Anyone notice something strange going on at CNN?

[Timefortruth]

Last night on Lou Dobbs there was some administration official talking about how fantastic the economy is and he pointed out that in the last 12 years so many jobs have been added. Dobbs answered something like, “excuse me, are you taking credit for the jobs added during the Clinton administration.” The Bush propagandist nearly fell off his chair in shock; I honestly thought he was going to answer “How dare you ask a real question!” There was palpable anger from him.

Today they aren’t talking about Chimps courage; the reporting is accurate about the stop in Iraq. In fact one report practically called it a lay-over.

This is very unusual, has anyone else noticed a gradual shift to coverage of news on CNN?

[demsrule4life]

1. They are trying to catch up in the ratings with

faux news.

[Timefortruth]

4. But in a strange new way.

By reporting news and not just administration propaganda? I thought the cable media’s strategy for competing with Faux was to try to find right wing whackos who are even wackier and more extreme then the worst the other has. Reporting news, well that hasn’t been tried before.

Really it is too soon to tell if this is an actual shift in coverage or some coincidence, but it is interesting.

[pippin]

17. see next thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=789317

"Kathryn Kross, CNN's Washington bureau chief, said a two-person crew from her network was dismissed from the White House pool Wednesday, with the understanding that no further news would be made. "We're all for the president boosting the troops however the White House feels is appropriate," she said. "But apparently the White House put together its own group of people to accompany the president on this trip, and we're real interested to learn their reasons for doing that."



The white house is not pleased with cnn! Maybe CNN will now stop kissing up and give us real news for a change.

[calimary]

42. Also, Walter Rogers apparently stated early-on, in his report

from Baghdad yesterday that the bush visit may have been a reaction to Hillary Clinton's trip to Afghanistan. GO WALTER!!! Guess we need some Walters out there. Cronkite comes to mind, and fortunately, he's writing again - regular op/ed columns - and he's DEFINITELY not towing the republi-CON party line.

[rumguy]

2. yeah it was funny how dobbs asked that airhead

some tough questions...and I noticed some of the same things about Bush's visit...I mean it wasn't all glowing...although Wolfie seemed to love it from what I could see....

[Lefta Dissenter]

3. they may be p*ssed

because the CNN reporters were dumped prior to the Iraq photo op, and Faux reporters taken along instead.

I watched a little CSPAN this morning, but was avoiding the others because I didn't want to watch another 400 replays of the turkey posing with the platter of Thanksgiving food.

[Timefortruth]

6. That must be it.

I didn't know that.

Wonder if they will stay mad long?

[maggrwaggr]

29. Lou's probably negotiating a raise

and is threatening to be less of a whore unless he's paid more.

Shouldn't good whores be well paid?

[Cush]

5. wasn't there a shake up in management

A while back? Seems like there's been a slight change since it happened

[AP]

7. CNN was pretty nice to Arnold, so I'm guessing their long-term strategy

is going to be to help Bush.

This is probably merely primary-season pro-Republican strategy. If the focus is on Bush (whether it's good bush or bad bush) it prevents the candidates from developing the sort of independant personas which you need to develop to beat Bush.

[NJCher]

8. one step forward, two steps back

I was shocked when I watched Lou Dobbs the other night and it wasn't because of fair coverage. It was because of the most appalling, disgusting spin ever on new economic numbers. Examples:

--instead of saying the economic figures rose, the headline on the screen was "Bush rises."

--the content of Lou Dobbs' report was about how this takes an issue from the Democrats. bush is now back in the saddle. He will be impossible to beat in '04 now that he has preempted the Demos on the economy and prescription drug coverage for seniors.

It was positively, absolutely the most nauseating display of propagandizing that I have ever seen. Even my husband grabbed for the remote and switched it and he's not nearly as sensitive to this crap as I am.




Cher

[AP]

13. good post. People, don't have any illusions. CNN is not on your side.

Read my sig line!

[Timefortruth]

14. Do you have that sig line because

you like AP, work there or what?

[AP]

19. AP - Associated Press? A&P?

Is that what you're asking? Because if it is, I'll answer that question.

Or are you asking if I work for Chavez?

[calimary]

44. Yeah, I'm curious, too. 'Cause I used to work at the AP - as in

Associated Press.

[salin]

30. lol... now we have our own "Yeastie Boy"

from your post ala the CNN line... "Bush Rises".

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

32. You would think it was Easter rather than the Christmas season

with the religious implications of that headline.

[Military Brat]

39. Uh, not to get us down into the gutter or anything, but ...

... when I hear the term "bush rises," it brings to my mind an image of a patch of pubic hair standing on end.

[mmonk]

9. I heard Hillary

was going to Baghdad. They ought to cover her. They also need to cover her Afghan visit. That would set them apart.

[Cocoa]

18. Hillary was on p. 38 in today's Chicago Tribune

literally.

After Hillary's story was a blurb about the Sept. 11 families complainin g about the lack of govt. cooperation with the commission, and after that was a blurb about the republicans breaking into the dems' computer 3 days ago.

[KharmaTrain]

10. Dobbs Is Earning My Respect

Like many, I have viewed Lou was a mouthpiece for the Wall Street suits...a visual Wall St. Journal Op/Ed piece. This was obvious during the Clinton years when he became a complete corporate media shill during his exhile from CNN.

Seems the Enron fiasco started Lou thinking...seeing a big business story (a meal ticket for him...remember, this is ego, too) get lots of play and then fizzle out fast. I suspect Lou suspected the motives as to why it got trashed so quickly and has fought to keep it alive...thus the scoreboard he was keeping (and still does with the tote board on those indicted and convicted). He's also one of the few places that actually keeps a daily track of the trails of Koslowski and others.

Dobb's is a Economic rather than political Conservative and thus the concept of exploding debts and defecits is sacrilidge. This seems to be creeping a lot into his stories these days...especially when it comes to Iraq and the business connections. Lou's asking a lot of questions that are not getting answered and it seems he's keeping at it.

Alas, Dobbs is like the folks at Nightline and Keith Obermann and The Newshour, who do very good journalism, with the only places to get an alternative view than the GOOP media talking points...here's hoping more get wise to the growing tide of sceptics across the country.

[maggrwaggr]

28. how can you possibly say that?

Lou Dobbs is a disgusting mouthpiece for the repubs. He does what he's told, and cashes his weekly checks (or deposits his weekly cash).

He goes out of his way to trumpet right-wing propaganda and act all haughty about anything that might disagree with it.

I can't believe anybody would believe the man has a shred of credibility at this point

[kerry-is-my-prez]

46. Used to think so too. A few people have been telling me that he has

suddenly changed his tune. I used to one who changed the channel the minute I heard his voice but now I check it out every so often. The jury is still out on him IMO - I used to think he was one of the #1 media whores.

[Catshrink]

11. Lou Dobbs has a series of reports called "Exporting America"

where he discusses the outsourcing of jobs to India, etc. It's insightful and (OMG)thoughtful.

[AP]

12. So when the average US wage drops even farther, and the jobs numbers

go up because a lot of formerly middle class children of the middle class are sewing soccer balls for Europeans, are you going to listen when Dobbs tells you everything's OK 'cause we're no longer exporting jobs?

[Snellius]

16. A lot of traditional conservatives are turning against Bush

Dobbs, Novak, even the WSJ on most of Bush's fiscal policy (except tax cuts). There seems to be a growing realization that Bush's militarism, protectionism, unilateralism, cronyism, and bottomless deficit spending are increasinly BAD for business.

[Unknown Known]

20. You're right - Just read Cal Thomas' column "The Embarassing GOP"

I never read Thomas, but it caught my eye from the title. It is scathing.

Here's a snip -

The time when the Republican Party stood for something worth standing for is over. The "G" in GOP might as well stand for government. Smaller, less intrusive government with less spending and lower taxes is the stuff of history books and fond memories for a party that once had a purpose. But Republicans, having tasted power, are now drunk with it. Like the Democrats before them who became inebriated with the wine of success, Republicans now seem interested only in preserving their elective offices.

Truly there is less than a dime's worth of difference between the two parties. If only term limits would catch on! But the very people who are the problem would have to vote for the idea and there isn't any money in it.

Defense and anti-terrorism spending aside, there is no excuse for much of the rest of it. It is a pathetic betrayal of the faith many had put in the Republican Party to reduce the size and role of government in our lives.

Is it time for another revolution yet? Who's got the tea?

http://www.sacbee.com/24hour/opinions/story/1066934p-7478346c.html

[Timefortruth]

21. Novak could take care of all of them simply by

releasing the name of the traitor. He hasn't turned.

[lostnfound]

22. it's the millionaires against the billionaires..

if you don't have the inside track, you've got a big chance of getting scr----.

[Swede]

23. Lou is a true conservative that is awakening to the horrible truth.

And he don't like what he is seeing.

[maggrwaggr]

27. Give me a break. Lou is the biggest whore on CNN

right up there with Paula Zahn

[SeveneightyWhoa]

34. Care to explain why?

I'd be interested in hearing you back up why Lou is anywhere near Paula Zahn.

[Swede]

35. I will have to disagree. He is conservative so we don't have to

see eye to eye with him. But he has been very critical of Bush and the war and the mounting casualties.

[mmonk]

15. Lou who is conservative on economic issues

has been critical of the Bush policies for awhile, not only on his show but some of his articles for print as well. He mainly deals with job losses. Lou is straight up in his beliefs. Any criticism from him is a good sign.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

24. CNN wasn't invited to go on the trip to Iraq, but FOX was...

...CNN's pissed and they're letting Herr Coke-n-Smoke know it.

I'm sensing that CNN is controlled more by the CIA (read Operation Mockingbird) than the NeoCons. The CIA has not forgotten the Valerie Plame outing.

Operation Mockingbird
<http://www.prisonplanet.com/analysis_louise_01_03_03_mockingbird.html>

[Clark Can WIN]

25. I certainly hope so, I stopped watching CNN because I was getting

sick of their non-stop Bush family love fest. I suppose I'll give them a looksie again.

[maggrwaggr]

26. Dobb's paycheck from the administration must be late this week

the guy is so obviously a paid schill of the repubs.

He does what he's told, the fact that he's not must mean he's negotiating a raise.

[SeveneightyWhoa]

33. Ummm not quite.

Don't be so extreme. Have you even watched Lou Dobbs lately? He's more critical of the Bushies than almost anyone on CNN. But apparently the mere fact that he's a conservative means he's a paid schill of the Repubs.

I wish people on DU wouldn't act so much like freepers.

[jsw_81]

31. Republican arrogance

The arrogance these people have is astonishing to behold. They think that just because they control the government that we shouldn't even dare criticize their so-called leadership. Never mind the fact that they lost the popular vote and only have narrow majorities in Congress, and never mind the fact that they spent EIGHT SOLID YEARS accusing President Clinton and his wife of murder, rape, treason, money laundering etc.

Like I said, their arrogance is astonishing.

[Postman]

36. how can you tell? With such miniscule "shifts" what difference does it ..

make? "News" reporting in America's mainstream is just nationalistic propaganda...

[Cleita]

37. I notice it every holiday when the big cats go home

and they leave the mice in charge. Bush has gotten dissed rather often and so was Arnold a couple of times. Never mind, CNN will be back in full Media Whore operation when the fat cats return to work on Monday.

[oasis]

38. As long as political analyst Bill Schnieder (AEI) is on the CNN payroll,

expect for them to tend right with subtle propaganda.

[amandabeech]

40. I've been watching Dobbs

off and on for a long time because I have had a business-oriented career. Frequently, I switch between the Newshour and Dobbs depending on the subject of the reports on each.

In my opinion, Dobbs's tone has changed substantially since 2000. He used to be just another tool of the capitalist pigs, but now, he is truly pissed at the AWOL administration. I think it started with the Enron mess. He has kept up the reporting while other outlets, including the Newshour to a certain extent, have moved on.

Dobbs is also extremely concerned about unemployment and jobs moving overseas. From some of his little remarks here and there, I have come to believe that he is actually concerned about what would happen here if there were a serious, chronic shortage of decent-paying jobs. During the Great Depression here in the U.S., many serious individuals were concerned about the prospect of social upheaval coming from both the left and the right, and of course in Germany, Hitler rose amid a very dire economic situation. Perhaps Dobbs has some concerns along those lines.

However, many of the other talking heads on CNN are Bushite dittoheads. Blitzer is the worst of the lot. Every time he talks about AWOL, he reminds me of a little puppy greeting his master. I'm afraid that he might pee his pants. Kitty Pilgrim must also go. I think she'd have multiple orgasms on the spot if she actually met AWOL. Barf. That's enough scatalogical and gynecological references for me for a year, but those two deserve it.

Amanda

[DeepModem Mom]

41. I'll ask again about CNN political director Tom Hannon...

I have asked before on DU if anyone can find any information on the man identified in articles as CNN's political director, Tom Hannon. So far, no luck. Googling gets nothing but someone with his name as a "member participant" at a 1984 conference of the right-wing outfit founded by the Hunt brothers in Texas, Council for National Policy. Surely, it's not the same man -- although some posters have surmised it is.

http://www.namebase.org/sources/NV.html

Who is this guy, who, I assume, assigns Candy Crowley to Democratic candidates, enables Judy Woodruff, gives Novak air time, and employs, as CNN's "senior political analyst" a fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, Bill Schneider (assuming on the payrolls of both CNN and AEI)? Anybody?

[proud patriot]

43. I saw the exchange last night w/ dobbs and the bush guy

It was quite refreshing coming from lou .

[FrenchieCat]

45. Yes,

I noticed that CNN is a propaganda filled manipulative piece of Sh*t who's own reporters are actually scared to death to deal with the truth unless they have been cleared to do so.....and nothing more!

Don't let them lull you into thinking anything else!

[NNN0LHI]

47. Here's the transcript of the exchange. Lou Dobbs is a right wing pig

Never, ever tust him farther than you can throw him, or you will be disappointed. He gave money to the Chimps election, and proudly admits voting for him. Don't be fooled by this scum.

Don

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0311/27/ldt.00.html

LOU DOBBS TONIGHT

U.S. Continues To Lose Textile Jobs To Foreign Markets

<snip>Do we lose jobs? Yes, indeed, we do. And the key is to always have a net increase of job gains.

But we have an incredibly dynamic economy. As I travel the world, the world marvels at our ability to create new jobs in this country. Over the last 20 years we have created some 40 million new net jobs. To give you the example of the last 10 years, we created about 342 million new jobs, we lost 324 million jobs, for a net gain of 18 million jobs. So we've got a -- we've got a job-creating economy here in America.

DOBBS: Mr. Secretary, did I just hear you take credit for job growth during the Clinton administration?

EVANS: No, I took credit for it during the Reagan and the 1990s. What I said was, over the last 20 years, we've created some 40 million new jobs in this economy. That would be the Reagan, that would be Bush, that would be Clinton.


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