Another nail in the coffin of the liberal media myth. From CNN’s press release:
Former White House press secretary Tony Snow will join CNN as a conservative commentator beginning today, it was announced by Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S.
…
“In the White House, Tony brought a remarkably human touch to the discussion of public policy, which he will continue to do as part of the Best Political Team on Television,” Klein said. “He will contribute a unique breadth of political and journalistic expertise to what is already the most provocative and wide-ranging political analysis on the air.”
“I’m delighted to be able to join CNN during the most exciting and unpredictable political year in memory,” Snow said. “The big challenge in 2008 is to develop deep, creative and aggressive analysis of both political parties, their candidates and campaigns. I’m eager to get started, since this race is sure to shape American politics for years to come.”
With Snow on CNN and Rove on Fox, why don’t they just hire Bush to give analysis of himself? Oh, crap, there’s some idiot programming exec out there who thinks that’s seriously a good idea.
Oliver, it doesn’t mean anything to you that they feel compelled to identify him as a “conservative commentator?” I would say that tends to discredit rather than support your claim that CNN isn’t liberal.
Scratch, huh?
They add a conservative commentator and you suggest that actually shows they are liberal?
Welcome to Bizarro world.
Hi Sean…
I am suggesting that a network who hires a conservative commentator and issues a press release announcing “we have hired a conservative commentator” is probably more liberal than conservative.
By your an Oliver’s logic, I guess I can proclaim that Fox News is liberal because they hired Alan Colmes (aside: his website is alan.com! Dude was on the BALL!)
“I am suggesting that a network who hires a conservative commentator and issues a press release announcing “we have hired a conservative commentator” is probably more liberal than conservative.”
You CAN’T be this dense
Hmmm…it’s a fairly straightforward argument. I don’t think I’m the dense one in the room.
Don’t sell yourself short, scratchy. Yes you are.
Clearly, it’s a billboard for FOX viewers to jump ship. as in “Look, we got batshit st00pid over here, too! Glenn Beck! Nancy Grace! Tony freakin’ Snow!”
“Hmmm…it’s a fairly straightforward argument. I don’t think I’m the dense one in the room.”
If hiring a conservative commentator proves they’re liberal, and hiring liberal commentators proves they’re liberal, then could ANYTHING ever prove to you that they aren’t liberal?
Scratch: I am suggesting that a network who hires a conservative commentator and issues a press release announcing “we have hired a conservative commentator” is probably more liberal than conservative.
How should they have worded it? “We’re hiring a commentator but we’re not going to tell you what type he is.”??
Had they described him as “tall” or “blond” or “male” that would have been irrelevant since it none of those have anything to do with what he’s going to be commenting on. But to say he’s conservative given he’s hired to give political views simply makes sense.
To suggest this is somehow trumpeting his conservativeness in an effort to compensate for a liberal view by the network (”Hey, we’re not liberal. See we hired a token conservative!”) doesn’t.
Hi Megamoze…
I didn’t say that hiring a conservative commentator made them liberal. I suggested that issuing a press release describing their new hire as a “conservative commentator” suggested that they were more liberal than conservative. Do they label all their on-air personalities as conservative or liberal?
In light of the fact it’s Tony Snow, the whole concept of pigeonholing him as a “conservative commentator” is sort of redundant anyway, dontcha think? I mean, we’ve all got a pretty good idea which side of the fence he’s on by now, yes?
To be honest, I don’t watch CNN much anymore, preferring to spend time on the liberal Fox News Network with Colmes and Estrich.
Do they label all their on-air personalities as conservative or liberal?
Not that is a reasonable question. Or, more relevant to the current issue, whether they label them when announcing they have been hired. If they don’t, THEN you’d have something worth commenting on.
Now that is a reasonable question…
How many people watch CNN at any given time? Or Fox for that matter?
If I’m not mistaken for both channels, it’s less than what, 2 million people during prime time? I still don’t understand why people think these channels have that much influence over the general public when only a small sliver of the voting populace is even watching.
Lemme boil it down for all those missing the point: When Tony Snow gets hired, he is immediately tagged “CONSERVATIVE! CONSERVATIVE!” in the same font and typestyle one would normally use to label Nuclear Waste. However, when CNN hires James Carville, Paul Begala, David Gergen, Jeff Greefield, or Jeff Toobin, they are merely labeled “Pundits”.
THAT’s the difference.
Good point farris, after 7 years of a conservative president the proper label for a conservative is nuclear waste.
However, when CNN hires James Carville, Paul Begala, David Gergen, Jeff Greefield, or Jeff Toobin, they are merely labeled “Pundits”.
Prove it. Just…prove it.
SaveFarris: However, when CNN hires James Carville, Paul Begala, David Gergen, Jeff Greefield, or Jeff Toobin, they are merely labeled “Pundits”.
Can you find a link to the press release or whatever where they made any of these announcements? Or are you just sayin’, without support to back it up?
Cause for Bergala and Carville I quickly found this on CNN’s own site: “Liberal stalwarts James Carville and Paul Begala, key players in Bill Clinton’s rise to the presidency in 1992, were named Wednesday as new co-hosts of CNN’s revamped version of “Crossfire.”" [emphasis added]
he is immediately tagged “CONSERVATIVE! CONSERVATIVE!” in the same font and typestyle one would normally use to label Nuclear Waste. However, when CNN hires James Carville, Paul Begala, David Gergen, Jeff Greefield, or Jeff Toobin, they are merely labeled “Pundits”.
When “bagfull of assholes” would have been just as good.