CNN Objective?

I was watching an interview on Julie Menin's 'Give and Take' with CNN's prime time news journalist, Campbell Brown, today. During the interview she patted both herself and her network on the back for being, "the only one still doing Journalism." Campbell, who used to work for NBC, is relatively new to CNN with her show, "No Bias, No Bull." During the course of the interview, she states, "Fox has made a choice to go in one direction, MSNBC has made a choice to go in the other direction... I mean, there are a lot of people who want to be in an eco-chamber, and want their views validated. And you see that, with Fox and MSNBC, they have an automatic punching bag, if you will." Okay, so Ms. Brown is going to claim that CNN is the only network doing fair and balanced Journalism. She expresses her disappointment at the lack of competition in legitimate news broadcasting today. That's a pretty hefty claim to make and it deserves a bit of carcass picking. Okay let's look at Fox first.

Liberals, for the most part, don't watch Fox. As a conservative, I hear continual groans and see eyes roll as soon as I bring up anything about Fox news. But the reality is, I don't limit myself only to Fox. I enjoy it, yes. I enjoy hearing intelligent debate about the issues that matter. I enjoy hearing people like Megyn Kelly debate with democrats like Alan Colmes and Juan Davis. In a world that's gone so far left the pendulum may have broken, I still enjoy hearing my views validated from time to time. I also find Hannity entertaining, and Glenn Beck dares to report on things you wouldn't hear anywhere else. But even in reference to the blatant stark often-confrontational opinions of Hannity and Beck, I think the little digs I hear everyday about the GOP and its members on non-news related shows, like The View and David Letterman, in the grand scheme of things Hannity and Beck balance things out a bit.

But I also watch CNN, because I wouldn't respect my own viewpoint anymore than someone who gets their news solely from Larry King if I limited myself to Fox. I would argue, however, that liberals who attack Fox news regularly, haven't watched very much news on the network. With the exception of the prime time talk radio shows (like Hannity and Beck) the majority of Fox news reporting is decidedly fair and balanced. When a hot new political issue arises, there are almost always both Democrat and Republican commentators on the show, engaging in thoughtful if sometimes heated debate with each other. Whenever you hear criticism of Fox news, one of the first names you hear is Bill O'Reilly, who over the years has painted himself as a squawking ring-wing bully, synonymous with names like Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. But I don't know if old age has mellowed old Billy out a bit or if he's just gotten a lot out of his system over all these years, but his show is now one of the most fair talk radio shows on television today, and I believe his ratings are a testament to that. Mr. O'Reilly doesn't hesitate to criticize conservatives, nor does he hold back praise for our president or his administration where it's due. I think his interviews with Obama during the campaign were very straightforward and fair. He didn't ask loaded questions, he didn't attack or bully. But he also didn't give him a free ride, asking him questions about what it feels like to be a celebrity or his pick for the NBA playoffs.

If Campbell Brown is going to claim that CNN is the only network still doing Journalism, then I would like to look at the word choice of some commentary that made me scratch my head on CNN.com today. CNN State Department Producer, Elise Labott, wrote an article entitled, "Analysis: Clinton to North Korea- A matter of respect." This is one of many articles on the subject that give a partisan representation of current events.The article praises Clinton's continuation of diplomacy that began during his administration in the 90's, "That's what Bill Clinton's visit gave North Korea; a level of respect the North Korean state so desperately craves but rarely gets." Wait... what?!

First of all, what respect does Kim Jung iI deserve? A power crazed amoral dictator who oppresses his own people by denying them simple rights that we Americans enjoy every day. So let me get this straight. This crazy lunatic man, set the terms for the release of these two American Journalists and the great nation of The United States of America acquiesced. His requirements were as follows: He wanted a formal apology from the White House, and also a high-profile intermediary to come to North Korea and collect the journalists. Excuse my pessimism but dare I ask the question, at what cost? I'm sorry but the day those women were taken into custody by the North Koreans, OUR PRESIDENT should have handled it quickly and decisively, because he is the leader of the free world. Instead, we lolly-gagged and waited, nervous to agitate the already tumultuous Kim Jung iI- and waited for him to set the terms of their release. Very strong. Very American of us. I think our forefathers are rolling over in their graves. Again, anyone who watches the news knows that the media slammed George Bush for refusing to negotiate with North Korea. Former Vice President Dick Cheney was quoted for saying, "We don't negotiate with evil; we defeat it." I know this is terribly arrogant and ballsy of me, but I agree Mr. Cheney! Instead, we have a Secretary of State who was willing to apologize to North Korea for our journalists "trespassing," and then present Bill Clinton for a perfect photo-op so the North Korean media can portray Kim Jung iI as a benevolent peace-loving ever-forgiving leader to his starving, abused, uneducated oppressed people. Fair and balanced, people?

Why isn't anyone asking the question, why has North Korea launched a series of long range test missiles, capable of reaching Hawaii, including seven test missiles on July 4 in defiance of our Independence Day? I'm sorry but Hawaii is a little too close for comfort for me. This guy is out of control. I guarantee you, those missiles would not have been launched if George W. were still in office. Because he wouldn't have hesitated one moment to put North Korea in its place. The man certainly had his share of mishaps, as all Presidents do, but he was a force to be reckoned with, and world leaders didn't test his threats. The UN has tried countless times to negotiate with North Korea and it continues to breach agreements, violate UN sanctions and jeopardize the safety of the entire world. Just this summer, Kim Jung iI vowed to destroy the United States and any other nation who interferes with his ability to procure nuclear weapons. We're negotiating with this man? It's a matter of respect, Ms. Labott? The President of North Korea doesn't deserve anything except to be taken out of power, so the people of North Korea can live as free human beings with the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, like the rest of the free world. We now live in a nation where the bad behavior of heartless dictators is rewarded, in the name of diplomacy? Yet, you hear none of these questions raised on CNN. Bravo, Obama. Hats off. You've awed us again with your wisdom! Is it possible, that instead of this being heralded as a victory for the US, the rest of the world is laughing at us?

As a conservative, I do not limit myself to only watching, listening to, or reading conservative news. But I pay attention to what's going on, and I pay attention to patterns and history and what has worked and failed in our nation's government. I try to absorb a little of everything to broaden my point of view, and continually question both sides of an issue to more soundly shape my ideas. So, as young Americans, I urge you to do the same. Read between the lines whenever you are listening to a news broadcast. Pay attention to the word choice of the anchors and the headlines. Listen for the subtleties. If you're only getting your news from Jon Stewart or Rolling Stone magazine, or even only CNN or NBC, (and you know who you are) I urge you to fine tune your listening skills and notice the language that is used to manipulate your absorption of the facts. It's entirely too fragile of a time in our nation's history to allow ourselves to be herded into one ideology or the other, and the media is entirely too powerful a force to trust it to be fair.