It’s hardly news when right-wing talk radio spews forth erroneous information.
But since I’m on a mini-roll on this subject, having pointed out the murderous insanity of Michael Savage, et. al. recently, there’s a special delight in catching Victoria Taft (a local Portland, Oregon talk show host) in one of her frequent blab first and check facts later moments.
Yesterday Taft was going on and on about how a CBS News report said that Al Qaida’s #2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, had been killed or severely injured by a recent United States missile strike.
Taft praised American special forces, talked about what a blow this was to Al Qaida, and generally made a mountain out of a single unverified report molehill.
Now, whenever I, a humble blogger sitting in my shorts (no pajamas; it’s early evening) put up a post, I always do some Google research to make sure that what I’m saying is more or less accurate. More or less, because I don’t claim to be the New York Times.
You’d think that a talk show host would be able to come up to my standards.
But, no. Victoria Taft – like most of her comrades (some left-wingers included, unfortunately) – just starts blabbing about whatever rolls across her computer monitor, truthful or not.
It turns out that there’s no evidence of al-Zawahiri’s illness or death, according to U.S. counter-terrorism officials. Al Qaida also denies it, along with the Taliban and Pakistan.
Yet Taft’s blog still has a mention of the unfounded report. No correction yet, or an apology for misleading her listeners. One commenter even takes the Oregonian to task for not printing a story about an untruth.
Well, I bet no correction or apology will be forthcoming. This is right-wing talk radio. Where facts don’t matter.
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Brian,
Victoria plainly put a QUESTION MARK behind the issue in her original post….. herself calling into question the seemingly premature declaration of Al Zawahiri’s death…. and then simply posted LINKS to news sources like CBS.
If you are to CROW about someone being wrong, then CROW about CBS being the drooling fool… not Victoria. And, CBS News IS quite the drooling fool.
Victoria plainly had a healthy grain of skepticism about the story. Hope perhaps (after all wouldn’t it be wonderful to see the enemy killed…. except if you’re a Democrat)… but she wasn’t biting on the story hook line and sinker.
You, on the other hand, are a plainly kool-aid drinking ideologue incapable of independent thought, and completely devoid of the ability to analyze another’s comments in a dispassionate and fair manner.
And since you are *demanding* apologies for the premature story of your beloved heroe’s death, I suggest you email your complaint to: lyng-rat-bastiches@cbsnews.com
They *broke* the story. Victoria posted a link to it.
Shame on Victoria for not KNOWING that anything on CBS News is probably a pack of leftist lies.
Tisk Tisk Tisk… {shakes finger at Victoria}
When I went to farming full time I swore that I would spend more time listening to music.
Instead, all of my radios are superglued to the totally fair and ballanced and unbiased FOX station, 10 hours daily.
For the last few days I have been listening to music; MUCH MORE RELAXING and better on your head.
The first two commenters do their best to excuse Taft — as if a talk show host is supposed to report as almost-gospel every unverified news story that appears on his or her computer.
Give me a break. I listened to most of Taft’s mangling of the CBS News report. She should have spent 30 seconds on it, saying “There’s a report that al-Zawahiri has been killed or injured. That’d be good news. We’ll let you know how this turns out.”
That’s what someone responsible would have done. But Taft isn’t concerned about facts. I know this, having gritted my teeth (or ears) and listened to her quite a bit while I drive around.
Case in point: she’s had the supposed state climatologist (who just pretended to be that) George Taylor on several times. She’s never had a real climate change expert on, allowing Taylor to spout ridiculous unscientific stuff.
This alone told me that, like every right-wing talk show host I hear, ideology is what counts — not facts. Ideology is fine, but it should be founded on facts, not on imagination.
Taft’s rant about al-Zawahiri was just like the Bush rush to war: fix the facts around the policy. Taft ran across an unverified news story that fit with her desire to show that the so-called war on terror is succeeding, and her ideology twisted reality into a shape that suited her.
That’s irresponsible.
Brian is suffering from a psychological episode known as TRANSFERENCE.
He is blaming Victoria for an erroneous report that was in reality published by CBS News.
Of course, CBS is an infamous leftist news source, so Brian is incapable of criticizing them in the least. So he has to foam at the mouth and screech his feigned outrage at Victoria for merely posting a link to the false story.
Seek psychological help, Brian.
People hear what they want to hear and if someone thinks that any of the talk programs are unbiased, they aren’t paying enough attention to facts. I think it’s best to listen to the actual events that happened and skip any interpretation because neither side does that for any reason other than spin. I don’t listen to talk radio anymore, sticking to newspaper reports and reading those who write as essayists and at least admit it. There is a lot in life to enjoy, to savor, but any of us, from the right or left, could lose total balance if we listen to talk radio of either side. People today are divided about right down the middle and what one sees as truth, the other sees as lies. I think some of this is too much news of the spin type. When the various pundits appear, I know what they will say before they start and it will all be to favor their side. Rare is the person who can look at their own side unbiasedly and say it’s wrong what was done. So rare that I am not sure I have heard it happen in a long time.
PDX Dave, you’re wrong. Taft didn’t just post a link to an inaccurate story. She went on and on talking about the implications of the inaccurate story, assuming it was accurate. I said this in a comment and also my post.
You need to check your facts before you make false statements. If you didn’t hear Taft’s radio program, you should accept that I did and know what I’m talking about more than you do.
Flexibility and openness to other people’s views isn’t a sign of weakness, but rather of strength. Taft shouldn’t be afraid to admit when she’s wrong, and neither should you.
What Brian is saying has never been better illustrated than during the Measure 49 episode.
When M-49 was being written, I would hear all day long about some unbelievable thing that was under way. Then I would spend the afternoon down at the capitol finding out that everything that I had heard on the radio was B.S.
Lardazz Liars’son reported one day that they were working a 2 year ban on somthing.
That evening, I spent down at the capitol:
WRONG!!!!
I enjoy talk radio as entertainment with an occasional nugget of wisdom.
Wouldn’t bet the farm on any thing I hear there.
Beats Airhead Unamerican anyday IMHO!
🙂
You are not only wrong, Brian, you are a liar.
Victoria stated that she HOPED the CBS story was true(you of course, hoped it was NOT true), and yes, she expounded on the history of the person whom CBS prematurely listed as a casualty of the WOT.
You have a sad case of cognitive dissociation, Brian. You can’t accept the FACT that your beloved leftist CBS News network is a pack of liars and sensationalists who “report” all kinds of “news” that turns out to be outright lies.
Your only hope of redemption – sad for you – is to catch a conservative QUOTING or linking to the liars at CBS News so you can call THEM the liar. A very Nazi habit you have.
Now, if you had waged a heated campaign against CBS and their lying ways AND INCLUDED Victoria in it, then you MIGHT have been viewed as being FAIR on the topic. But no… you hold CBS blameless, and accuse ONLY Victoria of wrong-doing for merely QUOTING their major international news release.
You are a pathetic shill of the left. Sad and pathetic.
Bye. You are not worth debating further.
Thanks for the compliments, PDX Dave. I’m going to start worrying about myself when people who think Victoria Taft makes sense start agreeing with me.