The P.U.-Lizter prizes are out.

December 31, 2003 12:45 AM

The P.U.-Lizter prizes are out. Also, Geov Parrish's media follies.
posted by skallas (12 comments total)

P.U. indeed:

"As usual, I have conferred with Jeff Cohen, founder of the media watch group FAIR"

Well, at least you know it is going to be a completely nonpartisan, well reasoned list...
posted by Schnauzer at 1:57 AM on December 31, 2003

And in the interest of "fair & balanced" reporting here at MeFi, a similar link from the other side of the political spectrum: Media Research Center's "The Lows of 2003"
posted by davidmsc at 3:40 AM on December 31, 2003

The day Brent Bozell represents anything attached to either fair or balanced I'll see little piggies in flight. The Bozo.

Besides, contrary to what FAUX News says the reportig of news should never be "fair and balanced" but objective and factual.

I suppose it was too little or too late for George Will to make this list along with Stossel for receiving kickbacks while publically supporting a person/cause as a "journalist."
posted by nofundy at 4:35 AM on December 31, 2003

"Faux News." Clever.
posted by davidmsc at 6:21 AM on December 31, 2003

I always hated Clear Channel radio and the banal programming, idiot morning shows, the overplay killing classic songs and pimping bad new ones. I always figured maybe it was just me and it was a matter of popular taste winning out. But the attitude of Lowry Mays shows that the suckage is on purpose. I truly hate that company and what it's done to music and radio.
posted by jonmc at 6:29 AM on December 31, 2003

Ha. From the "WorkingForChange" link:

The U.S. remains the biggest terrorist nation in the world.

And the idiots that run that site wonder why the stories that they claim are "under-reported" are just so under-reported...maybe it's because they're so full of crap and wishful thinking and so little truth or justice.
posted by davidmsc at 7:16 AM on December 31, 2003

Well, at least you know it is going to be a completely nonpartisan, well reasoned list...

And in the interest of "fair & balanced" reporting here at MeFi, a similar link from the other side of the political spectrum: Media Research Center's...

Bzzzzzt. Oh dear, the bullshit alarm went off.

FAIR: Criticizes right-wing media, which encompasses most news programs. Openly Progressive organization against censorship and media conglomeration and consolidation of media. Supports press diversity and promotion of contrasting and alternative viewpoints.

MRC: Criticizes "the liberal media," which includes all news programs, network sitcoms, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Openly Conservative organization against liberals. Promotes censorship and the vilification of any media endorsing homosexuality. Run by a man who lost a libel lawsuit from a professional wrestling owner.

FAIR notes "progressivism" in its mission statement, wheras your alleged "similar" organization notes a blatant conservative objective no less than nine times.

FAIR leans left? Indeed. MRC leans right? Oh, lord yes. Their partisanship, or for that matter credibility, is equal? Horse. Shit. Sorry, boys, but you don't get to equate progressive groups to Right-Wing fanatics just because you feel like it.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 8:23 AM on December 31, 2003

That's a good chance to re-re-reintroduce you guys to Logical Fallacies.

One example:
The U.S. remains the biggest terrorist nation in the world I beg you pardon ?

Definition of nation according to Webster:
a community of people composed of one or more nationalities and possessing a more or less defined territory and government

Definition of nationality :
a legal relationship involving allegiance on the part of an individual and usually protection on the part of the state

So if the definitions above are accepted as true, we can see that :
1) if you are a citizen of U.S.A
2) you therefore have some kind of legal relationship (citizenship) with the State of U.S.A and
3)if U.S.A. is a terrorist nation ( a community of terrorists)
4) then all the participants of the nation are terrorist
5) so you too are a terrorist my dear citizen

It's the same as saying

1) This Herd is evil for some reason
2) given that you're a part of this herd
3) therefore you're evil

But being part of a herd is not the cause of being evil so it doesn't qualify you as evil, unless it is proved that every member of the herd is evil (quite a difficult thing to prove)

It's like saying all palestinian or iraquis or muslism faith believers are terrorists : self-serving propaganda hate-mongering statement which is at least very very unlikely to be true, more likely to be a logical fallacy.
posted by elpapacito at 9:22 AM on December 31, 2003

Anybody want to talk about the content of the link, rather than the source? Can you believe Tom Brokaw said that?
posted by sudama at 9:33 AM on December 31, 2003

elpapacito, from your own link:

The logical fallacy of division ascribes properties of a whole thing to its parts. Below are two examples of this:

This chemical compound is green, therefore all of its atoms are green.
America has a high per capita income, therefore everyone there is rich.

A nation can be a terrorist nation if its actions as a nation, with respect to other nations include terrorism, even if the citizens of that nation severally are ignorant of or do not knowingly condone those actions. Nations act upon the world stage as nations, through the offices of their governments -- the existence of noncomplicit citizens has no bearing on the characterization if they don't influence the actions on which the characterization is based.
posted by George_Spiggott at 11:47 AM on December 31, 2003

"The Lows of 2003" link (posted by DavidMSC above) takes a potshot at Bill Moyers' editorial on wearing flag lapel pins. I agreed with Moyers' thinking and invite others to read it--not just the out of context clip cited.
posted by ahimsakid at 11:57 AM on December 31, 2003

george_spiggot: A nation can be a terrorist nation if its actions as a nation, with respect to other nations include terrorism, even if the citizens of that nation severally are ignorant of or do not knowingly condone those actions.

Exactly. I love the doublethink many Westerners hold.

1. All/most arabs want to kill us, look at their terrorist governments.

While holding this belief:

2. Their government is controlled by a dictator(s) who do not heed the will of the people.
posted by skallas at 2:11 AM on January 2, 2004