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 By Jack Lepiarz Jan. 5, 2006 Hi Tom, I enjoyed reading your rebuttal. It was clear, respectful, and you make many excellent points, but I would like to make a couple of corrections. Now, it is true that Liberals most certainly have a hold in many areas of the media. Hollywood is an excellent example. The New York Times is most certainly a liberal paper (they proclaimed it last year in one of their Op-Ed articles). However, the conservatives still maintain a much stronger presence in the media. You say that Fox News essentially preaches to the choir, and that hardly anyone watches it that does not already have their mind made up when they watch it. In many cases, that is correct. Many of my friends' parents (who are about as conservative as you can get) sit down every night in front of Bill O'Reilly. Strangely enough, so do many of their children. I was shocked when I learned from my class goof (I reserve the title "class clown" for myself) that he had read Bill O'Reilly's book over the summer. On the same note, many of my classmates also read the New York Post. I read the New York Post (although usually just for sports). But, I'm digressing. Back to Fox News and the concept that it is preaching to the choir. I disagree. I have seen everyone, from moderates, to liberals, watch Fox News on a daily basis. Not to find holes in Republican arguments, but to get their news. Unfortunately, men like Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity (who cover the 8-10 P.M. slots, when most people watch) are nothing more than tools for Republican politicians to advance their agenda by accusing the "liberal media" of distorting facts. Still don't believe me? How about Pat Buchanan, one of the most conservative men in politics, saying that he had received "balanced coverage, and broad coverage."? What about William Kristol, a conservative Republican publicist, who said "The liberal media were never that powerful, and the whole thing was often used as an excuse by conservatives for conservative failures." How can you continue to say that liberals control the media when your own side is saying that they use the term "liberal media" as a way to cover up their own mistakes? It's silly. Don't believe me? Nearly all of radio broadcasting is controlled by right-wing Republicans. Oh, I know there are stations like NPR and Air America, but they are in the extreme minority when it comes to conservative stations (Rush Limbaugh remains one of the most popular men on radio). You also claim that the majority of Americans are conservative. That's another point that I have an issue with. 40 % of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in MOST cases. 17 % believe that it should be legal in all cases. That's 57 % of people believing that abortion should be legal more often than not. Furthermore, 34 % of Americans consider themselves Democrats, as opposed to only 31 % classifying themselves as Republicans. 50 % believe that the Democrats are closer to their values. Only 40 % said the same of Republicans. Nearly every single poll taken by CNN, ABC, the Washington Post, the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal show Democrats in a more positive light than Republicans. The only discrepancy was one poll that show 50 % to 35 % that Republicans had better leaders (given the current state of the Democrats, that's not surprising). So, there's my re-rebuttal. Neither of us has changed our opinion at all. Like you (and Pat Hurley) said, it's almost impossible to change the opinion of "a hardheaded old cuss" like yourself. Just like it's impossible to change the opinion of a loudmouth kid like me. However, this belief that the left-wing controls most of the media is false. The enormity of conservative radio, the popularity of Fox News, and the existence of Republicans throughout the media is clear indication as to where the media's bias truly lies. ------------ About the author: Jack Lepiarz is a senior at Madison High School. Born in Waco, Texas, he lived with the Big Apple Circus for much of his early childhood, eventually moving to Madison, New Jersey, where he now resides. Although he is often described as stubborn and egotistical, he tries to keep an open-mind towards new ideas and treat people the way he would like to be treated. Email: Jackwuzhere42@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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