Are partisan news sources polarizing Americans? (The Answer Might Surprise You)

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/10/are-partisan-news-sources-polarizing-americans/

That’s not to say partisan news has no effect. Arceneaux and Martin just believe that the effect appears to be much smaller than others have hypothesized. People aren’t sponges that unquestioningly absorb everything they hear. They have their own ideas and the ability to choose what they listen to.

“From our perspective,” they write, “the reason to be ill at ease with the state of partisan news is not because it polarizes or even because it misleads. Rather, the reason to be concerned with these shows revolves around the content itself.” That is, the shows have tremendous opportunities to help the public become more informed, but their effort is largely expended on decidedly different pursuits.

Image source and full article: http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/10/are-partisan-news-sources-polarizing-americans/

This is what misogyny looks like in the media [VIDEO]

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/hannity-guest-slut-shames-female-liberal-no-

Never mind the fact that, just before the section I quote below, neither Hannity nor Cunningham address the question that Holder just asked about Bush and the debt ceiling. No, instead of answering her question, Cunningham launches into a half-baked argument about the national debt (even though the topic at hand was the debt ceiling) surrounded by dismissive remarks about Tamra’s intelligence and appearance.

2:15 Bill Cunningham: “This woman has lost her mind, no question about that. Let me help you with math. When your friend, Obama, took office, the national debt was about 9 1/2 or 10 trillion. Now it’s 17 on its way to 20. In my simple, Catholic grade school math, that’s about a 10 trillion dollar increase under 8 years of Obama. Is 20 greater than 10, Tamra? Earth to Tamra, is 20 greater than 10?”

Tamara Holder: “Are you talking to me like I’m an alien? Or because I didn’t go to Catholic school?”

BC: “You don’t look like a Catholic girl to me.”

TH: “His comments… are you listening to this Sean?”

Sean Hannity: “Well, what Bill Cunningham is saying is that…”

TH: “Are you listening to this, Sean?”

SH: “What did he say?”

TH: “I don’t look like a Catholic girl – what do I look like? What do I look like?”

BC: “Farrah Fawcett wannabe.”

Click through for video: http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/hannity-guest-slut-shames-female-liberal-no-

Fox News: Where Republicans Go To Escape Journalists

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/09/05/fox-news-where-republicans-go-to-escape-journal/195727

Fox has become so integral to national Republican politics that senior campaign staffers freely talk about its unique role in campaign strategy. Presumably other cable or broadcast networks could also provide a comparatively “sedate” environment for a candidate looking to escape the “frenzy” of the traveling press, but they chose Fox for a reason. For candidates like Romney, Fox is a sanctuary from the rest of the media where the candidate’s message can get out there without anyone challenging it.

Counterpoint:” it’s not like MSNBC has clean hands either: MSNBC more biased than Fox News

Image source and article: http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/09/05/fox-news-where-republicans-go-to-escape-journal/195727

The black-on-black crime argument

Image source and article: http://abagond.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/the-black-on-black-crime-argument/

“While it is true that 94% of black murders are black-on-black, it is just as true that 86% of white murders are white-on-white. In fact, most crime in America is white-on-white – yet for every web page that mentions ‘white-on-white crime’, there are 25 that mention ‘black-on-black crime’.”

See also:
http://www.theroot.com/views/why-don-t-we-talk-about-white-white-crime

“As the largest racial group, whites commit the majority of crimes in America. In particular, whites are responsible for the vast majority of violent crimes. With respect to aggravated assault, whites led blacks 2-1 in arrests; in forcible-rape cases, whites led all racial and ethnic groups by more than 2-1. And in larceny theft, whites led blacks, again, more than 2-1.

Given this mathematical truth, would anyone encourage African Americans to begin shooting suspicious white males in their neighborhoods for fear that they’ll be raped, assaulted or murdered?”

Chart of the Day: White men are 31% of the population but 58% of evening cable news guests

“White men make up only 31 percent of the population, but they represented 62 percent of guests on CNN, 60 percent on Fox, and 54 percent on MSNBC. Consequently, as the chart below shows, white women and non-white men are underrepresented, and non-white women are super underrepresented.”

Image source and article: http://feministing.com/2013/05/13/chart-of-the-day-white-men-are-31-of-the-population-but-58-of-evening-cable-news-guests/