The "Sanity" Rally. Is Jon Stewart naive?

[Hermit]

you ought to have better enforcement of antitrust laws, which I am a big believer in.

Our governments, regardless of stripe, apparently don't share your sentiment. Australia has one of the most concentrated media ownerships in the world. I basically amounts to a duopoly now, and the situation is exacerbated by the fact that it extends across media as well. Murdoch and Packer totally dominate not only printed papers, but also the radio and television media. We get no diversity of news reporting, and as you expect, cross promotional activities are rampant.

Mind you, manipulation of what gets published by the owners does not depend on their stranglehold on the market. Remember that book Hong Kong's last British governor wanted to publish? The publishing company was owned by Murdoch, and when Rupert got wind of its content he pulled the plug on it. Apparently the Chinese government might get upset, which might adversely affect his prospects for his Star-TV project there. Yes, the good thing is that another publisher was eventually found, but this example demonstrates that the big media conglomerates cannot be trusted to be "free".

why would it be better to do away with private media in favor of only government media?

I was not proposing to do away with private media. I just mean to convey this: I place more confidence in comprehensive reportage of good quality and relatively free from bias in the government funded networks than the commercially owned ones, and I hope to have provided some reasons for doing so. Nobody in Australia produces and disseminates articles of the depth and varieties of angles like the ABC. Political reportage (what there is of it) in the commercial media is shallow and fairly uniformly presented from a conservative and right angle. Mostly, though, it is tabloid pap and cross promotion to sporting events to which they either have broadcasting rights or actually own, or advertising other entertainment from which both entities stand to gain a commercial advantage.

[sandinista]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gsJrgwx ... r_embedded[/youtube]

Never really liked stewart, but he's hit an all time low, what a lame ass. Whats he talking about the "left" for?

[Coito ergo sum]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gsJrgwx ... r_embedded[/youtube]

Never really liked stewart, but he's hit an all time low, what a lame ass. Whats he talking about the "left" for?

I listened to that twice, and honestly I don't know what he said that was wrong.

Point of fact: Rachel Maddow starts the video with a statement about what she considers the "caricature of the left."

So, Stewart's response is based on what Maddow said. She's referring to something called "the left." In the US, that is a term generally used to refer to the "liberal Democrats" and anyone farther to the left of them. "The left" in the US does not refer only to socialists or revolutionaries. It refers to liberal politics.

Maddow said the caricature of the left is that they are as vociferous as the right. Stewart disagreed and said he doesn't think that's the caricature of the left. He points out pejoratives used by the very left leaning MSNBC which were taken pretty far. He stated his opinion that the teabagger term and surrounding jokes were taken to far - they were funny for a day, but were belabored.

I don't think Stewart is lame. I find his show quite funny, and I find him to have a sharp mind and quick wit. Good guy.

[sandinista]

teabagger

[Coito ergo sum]

teabagger

[Robert_S]

That's Jon's opinion. I don't share it and nobody's shouting me down for being ideologically impure over it.

Well, not yet anyway.

[Coito ergo sum]

That's Jon's opinion. I don't share it and nobody's shouting me down for being ideologically impure over it.

Well, not yet anyway.

You are ideologically impure.

[Robert_S]

That's Jon's opinion. I don't share it and nobody's shouting me down for being ideologically impure over it.

Well, not yet anyway.

You are ideologically impure.

Not just ideologically

[Coito ergo sum]

That's Jon's opinion. I don't share it and nobody's shouting me down for being ideologically impure over it.

Well, not yet anyway.

You are ideologically impure.

Not just ideologically

Racially? What are you, an octoroon?

[sandinista]

That's Jon's opinion. I don't share it and nobody's shouting me down for being ideologically impure over it.

Well, not yet anyway.

ideologically impure? In what sense?

[Robert_S]

That's Jon's opinion. I don't share it and nobody's shouting me down for being ideologically impure over it.

Well, not yet anyway.

ideologically impure? In what sense?

In the sense that I get the impression that the right seems to like everyone marching to the same drummer,

I really don't have much to formally support it. It's in impression I've gotten from the snippets of talk radio I occasionally listen to, Republican National Committee communiques telling the state parties that it will frown harshly upon states moderating their position to suit the voters, various bits from the Tea Party... It all gives me the impression that for the most part, the left is more OK with deviation than the right.

[Warren Dew]

In the sense that I get the impression that the right seems to like everyone marching to the same drummer,

I really don't have much to formally support it. It's in impression I've gotten from the snippets of talk radio I occasionally listen to, Republican National Committee communiques telling the state parties that it will frown harshly upon states moderating their position to suit the voters, various bits from the Tea Party... It all gives me the impression that for the most part, the left is more OK with deviation than the right.

The left seems to be incredibly uniform in their views without any overt coordination. Perhaps the New York Times serves the same pupose as RNC communiques, except on the subject of Israel.

[GreyICE]

In the sense that I get the impression that the right seems to like everyone marching to the same drummer,

I really don't have much to formally support it. It's in impression I've gotten from the snippets of talk radio I occasionally listen to, Republican National Committee communiques telling the state parties that it will frown harshly upon states moderating their position to suit the voters, various bits from the Tea Party... It all gives me the impression that for the most part, the left is more OK with deviation than the right.

The left seems to be incredibly uniform in their views without any overt coordination. Perhaps the New York Times serves the same pupose as RNC communiques, except on the subject of Israel.

Maybe you shouldn't get all your news from Rush Limbaugh?

[Warren Dew]

Maybe you shouldn't get all your news from Rush Limbaugh?

I base this on reading leftist sources. If I thought Rush Limbaugh was part of the "left", then the left would seem very diverse indeed!

[Robert_S]

In the sense that I get the impression that the right seems to like everyone marching to the same drummer,

I really don't have much to formally support it. It's in impression I've gotten from the snippets of talk radio I occasionally listen to, Republican National Committee communiques telling the state parties that it will frown harshly upon states moderating their position to suit the voters, various bits from the Tea Party... It all gives me the impression that for the most part, the left is more OK with deviation than the right.

The left seems to be incredibly uniform in their views without any overt coordination. Perhaps the New York Times serves the same pupose as RNC communiques, except on the subject of Israel.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-a ... ity-report