We have had much time to analyze, report on, give commentary about and write articles describing the obvious liberal bias demonstrated by many in the mainstream media. The 2008 election is a textbook example of how media bias works when the citizens are unaware of it. The Tea Party movement is a textbook example of how it doesn't work when the citizens finally catch on.
You would think that journalists and journalism teachers would recognize the perils of using the straight media for advancing a hidden agenda. We all remember Chris Matthews in his role as news anchor (not in the role of analyst on his own show) getting a thrill up his leg after hearing an Obama speech. MSNBC pulled him from all future objective reporting. But the mainstream media continued to run negative story after story about Sarah Palin even as Joe Biden bumbled his way through the 2008 campaign. It turned out that all the negative stories written about Palin were not true. One may say it worked as her poll numbers went down in direct proportion to the number of hit stories. But it is in fact just starting to backfire now. Those who lie and cheat their customers for short term gain always end up losing those customers long term.
Greedy merchants mistakenly believe it more profitable to rip someone off by selling them a slick looking product that ultimately breaks down after the sale is made. But those who get burnt will never shop there again once they realize the salesman lied to them. There's a reason why a certain auto repair shop lost thousands of dollars in future business from me long term when it ripped me off for a few hundred short term bucks up front. And there's a reason why newspaper readership is dropping as is viewership of the nightly news on the three major networks. They got people to fall for the Obama hype and now there is a lot of buyer's remorse. The media lied to us. We're figuring it out now. And we're pissed off.
While those who are falling by the wayside are the same outlets who trashed Sarah Palin and the conservative brand, the one network which has the long term vision to see that she is going to be a major player in American politics for years to come is making a fortune and gaining viewership. Fox News is the merchant you can trust. Fox' growing ratings indicate that there are not only a lot of "repeat customers" but also a lot of "first time buyers," many of whom are looking for a better "product" than the one they were sold in 2008.
Just like the folks fighting Godzilla in Tokyo, the mainstream media continues to absurdly insist that it can "destroy the monster" by using the same old ineffective tactics. Joe Klein is trying to make us believe Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin are seditious even as violent pro-illegal immigration protestors throw bottles at cops and attack photographers without a peep from the mainstream media. Joe, put it back in the dog house - it's not hunting anymore.
The last thing the mainstream media needed was a real group of violent lefties like those in Arizona. It will be nearly impossible to juxtapose the Tea Partiers with them now. If they continue their Tea Party violence meme it will simply become as laughable as the anti-Palin meme is now.
Even before SB-1070, I couldn't understand how working family people from all walks of life were worse than smelly hippies throwing molotov cocktails and burning American flags during the Vietnam war days in the eyes of the mainstream media. One's man's "dissent is the highest form of patriotism" is now becoming another man's "oh crap, our hypocracy is showing." Yes, the media has been lying to us since the Tet Offensive and we're only realizing it now.
The longer the mainstream media continues to lie to us, the weaker their brand becomes. As fresh hit pieces on Sarah Palin, the Tea Party movement and conservative movement continue to hit the newstands and websites across America, the more it is becoming apparent that the mainstream media is in denial. They will be unable to destroy the monster they inadvertently created.
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