The old news: PBS is still a liberal monstrosity transforming the hard-earned dollars of many Bush-loving taxpayers into fire-breathing Bush-loathing programming. The new development: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has plans to get serious about seeking a better balance of political views on PBS. From the sound of the New York Times front page on May 2, they must have been waving smelling salts in the face of liberal reporters. Kenneth Tomlinson, the "Republican" chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was said to be pressing aggressively to correct "what he and other conservatives consider liberal bias." The Times approach,... continue reading
Corporate lobbies give both liberals and conservatives the willies. They don't have one of those strict and thorny ideologies that supposedly ruin Washington. They slickly dance to a different tune, with the title "What's In It For Me?" The National Cable and Telecommunications Association is one of these lobbies. One of their jobs is to preserve the entrenched cable television system from the demands of consumers. In a press conference at the National Press Club this week, they handed out slick yellow folders with the headline "Cable Puts YOU In Control." Cable consumers should laugh at that one. In its... continue reading
Chris Matthews really needs to retire the name "Hardball" for his talk show on MSNBC. When it comes to liberal or radical guests, he ought to rename the show "Cuddles with Chris." When did this toothless trend become too obvious to ignore? It could have been with John Kerry about a year ago, when Matthews asked him "hardballs" like whether the Bush campaign was hoisting themselves "on their own petard by bringing up the issue of your service," and whether it was possible the Republicans were questioning Kerry's service because they realize "they can't beat you on the jobs issue,... continue reading
Many American parents worry that their children are too glassy-eyed before their video game consoles and can't even find the door to play outside even as the weather gets terrific. Johnny comes home from a blase day at school, and runs up the stairs to his room to the best part of his day: mowing down cops or drug dealers in his virtual world. Psychologist Douglas Gentile of the National Institute for Media and the Family has found that children learn well from repeated violent video-game play, but the lessons aren't good ones. Instead, children have more aggressive thoughts and... continue reading
For years now, liberals have snidely suggested that watching Fox News Channel makes dumb conservatives even dumber. They've even produced trumped-up studies trying to prove it. This is in marked contrast to the enlightened viewers of the fusty old news networks, the ones upholding the standards of seriously weighty journalism, you see. How vague and uninformative can these tired Old Media types be? Take the issue of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. From the vantage point of these news networks, it's unimportant to debate the substance of liberal attacks on DeLay. The charges don't even have to be explained. No,... continue reading
Parents continue to struggle nightly with the torrent of trash on the TV screen, and the executives at the top of the trash heap have come to Washington and tried to suggest they have found the magic pill that cures it all. It is the V-chip, they proclaim, mandated in every new television set to aid the parent to block out programming that's too sexual, too violent, or too crude in its language. ABC President Alex Wallau told Congress that "ABC believes strongly that we have a responsibility to enable our viewers to make informed choices about the programs they... continue reading
The ongoing news coverage of the pope's death pleased a lot of Americans - especially the stirring live coverage of the papal funeral on April 5, when the TV networks did a nice job of mixing silence and expert commentary. The cable networks even respectfully replayed the ceremony in prime time. But in the midst of it all, there were those journalists who had to, just had to, find a way to criticize President Bush. On April 3, NBC's "Today" show bizarrely found the makings of civil war after perusing the list of presidents attending the papal funeral. President Jimmy... continue reading
Violence in the movies is something that's usually well-advertised. Whether it's "Saving Private Ryan" or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," the ticket-buyer usually knows what's in store. The title of the latest weekend box-office champ, "Sin City," might give you a clue (as would the R rating), but viewers are leaving the theater shocked at the gratuitous level of violence and sexual depravity in the film. One stunned friend guessed that if the filmmakers didn't reduce the shock a little by filming in black and white, "there's no way it would be an R-rated movie instead of an NC-17." They even... continue reading
I went to bed shortly before midnight on Friday but found myself awake, less than two hours later, once again glued to the television. The lack of news on the Holy Father's condition convinced me nothing was imminent, but still there was the desire to keep a silent vigil for him, which I did throughout most of the night. How fortunate I was to have Fox, and CNN, and MSNBC for companionship that lonely night, and how grateful I am to those journalists, far too many to number, who quietly reported, with such powerful dignity for days on end, the... continue reading
It's a sign of our times, in more ways than one. ABC ended its Palm Sunday or Easter Sunday tradition of airing the classic 1956 film "The Ten Commandments" since its length might cut into its big depraved hit "Desperate Housewives." It might seem like the age has ended where classic films can still score a ratings bonanza on the broadcast networks, especially when people who appreciate them can own them at home and watch them on videotape or DVD whenever they want. Graying parents remember gathering around the tube for the annual CBS airing of "The Wizard of Oz,"... continue reading