Edit Note, I found the following information at the beginning of Dec, 2008, SEVERAL MONTHS after I postulated this article. Here is that info that backs up the rest of this article. Here is the link to FCC FINES CABLE NEWS PROGRAM FOR FAKE NEWS.
I think this is confirmation that MSNBC CAN BE FINED for SPEWING their own agenda and news opinion as FACT. Please not the date, September of 2007.Here are some examples of Possible FCC violations being committed by MSNBC on a daily basis. (End of Edit Note).---------------------------------------------------------
MSNBC Polling analyst, Chuck Todd, may say, "John McCain has given up in Michigan and moved his operations out of the state to solidify other locales that normally are solidly Republican". This one sentence is mind boggling damaging to the McCain campaign, primarily because it is opinion being reported as fact.
The implication being made is that John McCain can't retreat fast enough from Michigan and is running out of time, and places to campaign. This type of statement is so full of distortion and wrought with gloom and doom, but it is being sold as FACT, when it is not fact, it is merely Todd's OPINION.If MSNBC were being objective rather than simply moving an agenda forward to elect Barack Obama, they could just as easily have reported that McCain's strategy was to move his operations to as many toss up states as soon as possible so that if those states tip his way and get reported as such, it may invigorate the other states that are 5-10 points down in the polls to move closer towards McCain, which in turn creates excitement and increased momentum...
Do you see how my opinion is just as valid as Chuck Todds? That is why both positions are opinions, and not facts. Completely opposite interpretations can be made from the same observation. But when Chuck Todd, or any other news anchor on MSNBC reports on McCain leaving Michigan, they make it sound like McCain is fleeing the state, losing ground, running out of options, giving up, etc.
That is MSNBC's OPINION, it is not fact. However, because MSNBC broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, their "opinion" becomes reality.
Another example. MSNBC has been reporting on an almost hourly basis about how unpopular Sarah Palin is in the polls, MSNBC further is reporting that Sarah Palin is dragging down John McCain. Yet just a few days ago MSNBC was crowing about how Pennsylvania was in the bag for Barack Obama. So what happens? Sarah Palin shows up to campaign in Pennsylvania and suddenly within a day or two there are secret talks in Obama's camp that Obama is actually only up by two points in Pennsylvania!
If Sarah Palin is so unpopular and hurting McCain's cause as MSNBC keeps reporting, then how does her appearance in Pennsylvania result in Barack Obama's lead shrinking? Answer, MSNBC is once again trying to spout off their opinion as FACT, when it is just an OPINION. However, the continued attacks on Sarah Palin by MSNBC DO WORK, and the result is not as close as the two points that was "leaked" to MSNBC from the Obama camp.
The other thing MSNBC does is the "damned no matter what they do" attack method. When John McCain wanted to suspend his campaign to deal with the bailout bill, MSNBC first claimed that John McCain was suspending his campaign to avoid debating Barack Obama. When McCain went to Washington, MSNBC clobbered John McCain as being ineffective and inept and contributing nothing to the bailout bill vote. To make matters even worse, MSNBC immediately took the position that the bailout bill MUST BE PASSED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, and all of their reporting was based on this presumption. Considering that phone calls to congress were running 20-1 AGAINST the bailout bill, not rushing the bill made the most sense, and was completely counter to MSNBC's position.
As time passes, it becomes obvious that MSNBC attempted to help the original bailout bills pass while using the non passage to attack John McCain for wanting to postpone the first presidential debate and deal with the bailout bill. MSNBC's politicization of this entire incident may go down as one of the most egregious, narcissistic, agenda driven media coups ever attempted, and frankly, an investigation needs to be done. Did MSNBC commit either fraud or treason in their coverage of the first two bailout bill votes? If you have access to the original MSNBC Bailout Bill coverage, you will be shocked to see how they politicized the situation to benefit Barack Obama and attack John McCain.MSNBC used the opinion that the bailout bill MUST BE PASSED and based all of their reporting on this opinion. Once the Bailout Bill did not pass on the first vote, MSNBC then dragged McCain through the mud claiming that he had no ability to gather yes votes, and in essence did nothing in Washington while he was there. Then, Chris Matthews stated that McCain had no backbone because McCain backed down from his suspending his campaign position and found time for the second debate. The "damned no matter what McCain did ploy" by MSNBC was in play, and it was disgusting to see MSNBC do it.
Another example of the "Damned no matter what they do approach" involves Sarah Palin's wardrobe. It's been gleefully revealed by MSNBC that Sarah Palin's wardrobes are expensive. But lets think about this for a moment. MSNBC has attacked Sarah Palin mercilessly for being an outsider, imagine how much more brutal they would have been if Sarah Palin didn't look so classy during her campaigning. Isn't it possible that MSNBC would have hired a fashion consultant to bury Sarah Palin on national television for dressing like a country bumpkin?
Once again, MSNBC has set up a scenario where no matter how Sarah Palin dresses, they will ridicule her choices, either she is a fashion unconscious small town girl, or she is overspending on her wardrobe and therefore has shown bad judgement.
In my opinion MSNBC is running a news scam, concocting opinion generated news to fit their own agenda and I sincerely hope somebody will make it their job to sue MSNBC, and do it quickly.