FAUX NEWS

"Real news is the news we need to have to remain free", Bill Moyers

Nobody on Hannity and Colmes batted an eye or saw the sick irony in Ann Coulter's chortling mockery of suspended Air America radio host Randi Rhodes for her catty and mildly offensive commentary referring to Geraldine Ferraro as a whore. Ann Coulter, the xenophobic, homophobic, quasi-fascist, elitist pig who called John Edwards a "faggot" (and cried censorship when she was rightly called out for it) sat there heaping scorn without anyone mentioning the immeasurable amount of vile, offensive, fear mongering, insulting filth that's poured out of the gaping maw of that wretched, anorexic harpie. The only thing to counter the orgy of Randi-bashing was Alan Colmes, the most impotent and ineffectual token liberal ever employed by right wing media.

THIS is insightful commentary during the most important election of my lifetime? THIS is what Fox News thinks is important? THIS is real news?

Fox News represents the low point in the already shallow gene pool of cable TV news programing. With the glowing exception of C-SPAN, cable offers nothing that can compete with any of the news and public affairs programming on public broadcasting. ( Since C-SPAN is operated as a non profit, independent network funded by cable and satellite networks and subscriber user fees, it has been argued that CSPAN is a form of public broadcasting, or at least cable TV's version of it) Does anyone really believe that CNN, MSNBC or Fox offers programming comparable to Bill Moyers Journal, McNiel-Leher news hour, Frontline, Washington Week, NOW? Is there ANY program on for-profit broadcast radio comparable to anything you'll hear on NPR, PRI or Pacifica Radio? (for that matter, is Bravo or A&E comparable to Masterpiece Theater or Live From the Met, is the Discovery Channel really better than NOVA or Nature ? )

During this election, at a time when the very concept of reason is under assault, when so many of our fellow citizens don't understand what it really means to be an American, we are in desperate need of what Ralph Nader called a deep, deliberative democracy.

Is such a need well served by the offerings of the cable news trinity?

Are we citizens getting REAL news?