An Open Letter to the People Responsible for Cable Television News

Dear people responsible for cable television news,

Why exactly won't the you get-to-hell off the Pastor Wright story?

There's no new news there. Absolutely none. But there you are, breathlessly churning it, showing the same silly footage, working it for one more cycle.

If I didn't know better, I'd think you had a vested interest in keeping the story going. I'd think you were out to protect your phony-baloney jobs.

I'd think you were afraid of an intelligent discussion of race -- or any other significant issue.

I'd think you are either incapable of or unwilling to establish new programming formats. Formats where your, "on camera talent" didn't stick their grubby little fingers into the fissures in American politics and pick at the festering sores.

So here is one of those, "At long last, have you no sense of decency" moments.

C'mon you guys. Enough. The polarization format and trick doesn't work any more. This isn't the Clinton impeachment. We're not going to sit here and take it while you feed us hour after hour of rewarmed versions of "Crossfire".

We know how politics on cable TV works. We've seen it for years. It works like professional wrestling -- and in this case, the Reverend Wright as bad guy is getting old.

We're mad as hell. We're not going to take it any more. Give us real discussion about real issues. For once in your pissant blow-combed careers, give us substance.

Cover the way the government is selling our children and grandchildren into financial bondage. Put the unwinnable war back on top of the agenda. Hang the recession around the necks of the corporations and the stooges who caused it. Cover the mortgage crisis like the scandal it is.

Reverend Wright is not the problem. You are. You 're doing a disservice to the entire human race by kissing up to the corporations that own you and crapping down on the rest of us.

Enough. Please. Enough.

Comments

[indivisible]

how cunningly naive! it is not currently possible to have an intelligent discussion about race in this country, and you know it. it requires being politically and multi-culturally correct, and there goes the intelligent part.

[SamanthaJaneSalem]

It would be easy to think the mainstream media is racist.

It's one thing to obsess about Rev. Wright's words-- two clips out of a thirty year career-- and then ask the Buchanans (the brother on MSNBC and sister on CNN) what they think. Or a Clintonite (take your pick at CNN).

Yet they use the *imagery* of Rev. Wright moving his head back and forth, lifting his fist up and bringing it down, the "weird" outfits, the raised voice-- this is all to demean and humiliate something that isn't tied to the actual words. *Anything* he said when accompanied by such body language would make many white viewers ill at ease. They try to make a caricature of a respected figure in the black community and Christian community in general.

If CNN would do its job, it would discuss in a calm, rational way the culture of the black church. Show clips of Wright where he talks about, say-- Jesus. As in *Christianity*. Otherwise, hire animators and cover the news with cartoon characters because that's what the media has made of Rev. Wright. When you have a bunch of white people on TV sitting around picking apart a black person and acting all indignant-- that may not be racism, but it's total BS.

[lvdragonlady]

Awesome post. I guess the cable news companies keep recanning the Rev. story because it did not get the response it was suppose too, whatever that was.
I am so over the cable news and the b.s. they are feeding the American people. As far as I can see, they are nothing but a bunch of haters, pushing their agenda at any cost.
We need to boycott ALL news stories played after 24 hrs.........lol
Maybe that would get their attention and they would stop rehashing old news that everyone is tired of hearing about.
You can only slice something so many ways.

[janeb]

I have stopped watching cable news. They made me sick with the Bill/Hill non-stop bashing. I thought that was bad until they started on Obama. Bill& Hillary bashing was a walk in the park campared to this. I'm just waiting to see if they do the same thing to McCain. ( I know, don't hold my breath) Doesn't matter, I will have the last laugh because I'm not watching anymore. They can party on without me. Good-bye Joe Scarborough, Chris Matthews, Pat Buchanan, Anderson Cooper....I don't miss you one bit.

[LAJonathan]

You GO!!

[Klingon]

Dear Net Boomers, please continue to step-up the grassroots mobilization you're doing and give the cable crazy heads Peter is mad at something to really talk about on April 23 -- a landslide Obama victory!!

[GoodwithWood]

Don"t forget that they are conspiring to kill PBS and NPR.

[JScott]

Yup yer correct. I've learned to just click to the next channel or just not watch.
I've heard the story ONCE cable news ya don't need to repeat it endlessly. MOVE ON to the more important stuff.

[kingcityguru]

Chirtopher Hitchens was speaking about Obama's nutty/racist/anti-American pastor in January, but none of the MSM picked it up. I can only assume that they are beating the issue to death now because of not covering the story properly earlier.

[WilliePilgrim]

I'm caregiving for my dad and this a.m. he couldn't sleep so we went down to watch a little TV and took in a couple of news programs.
It brought to mind what the experience was like just a few decades ago; on screen would be a sun rising over a field of corn or an urban scene to the strains of the Vivaldi guitar concerto in d major. The announcer would read some of the headlines from events around the world and then focus on local issues, weather, traffic...the essentials.
Now..by the time I'm done watching TV I'm feeling simultaneously pissed-off and defeated, fearful and contemptuous. I felt like I've been played like the guitar that was perfectly plucked in the opening Vivaldi, but the music is not nearly as rewarding or edifying.
My dad said there probably weren't many people who'd prefer the news reported in the way it was back then, and he's probably right, but by the same token Cable has fractured the viewership and in case there are any would-be cable news developers out there, I would probably pay extra for a news program without the bells, whistles and emphasis on scandal, tears, obnoxious music and condescension all presented by eye-ball rolliing hairdos grining like apes. Thank god for the internet.

[lovethesinner]

Even John McGlauglin had to edit Pat Buchanan out of last weeks show. Joe Scarborough is nearly beating Mika to get his point across FOR THREE HOURS STRAIGHT. It's as though Lee Atwater wasn't really dead, he'd become the head of programming at every MEDIA outlet in America.

I suppose I could be called a conspiracy theorist for saying this, but... it's as if the club of white men that have ruled the country for the last two hundred years were sudddenly... CONSPIRING to make things difficult for the candidate of the people.

They'd like you to think they're rascist, but they're just fuedal overlords. They don't care what color your skin is, they're happy to let all of us have an equal opportunity to BE THEIR SLAVES.

[margi]

Cable news is fighting hard for the statu quo, they realize that the news will be more positive with Obama when he is elected, they will not be able to run as usual on hatred and distorsion. CNN, FOX, ABC are trying so hard to have their candidate Hill win at all costs.
Lou dobbs uses the airwaves to criticize Obama at every corner, Wolf lies and dont even bother to correct his lies, Anderson LOL !!!, the only one who has a brain his Cafferty , I don't think he will last there. Cable news is so toxic these days. It is getting tabloidic.

[DDike88]

Turn. Off. Your. TV.

[lean2454]

So eloquent, great points! How can we make changes towards better news?

[PioneerKing]

Dear Peter:

You know very well why they won't get off the Rev. Wright story. The story as presented is divisive and knocks a black man back down to earth.
The second reason is if they were not covering Rev. Wright they would have to cover Sen. McCain's gaffs.
The third reason is they would have to cover Iraq in a substantive manner.
The fourth reason is they would have to cover the economy in a substantive manner.
Knocking a black man back in his place a small price to pay to keep Americans distracted from reality.