Veteran newsman Ted Koppel appeared as a special contributor to NBC’s “Rock Center” on Thursday to launch an apparent war on what he believes is “partisan ranting” masquerading as news coverage at Fox News, MSNBC and other partisan media.
I disagree with Koppel on many issues, MSNBC's afternoon and evening shows do not pretend to be news; they are pure unadulterated commentary. Faux News pretends to be news, but is also commentary. That is a major difference. One can live with both so long as there is no deception. Fixed Noise deceives. Fair and balanced it is not. News it is not.
MSNBC is open about what its shows are, and it does not invoke "fear" in its viewership with lies, incendiary rhetoric, "Egypt Caliphate conspiracy theories", nor does it have a "Michelle Malakin", whom often is spitting, seething and drooling into the camera every night.
Looking back on TV history, this type point/counter point began long ago starting with shows like "Meet the Press" "McLaughlin Group" and "60 minutes" - that showed there was an actual market for this political discussion in addition to gotcha journalism.
Blaming MSNBC for "degenerating " politics is ridiculous. Saying that it has effected the ability for Congress to do it's job is more than ridiculous. The reality is, news is a business. What people are craving now is honest news, commentary based on facts - not full of fecal matter.
There was a basic false equivalency in comparing MSNBC to Fixed News, and that difference is Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch. Anyone who has seen the documentary film "Outfoxed" knows that what Faux does differs fundamentally from how MSNBC operates.
OUTFOXED
Faux News lies and uses predetermined talking points that come from the corporate suites - the opinions on MSNBC are those of the individual commentators. Furthermore, the standards of people Koppel threw under the bus are far loftier than the hacks on Faux News. Political voices like Rachel Maddow, Ed Shultz, Rev. and Al Sharpton [MSNBC] use facts to express opinion, not political directives from on high.
The piece also made a false equivalency in trashing the many straight news journalists that are to be found on MSNBC for most of the daytime broadcasting schedule. It was unfair to people such as Chuck Todd, Tamron Hall, Thomas Roberts, Alex Witt, Andrea Mitchell and others who present straight news. You will never find Faux news minions with the same journalistic professionalism.
While MSNBC may have a liberal slant in its opinions, it does not make up crap out of whole cloth like Faux News.
NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West
