Kerry, In Speech, Accuses White House of Suppressing Dissent

And not to be outdone, the Center for Consumer Freedom has been researched by the Center for Media and Democracy. Here's what they have to say:

Center for Consumer Freedom

The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) (formerly called the "Guest Choice Network") is a front group for the restaurant, alcohol and tobacco industries. It runs media campaigns which oppose the efforts of scientists, doctors, health advocates, environmentalists and groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, calling them "the Nanny Culture -- the growing fraternity of food cops, health care enforcers, anti-meat activists, and meddling bureaucrats who 'know what's best for you.' " CCF is one of the more active of several front groups created by Berman & Co., a public affairs firm owned by lobbyist Rick Berman. Based in Washington, DC, Berman & Co. represents the tobacco industry as well as hotels, beer distributors, taverns, and restaurant chains.

The group actively opposes smoking bans and lowering the legal blood-alcohol level, while targeting studies on the dangers of red meat consumption, overfishing and pesticides. Each year they give out the "nanny awards" to groups who, according to them, try to tell consumers how to live their lives.

Anyone who criticizes tobacco, alcohol, fatty foods or soda pop is likely to come under attack from CCF. Its enemies list has included such diverse groups and individuals as the Alliance of American Insurers; the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons; the American Medical Association; the Arthritis Foundation; the Consumer Federation of America; New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; the Harvard School of Public Health; the Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems; the National Association of High School Principals; the National Safety Council; the National Transportation Safety Board; the Office of Highway Safety for the state of Georgia; Ralph Nader's group, Public Citizen; the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

If you don't believe the Center for Media and Democracy, will Wikipedia do?

Center for Consumer Freedom

The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), formerly called the Guest Choice Network, is a non-profit U.S. advocacy group funded by the food, alcohol, and tobacco industries, and "more than 1,000 concerned individuals," according to its website. [1] It describes its mission as defending the "right of adults and parents to choose what they eat, drink, and how they enjoy themselves." Stressing individual responsibility over government legislation, CCF opposes compulsory warning labels on food, bans on smoking in restaurants, lawsuits against obesity, and similar activities. It runs media campaigns and gives out annual "Nanny Awards" to "those groups and individuals who would protect us from ourselves." [2] It has been called a "tobacco/meat industry front group" by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. [3]

Yes. Not to burst your bubble. But of course, you would turn to the corporations to help prove your case about the "liberal media". I think the only recourse you have is to go by an academic report with a proven data set and methodology that investigates exactly what the bias in media represents.

How about that...instead of a following corporate, right-wing sources?







[edit on 12-5-2006 by ceci2006]

Ok now I understand.
Instead of following CORPORATE (The foundation that built this country) discoveries. I should follow the Liberal point of view. Because of course YOUR point is correct and mine is wrong. HMMMMM
So anyone that disagrees with you is wrong...HMMMMM
So you are the foremost authority on here...HMMMMM

As I stated before, anything you can post liberal, I can post conservative. You hate Bush and everything he stands for, I do not hate anyone. You despise that some people are out here living the American Dream and making money. I am living the American Dream and have money.(yes even as a cop. and WOW I did not steal it, or beat prisoners or anything to get it.)
You believe that anytime a Conservative defends the liable slander coming from the Liberals, they are repressing you.
You truly believe that anyone that puts out a view different from your own should suffer your insults, insinuations as to the types of women they prefer and more. I think the free exchange of ideas is healthy and a wonderful conservative idea.
But of course I am wrong and you are right. I mean you can find a post or a link that will prove this right?

No. I'm not saying that at all. All I ask for is good research on media bias to debate with.

But, I cannot deny that you have consistently on this thread called people, "Kerry liberal lovers" or anything else derogatory because they do not agree with your view. You also single-handled said that this thread was solely about "Kerry"--as if you wrote the ATNNS submission. To you credit, you do discuss a tidbit here and there about dissent. But not without resorting back to partisan leanings.

You also claimed that mediamatters.org is "left wing". So, I posted instead, the Pew Center of People and the Press, Business Week and Center of Media and Democracy.

You said that the Center of Media and Democracy was "left winged and liberal" because the source you posted claimed that they spoke out against the corporations.

In my rebuttal, I posted the Center for Media and Democracy's own page on your source. And not only that Wikipedia.

You are caught up with too much of this partisan politics to take yourself out of it to have a discussion about media bias. You also misconstrue my comments to another poster and think that it was pointed toward you. And then, instead of critically thinking about what we've both uncovered so far, you still continue in the "Us v. Them" type of arguing.

All I ask is whether you have a source devoid of political leaning which actually proves a liberal media bias.

[edit on 12-5-2006 by ceci2006]

Name calling aside.
That is my point with you and I will state it again as it was apparently missed the first time.

There is NO UNBIASED source. Impossible to find. You find one, I will find one that says it is biased.
You have your opinion and then post links that support it. I show you links that say your links are biased. It is really that simple.
Everyone has a political agenda, mostly the ones who claim they do not.

Okay. You made your point. I just tend to think that you place too much faith in the "liberal media". My argument is that the media is run by the corporation (most namely Rupert Murdoch). I think that dissent is tailored to the fact of how people receive their news.

If you at least read the Pew People and the Press study, you would at least figure out that FOX watchers are prone to like Mr. Bush more and find fault with Mr. Clinton, amongst other things. So, I think that the type of media people watch dictates how they think.

So, the subject of dissent goes beyond politics. Instead, I wonder if the media audience themselves feel as if they have a right to speak their minds without any pundit or politician telling them how to think?

I agree.
I am a hard line Fox news watcher. (No kidding huh?)
There must be something to Fox as it is the single most succesful news organization now surpassing all other cable news.

My contention was specifically the "drive by media", ie. cbs, abc, nbc.

The largest "pie slice" of voters still depend on these three for the majority of their news and it is impossible now to dismiss the liberal slant they have. (Again the Rather card. HAHAHA)

Being in law enforcement I can tell you without restraint that no one gets caught the first time they do anything.

The media's "liberal slant" is a fallacy. Now, if you polled the journalists (FAIR did), they found that most reporters were "centrist" in thier political persuasion. Only seven per-cent of reporters were found to be hard right. But this was done in 1998. I have not found a current story which polls the political persuasion of journalists now. I'm sure it's out there.

So, I still think that with all the conservative pundits and dignitaries making their views known even on the "drive by media", you'd think that the media is a little less biased than you perceive it to be. It is especially the case on the Sunday shows.



[edit on 13-5-2006 by ceci2006]

That is where we fundamentally disagree. Yet it is wonderful to disagree with you, as we seem to be able to; unlike some other posting where it has gravitated to names and funny faces. "Op/Ed" particularly.

I see quite a lot of "slant" in the big 3, yet that could be due to my mind set. (conservative of course)

Yet I can understand your point of view as well, though I do not agree.

I think for me it is the old, one bad apple, syndrome. There have been a few obvious cases of "bad" reporting and now I look at it with a sharper eye.

As for FOX, it has gravitated to a morning talk show almost with no news content at all. I watch it in the mornings and am now getting most of my info from the web.

I just really make too much money to ever support the democrats. I came from a VERY poor dirt farm in WV and left at 17, built all I have on my own and have a real problem giving it to the "STATE". The Dems want to raise taxes and take what I have. I fought in the military and made a good career in police work, so I have done my time and paid my dues. I just want to keep what I have.

The Dems want to raise taxes and take what I have. I fought in the military and made a good career in police work, so I have done my time and paid my dues. I just want to keep what I have.

What a load of bunk! The Dems just want you and I to pay our fair share responsibly while we are alive and enjoying this great country. I too am well off due to hard work. I too served in the military which taught me what responsibility means. We shouldn't shirk paying our fair share like the "littleboy" Republicans. Who want to leave that responsibility to succeeding generations. What kind of littlekid notion is that???

Originally posted by bodebliss

The Dems want to raise taxes and take what I have. I fought in the military and made a good career in police work, so I have done my time and paid my dues. I just want to keep what I have.

What a load of bunk! The Dems just want you and I to pay our fair share responsibly while we are alive and enjoying this great country. I too am well off due to hard work. I too served in the military which taught me what responsibility means. We shouldn't shirk paying our fair share like the "littleboy" Republicans. Who want to leave that responsibility to succeeding generations. What kind of littlekid notion is that???

That "little kid" notion is this.
I now pay less taxes, have more of my own money, am doing tremendously better than under Clinton and want it to keep going.
That simple.
Regardless of all the "opinions" on here and that is all they are, OPINIONS, EVERY single economic indicator is showing a healthy. growing economy. Interest rates are low, unemployment is down, GPD healthy, housing is up, etc etc etc.
The dems, want pork barrel and power. The same things they have always wanted. They want a HUGE government so that we can all be taken care of. (Snowwhite music here) I do not need to be taken care of. I want to invest my OWN social security, I want to invest my money in the market to help the economy.
It really is a NO BRAINER.

The Tax and spend Republicans are doing no better!

The fed budget is full of Republican pet projects!

President Bush's foreign policy is run rampant with Neoliberalism.

Neocon at home, neoliberal abroad. It will be his undoing. Thehousing market is about to downturn. Keep an eye on that and a depression is not far off all thanx to Bush.

The funny thing is, semperfortis, part of your money is already given to the state in the form of taxes (not only the IRS, but in sale taxes as well unless you are in a state without any sales tax). How do you think that roads get paved, schools get funding or that programs funded by the state are run?

The thing about dissent has nothing to do with how much you earn or keeping what you have. It is the simple act of speaking your mind without anyone telling you not to. It doesn't matter who said it in the long run about the problem of dissent. It is the very fact that we get to exercise our First Amendment rights everyday when we discuss the matters of the state as well as the world.

The problem is who is framing that debate for us? Are we thinking on our own? Or are we letting the media frame our own arguments?

Well ceci as I am convinced the Media is left wing driven, I would love an answer to that.