HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: sieferme@milton.u.washington.edu (Eric Sieferman)
Subject: Re: Clinton Screws Up! Press Reports It!
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 16:21:41 GMT

In article <1992Sep11.235855.29343@afit.af.mil> jswitzer@afit.af.mil (Chip Switzer) writes:
>Boy are you in for a big let-down.  What are you going to do when
>Clinton and Gore make their first spelling errors?

What was funny about the Danmeister's spelling booboo was not so
much the error itself as the context in which it occurred:
"correcting" a tyke who had spelled the word correctly; 
being the Robin to the Education President's Batman;
exhibiting a pattern of similar blunders, showing a deep
lack of factual retention and critical thought.

If President Clinton or VP Gore provide similar fodder
for humor, I'll be right in there.  I've no overwhelming
fondness for Democrats, and wish that the Republicans
would free themselves from the Religious Rite (sic) and
neo-conservatives and become a party of fiscal 
responsibility and a somewhat libertarian approach to
issues of personal freedom (but I'm not holding my breath).
>
>I hate having to chastise somebody from my own alma-mater.  By the way
>is Dr. Treadgold still there in the History Dept? 

I checked the campus directory.  He is still here.

>Long live the once and future National Champions of Collegiate Football.

Washington:
** NCAA National Football Champions, 1991
** Voted against Bush/Quayle, 1988
** Voted against Bush/Quayle, 1992 (projected).

Truly, America's most livable place!

>
>Chip Switzer                            "A witty saying proves nothing." 
>jswitzer@afit.af.mil                              -- Voltaire 
                                          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
                                          (as told to Ronald Reagan)
-- 
| Eric Sieferman            |    sieferme@u.washington.edu          |
| U. of W., M.C.I.S.        |    (206) 685-3104                     |

Newsgroups: alt.news-media,talk.politics.misc
From: nelson_p@apollo.hp.com (Peter Nelson)
Subject: Re: CNN Anchor Admits Pro-Clinton Bias
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 22:12:07 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Corporation, Chelmsford, MA

In article <1992Sep10.211429.5267@ncar.ucar.edu> gary@colossus.cgd.ucar.edu (Gary Strand) writes:
>dp> Don Pajerek
>gs> Gary Strand
>
>dp> I didn't say that the average American was 'liberal'. What I said was that
>dp> the average American was moderate, with a slight leftward tilt. By slight,
>dp> I mean poll numbers in the low 50's in support of some 'liberal' position.
>
>  Is simply being pro-choice a "liberal" position? Heck, if you define the
>  liberal position as being that which 50%-55% of those polled support, then,
>  wow, you get your majority of Americans thinking like good liberals.

  I think "pro-choice" IS generally regarded to be a liberal position.
  So is pro-national-health-insurance, another item favored by a strong
  majority.  And pro-waiting period on handguns.   And there are several 
  others, too.  


>dp> There is nothing larger that reflects a different bias. All alternatives 
>dp> that are clearly different in tone from the big guys are also smaller.
>
>  Not true. A good number of magazines and politically-oriented books are all
>  read by much larger numbers of people than view the national evening news.

  I'm skeptical about this.   According to the Audit Bureau of Circulation
  the three largest-readership magazines in the US are TV Guide, Modern
  Maturity, and Readers Digest, all in the 16-17 million range.  Neilsen
  Media Research claims that 60 Minutes, by comparison regularly gets
  over 30 million viewers.


>  Basically, it comes down to whether or not the media is powerful. Since our
>  political leaders live and die by what the media perceives them to be, I'd
>  say it's plenty powerful.

  I agree it's powerful.


>  And, therefore, its bias distorts what political leaders do and say,
>  thus, our political system is different than what it would be if the
>  media were less biased toward a liberal view.
 
  I agree with this, too, but I think it's like saying that our
  economy and certain energy and environmental concerns would be 
  a lot different too if people preferred mass transit (busses, trains,
  etc) over personal cars.  (N.B., not necessarily better or worse, 
  but "different")   I see it as market forces at work.   People
  make certain choices about how they spend their time, money,
  etc.  The market responds to this and !viola! we get the result.

  So yes the media is powerful and the biases and views of its
  owners and editors have an effect on the body politic.  But this
  power derives from the CHOICES people make about how to spend their
  time (watching TV) and where to get their information from (TV,
  Time, Newsweek, etc).


---peter
    

  


Xref: sparky alt.news-media:1174 alt.rush-limbaugh:4426 alt.activism.d:3062
Newsgroups: alt.news-media,alt.rush-limbaugh,alt.activism.d
Subject: Re: Liberal Bias Example
From: dsvoss@isr.harvard.edu (Steve Voss)
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 92 17:15:29 GMT
Organization: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Steve Tyree points to bias in coverage of the California Senate races.
He says crowds were equally small for both parties, but the reporters
only stressed the small size for the Republicans.  Since I don't know
the details, I can't evaluate the truth or falsity of this claim.

But two points:
Steve got his evidence only from what the camera showed him.  He was never
at these events, from what I could tell.  So while he suspects the
reporteRs were biased, we KNOW he was -- biased by what the cameraperson
chose to show him.  Maybe he or she was biased conservative and tried to
beef up the size of the Republican rally?  Sounds silly, and it is
unlikely I guess, but other things can make the two rallies seem
similar in size.  Maybe they were trying to take pictures in the
denser parts of each rally, which equalized them.  Or maybe the points
of interest had about the same number of people, but the Democratic
rally had more people spread out on the lawn around these hot spots.
Finally, I know that when I covered the Presidential election in 1988
the Republicans DID have lots of paid cheerleaders on hand to buffer
the size of events (they were my friends).  Again, this doesn't prove
lack of bias, since I haven't been involved much with Democratic
rallies, but it does detract from Steve's evidence.

The second point is more frivolous.  Even if the bias were there, it
is unlikely to have influenced anybody.  People remember the pictures
far better than the words.  Among people who study the media, one
famous story is when Lesley Stahl ran a critical TV piece on Reagan
that was accompanied by tons of pictures of him near American flags
and in schools with students.  The White House was thrilled, and called
Stahl to thank her personally.

steve
 

Newsgroups: alt.news-media,misc.headlines,misc.legal
From: packer@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov (Charles Packer)
Subject: What is "widespread attention"?
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Organization: Dept. of Independence
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1992 03:13:00 GMT

The NY Times of Sept. 3 reported that Cameron Kocher, now 13,
pleaded no contest in the death of a 7-year-old playmate, shot by him
on March 6, 1989, when he was 9. The story said the case drew
"widespread attention." I've become curious about this phrase,
as well as "widely publicized," both of which I've seen the
Times use before in connection with stories that I hadn't heard
much about. I decided to do a little research to see if I could
quantify these phrases. 

The story of the crime is this: Jessica boasted to Cameron,
an above-average fourth-grade student and Cub Scout, that she
could play Nintendo better than he could. He went into his house
(his parents were away), unlocked his father's gun cabinet,
selected a rifle from the rack, loaded it, opened a window and
removed the screen, rested the rifle on the window sill, and
fired a single shot that killed Jessica, variously described as
being 150 or 300 feet away, riding on a snowmobile behind a
13-year-old friend.  Then Cameron cleaned the rifle, put it back
in the cabinet and locked it. 

A search of the CD-ROM with abstracts from eight major American
newspapers turned up only five stories through June 1992:

  LA Times      Jul 28, 1989
  NY Times      Aug 26, 1989
  Boston Globe  Aug 27, 1989
  NY Times      Apr  1, 1990
  Chicago Trib. Jun 15, 1990

Since the crime occurred in northeast Pennsylvania, I checked
the Scranton Times. There was nothing about the event until
March 9, three days after it happened. That story, apparently 
by a staff reporter, was on an inside page devoted to regional
news.

Incidentally, I checked the phone book for the area, and while
I found listings for each of the family names involved -- Kocher,
Carr, and Ratti (the Kochers's neighbors), none matched the
first names of the fathers or mothers of the children involved.

Another oddity is that the Sept. 3 Times story that reported the
no contest plea didn't mention the original not guilty plea
entered on Aug. 25, 1989. 

The only article of commentary on the case was a 1990 story
on the Op-Ed page of the NY TImes, on April 1.
Newsgroups: alt.news-media
From: jswitzer@afit.af.mil (Chip Switzer)
Subject: Re: CNN Anchor Admits Pro-Clinton Bias
Organization: Air Force Institute of Technology
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 12:19:40 GMT

sleator@CS.CMU.EDU (Daniel Sleator) writes:

>Chip, you keep harping about this pervasive liberal bias.  You keep
>saying that we're blind if we don't see it, etc.  But you've given us
>exactly one example in which several economists were consulted about
>Bush's economic plan.  This was not a convincing example to me and a
>lot of other people.

A rather poor paraphrase and an example of not reading my post.  I don't
believe I've called anyone blind if they can't see it.  My theory is
that you don't see it if it doesn't conflict with your own beliefs.
I ask people to *try* and step out of their own belief system for a 
change and look at the news objectively--a hard thing to do for most
people, I think.

And I made a point of telling you that if you've only been reading
alt.news-media, you may not have seen all my posts.  As for you're not
being convinced about what I thought was so obviously an example of
bias, is that supposed to make me feel like you're going to be convinced
if I clip 10 articles out of the NYT?

>By the way, have you read "Unreliable Sources" by Lee and Solomon and
>Herman and Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent"?  These are essential
>reading for anybody who purports to know something about the news
>media.

No I haven't read this.  Steve has given me a list of books that show
bias on both sides, and I intend to read them at a later date (after
my thesis is finished).  
-- 

Chip Switzer                            "A witty saying proves nothing." 
jswitzer@afit.af.mil                              -- Voltaire 
Newsgroups: alt.news-media,misc.headlines,misc.legal
From: packer@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov (Charles Packer)
Subject: Re: What is "widespread attention"?
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Organization: Dept. of Independence
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 11:55:00 GMT

In article <1992Sep13.233944.3982@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>, dpollard@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Dennis B Pollard) writes...
>I remember the story being on all the major TV networks after if happened.  It 
>was also in the Phila. Inquirer.


No, it wasn't in the Inquirer immediately after it happened. I
checked for the first three days, as I recall. It's possible
you're remembering stories published three months afterward,
around Aug 26, 1989, when he pleaded innocent, since that seems
to be the time of maximum coverage. 

Thanks for the info about TV, though, but again, the question
remains as to whether that coverage was immediately after the
event, or the following August. I coudn't look that up because
TV Archives/Abstracts is in a reading room at the Library of
Congress that's closed on weekends. 
Newsgroups: alt.news-media,alt.rush-limbaugh,alt.activism.d
From: mjenkins@alfred.carleton.ca (Michael Jenkinson)
Subject: Re: Liberal Bias Example
Organization: Carleton University
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 15:07:43 GMT

In <1992Sep6.232130.28126@afit.af.mil> jswitzer@afit.af.mil (Chip Switzer) writes:

>"Dan Gillmor" <p00107@psilink.com> writes:

>>>
>>>One of my personal favorite news techniques is where the reporter
>>>finishes a story with, "of course critics would say that ..."  Where the
>>>reporter just inserts his opinion of what he believes a critic would
>>>most likely say.  Is there a more obvious way to insert some personal
>>>bias into a story?

>>Would you provide us with a specific example of this?

>>Dan Gillmor
>>Detroit Free Press

>I would be happy to, the next time I see it.  It's so pervasive on
>the nightly news that it shouldn't be too long before I see another
>example.  Of course I don't get to watch the news much lately, so no
>promises...

>Are you implying that this doesn't happen, or are you just curious?

I think "Dan Gillmor" is wanting you to prove that when a reporter
says "insiders say" that he's simply giving his own opinion. Of course
it happens all the time...but he wants you to back up your assertion,
not merely prove reporters say that.

Michael
Newsgroups: alt.news-media,alt.rush-limbaugh,alt.activism.d
From: mjenkins@alfred.carleton.ca (Michael Jenkinson)
Subject: Re: Liberal Bias Example
Organization: Carleton University
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 18:48:54 GMT

In <2924967762.2.p00107@psilink.com> p00107@psilink.com (Dan Gillmor) writes:


>>>Would you provide us with a specific example of this?
>>
>>I think The Boys on the Bus mentions something like this...a TV
>>reporter closing a report saying "insiders believe that...." and his
>>"insiders" were simply his fellow reporters on the tour.
>>

>Do you have anything more recent than the late 1960s (or is it early 70s)?

Not on hand. Do you? :)

>Dan Gillmor                                      Internet: p00107@psilink.com
>Detroit Free Press                               Compuserve: 73240,334
>Voice: 313-222-6659                              Genie: d.gillmor1

What do you do at the Detroit Free Press? Beat reporter, editor...?
Newsgroups: alt.news-media,talk.politics.misc
From: jxxl@taurus.cs.nps.navy.mil (John Locke)
Newsgroups: alt.news-media,talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: CNN Anchor Admits Pro-Clinton Bias
Date: 6 Sep 92 17:25:00 GMT
Reply-To: jxxl@cs.nps.navy.mil (John Locke)
Organization: Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey CA

cdpert01@ulkyvx.louisville.edu writes:
# 
#      Did anyone see the 9/5/92 'Reliable Sources' show on CNN?
# (This is a show that examines and critiques the media.)
# CNN anchor Reid Collins, who was a guest on this show, admitted 
# twice that he believes there is a pro-Clinton bias in the reporting 
# of this year's election campaigns.  He was, however, somewhat 
# apprehensive to give his reasoning behind this belief.
#      Two questions that come to my mind are:
#      1.  Does Reid Collins have some substantive, behind-the-scenes
#          evidence for this belief that he fears sharing?
#      2.  How much longer until CNN fires Reid Collins?

Someone had to say it, or there would be nothing to discuss. Collins
was probably following instructions in making the claim.

John
Newsgroups: alt.news-media,alt.rush-limbaugh,alt.activism.d
From: jswitzer@afit.af.mil (Chip Switzer)
Subject: Re: Liberal Bias Example
Organization: Air Force Institute of Technology
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1992 23:21:30 GMT

"Dan Gillmor" <p00107@psilink.com> writes:

>>
>>One of my personal favorite news techniques is where the reporter
>>finishes a story with, "of course critics would say that ..."  Where the
>>reporter just inserts his opinion of what he believes a critic would
>>most likely say.  Is there a more obvious way to insert some personal
>>bias into a story?
>>
>>-- 
>>
>>Chip Switzer                            "A witty saying proves nothing." 

>Would you provide us with a specific example of this?

>Dan Gillmor
>Detroit Free Press

I would be happy to, the next time I see it.  It's so pervasive on
the nightly news that it shouldn't be too long before I see another
example.  Of course I don't get to watch the news much lately, so no
promises...

Are you implying that this doesn't happen, or are you just curious?

-- 

Chip Switzer                            "A witty saying proves nothing." 
jswitzer@afit.af.mil                              -- Voltaire 
Newsgroups: alt.news-media,talk.politics.misc
From: foxd@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (daniel fox)
Newsgroups: alt.fandom.misc
Subject: Re: Petition for the SF Channel
Date: 9 Sep 92 22:19:52 GMT
Organization: Indiana University


I've pretty much given up hope on the local cable company.  Fortunately, the 
SCI-FI Channel will not scramble their signal for about 6 months which will
give me time to scrap up the money for a descrambler and then I'll tell them
what they can do with their cable.

                                     Daniel B. Fox
                                     KF9ET
.standard disclaimer
From: istn100@indyvax.iupui.edu
Subject: Re: Petition for the SF Channel
Organization: Columbia University Center for Telecommunications Research
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 21:13:46 GMT
X-Posted-From: indyvax.iupui.edu
X-Posted-Through: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

In article <1992Sep4.223216.1092@news.iastate.edu>, jerrett@iastate.edu (Gregory A Jerrett) writes:
> for those of you interested in getting the Science Fiction Channel the best
> way to get your cable company to subscribe is to present them with a
> simple, handwritten petition with a couple of hundred signatures.

Sigh.  I wish that worked out here!!  The local comic shop has petitions,
the Whoosier Network has petitions, there were petitions at InConjunction,
but so far, American Cablevision shows no interest at all in getting the
SF Channel.  Seeing the adverts for it on USA is VERY depressing (whimper).

Ellen - the Crime Doctor
ISTN100@indyvax.iupui.edu

Newsgroups: alt.fandom.misc
From: jerrett@iastate.edu (Gregory A Jerrett)
Subject: Petition for the SF Channel
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 22:32:16 GMT

for those of you interested in getting the Science Fiction Channel the best
way to get your cable company to subscribe is to present them with a
simple, handwritten petition with a couple of hundred signatures.
Your local comic book store or science fiction bookseller shoiuld be the 
best place rto start or find a petition to sign.

For those of you here in Ames, Mayhem comics has started a petition.  They
have about 100 signatures already but they are looking for 250 before they
turn it in to heritage cablevision.  I urger(urge) you to sign it if you haven't already.

Greg Jerrett
From: boutell@cshl.org (Tom Boutell)
Newsgroups: alt.fandom.cons,rec.sf.fandom
Subject: Re: 1995 Worldcon
Date: 9 Sep 92 12:28:45 GMT
Organization: Cold Spring Harbor Labs

In article <1992Sep8.043903.3638@access.digex.com> kfl@access.digex.com (Keith F. Lynch) writes:
>Glasgow has won the 1995 Worldcon, "Intersection", 24-28 August.
>Guests of honor will be Samuel R. Delany and Gerry Anderson.
>The addresses are:
>Theresa Renner, Box 15430, Washington DC 20003, USA
>Bernie Evans, 121 Cape Hill, Smethwick, Warley, West Midlands B66 4SH, UK
>
>Atlanta will host the 1995 NASFiC.

Freude schoener Glasgowfeunken toechter aus Scotlandelysium...

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!



Please forgive me.

A little excited.


Now I *definitely* have to sell my car

-- 
Tom Boutell, boutell@cshl.org

Clausthaler is the best non - alcoholic beer in the known universe.
From: apdent@actor.realtime.cs.vt.edu (Tripp Lilley)
Newsgroups: alt.fandom.cons
Subject: Re: TransAtlantiCon
Date: 13 Sep 92 15:59:52 GMT
Organization: The MultiMedia Lab at Virginia Tech

ummm... i have no idea.  But I'm working on it, as is Geoff Cooks, presumably
(read resp. 1) - I don't know if he has any prelim. info, but as he mentioned
in the post, it's a *wee* bit in advance to get a *lot* of specific info...
Those of you who have posted expressing interest, if you could e-mail me, I'll
put you on the mail alias so you'll get periodic updates...

thanks -- tripp.

-- 
 USES disclaim;                                                      |^^\/^^| 2
 Tripp Lilley   -- APDENT@actor.realtime.cs.vt.edu                   | |\/| |
 The MultiMedia Lab of the Colleges of Architecture and Engineering  |_|  |_|
 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University         (silly ASCII logo)
From: mwallis@clubzen.fidonet.org (Michael Wallis)
Newsgroups: alt.fandom.cons
Subject: Sad News ...
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 09:49:27 PST
Organization: Club Zen BBS - Fidonet/UseNet - +1 415 968 8140

I was saddened to hear last night the Fritz Leiber died over the weekend.
He had appearently overextended himself at a convention in Chicago recently
and the toll was too great. His writings inspired a leagon of fans. He's
been part of the San Francisco science fiction community for ages. He will
be missed.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mwallis@clubzen.fidonet.org - Michael Wallis
From: apdent@actor.realtime.cs.vt.edu (Tripp Lilley)
Newsgroups: alt.fandom.cons
Subject: TransAtlantiCon
Date: 10 Sep 92 23:34:36 GMT
Organization: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Club at Virginia Tech

So... now that Glasgow's official in '95, how'd people feel about a pre-con
con: TransAtlantiCon... a cruise from some East-Coast US port to England/
Scotland/wherever with the traditional trappings of a con?  If so, I'd 
suppose that now would be a good time to start organizing it, and if 
people think it a keen idea, I will.

 - Tripp Lilley
-- 
 USES disclaim;                                                      |^^\/^^| 2
 Tripp Lilley   -- APDENT@actor.realtime.cs.vt.edu                   | |\/| |
 The MultiMedia Lab of the Colleges of Architecture and Engineering  |_|  |_|
 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University         (silly ASCII logo)
Newsgroups: alt.fandom.cons
From: boutell@cshl.org (Tom Boutell)
Subject: Conversion for Glasgow '95?
Organization: Cold Spring Harbor Labs
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 14:15:49 GMT

Well, my vote didn't quite get to the person who was going to carry it in
on time, but luckily Scotland won anyway (hurrah!). Now, though, how
do I go about converting to an attending membership?


-- 
Tom Boutell, boutell@cshl.org

Clausthaler is the best non - alcoholic beer in the known universe.
From: mwallis@clubzen.fidonet.org (Michael Wallis)
Newsgroups: alt.fandom.cons
Subject: Re: TransAtlantiCon
Date: 11 Sep 92 18:55:34 GMT
Organization: Club Zen BBS - Fidonet/UseNet - +1 415 968 8140

Laurie Mann writes:

> *  NeXT: lmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com * GEnie:  Laurie.Mann  *
> **** Vote to can George and Dan! **  Vote for CHANGE in 1992!****

Cute ... best one I've seen on the net is:

        BUSH/QUALYE     Error: Divide by zero!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mwallis@clubzen.fidonet.org - Michael Wallis
From: fafhrd@clubzen.fidonet.org (David Medinnus)
Newsgroups: alt.fandom.cons
Subject: Re: TransAtlantiCon
Date: 12 Sep 92 01:11:47 GMT
Organization: Club Zen BBS - Fidonet/UseNet - +1 415 968 8140

apdent@actor.realtime.cs.vt.edu (Tripp Lilley) writes:

> So... now that Glasgow's official in '95, how'd people feel about a pre-con
> con: TransAtlantiCon... a cruise from some East-Coast US port to England/
> Scotland/wherever with the traditional trappings of a con?  If so, I'd 
> suppose that now would be a good time to start organizing it, and if 
> people think it a keen idea, I will.
> 
>  - Tripp Lilley
> -- 
>  USES disclaim;                                                      |^^\/^^|
>  Tripp Lilley   -- APDENT@actor.realtime.cs.vt.edu                   | |\/| |
>  The MultiMedia Lab of the Colleges of Architecture and Engineering  |_|  |_|
>  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University         (silly ASCII log

I think it is an absolutely smashing idea! Umm....how much will it cost?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Medinnus -> (fafhrd@clubzen.fidonet.org)