A free press? In your dreams
By Bill O'Reilly



Jewish World Review | Here are two entertainment predictions for 2007 that you can immediately take to the bank. First, Al Gore's global-warming documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," will win an Oscar, and second, the Dixie Chicks will win a Grammy for their latest album.

Everybody in the entertainment industry knows the truth of what I'm predicting, but few of them would find it inconvenient. And here's another truism: The media define American culture, and those doing the defining are almost all liberal or far-left individuals.

As Hyman Roth once asked Al Pacino's character in "Godfather II": "What does that tell you, Michael?"

It tells me the fix is in.

For months, my research staff has attempted to find one television critic writing for a major American newspaper who is a conservative thinker. They could not find one. Scores of TV writers are registered Democrats — we can't find a single registered Republican.

The same is true for film reviewers. As far as we can tell, only syndicated movie critic Michael Medved is a conservative thinker. Nearly every other writer analyzing film has left-wing credentials.

Same thing with book review editors, likewise for music critics. The field of popular culture in America is not even close to being level. It drains to the left all day, every day.

Want more? One company, Reed Business Information, owns the leading media trade publications "Variety," "Publishers Weekly" and "Broadcasting and Cable." That company is run by Tad Smith, a far-left, true believer who is a big donor to people like Howard Dean and Hillary Clinton.

And Mr. Smith has a perfect right to put his money where his mind is. He also has a right to hire editors who reflect his very liberal beliefs. And he does.

Thus, lefty projects put out by Michael Moore, Al Gore, the Dixie Chicks and scores of others generally receive fawning reviews in the trades and newspapers. Don't even ask about the relatively few conservative entertainment projects.

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Well, if you have to ask, contact Patricia Heaton, who played the wife on "Everybody Loves Raymond." Ms. Heaton is pro-life, and some in Hollywood deeply resent her for it. If the actress were a liberal activist, I believe, her employment situation would be much easier.

The question, of course, is why should you care? Most Americans don't read trade journals or listen to pinhead critics. Well-educated people who have come by their political beliefs honestly will not be affected by media propaganda or unfairness.

Unfortunately, the pool of well-informed, clear-thinking Americans is shrinking, and the rise of ideological popular culture is beginning to influence the debate. Entertainers like Jon Stewart, David Letterman, and Stephen Colbert have become purveyors of information for many young Americans. Also, the pronounced left-wing media "group think" inhibits dissenting points of view. The result is that many "secular-progressives" are considered heroes in the press. And the dreaded "neo-cons" are certainly the villains.

This situation has a major influence on the discourse in America, and things are getting out of hand. Almost every major pop culture magazine tilts left. The network news broadcasts tilt left. Hollywood is a bastion of far-left thought. The teacher's unions are far left. The nation's universities are dominated by liberal, activist instructors.

Despite all that, most Americans remain traditional in their thinking, and all the polls say conservatives continue to outnumber liberals by a healthy margin. But that situation can and probably will change in the very near future.
Perhaps Al Gore might want to make a documentary about that.

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Damned right I'm an equal opportunity offender, I'm a Conservative!

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"I suppose I always knew America would eventually break the planet, like some ghastly, hyperactive toddler that gets hold of a mobile phone and then smashes it repeatedly against the edge of a table". Quote from british journalist.

Med, where is he in error above? His points are well made. If he is truly a moron you should be able to rebut him with a tad more specificity?

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If you wind up with a boring, miserable life because you listened to your mom, your dad, your teacher, your priest or some guy on TV telling you how to do your shit, then YOU DESERVE IT.
~ Frank Zappa ~

Liberty means responsibility, that is why most men dread it.
~George Bernard Shaw~

And here is where we wait ... and wait ... and wait ... and wait to hear the splash.

Asking Med to explain himself is akin to dropping a pebble into a bottomless well. You will NEVER, EVER hear the splash.

Vi

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Damned right I'm an equal opportunity offender, I'm a Conservative!

"Perhaps Al Gore might want to make a documentary about that."

What a dick. that doesnt even make sense. lol. he does make a good point though: the u.s. might not be mostly conservative in the future. damn...

Al Gore? Who's Al Gore? Oh yeah ... he's the guy who couldn't win an election in Florida, even with five recounts in Democratic districts, a cadre of Shylock lawyers and the Florida Supreme Court on his side. I hear Gore has a science fiction movie out now that's doing pretty well though ... and the secret word has it that Sean Penn will be doing Gore's life story. That's the least that can be done for the guy who invented the Internet and the Lock-Box. ::

Vi

__________________
Damned right I'm an equal opportunity offender, I'm a Conservative!

__________________
"I suppose I always knew America would eventually break the planet, like some ghastly, hyperactive toddler that gets hold of a mobile phone and then smashes it repeatedly against the edge of a table". Quote from british journalist.

Ahhh, so the truth finally comes out! Med gets his "news" from a comedian! BWAAaaa!!!

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Damned right I'm an equal opportunity offender, I'm a Conservative!

__________________
"I suppose I always knew America would eventually break the planet, like some ghastly, hyperactive toddler that gets hold of a mobile phone and then smashes it repeatedly against the edge of a table". Quote from british journalist.

Med, O'Reilly is not a news man.....he is paid to express an opinion.
Glenn Beck is the same.....they are not delivering news....BTW neither is Stewart.
Dan Rather, on the other hand is a news guy who confuses opinion with news.....he actually manufactured news......
What has O'Reilly done that is remotely similar to Rathers' making things up?

__________________
If you wind up with a boring, miserable life because you listened to your mom, your dad, your teacher, your priest or some guy on TV telling you how to do your shit, then YOU DESERVE IT.
~ Frank Zappa ~

Liberty means responsibility, that is why most men dread it.
~George Bernard Shaw~