WOW! CNN proves Dems DO have a Schiavo Death Wish

[underpants]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200503220005

According to the poll, conducted March 18-20, when asked if they "agree with the court's decision to have the feeding tube removed," 62 percent of Democratic respondents agreed, compared to 54 percent of Republicans, and 54 percent of Independents. But these results were displayed along a very narrow scale of 10 percentage points, and thus appeared to show a large gap between Democrats and Republicans/Independents:

Laid out in this manner, the graph suggests that the gap between the two groups is overwhelming, rather than only 8 percentage points, within the poll's margin of error of +/- 7 percentage points. Also, this presentation obscures the poll's finding that majorities of all the groups sampled approved of the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube. A more accurate presentation of the poll's findings would have looked like this:

[Melodybe]

1. Protest CNN, July 2005!

[hopein08]

26. I'm sorry...why July 2005? n/t

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. The lengths they will go to to deceive is amazing

[Snotcicles]

27. Take out the 7% for error and it's nearly dead even. n/t

[tjdee]

3. That's disgusting--no wonder they're getting their ass kicked by blogs.

Yuck.

[sasquatch]

4. I actually blame Clinton for this

If he hadn't deregulated the media we wouldn't have this worthless, piece of shit media that we have now.

[underpants]

6. You are very correct about that

Telecommunications bill of 1996

[TwilightZone]

8. The media was deregulated well before Clinton.

Reagan started the job with killing "equal time"; Bush I finished it.

[KharmaTrain]

22. Nothing Like '96

From one whose seen a lot of friends lose careers and jobs in broadcasting thanks to this bill that opened the gates wide to broadcast monopolies.

The '96 bill opened the doors to large corporations like Cheap Channel...that could only own 7 AM, FM & TV stations nationally to 8 radio stations per market...thus gobbling up competitors and now controlling over 1200 radio licenses.

It also took your local cable system out of the hands of your city or town...made the franchise agreements worthless, and let the cable operators decide what you will see and charge whatever they wanted.

The advantage of the bill is where we are right now...the Internet, it freed telcoms to branch into the growing IP tech sector at the time and this led to the larger infrastructure, broadband and led to the dot com boom in the late 90's.

The Equal Time provision has nothing to do with any telcom or dereg...this actually started back in Nixon's days in the early 70's and was a rule that was vague...it didn't work that well.

If people want re-regulation, the first steps I'd take would be to institute four rules:

1.) Return license periods to 3 years from the current 7...and re-institute the PICN rules that determine if a station has served the Public Interest in it's programming.

2.) Restore the "anti-trafficking" rules where a company that buys a radio or television station can't sell that property for at least 2 years from the time of approved sale. This would prevent the profit taking and using public broadcast licenses as private real estate.

3.) Revise both the procedures to challenge a broadcast license. Right now groups that attempt to redress a corporation that abuses its licenses (like Sinclair) can't even get into a courtroom to challenge...and the procedure is purposely long and expensive to keep citizens groups and communities from any serious challenge.

4.) Revise the LPAM & LPFM rules to enable more low power stations and to give preference to local ownership and allow for these stations to accept commercial advertising as a source of revenue. This law now skews heavily in favor of religious broadcasting.

Just some thoughts on a disgusting day.

[flamin lib]

13. Wasn't Clinton.

Reagan did away with the Fairness Doctrine what said for every political point of view there had to be equal time for the opposite view. He stacked the FCC.

[Amy6627]

30. Read reply #22-- He is dead on! n/t

[proud_dem]

33. This isn't deregulation .. this is a Bush paying them off !...... eom

It freaking b/s !

[Guckert]

5. Already discussed yesterday. the post was sent to Media matters. LINK

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1677276&mesg_id=1677276&page=

I dont know if he was the one credited with the find??

[underpants]

12. Whoops

Thanks Guckert :hi:

Welcome to DU if'n I haven't before.

I kicked the other one.

[Guckert]

19. It is definitely worth seeing twice...what a bunch of CNN tools.

[bloom]

7. I see this more all the time with graphs

you have to notice the numbers. They are very misleading.

[Deep13]

9. So basically ...

... Ds have slightly more respect for the judicial process than do Rs or undeclared people. But a majority of all agree with the court.

[ultraist]

40. Yes, the majority of Dems and Repukes agree with the courts n/t

[Canuckistanian]

45. And Teri

[Radio-Active]

10. wow..

nine times more democrats than republicans want to murder Terri!!!!!!!

[Walt Starr]

11. Dangit! And CNN so wanted this "controversial issue" to be, well, ...

CONTROVERSIAL!!!!!

Notice how they've been pushing the pro-Schwindler view consistently since the whole "crisis" began?

[Proud2BAmurkin]

14. They teach you NOT to create this fallacy (lie) in statistics 101

CNN scumbags

[LiberalinNC]

15. They will say anything to help "sell" a story!

Media whores!

[wryter2000]

16. OMG

The first is a classic case of misuse of statistics. If you don't show the zero point on the y axis, you totally misrepresent the data.

[Pirate Smile]

17. Have we bombarded them with e-mail complaints yet?

I'll go do it now.

I think we need to keep complaining to the media outlets about the outrageous things they do instead of just giving up. Stay on their asses.

[xray s]

18. I will never forgive Ted Turner for selling CNN

CNN used to be a news network. Now they are a $5 whore for the Bush junta. For shame.

[katinmn]

24. Turner didn't sell CNN. He was forced out -- hostile takeover.

[Melodybe]

32. He also says that it is one of his biggest regrets in life.

[papau]

20. CNN has correct chart with 0 to 100 scale now up n/t

n/t

[Pirate Smile]

21. Thanks for the update.

:)

[sonicx]

23. They could atleast not make propaganda look so obvious...

[KarenS]

25. I'm sorry, but I don't see that they have a 1 to 100 chart up

not for question 2 ~ only for the last question,,,,,

the charts I just went to see are exactly the same as in the pictures on the first post.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

28. This is what I'm seeing now.

This is from the front page link to the opinion polls. Where's the one you're seeing? We may be viewing different locations.

[iconoclastNYC]

29. BIAS!

Fuck CNN. Any liberal or Democrat who watches CNN is aiding the enemy.

Your TV lies to you!

[alcibiades_mystery]

36. No, don't you understand

Those who continue to watch CNN are "educating" themselves and us about conservative tactics...:eyes: That they end up supporting CNN in the course of this so-called education is beside the point...</sarcasm>

[Amy6627]

31. They are disgusting! n/t

[Telly Savalas]

34. Is CNN really the problem here?

If the American electorate is too fucking dumb to notice that the difference between 62 and 54 isn't accurately described in this graph, then our problems lie much deeper than media bias. Government "by the people" is doomed to failure if the people are easily conned by such stupid bullshit.

[Mr_Spock]

35. The Repukes trick their idiot "fan club" every day

What makes you think they can't be tricked by CNN?

[Telly Savalas]

37. That's not the point.

This so called "manipulation" of statistics is so transparent that only a moron would be fooled by it. Others in this thread are pointing their fingers at CNN. I'm just suggesting that perhaps it's the dumbfucks who can be tricked by the graph that are truly to blame for the ills of our society.

[sandnsea]

39. There's always dumbfucks

It's the media's responsibility to present the news fairly so as not to take advantage of or manipulate the dumbfucks. CNN has clearly chosen to do the exact opposite. Yes, they are to blame.

[Telly Savalas]

43. There's always mendacious pricks in the media too.

So it's the electorate's responsibilty to show at least a modicum of savvy when dealing with yellow journalism. The sheninigans of the CNN graph are transparent. If the average voter is so dense that they think 54x4=62, then we're destined to have shitty government regardless of who controls the media. That's not to say that the assholes running CNN are angels, but rather that pinning the blame solely on them ignores a huge vulnerability of our democracy.

[Mr_Spock]

42. No, that graph is very deceptive and MANY non-mathematical types WOULD

be fooled by it. I can't believe you have faith in the intelligence of the viewer!!! I can't even explain basic fundamentals of some basic math manipulations to people - I don't even try any more - yet the stuff I am trying to explain I learned in 6th to 8th grade!

[Telly Savalas]

44. But the numbers ARE on the graph.

It's plain as day: Dems 62, GOP 54.

Whereas mathematical types will quickly say "ah, the old missing zero point trick", the non-mathematical type should at least scratch their head at the dissonance between the numbers printed and the picture in the graph.

I don't have faith in the intelligence of the viewer. What I'm arguing is that this lack of critical thinking in the electorate is what the real problem is. The U.S. is government "by the people", so if those people can't even do 6th grade math, then there's a good chance that the government will be pretty fucking bad.

[Mr_Spock]

47. I just don't see any hope in educating the public

I grew up poor in the city - a lot of the lesser educated will see what they want to see. I live in a rural area - I see lots of red-necks in local bars and they also see what they want to see. Fortunaltely they are also seeing their bread-and-butter issues being thrashed by their own party which is making a lot of them reconsider their Republican membership. It's like a club for the poor folks who often still follow social acceptance rules like teenagers. Show them that the goverment isn't just handing out their tax dollars to lazy people and has a real influence on thier lives - you can win them back in droves...

[seabeyond]

38. that is disgusting underpants, certainly this requires an email

mass mailing to them. those pigs. like they dont have an agenda

[Edgewater_Joe]

41. I Can Hear The Razors At THE DAILY SHOW Sharpening Now

Tune in and look for this graphic.

How much you wanna bet Jon and the gang'll pop this one out of the park?

[Dark]

46. They should make it a quick death. The parents shouldn't have to

watch their daughter starve to death.

[LibDemAlways]

48. 6th graders are taught how

manipulation of the information can affect a graph. CNN was trying to fool very unsophisticated people who don't know better or aren't paying attention. I would say shame on them, but they've proven time and again they have no shame.