THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume V, Issue # 50, 2003
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
CNN -- THE CONTRARY NEWS NETWORK
By Paul Walfield
In this article, I discusse the blatant disregard for the substance of a news event on Feb- ruary 26, 2003, by CNN and similarly inclined news organizations.
U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair won two separate votes in the House of Commons by a 2:1 and a 3:1 margin. Yet, CNN chose to turn the story around and display the British Prime Minister as if he had been tarred and feathered and sent out of town on a rail.
Dissenters in the British Parliament to Prime Minister Blair's position on using military force against the regime of Saddam Hussein were defeated by a nearly 3 to 1 margin. In another vote, put forward by the Prime Minister, the British Parliament backed him by a 434 to 124 vote. That was pretty straight forward and was what actually happened on February 26, 2003 in Britain.
However, if you are CNN and you have an agenda contrary to the facts as they are, you report the facts as you want them to be seen.
CNN headlines state: "Blair suffers huge revolt on Iraq." Sounds pretty bad for Prime Minister Blair, doesn't it? If you don't actually read the article carefully, you would not think for a moment that the British Prime Minister actually won the two votes offered in the British Parliament. But CNN doesn't just stop there.
CNN needs to confuse the issue more and make it appear that Blair has been isolated not only by Europe, not just by the majority of the British people, but by his own party as well. CNN reports: "About 100 Labor MPs were believed to have defied him as mem- bers voted 2:1 by 393 votes to 199 to defeat a motion by dissenters that war should only be a last resort." It is accurate as far as the number go. But, if you were just skimming as most folks do, would you think that Prime Minister Blair was the one who won and that 393 members of Parliament were on his side with only 199 against him?
Many in the media have been debating the assertion by some that the mainstream media in America has a Liberal bias. Some have accused the New York Times of turning their front-page into an editorial page to further the agenda of its new boss, Howell Raines. In fact, many would say there is no debate, it is a fact.
Clearly, CNN has crossed a line in its coverage of the British vote backing Prime Minis- ter Blair's position. Regardless of the efficacy of the substance of their coverage, the form they have chosen is shoddy and blatantly biased.
FoxNews, which prides itself on being fair and balanced, is. Their story on the same event has the headline, "House of Commons Backs Blair on Iraq." The FoxNews article continues: "The House of Commons backed Prime Minister Tony Blair's determination to disarm Iraq, voting Wednesday to support his handling of the crisis and reject his opponents' assertion that the case for war is "unproven."
The difference in the coverage of the same event is startling, or at least should be. CNN covers the story as a defeat for the British Prime Minister, while FoxNews covers the story as it actually occurred, a defeat for those that oppose the Prime Minister's Iraq policies and his strong alliance with the United States of America.
Even the Washington Post, which is widely understood to be Left of center, reported the same Associated Press story as FoxNews, declaring in their headline: "House of Com- mons Backs Blair on Iraq." To be fair, the Washington Post, in its latest incarnation, appears to be backing President Bush and his stand on Iraq and that might have helped it to report the story correctly.
MSNBC seemed to take the high road and reported: "House of Commons backs Blair on Iraq, but rebels produce strong showing."
ABC News, in apparent solidarity with CNN, ran the story as "Blair Suffers Major Party Revolt Over Iraq." To be fair, the ABC story is based on a Reuter's story. Everyone should remember Reuter News Service as being the first, after September 11, 2001, to decide not to call terrorists, terrorists; rather, they are to be called "militants," or less.
CNN, in an apparent realization that the story they are presenting is in fact misleading, attempts to bolster their credibility by pointing out that the Labor Party has, in the past, "defied" British Prime Ministers with less votes, on umm, less important issues.
They also point out that, while they don't know how many of the losing votes were from the Prime Minister's party, it sure must be embarrassing for him. The only people who should be embarrassed are the folks who call themselves professional journalists, while they purposefully slant the news to fit in with their agenda.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
The News Media & Political Bias
The Middle East & the Problem of Iraq
Page Two
Page One
The Problem of Rogue States:
Iraq as a Case History
The Middle East & the Arabs
Islamism & Jihadism -- The Threat of Radical Islam
Page Three
Page Two
Page One
War & Peace in the Real World
Page Two
Page One
Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.
Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization
Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies
U.S. National Security Strategy
Paul Walfield is a freelance writer and member of the State Bar of California, with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and post-graduate study in behavioral and analyt- ical psychology. He resided for a number of years in the small town of Houlton, Maine, and is now a California attorney. His articles appear in numerous periodicals and on numerous websites. CONTACT INFORMATION: Email: paul.walfield@cox.net
Return to Top of Page
Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE,
Public Issues & Political Controversies
Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE,
Volume V, 2003
Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE,
Subject Matter Highlights
Return to POLITICAL EDUCATION Homepage
This is not a commercial website. The sole purpose of the website is to share with interested persons information regarding civics,
civic and social education, political science, government, politics, law, constitutional law and history, public policy, and political
philosophy and history, as well as current and recent political developments, public issues, and political controversies.
POLITICAL EDUCATION, CONSERVATIVE ANALYSIS
POLITICS, SOCIETY, & THE SOVEREIGN STATE
Website of Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr.
Government, Politics, Public Policy, Legal Issues, Constitutional Law, Government & the Economy, Cultural Values, Foreign Affairs,
International Relations, Military Defense & National Security, Geopolitics, Terrorism & Homeland Security, American National Interests,
Political Systems & Processes, Political Institutions, Political Ideologies, & Political Philosophy
INDEX FOR THE ENTIRE WEBSITE
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
Cultural, Military, International, Strategic, & Geopolitical Issues
Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity