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There are tons of things on my mind this week, but I just have to talk about media and facts…and just a few thoughts on the whole Chik-fil-A controversy.
THE MEDIA MESS --
As a talk show host and as a concerned citizen, I spend a great deal of time monitoring various news sources. Throughout the day, I consume stories from Fox News, the Huffington Post, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Towleroad, and many others. I keep track of hundreds of people through my social media feeds, read their comments, and follow stories that they highlight. And because I drive about 400 miles in an average summer week, I listen to a lot of talk radio.
Yes, I’m a news junkie and I’m overloaded with information. And this probably won’t surprise you, but many of the sources from which I get my news don’t tell the whole story. Many so called impartial reporters are leaving out key pieces of information that—whether on purpose of not—skew the message.
(Surprise! I’m not telling you anything you don’t know.)
On Monday, I listened to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer live from Israel. He was reporting on a speech Mitt Romney gave there and about how the presumptive Republican presidential candidate called for the moving of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which is not the official position of the current (or any previous) U.S. administration. Now, I won’t get into the whole back story of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict; you should have a general knowledge of the decades-old fight in that region. But what floored me was that both Blitzer and the anchor back in the Atlanta studio seemed to be shocked that Romney would make such a statement that no one before him had publically declared when running for president, when in fact, most of the recent, successful presidential candidates (Reagan, both Bushes, and Clinton; Obama came close but never actually made a promise) have made the same declaration while running for office, then after being sworn in, did nothing.
I didn’t actually know this at the time. Later, I turned to the POTUS channel on my Sirius satellite radio and listened to an Israeli expert talking about the same Romney story. When I got to my computer, it took me three minutes to find the facts as I described above.
Did CNN leave out the fact that others before him made the pledge, too, to make Romney look foolish? I believe that there is no way that the highly knowledgeable Blitzer didn’t know this fact, but he made no mention of it.
Now, I’m no Romney fan, but I’m all for getting the facts straight.
But this is just one example. It happens all the time. Fox News might be one of the biggest offenders, but in one way or another, many legitimate news people are doing the same thing on a regular basis.
The lesson? Get your information from multiple sources and don’t be afraid to read what the opposition has to say.
It’s not you, but the people like my 60-something Republican parents who I am worried about. They dislike President Obama so much that they turn the channel on the television every time he makes a speech. And, what about the folks who only get their information from the 30-minute network television evening newscast each evening? Scarier yet? Many (mostly younger) people only get their news from Jon Stewart and nowhere else! While The Daily Show is funny and on the correct side of many of the issues we care about, it’s a comedy program, people, not a legitimate news gathering operation.
And let’s not forget about the people who run with a story or a quote that they see a friend post on Facebook or Twitter, they “like” it and pass it on, and in many cases, it’s not even legitimate information. I saw that happen several times yesterday regarding Wendy’s hamburger chain and their official stance on marriage equality.
You don’t have to have a college education or read eight newspapers every day to be an informed American. But you do need to know the facts and know whom you are voting for. You need to listen to people you don’t agree with, too, to know better how to work against them to get what you want. And you need to know when you’re passing on incorrect “news.”
Just sayin’.
THE CHICKEN MESS --
I was so ready to write a lengthy diatribe on Chik-fil-A this week but, like you, I’m so fucking tired of reading about and watching stories about and seeing pictures about stupid fast food chicken sandwiches, I think I’ll seriously never eat one ever again.
That said, I do have just a few tiny things about the whole bloody mess and then I’ll shut up about it:
1. Chik-fil-A President and COO Dan Cathy should be fired by his family for not keeping his eye on the prize. “Shut up about social issues, sell more chicken, and make a larger profit for your shareholders, you idiot! Liberals and the gays have money to spend!” Of course, that probably won’t happen since we surmise that the private companies’ shareholders most likely agree with Cathy’s statements. Their reputation and bottom-line may have already become affected by this whole mess, but they’ve at the same time shored up the religious right customers who are standing by them, including a few well-known folk like Sarah Palin, Pat Boone and Mike Huckabee.
2. While we might be quick to praise the actions as being a step in the right direction for equality, civil servants, like the mayors of Chicago and Boston, should stay the hell out of the controversy. This is a free country and idiots like Cathy have the right to express their religious views and to donate to anti-gay groups if they want to. Governments should not have the right to block legal businesses from setting up shop in their jurisdictions just because they don’t agree with a company’s stance on a particular issue. What if a conservative politician tried to block a liberal company like Starbucks or Target from opening a new store because he or she didn’t like those companies’ embracement of all people? It works both ways, people.
3. We should continue the good fight. We should spend our money with the companies that support equality and be vocal about our opposition of the companies that are against us, without spewing hate ourselves. We should continue to lead by example.
4. Kudos to people like nationally known DJ Drew G and his boyfriend Jason King for this picture taken at a Chik-fil-A shop in California on Wednesday. We need to make sure the bigoted people know that we’re not going anywhere.
Oh my gosh. I promise to write something fun and light next week, y’all.
- R. Scott
I do listen, as you know, regularly, but I take issue with a few things. Blitzer not reporting it is most likely poor 'journalistic research/writing' but also can be seen as making Romney more sympathetic to Israel instead of foolish because maybe he is going 'rogue'. I think the response could be as divided as the conflict itself.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I support Mayors/elected officials speaking against groups with poor/harmful humanitarian records. Do I listen to the media rhetoric and constant repetition of sound bites? No, so I don't get so worn out about it. But that's what they are elected to do, have ethics and represent their constituents. If their constituents are liberal/conservative then they manifest those ideals/morals.