4 Networks Reject Ad Opposing Bush on Lawsuits (NYT)

[truthpusher]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/01/national/01ads.html

4 Networks Reject Ad Opposing Bush on Lawsuits
By ROBERT PEAR

Published: February 1, 2005

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 - An advocacy group, USAction, said on Monday that four television networks had turned down its request to run an advertisement opposing President Bush's effort to clamp down on medical malpractice lawsuits.

The group wanted to run the spots just before Mr. Bush's State of the Union address on Wednesday. But networks said the advertisement violated their standards for advertising on controversial issues.

The NBC Universal Television Network, owned by General Electric, told the group, "We are sorry that we cannot accept your ad based on our network policy regarding controversial issue advertising."

As a general rule, the policy says, "time will not be sold on NBC Network facilities for the presentation of views on controversial issues." The policy does not apply to candidates for public office in election years.

ABC, CBS and the Fox Broadcasting Company said they had also turned down the advertisement.

complete story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/01/national/01ads.html

[BayCityProgressive]

1. surprise surprise

[The Zanti Regent]

26. Ah, the "liberal media" strikes again!

with it's inherent right wing bullshit!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

32. Ah yup!

So they own the airwaves, control everything. Ahhh.... big deal.

[Fleshdancer]

2. and they wonder why we don't watch them anymore

:wow:

They just don't care anymore, do they? And to think that freepers still call it "liberal" media. Absolutely amazing.

[Jawja]

27. And I remember that they

had no problem running ads opposing Clinton's health care plan.

Remember them? The propaganda piece where a couple were complaining because they could no longer choose their doctor?

[hvn_nbr_2]

38. A very good point

Yes, I remember that. And it's a good point to mention when complaining to them.

[Eric J in MN]

3. I wonder if they will run pro-Bush tort ads, or will those be

too controversial as well.

[w4rma]

12. Their pundits spend all day promoting pro-Bush BS. (nt)

[Sterling]

64. Well that is why it is controversial!!!!

See how that works.

[daleo]

20. Network TV is one long pro-conservative ad, really.

I have often thought a lot of advertising doesn't really make sense from the point of view of selling products. But nearly every ad and nearly every show sells the status quo on a political and economic level (there may be exceptions, although I can't think of any). The fact that time can't even be purchased for alternative viewpoints supports the position.

[demo dutch]

54. If that happens I would hope that USAction takes the networks

to court. Unfortunately that will cost a lot of money!

[Emboldened Chimp]

56. Read the last line of the article....

(snip)

Business groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers and the United States Chamber of Commerce, plan media and lobbying campaigns in support of Mr. Bush's proposals on civil litigation.

[paineinthearse]

4. Didn't I see TV commercials for *'s prescription drug "reform" plan????

or am I hallucinating again?? :crazy:

[Gloria]

5. Are these the same networks who ran the "Harry and Louise"

ads during the Clinton healthcare years??

[TahitiNut]

18. Exactly! Hypocritcal sycophantic corporate whores!

:grr:

[sally343434]

6. Of course

Of course they fail to mention that through their repetative playing of the statements eminating from Bush or his surrogates and paid pundits, they are "advertising" the lies without any opposing view at all. And, it's free! (Except for the paltry "campaign contributions" GE, Viacom, et al put into the slot machine named Bush that ALWAYS pays off BIG!)

[cosmicdot]

7. "CNN plans to run the advertisement." - freedom's on the march

maybe it'll catch on

thank goodness we have that sovereign entity, GE, to protect our Founding Principles and us ... er, Bu$h**

/sarcasm off

[NewJeffCT]

33. so, all of 12 people will see it on CNN

isn't GE one of the companies that sold arms to Hitler in the 30s?

[Rockerdem]

8. Whats so "controversial"?

To most Americans, its kind of boring, arcane inside baseball legal stuff. If they ran the ads, they might learn something and stop drooling.

[Eric J in MN]

17. Good point. The idea that we DON'T need a new law

is supposedly "controversial."

[ClintonTyree]

52. God forbid that the America public be made aware.................

of generalisimo bush's bullshit. Not that they'd pay attention anyway. A good, alarmist "catastrophe" like Social Securities' supposed "death rattle" is ALWAYS more interesting than the TRUE FACTS! Why would the dumb shit Joe Sixpack family want to listen to some boring facts, anyway? MY GOD, SOCIAL SECURITY IS COLLAPSING, SOCIAL SECURITY IS COLLAPSING! That's all the nitwits will hear, because that's all bush WANTS them to hear. The same damn thing that happened with the invasion of Iraq. The same damn thing that happened whenever there was unflattering news about bushco. TERRA' ALERT, 'TERRA ALERT!
Same old, same old.

[Erika]

9. The New Pravda

It is controversial to go against the GOP president. They will be silent. Corporatism/Bush/Facsism rules the U.S., and they know which side of the fence their paychecks were written.

[reprobate]

10. Not pravda. In America it's called "State Media".

[AP]

11. The revolution will not be televised. They won't report the truth and they

won't even let you buy 30 seconds to get anything across to the public that might challenge the corporate hegemony.

[They_LIHOP]

13. SUE ALL THEIR F*#%@G A$$E$ RIGHT NOW...

GOD I AM SO F*%@#*(%+)(&*^)@*#& SICK OF THIS CRAP!!!

SUE THEM ALL RIGHT NOW BEFORE THE 'PUKES GO NEW-QUE-LER AND FINISH TAKING OVER THE LAST BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT THAT STILL GIVES A RATSASS ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION OR THE INTENTIONS OF THE FOREFATHERS, THAT BEING THE JUDICIAL. THUS REMOVE THE LAST CHECK/BALANCE, THE VERY LAST VESTIGE, THE VERY LAST SEMBLANCE OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY.

SUE THEM WHILE YOU STILL HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO SUE CORPORATIONS TO BEGIN WITH, AND THUS WHILE THERE ARE STILL TRIAL LAWYERS TO GIVE MONEY TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY (NOT THAT MANY OF THEM ARE ANYTHING MUCH MORE THAN ENABLERS AND CO-CONSPIRATORS - KUCINICH, FEINGOLD, BOXER, LEE, MCKINNEY, DEAN, CLARK, BYRD, KENNEDY AND A PRECIOUS FEW OTHERS NOTWITHSTANDING).

SUE THEM BEFORE GONZALES THE DICTATORSHIP-LOVING, TORTURE-ENABLING SICKF*CK TAKES OFFICE, LABELS AS 'TERRORISTS' AND BEGINS TO 'DISAPPEAR' AND TORTURE ANY PERSON (OR MEMBER OF ANY ENTITY) WHO SPEAKS OUT AGAINST CHIMPY'S CRIMINAL CABAL.

SUE THEM BEFORE THE US ECONOMY COLLAPSES UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE DEBT INCURRED BY CHIMP, AND HIS LACKEYS IN CONGRESS, IN THE FORM OF WARS AND TAX CUTS TO HIS CORPORATE SPONSORS... THUS LEAVING THE UBER-RICH AS THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN AFFORD TO KEEP THE LIGHTS AND HEAT ON, THERE IS A CITIZENS REVOLT, AND THE INSURECTION IS PUT DOWN BY THE UNLEASING OF A GENOTYPE SPECIFIC, BIO-TERROR VERSION OF SMALLPOX OR BIRD FLU. AN OUTBREAK THAT ENABLES THE REGIME TO FORMALLY SUSPEND THE (ALREADY TATTERED) BILL OF RIGHTS, INSTITUTE MARTIAL LAW, AND LEGALLY CONFISCATE ANYTHING THEY WANT FROM ANYBODY THEY DECIDE IS 'SICK'.

Yeah. O, this is soooooome DEMOCRACY we have. Some CONSTITUTION we have. Such FREEDOM and LIBERTY we have. So much, in fact, that we are paying our Rulers to export ours for us ... we have such a plethora!

F@#% YOU BUSH
F@#% YOU DICK(HEAD)
F@#% YOU GONZALES
F@#% YOU CONDI
F@#% YOU POWELL
F@#% YOU PNAC
F@#% YOU SCAIFE/HOLLINGER/MURDOCH AND THE REST OF THE VRWC
F@#% YOU FAUX
F@#% YOU ABC
F@#% YOU NBC
F@#% YOU CBS
F@#% YOU CNN
F@#% YOU MSRNC
F@#% YOU NY TIMES YOU SELLOUTS
F@#% YOU WASHINGTON POST YOU SELLOUTS
F@#% YOU F@#% YOU F@#% YOU.

There, I just had to vent real quick! That is all. Thank you for your time.

[Erika]

15. I totally agree with your anger

and will send another $100.00 to the ACLU. But we're fighting an uphill battle. Freeper/Bush supporters want no, I should say demand no opposing press to W. There will be His word or there will be silence. Corportism/Bush/Fascism tactics back them completely.

[ktowntennesseedem]

41. Thank God for the Caps-Lock button!

Seriously, I agree entirely, they make me sick with anger. I don't know how we move beyond it, or better let it motivate and energize us, without that anger controlling us and weakening us further. We have to find someway to remain proactive, and not merely reactive to every stupid and evil thing those in power do and will undoubtedly continue to do.

Thanks for the vent; you actually vented for many of us!

[JohnCanada]

57. Free speech

You seem to like free speech. Why not extend that to the networks? They should be free to speak or not to speak. Remove their right and you remove yours.

[tabasco]

67. Get back to Fox News.

I think you've had enough free specch here at DU.

I suppose it's ok with you that the public airwaves are being used to further only one viewpoint. Democracy and free speech rely on a "marketplace of ideas." How does the public hear different viewpoints if the airwaves are used to broadcast only one side?

You sound like the type that would have fully approved of and listened to Pravda with great satisfaction. You would have made a good communist and you will make a fine little fascist.

[JohnCanada]

76. What's Fox News?

I live in Canada. Is Fox News a TV thing?

[annabanana]

70. Corporations are not people, twit.......eom

[oasis]

14. Bushland Uber Alles

[Erika]

16. Bush is the fringe Oberman

and they will silence you if you disagree.

[SoCalDem]

19. Running ads for things that will KILL you, or make you FAT is OK

and showing, uninterrupted PROPAGANDA from the horse's ass mouth is Okie Dokie.. Never mind that the proposals he is spewing are total lies.... And yet they see no problem with refusing contrary commentary..

Their comment about "election years" is rich too.. This IDIOT we have squatting in the white house never STOPS campaigning. He has yet to actually settle in and do the work he's paid to do.. All he has done since DAY ONE is campaign (on OUR tax money) to support vile people who just want to steal our money ...and to campaign for programs that will impoverish our people and perhaps even kill them..

[Sandpiper]

21. The end result of Corporatization of the U.S. Media

Damn right the networks don't want the public informed about the corporate bullet proofing plan known as "tort reform."

Their parent companies are some of its biggest supporters.

[Liberty Belle]

22. Someone sue the networks, please. This is barring free speech.

All, media blast the networks with calls and e-mails complaining about this policy. Go to the media group in DU and you'll find the national media list, for any newcomers who haven't yet discovered this handy tool. Just cut and past 30 or less into your e-mail at a time, and send them your thoughts!

As someone who once tried to sue a doctor for malpractice, I can tell you that it's already very difficult. In CA, if you don't have money, you can't even file a suit because you have to pay thousands of dollars up front to expert witnesses to attest that malpractice occurred before the court will even hear the case.

I didn't have enough money to pay two witnesses (ten grand), so the anesthesiologist who cut my mouth open to the bone, gave me a bone infection in my jaw, caused me to undergo needless oral surgery and caused my teeth to shift and become crooked, got off scott free.

[aikido15]

24. Good idea...

Action, it's our only defense...let's blast them!

Also, if you haven't done so, sign up for e-mail action alerts with Media Matters for America. They slam the GOP with their own words and then we all take action against O'Reilly and the rest of the talking heads. Check it out, David Brock is brilliant!

www.mediamatters.org

[truthpusher]

25. some folk's don't think so. n/t

[toymachines]

47. yes because our medical system is so perfected...

what do you expect now a days.

[CAcyclist]

69. You can still complain to the medical board

even if you don't sue

[GoBlue]

23. BU**SH** strikes again

"We are sorry that we cannot accept your ad based on our network policy regarding controversial issue advertising."

Unless of course the ad reflects their viewpoint.

[ClintonTyree]

53. Then half of the commercials they run should be banned.............

"I'm lovin' it"....McDonalds freaking poison has stupefied an entire generation of Americans. Beer Commercials...tell you to "drink responsibly" all the while telling you that if you consume great quantities of THEIR beer, you'll be popular, have sexy women falling all over you and be on the road to fame and fortune! Drive a HEMI DODGE, or a HUMMER! Fill the entire atmosphere with hydrocarbons......destroy the entire planet, c'mon, it'll be FUN!

ALL of these are controversial, but in THEIR opinion, not controversial enough, it's CAPITALISM! It's FREE TRADE!

Lying fucks....I really don't know what to do. Just pack up and leave the country I love I guess, because of what one bunch of selfish, demented, money grabbing, misanthropes is doing to it. I really don't think it can be saved anymore. I used to think so, but now I think they've fucked things up SOOOO bad it's impossible to reverse what they've destroyed.

[dusty64]

28. So chimpo can use the sutu

to spread more lies and propaganda unchecked and unopposed. You really would have to be braindead not to see the complete and utter takeover of the media by the rethug party and their corporate masters.

[Desert Liberal]

62. Then half of this once-great country is...

...irretrievably brain-dead. If it is not on Faux News, it didn't happen; at least that is what they want us to believe. Our country is screwed and still no one wants to listen. The apathy is galling in the extreme.
To They_LIHOP: Thank you! We all needed that!

[The Backlash Cometh]

29. This is an oddly written rule or interpretation. Are we still America?

But I think we're getting closer to revealing the problem in this country. The media has been taken over. We need a free media.

[0007]

65. One time we were the government. That has been taken away

from us to protect us from evil. . "We the People for the People by the People" are long gone.

We are now in a Police State

[Q]

30. Free Speech for Me but not for Thee...

...welcome to Bush's America and fascism.

[KurtNYC]

31. American Television is mass hypnosis

On this issue, the hypnotist says "you see a litigation crisis before you, see how bad it is, it is getting worse..."

And just like a hypnotist, it doesn't want someone standing up in the middle of it's act to shout "Wake up and see the truth!"

[Julius Civitatus]

34. Time to bring back the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE

Seriously, self-regulation does NOT work for the media. They have become governmental sycopants willing to even trump over free market demands to deny access to oppossing voices.

They behave to serve power, nothing more. No wonder people don't trust them.

Next time they bring the old chestnut of "let the free market decide," we should remind them of this example. This is outrageous. We need to bring back the Fairness Doctrine, pronto!

[hoosierblue]

35. I always thought that

if an issue was controversial that made it MORE LIKELY to get on the news. Silly, naive me.

What is the world coming to? We allow our government to BUY journalists to be walking propaganda, but our news organizations won't allow the people to buy time on TV to express their opinion.

I hate the MSM.

[Supersedeas]

36. Defining controversial while using public airways - Liberal Agenda Again

[AlGore-08.com]

37. The ad includes my friend Dylan, talking about his late son, Ian

Who suffered severe brain damage due to Christine (Ian's mom) being given a drug that was not supposed to be used on pregnant women - - while she was in labor.

Ian passed away last spring at the age of 4 1/2.



Folks might remember Ian from the 2000 Presidential campaign. Gore often talked about him, and how the Malones' insurance company would not pay for Ian's coverage, instead telling them that they should put Ian up for adoption and have the state pay for it. What Gore never talked about is the fact that the insurance company only agreed to pay for the coverage because Gore publicly challenged them to do so, and kept the heat on them in the press.

Ian's story is here:

http://www.babyian.com/story.html

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

39. They won't advertise on controversial issues?

So the little blue pill that lets me fuck like a fucking madman (but might kill me from a heart attack) isn't controversial enough?

Fuckity fuck-fuck. Maybe this country needs a little more controversy.

[itzamirakul]

44. As angry as I am about this new pot of bs,

the "fuckity fuck-fuck" made me laugh. I feel the exact same way.

We have to get busy with another write-in campaign. I am starting right now to the stations that turned down the ads. Who knows what good it will do anyone other than me to vent my anger and disgust with their ruling, but at least someone there will know that one person thinks they are a bunch of corrupt bullshitters using our public airwaves for their own enrichment and nothing else.

[Jon8503]

48. Hey aren't the fuckity fuck-fuck pills controversial and they advertise

them don't they.

[JerseygirlCT]

40. What the heck happened to public airwaves?

it seems to me that the whole idea was that these airwaves belonged to the people, and the corporations held them in trust, with the responsiblity to further public discourse.

I don't even see any pretense of that anymore.

[tom_paine]

42. What a delicious and Soviet-style charade!

I would be laughing at the fools except I live here and they are the fools who rule us all and who will finally .

We will not air controversial ads, unless they are State Supported Ads (such as the marijuana-terrorist connection)

I'd laugh, but Imperial Amerika and it's Slavish Subjects (inclusing me, I am sorry to say) are about to get the kind of government and society it deserves.

[liberal N proud]

43. controversial issues by who's terms?

:wtf:

[tousiswritten]

46. Adjust MSM bottom line

Advertizers keep MSM on the air and we keep sponcers of propanda in busness or not,we do have power.

[thinkingwoman]

45. It's time to abandon the media

Direct mail is the way to go. That's how the repukes built their empire and the Dems have to do the same.

Dems should supplement their direct mail efforts with a continued strong email, blog, and web presence. That's the direct mail of the next generation.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

49. FACISM, FACISM, FACISM!!!

We need to organize a Dixie Chicks Style Boycott of the big networks! I for one will NOT be watching T.V anymore!

:grr:

[Liberty Belle]

50. Action Plan: How to Stop Bias & Make Networks Run the Ads

HOW TO GET THE NETWORKS TO RUN THE ADS & STOP RIGHT-WING BIAS

1. Massive sell-off of stocks by DEMs and any group who objects to this censorship of ads and bias in reporting. Also a boycott of all products made by the parent companies, including Disney merchandise, Disney theme parks, GE appliances and lightbulbs, , 20th Century Fox movies, and whatever Viacom owns.
(Since CNN is running the ad, we should also write to thank them--and continue buying Time Magazine and other AOL/Time products for the moment).

2. Tell them why you're selling/boycotting. Don't use the form-letter email online. Go to the parent company's corporate site and e-mail the CFO or whoever is in charge of investor relations--and the PR or media contact. The latter will hate the negative publicity; the former will shudder at the prospect of angry shareholders.

3. Extend the protest/boycott to the companies' biggest advertisers, starting with the newscast advertisers. (Can someone who watches MSM start a list, please?)

3. Wait for stock prices to drop, like Sinclair's did.

4. Get a group of stockholders to raise hell at the next stockholders' meeting, accusing the networks and their parent companies of negatively impacting shareholder values through their bad policies.

5. Find a lawyer to file shareholder lawsuits against every network and cable station that won't change its policies.


If you agree, kick this thread.

[morffin]

51. I guess the Swift Boat Scum were not contrv.

It's official........the Neocons own the media......3 branches of Govt...... and the voting machines.......NIce Democracy we got going here.

[Corgigal]

55. ran those Vioxx commercials

didn't they? You would think an unsafe drug that kills people would be, at least, controversial.

Maybe they can be sued in the class action because running the commercials gave the pharms an air of creditability.

[Emillereid]

58. Well any ad promoting the Chimp and his policies are plenty

controversial in my book and I haven't seen the networks showing any concern for my sensibilities! In fact, Bush giving the state of the union is completely disgusting! These networks should just be honest and rename themselves -- Bush Propaganda Network 1, 2, 3, 4!

[oneold1-4u]

59. When one wants to take over ---

everyone and everything, then one of the first things is control of communication. Media will accept money, bribes, or ransom. They want breaking news from Washington every day, so the payback is not to allow any opposition or any person, even with truth, to get any space detrimental to the Washington Regime! The tsunami almost did a job on the Regime, because they didn't have it in their plans and everything got out of control, including bush with a paltry money mouth!

[chomskysright]

60. GE who's who list here...

NBC

Robert C. Wright
Vice Chairman of the Board
& Executive Officer,
General Electric Company; and
Chairman & Chief Executive
Officer, National Broadcasting
Company, Inc.


Lynn A. Calpeter
Executive Vice President &
Chief Financial Officer

Dick Ebersol
Chairman, NBC Sports &
NBC Olympics

Randel A. Falco
Group President, NBC
Television Network


Brandon Burgess
Executive Vice President,
Business Development

John W. Eck
Vice President, NBC
Broadcast & Network
Operations and Vice
President, Integration
Planning

James McNamara
President & CEO,
Telemundo

H. David Overbeeke
Executive Vice President
& Chief Information
Officer

Keith G. Turner
President, Sales &
Marketing

David M. Zaslav
President, NBC Cable


James W. Ireland III
President, NBC and
Telemundo Television
Stations

Marc J. Saperstein
Senior Executive Vice
President, Human
Resources and
Communications


Patricia A. Steele
Executive Vice President,
Communications

Eileen G. Whelley
Executive Vice President,
Human Resources


Lawrence P. Tu
Executive Vice President &
General Counsel

Jeffrey A. Zucker
President, NBC
Entertainment, News and
Cable Group


Neal B. Shapiro
President, NBC News

Pamela A. Thomas-Graham
President, CNBC

[David Zephyr]

61. No Surprise. The Networks ONLY Run Tax-Funded White House Advocacy Ads

Silly people. Only George Bush's White House gets to run political ads with charlatan "commentators" and "journalists" paid with our tax dollars.

After all, a network must have standards, right?

[Dr Fate]

63. Are they refusing live Kerry, Obama, Kennedy & Hillary interviews?

That could spread the exact same talking points- as well as ask the question-"Why are you refusing those ads- but played swiftboat lies?"

[Megahurtz]

66. GRRRR!!!.....AAARRRRRRGGHH!!!!!!!!!

:mad:
:argh:

[V Lee]

68. Wait a minute ...

They won't accept ads that deal with "controversial issues," but they'll run news reports about "controversial issues" all day long if it'll help them in the ratings?

Am I missing something?

[adarling]

71. not at all

they are obvious about everything. Mainly cause no one will call them out on it. Ever since that stupid report, that is probably true that CBS did, no one in the media will step up.

[lawladyprof]

72. Just ran on CNN--powerful

Wish Kerry had run some like it. And I remember thinking that and pleading with the Kerry campaign to do so (specifically pointed out a similar Florida ad).

[Supersedeas]

74. so was it soooooo controversial that the sensitive ears of FOX viewers

couldn't hear for fear of causing riots.

[teryang]

73. Constitutional right of access to courts "too controversial?"

Yeah, it's revolutionary. Only corporations will be allowed to use the courts in fascist neo-con land.

[janetle]

75. The person in the ad is from my community...

OMG, yesterday when I saw this entry, I did not realize what the ad was but a story in my local paper tells about it.

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/02/02/100loc_malone001.cfm

I have known who this person is for quite some time. His son was tragically injured at birth by medical mistakes. Finally, at age four, his child died--not too long ago. He has been a remarkable and passionate advocate for health care and victims' rights since. This is the real deal folks--no actors here.

It pisses me off that the networks refuse to run the ads but yet they allow Laura Bush on the Today Show yesterday, ostensibly to talk about women's heart health--but guess what?? She managed to get a gigantic plug in for the Social Security Plan.

How in the world can we fight these people???