Good Morning America now consults viewers about what is news

[Iris]

Just turned it off. Good Morning America surveyed it's viewers to see what kind of reporting they want to see from Iraq. No big surprise 31% (eerily close to the Prez's approval rate) felt like they should report "more positive stories" and one woman said she wanted to see stories about how "women are not allowed to work." Huh? Did I miss something? I thought they just elected another religious government? And this helps the women how?

To top it off, before turning that crap on, I just heard a bit from Ann Garrols of NPR. It was something they recorded for the pledge drive and she was saying she cannot leave her hotel at night because it is too dangerous. Most of her information comes from her Iraqui staff who sometimes refuse to go places with her for a couple of reasons. One is it is too dangerous even for them and the other is because it is too dangerous for them if they are with a foreigner.

But, hey, forget all that. We have a government who lies to us and the press should follow suit. Right?

[rfranklin]

1. Freedom is on the march...stay the course!

Our Fearless Leader has spoken. Do not think, it only causes trouble!

[SoCalDem]

2. "Deer Good Mornin' 'Merika"...More kittens & more cooking shows

and tell us again about all the little girls with yellow pencils in Iraq & Afghanistan.. We never tire of that story..(leave out the parts where the teacher gets beheaded in front of the class and the school burned down).

[Iris]

3. yeah. too much violence on tv already.

[PA Democrat]

4. I saw that too. I thought they said that the majority of the responses

said they wanted to see more "good news". It's insane isn't it?

My reaction was that either the GOP sent out instructions for an astro-turf campaign to the media to demand more "good news", or that Americans in their guilt over supporting Bush's illegal invasion need to have something to ease their conscience. "Gee, I don't feel so bad now because lookee there, that school just got a fresh coat of paint." Morons.

I don't recall people complaining that no "good news" was being covered in the days after 9-11. A story covering a new school would have been inappropriate in the light of the tragedy of thousands dead. Iraq is seeing such tragedy on a daily basis. But apparently, we must make Americans "feel good" about their blind support for the warmongering, lying bastard occupying the White House.

[Iris]

5. They did say "the majority" but then they put up 31% as the figure for

folks who wanted more positive stories. (It's like they were spinning their own spin!)

And then that dumb ass woman with her "women can work now" crap. ARGHHH!!!!!!

When will I learn? Turn off the tv after getting the local news, weather and traffic reports!

I know NPR isn't the most popular entity around here, but I thank God it's around.

[PA Democrat]

7. I missed the 31% bit because I DID turn the TV off for a few seconds

in anger and then turned it back on out of morbid curiosity. How can they say 31% is a "majority"?

[Iris]

8. I guess our President would like to think it's a majority.

That would mean he's doing GGGGGGG-reat!

[Minnesota Libra]

6. It's always been amazing to me that "news outlets" had to........

.....ask the public what was news. Come on aren't they trained to smell out a story?? I've always been of the opinion that if the reporter and cameraman grabs the microphone and camera, leaves the office, they will find a story. It's all that diverse - who knows what we will find today - stuff that gives the American public a well rounded view of the world. Guess I shouldn't be surprised though, GMA is a tiny bit of news and a whole lot of fluff anyway.

[CTyankee]

9. This "poll" was FREEPED!

I suggest that the next time they pull this we should swallow our bile and immediately get on DU to get the word out. We have over 80,000 subscribers fer cryin out loud! This GMA deal had under a thousand responses. A small percentage of our subcribers responding could make the difference!

My antenna is up big time after this. If I smell a fix I am going to alert DUers to vote.

[Iris]

10. I think they said there were 1800 respondents.

I'm not sure if they were referring to a vote Yes or No type poll, but they also had a slew of emails and had the authors reading them on screen.

[CTyankee]

13. I called it a poll which is a misnomer

Funny how they had all those authors all videotaped and ready to roll for a survey that just took place yesterday. I think ABC knew good and well that the freepers were poised for this. Hell they might have even given the freeps a heads up.

We must respond to this stuff and respond early so we too can be on TV.

[Iris]

14. I'm considering writing them a letter to tell them I won't be watching

their program anymore. I just can't stomach it.

And Charlie Gibson - it just makes me so sad that this is what he's doing at the end of his career. Diane Sawyer, too, for that matter.

on edit - although I didn't come up with a theory about what this was all about, I did smell bullshit. But that seems to be the predominant scent when it comes to pop culture/mass media these days!

[PA Democrat]

17. I just sent them this:

I was so deeply disturbed by your coverage of viewers’ demands for more “good news” from Iraq that I felt compelled to write.

I was opposed to the invasion of Iraq from the start. For more than 3 years now, I have watched in horror and with heartbreak the mounting death toll and casualties of our troops and of Iraqi civilians. War should always be a last resort, and I was appalled back in late 2002 and early 2003 by the cavalier attitudes of many Americans concerning the pending invasion of Iraq. I have also been appalled by the fact that most Americans have been required to sacrifice absolutely nothing for this war effort.

And now, when more and more information is revealed as to how the Bush administration intentionally deceived Americans about the cost of this war, about the WMD’s and the ties between al Qaeda and Iraq, Americans are apparently a little bit uncomfortable with the images of what their blind support for the Bush administration’s lust for war has wrought. Now, with the daily images of deadly sectarian violence resulting in thousands of senseless deaths, Americans want their sense of guilt assuaged.

Why are YOU, the supposed fourth estate so eager to shield Americans from the truth? Why do you feel Americans should not be shown the deadly impact of their blind complacency, their lack of intellectual curiosity in the hysterical lead-up to the invasion of Iraq? All over the world, other media outlets depict much more gruesome images than what we Americans are seeing. The American media looks like nothing more than an arm of the Bush White House in the light of the accessibility of other sources of news.

I doubt I will have the stomach to watch much more of your coverage in the future. By shielding Americans from the truth of the impact of this war of choice, you are condemning this country to repeat such a shameful endeavor.

[Iris]

26. Excellent.

Did you see the bit about the email an ABC News exec wrote about Bush? I think that explains where this crap came from.

[Ufomammut]

11. The powers that be realize all too well....

That a large percentage of that docile, uncritical mass of obedient, ever-conforming chauvinists watch that type of sensationalistic mouth-breather shit and actually buy into the half-baked notion that it's factual "news."

It also reaches a large mass of those "on the fence," as it were, who are likewise appallingly uninformed and apparently lacking an instinctual sense of understanding that they're being conned on a massive scale, and who often hold views that can change as easily as the wind blows i.e. as they're "instructed" to "think" and "feel" about an issue.

Lastly, those type of "morning news" shows reach a huge percentage of older Americans. Even though there are those who wised up through experiencing all they did throughout their lives - in relation to knowing their government's true colors - there are still many who, since their formative mindset was so powerfully shaped during a time of more steadfast nationalism, are unwilling or incapable of facing the ugly truth about their favored state - the "it can't happen here" crowd that prefers to tune out reality (pessimism) by choosing to adhere to "business as usual" unreality.

[Iris]

12. "appallingly uninformed"

This is the reaction I seem to be having over and over. What scares me is I'm almost becoming accepting of it - as in "They can't help it that they are so uninformed."

[CTyankee]

15. You don't believe that this was a freeper deal all along?

I just smell a rat here. Those responders were just waiting to go, with their talking points all spelled out for them. The schools, rights of women, etc, were are orchestrated points.

Don't you find this a bit suspicious when the prez is going around the country trying to bolster support for the war and that woman in his audience stood up and decried the fact that the public doesn't hear enough positive stuff out of Iraq?

[Iris]

16. I don't know. I mean, I do run into people who really don't know anything

that's going on in this country or elsewhere. In which case, they would be perfect fodder for spewing talking points, so maybe you're right. I guess GMA is trying to justify its ridiculous programming.

[CTyankee]

18. To me, it doesn't make sense that someone so uninformed

would take the time or trouble to participate in this survey in the firs place. They would just ignore it and go on about their business.

The freepers are not "uninformed." They are "misinformed" or informed with lies which they eagerly lap up. These are, in my opinion, the ones most likely to make a response like what we've heard. Similarly, there were other opinions strongly opposing, our side, equally passionate.

I just think the RW had this thing all planned out. It was another Rove deal. I just wonder if Gibson and Sawyer were aware of it. Maybe the ABC News department has a freeper mole in it, one who suggested the survey and had the freepers all lined up and ready to pounce.

[Iris]

19. Ok. I hate to say this because it sound elitist

but honestly, I think people who react like this are often immature and are not critical thinkers at all. They react emotionally without evaluating all sides of an issue. That's why FOX News is right up their alley.

[CTyankee]

20. To me, they are RWers who all along know what they're doing

and they are following instructions from the RW to say what they want them to. That's my interpretation of what's going on.

I dunno. This is just what I think is going on (and I've seen too much of Karl Rove stuff to believe some things...)...

[Iris]

21. I think they are ignorant and that's what allows them to be led around by

the nose by Rightwingers. They will not think. As Janine Garofolo said last night, books make them angry and afraid. They don't question anything. They simply react like small children, wishing the world was as simplistic and black and white as their little brains. No good stories in Iraq? Who cares? Make them up because it will make me "feel better".

[Ufomammut]

22. The great irony of this is...

How the propaganda machine instructs them to use this as one of the chief talking points: liberals rely on emotion in determining their views, while repugs rely on logic and facts.

The opposite of that is much closer to the truth. The righty movement is based in psychological projection.

[Iris]

24. absolutely.

I actually had that thought when I wrote the last post. It's maddening to me. You simply cannot argue with that sort of obtuseness.

[Ufomammut]

28. Very true - nigh impossible to even begin a debate with....

People whose every assumption of what's going on is incorrect. An absurd situation, to be sure. Auh...the complicated futility of ignorance.

[CTyankee]

23. I agree with your assessment of some of the RW

They just kinda go along the way you describe them. But there's the vicious thugs also.

[Iris]

25. oh, yes! The vicious thugs are necessary

to lead the others by their noses!

[Ufomammut]

27. It's due to the movement being grounded in psych-projection...

It provides a culturally justifiable subtext for the racists, sexists and haters. Imagine all of the petty divisions and prejudices people have, and how it's become largely unacceptable to espouse those views directly. Well, with that, there need be cultural sublimation and euphemistic terms/language to channel it, and that is basically the repug platform; the thinly veiled "family values" hatred appeals to many of those indispensable, free-floating anxieties and hostilities that subsist through ignorance ...as in, lack of knowledge, and more crucial, refusal of internalizing knowledge, while cloaking the venom in pseudo-virtuous rhetoric that won't sound offensive.