service.

Don't like C-SPAN? Try another channel. It's a free market...censorship and regulation of programming content is one slippery slope that is just asking for even greater losses of shrinking freedoms.

[qanda]

10. I wish someone would be willing to call them on how the lines are set up

They take one call from a "supporter of Bush" then a call from a Democrat then another call from "supporter of Bush" then a call from an Independent. It is completely unfair and makes Washington Journal unwatchable as of late.

[chaumont58]

11. I discovered Brian Lamb was a fuckin' puke in '92

Nothing has changed since.

[stewert]

13. Lamb is a Repuke......

Brian Lamb is the guy who changed the phone lines from Democrat, Republican, Independent, and Other. He changed it to support Bush, support Democrats, etc.

He did this so he could cut off anyone calling in on the republican line and saying bad things about Bush or the Republicans. Yet for 8 years he let people call in on the Democrats line and say bad things about Clinton and the Democrats. But as soon as his hero Bush gets in office he changes the phone lines, if that's not bias I dont know what is.

He let repukes call in on the Democratic line and trash Clinton for 8 years and did nothing to stop it. When Democrats called in on the Republican line to trash Bush he instantly changes the phone lines to stop it.

[KoKo]

12. I've thought alot about Brian Lamb and how C-Span has changed since

Bush II. It's changed alot!

It's hard to find out much info about Lamb. He was in the military and then was a reporter in the Pentagon. He had this "dream" about covering the House and Senate and when the FCC did an agreement for the cables he managed to convince them that the Government should be covered and got the cameras into House and Senate all on dollars and control from the Cables which I guess satisfied their "Public Access TV" committments to programming. What I've read and heard might be propaganda spin, though given what I know today that I didn't know then.

In C-Span's Glory Days I know that Brian was committed to bringing "History" and the "American Experience" to TV. He was very committed to the founding of the "C-Span School Bus" which traveled America for years with presentations about "Founding Fathers" and History. He seemed very proud of that through Poppy's Administraion and throughout most of the Clinton years His interviews with authors of interesting books and his specials on "De Toqueville" and all the Presidents were all geared to increasing American's historical knowledge of the political process.

His call in shows were the first where folks could discuss their view of bills and current issues of the day. He instituted reading and quoting from the top DC Newspapers focusing on issues before Congress. He pushed hard to get coverage of the Senate with C-Span 2 and then added C-Span 3 for overload. His website linked all the US Government addresses and he was the first on the internet (that I know of) for "one stop shopping" about our Government.

THEN....SOMETHING HAPPENED TO BRIAN! It started around the time of the MonicaGate and when Bush II usurped the Presidency Brian turned into something very different from what he was before. The C-Span School Bus disappeared...the daily features on historical sites and great moments in America's history suddenly disappeared from the line up. The focus turned to coverage of all the think tanks like Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute Meetings with a generous sprinkling of more Moderate Think Tanks thrown in like Brookings Institute. He did still sponsor the C-Span Bookfairs and many other public service viewings of speeches by both Dems and Repugs...but something had forever changed.


His morning feature Washington Journal changed from having two guests with opposing views to only one guest per segment with what seemed to me to be a more conservative bias. The callers became more vitriolic and Right Wing. The Hosts of Washington journal seemed to allow folks with really "extreme RW views to go on and on with rants while more moderate callers were cut off in mid-sentence. Brian seemed to turn from what always seemed the most impartial and hard to read host into a Grumpy and Mean Spirited old curmudgeon. We here on DU starting referring to the one day a week when he did his own hosting as "Right Wing Friday with Brian."

I think Brian Lamb could be very disappointed seeing what has become of his dream. It didn't increase Democratic Participation amongst young folks,which I think he hoped "C-Span School Bus" and all his historical presentaions would achieve. His cameras in the House and Senate allowed "Grand Standing" to occur and instead of opening up the process and making it more accessible and open to Americans we have ended up with this sorry excuse for a failed two party system which is now dominated by Crooks, Liars and Thieves.

That's what I think about C-Span. I'm thankful we have it but I think Brian is a bitter man who didn't achieve what he hoped to. Whether it's the Cables and Right Wingers who did him in or he was a "Plant" from the CIA and was meant to fail...I don't know. I like to believe he honestly wanted to do some good. :shrug: AND...without C-Span what little we have left of our Democracy would be gone. He has brought us hearings and given visibility to Dem and Progressive causes that the Cables and Networks wouldn't have touched. He walks a fine line in trying to bring us Peace Protest Coverage and Kerry and Dean speeches. All that we hear from authors with non Bush Consevative views we hear from C-Span. In that context, Brian has tried to keep balance...and it can't have been easy to do given what we are dealing with these days with censorship.

Brian just got married BTW...Maureen Dowd revealed that when he interviewed her. :eyes:

[qanda]

17. great post

Hopefully everyone will take time to read it. You sum it up nicely.

[KoKo]

18. Thanks...Brian devoted all this mornings WJ to Congressional Corruption

and was going to have "Open Secrets" founder on for a big segment when Frist broke in with his Press Conference on how great the Bush economy is doing.

Brian usually does "Conservative Fridays" where guests are Repugs and the Christian RW'ers call in about abortion and terrible Dems but this mornings show was all about Congressional Corruption which fits in nicely with the Dems new Slogan of "Culture of Corruption."

[Skwmom]

16. Brian "preaches" about people not being civil (mean to Bush)

while having Coulter on the show. He was even the host of the show. Can we say HYPOCRITE. The only purpose Ann Coulter serves is to keep the Democrats and Republicans fighting while they raid the U.S. Treasury.

He definitely favors the Republicans.