How to Use the Media Against the Left

 

imageLast week, a state-wide daily reported that its Republican governor — who’s running for president — terminated his state’s Medicare provider agreement with Planned Parenthood. Did you hear about it? Maybe you did. I didn’t. That was a week ago. Where’s the outrage in the national media?

When the media refuses to report on a story such as the Center for Medical Progress undercover videos, the blackout works both ways. Normally, the national media would tar and feather a Republican for doing much of anything. But if they report on this particular Republican action, they would draw attention to the videos.

Therefore, we arrive at Probable Cause’s Rule for Radicals #1:

If the media refuses to report on a topic, this creates space for conservative action.

Here is another opportunity. The Senate Democrats filibustered the recent bill to similarly defund Planned Parenthood at the federal level. The media did not use the word “filibuster” in their reporting. The bill just kind of, you know, failed … somehow.

Imagine if the Republican Senate majority changed the rules on bills affecting baby harvesting and forced legislation on it to the floor for a vote. Again, the media refuses to use the word “filibuster,” so how can they report that the Republicans went nuclear?

There’s an opportunity here.

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  1. Leigh Inactive
    Leigh
    @Leigh

    I saw it — but probably on a conservative site.  It mainly made me wonder how Bobby Jindal gets to do that unilaterally.

    The Republicans are trying to do the same thing in Wisconsin.  It is getting coverage there.  The media angle is that it would force the University of Wisconsin to stop certain kinds of lifesaving research.  (It won’t.)

    • #1
  2. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Hoist with their own petard. The American media, well most of them, might as well just merge into one entity and call itself Pravda.

    • #2
  3. John Hendrix Thatcher
    John Hendrix
    @JohnHendrix

    The power of an information gatekeeper has nothing to do with his ability to convey information. It has everything to do with being able to select what information to withhold.

    As Jim Treacher recently tweeted:

    • #3
  4. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    John Hendrix:The power of an information gatekeeper has nothing to do with his ability to convey information. It has everything to do with being able to select what information to withhold.

    As Jim Treacher recently tweeted:

    Exactly. When Brian Williams was managing editor at NBC News, that’s when they doctored the Zimmerman tape in the Trayvon Martin case and worse. But NBC has been doing things like that for decades. Ever since Woodward & Bernstein, too many starry-eyed youths want to be journalists to “make a difference” instead of to report factual information.

    • #4
  5. Jules PA Inactive
    Jules PA
    @JulesPA

    Leigh: The media angle is that it would force the University of Wisconsin to stop certain kinds of lifesaving research.

    This media angle on research is the very reason that the Planned Parenthood videos are so important and that PP should be defunded.

    The videos bring to light that PP is expanding a market for aborted babies. Because PP feeds the research, abortions provide a resource that is not available any other way. And PP wants to fulfill it.

    They may not be going on the street dragging people in, but the discussions in the videos show PP is willing to discuss abortion procedures in order to accommodate the kind of baby parts  needed for research in a school like UoW.

    Permitting a middle-man who sells the baby parts to the researchers does not absolve PP.

    If my perception of this in incorrect, someone needs to explain it to me much more clearly. To me, it seems clear and obvious.

    • #5
  6. Jules PA Inactive
    Jules PA
    @JulesPA

    It would be great if our conservative governors and legislators could take advantage of the media’s black outs…

    Thanks for sharing this post.

    • #6
  7. Songwriter Inactive
    Songwriter
    @user_19450

    Never forget: The media is the enemy.

    • #7
  8. John Hendrix Thatcher
    John Hendrix
    @JohnHendrix

    RightAngles:Hoist with their own petard. The American media, well most of them, might as well just merge into one entity and call itself Pravda.

    And address the members of this entity as “comrade”.

    • #8
  9. John Hendrix Thatcher
    John Hendrix
    @JohnHendrix

    Probable Cause: Here is another opportunity. The Senate Democrats filibustered the recent bill to similarly defund Planned Parenthood at the federal level. The media did not use the word “filibuster” in their reporting. The bill just kind of, you know, failed … somehow.

    Imagine if the Republican Senate majority changed the rules on bills affecting baby harvesting and forced legislation on it to the floor for a vote. Again, the media refuses to use the word “filibuster,” so how can they report that the Republicans went nuclear?

    Well, the problem remains that–I guess–about half of the members of the MSM are effectively Democratic operatives and activists with a byline.  That includes the editors.

    My observation is that they will find a way to bias the coverage such that the protect and support Democrats and disadvantage conservatives.

    That said, their ability to spin can be constrained by a particular story’s tactical situation.  Recall how during the 2004 election how almost all of John Kerry’s former Swift Boat comrades blew the whistle on his lies about his experiences in Vietnam, how his Purple Hearts derived from self-inflicted scratches,  and how 100% of the officers in his chain of command refused to endorse him for President. The MSM presented an airtight radio silence on Swift Boat vet’s charges as long as they could.  Kerry blew the MSM’s embargo by denouncing the Swift Boat vets’ charges during a press conference.  Afterward the MSM had no alternative to covering the Swift Boat vets.

    Although the MSM did the best they could to block information regarding the Swift Boat Vest from getting to the public they lost some control after Kerry put the information out there.  But they didn’t lose ALL control: they still retained the initiative and they still retained the ability to spin the facts in Kerry’s favor.

    • #9
  10. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    John Hendrix:That said, their ability to spin can be constrained by a particular story’s tactical situation. Recall how during the 2004 election how almost all of John Kerry’s former Swift Boat comrades blew the whistle on his lies about his experiences in Vietnam, how his Purple Hearts derived from self-inflicted scratches, and how 100% of the officers in his chain of command refused to endorse him for President. The MSM presented an airtight radio silence on Swift Boat vet’s charges as long as they could. Kerry blew the MSM’s embargo by denouncing the Swift Boat vets’ charges during a press conference. Afterward the MSM had no alternative to covering the Swift Boat vets.

    Although the MSM did the best they could to block information regarding the Swift Boat Vest from getting to the public they lost some control after Kerry put the information out there. But they didn’t lose ALL control: they still retained the initiative and they still retained the ability to spin the facts in Kerry’s favor.

    At the earliest opportunity:

    GOP politician:  Dave, in your organization’s coverage of the Planned Parenthood tapes, how many times did you show the scene where blah, blah, blah:

    MSM Dave:  But we didn’t cover the Planned Parenthood tapes!

    GOP politician:  Oh?  Well, why didn’t you, then?

    • #10
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