In “Eric Deggans Confirms Own Bias in Race Baiter Part I“, I detailed the premise of Eric Deggans book, Race Baiter: How Media Wields Dangerous Word to Divide a Nation, noting how it was more a treatise on attacking Fox News and Conservatives than an examination on how media affects public discourse. The arguments in the book had holes the size of tunnels. In part II I detail the authors response to questions I had for him during a presentation he gave about his new book.

My first question to Deggans was how he could go after Fox, but leave out MSNBC or other news outlets. His response was MSNBC does not fall into that category because they hired people and focused on a strategy that had helped increase their black viewership 60% in 2012; the implication being that MSNBC was targeting inclusion of blacks and therefore exempt from racism or divisive based journalism. This is a bit of jump in logic, considering most industry insiders know MSNBC has made a decision to be the Liberal network. Therefore, its increase in black viewership is a natural consequence of blacks being Democrats, not a secret plan to target black viewers.

I also challenged his assertion that Gingrich’s comment about President Obama being the “Food Stamp” president was racial code for blacks. Considering that Deggans is well aware that more whites are receiving food stamps and welfare than blacks, any conclusions that Gingrich meant blacks were only a sign of Deggans’ own bias, not Gingrich’s. His response was typical of liberals. He cited a scientific study by Princeton professor Tali Mendelberg that concluded whites more easily associated blacks with welfare than whites. This is a frequent tactic of left leaning writers and commentators. When in doubt, say it has been proved scientifically and therefore cannot be refuted. Ignoring the old adage statistics can be used to prove anything. Yet, if we accept the comments as coded language, what does Deggans call the statement by Obama, “They cling to their guns or religion.” Does he mean Americans who believe in God and have a gun to protect their family? Or does he mean those nasty, mean and bigoted white people?

The back and forth debate between myself and Deggans culminated in his final point of the day. The concept of confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is when you have a conclusion you believe, but ignore facts that contradict your conclusions. It was an ironic point to end the presentation, considering that all 288 pages of Deggans’ book and the bulk of his presentation was an exercise in confirmation bias.

Absent from his book is any detailed discussion of liberal news sites or other cable networks. Deggans can talk ad nausea about what he considers racist commentary and segments from O’Reilly or Sean Hannity, but where is the discussion about MSNBC’s Perry asking four white guests to tell their favorite racial joke? Can anyone not imagine the hue and cry from the main stream media, starting with Deggans himself, if Hannity had four white males on his show tell racial jokes? How is O’Reilly calling Deggans a race baiter for obsessing over race all the time any different from Deggans, Chris Matthews, or Rachel Maddow calling someone a sexist, and hater of women, because they believe a woman with a job can afford to and should be responsible for paying her own $10, $20, or $30 dollar co-payment for birth control?

Deggans even ignores that the blog post on Fox Nation he was complaining about was actually written by Politico.com, a left leaning news site.

If Deggans wants to write a book attacking Fox news and conservatives he is entitled to that right. He is not, however, entitled to selective outrage. If it is bad or destructive for Fox News, or talk radio to report in a certain way, then it is also wrong for CNN, ABC, MSNBC, etc., to do the same things. Deggans has a journalistic obligation to hold them to the same standard.

This brings us to the crux of the problem with Deggans’ book and liberals generally. They suffer from chronic bouts of intellectual dishonesty and hypocrisy. In their world, calling George W. Bush stupid is a statement of fact, but calling Obama stupid is racist. Expecting a man engaging in sexual activity to use his own money to buy condoms as birth control is obvious, but expecting the same responsibility from an adult woman is sexist. Targeting a specific demographic is racist and destructive if the demographic is white men, but targeting the black demographic (if you believe Deggans’ assertion that MSNBC is purposely doing that) is enlightened. And creating a website dedicated to the Hispanic community who may one day be spun out into a dedicated cable news site like Fox News Latino, is to be ignored, because, as you know, Fox only caters to middle, aged white men.

If you are a critic of Fox news then Race Baiter will allow you to confirm your own thoughts about the network. If you were looking for a tome that examines the way media helps to contribute to the hyper partisan divide America is experiencing, then the book is a waste of time. You would be better suited looking for other books, or evening writing one of your own. That is how useful this book by Deggans is on the subject. The problem is not his campaign against Fox or conservatives. It is that Deggans purports his book as something else. A critique on how media is dividing the country, but he does not talk about the media. He talks about what he sees as racial demons at Fox and on the Conservative right, but ignores all-over media and the liberal left.

If that is subject matter you wish to engage in you do not have to fork out thirty bucks for it. You can catch it for free on MSNBC, CNN, the Huffington Post, or any number of other media outlets.

Image credit: Eric Deggans via Facebook

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When the Central Florida Association of Black Journalists (CFABJ) invited author and journalist Eric Deggans to discuss his new book, Race Baiter: How the News Media Wield Dangerous Power to Divide a Nation, at their monthly meeting, there was little doubt I had to attend. Deggans is a media critic for the Tampa Bay Times newspaper and commenter for NPR and the Huffington Post. He is a frequent critic of Fox News and all things conservative.

In preparation for his visit I read through his book and viewed a seventy-minute presentation of Deggans recorded by CSPAN. The title is a backward handed homage to Fox news commentator Bill O’Reilly that labeled Deggans “one of the biggest race baiters in the country;” hence, the title. The book can be summed up simply: Fox News, talk radio and conservatives generally use racism and racist rhetoric to appeal to racist white males to make money, and it is dividing (read: destroying) America.

A few chapter titles in his book include: “Fox News Channel vs. MSNBC: Downgrading all Journalism in a Race to Win a Political Fight,” “Fox News Focus on Scary Black People” and “Hate Radio Why Talk Radio May Not Be a Haven for Middle Aged White Guy for Much Longer.” Within his presentation Deggans used examples like the story about a White House barbecue posted on the Fox News Nation blog page titled “Obama’s Hip-Hop Barbecue Didn’t Create Jobs.” The story was accompanied with pictures of President Obama, Chris Rock, Charles Barkley and Jay-Z, prompting Deggans to complain there was only one rapper pictured, so it is not a hip-hop barbecue. In Deggans’ mind, this is a clear case of “racial code,” because, you know, only black people go to barbecues.

Other examples Deggans used to illustrate his point were the controversial remarks Rush Limbaugh made about birth control activist Sandra Fluke, Newt Gingrich’s charge of Obama being the food stamp President, and a Brookings Institute study that found Fox viewers believe whites are as discriminated against as blacks.

So his message is clear. Fox news is racist. Conservatives are racist. Fox commentators are mostly racist, and Fox News viewers are racist. Everyone else, however…wait Deggans does not really discuss anyone else. His book is a detailed diatribe against Fox news and Conservatives, but virtually ignores other news organizations, liberals or Democrats. This is quite odd given that the tag line of Deggans book is “How Media Wields Dangerous…” At what point did Fox become the media? It is true, their ratings are higher than CNN and MSNBC combined, but that’s hardly big enough to classify them as “the media.” Where was the discussion about ABC, CBS, or NBC? Deggans thinks Hannity and O’Reilly are dangerous; okay, what about Ed Schultz or Keith Olbermann? It is no stretch to assert that either are choirboys when it comes to divisiveness. If Deggans wants to attack Fox news and conservatives, and it is clear from the content he does, then why not call the book, “How Fox News Wields Dangerous Words…”

I questioned Deggans during his presentation on this and other points. Want to know how he responded? Be sure to read part II.

Image credit: Eric Deggans via Facebook

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U.S. Representative Ron Paul, the Republican from Texas, is fighting against the crowded GOP presidential field. Paul, a libertarian leaning favorite, is running for the GOP nomination again. He also ran against Senator John McCain in 2008.

Paul released a new campaign ad attacking rivals Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney, as well as President Barack Obama.

“It’s the story of a lost city, lost opportunity, lost hope,” says a narrator in the spot. “A story of failed policies, failed leadership. A story of smooth-talking politicians, games of ‘he said, she said,’ rhetoric and division. One man has stood apart, stood strong and true. Voting against every tax increase. every unbalanced budget, every time. Standing up to the Washington machine.

Guided by principle. Ron Paul, the one who will stop the spending, save the dollar, create jobs, bring peace, the one who will restore liberty. Ron Paul, the one who can beat Obama and restore America now.”

“Dr. Paul is surging in this race, and today’s results show the strength of his grassroots support and top notch organization,” said Paul Campaign chairman Jesse Benton after the straw poll results were announced.

“Our message was the same in 2007 as it is in now in 2011, but this time we have quadrupled our support. That means our message is spreading, our support is surging, and people are taking notice.”

The ad is intended to air in early primary states, like Iowa and New Hampshire, this week. The ad is being released after Paul’s surprising second place finish in the Ames Straw Poll last weekend to capitalize on momentum. Of course, the all-important straw poll really means nothing. And the fact that Paul came in second place really means nothing.

Rachel Maddow explained that the Ames Straw Poll is really nothing more than a “racket” on her MSNBC show Monday night. It is a “racket” because candidates can buy ballots and hand them out.

Money is directly proportional to number of votes and guess who spent the most amount of money in Ames? Michele Bachmann, the winner of the poll. Who spent the second most? Ron Paul. The Ames Straw Poll has no predicative value in the GOP nomination. Even the Iowa Republican Party initially called this straw poll a “fundraiser.”

Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com

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Less than a year following the worst oil spill in history, the Obama administration has begun to hand out permits to allow oil companies to resume deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.  Trying to please both “drill, baby, drill” proponents along with environmental advocacy groups, President Obama has assured Americans that the safety standards have somehow improved; that a disaster like what happened last April will not happen again.

“My administration is encouraging offshore oil exploration and production as long as it‘s safe and responsible.  I don‘t think anybody here has forgotten what happened last year, where we had to deal with the largest oil spill in history.  I know some of the fishermen on the Gulf Coast haven‘t forgotten,” Obama recently stated.  “And what we learned from that disaster helped us put in place smarter standards of safety and responsibility.  For example, if you‘re going to drill in deepwater, you‘ve got to prove before you start drilling that you can actually contain an underwater spill.  That‘s just common sense.”

Despite those assurances and some investigation into the disaster last year, nothing has changed.  Oil companies have not done anything to change their operation and their ability to contain an underwater spill.  The main safety mechanism to prevent the kind of blow out that happened is called a blowout preventer.  Clever name, right?  This piece of equipment is designed so that if a well blows out and the pressure from the under seafloor blows into the pipe, the blowout preventer is supposed to seal up the well, holding the pressure and the oil in.  That is what is supposed to happen.  That is not what happened in the case of the BP spill.

As part of its investigation into the BP disaster, the government hired a Norwegian firm to perform a forensic examination of what went wrong with the blowout preventer at Deepwater Horizon.  What this firm discovered was that nothing was wrong with the blowout preventer on the Deepwater Horizon.  It was used properly and there were no defects.  The researchers found that even when these blowout preventers worked as designed, they don’t work.  The pressure they are designed to keep in also can blow out the blowout preventer.

The report calls for all sorts of new studies on blowout preventers and says, quote, “the findings of this study should be considered and addressed in the design of future blowout preventers and the need for modifying current blowout preventers.”

Even after this report was issued, a report that the government had specifically requested, the Obama administration continues to issue permits for deepwater drilling.  The government has also continued to promise the public that the drilling is now safe.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show was able to obtain a copy of the oil spill response plan for the first deepwater permit issued by the Obama administration since the big spill.  The permit was issued for a well operated by Noble Energy whose largest owner is BP.  Even more astounding is that their oil spill response plan was dated September 2009- 8 months before the BP spill.  So what exactly new safety standards is the Obama administration talking about?

Any lesson that was learned from the BP oil spill is not being used to make anything safer.  The administration has been downplaying the significance of the old safety plan being used while they are touting some great new safety lessons.  The Interior Department says that companies are allowed to go forward with permits as they update old emergency schemes.  They claim that there are other safety measures that are they can’t tell us..

Even with all these new facts that have emerged, the administration continues to sell the idea that things have somehow changed.  More than a week after the information was revealed about the blowout preventers; Energy Secretary Steven Chu praised energy companies for improving safety measures for offshore drilling.  He said the companies have provided the government with newly required plans to contain any spill that might take place.  “That’s why you’re seeing a dramatic increase in the licenses being issued in the past months,” he said.

What newly required plans is he talking about?  There were big important lessons that could have been learned after the Deepwater disaster last year.  Just issuing a moratorium on drilling and then letting oil companies drill the same way is not only reckless, it is not using “common sense.”  As we continue to see ongoing consequences from the disaster, the oil companies and the GOP have pressured the Obama administration to cave and issue these deepwater drilling permits at a quick pace despite some real concerns about safety.  There is nothing to stop another spill that also cost 11 workers their lives.  Nothing at all.  It is happening in Japan with the nuclear crisis, it happened in the Gulf, and it happened on Wall Street.  Corporations cannot regulate themselves because it doesn’t work.  Even if it makes people mad, sometimes it is better to be cautious and ensure that there are safety nets in place for any disaster.  It is better to deal with that before the crisis then after.

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Republicans, likely upset that they do not have public support in their union busting measures, are now targeting public employees that speak out against their overreach.  Freedom of speech is dead and buried in America.

The first instance of intimidation came in Wisconsin where a Republican group has filed a Freedom of Information Act seeking a professor’s emails.   William Cronon, Professor of History, Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin, spoke out against Governor Walker’s campaign against collective bargaining in a New York Times op-ed earlier in the month.  Two days after his post was published, Stephan Thompson of the Wisconsin Republican Party filed an open records request for the professor’s personal e-mails — including any memorandum that contains the words “Republican,” “Scott Walker” and “union,” among others.  Although Cronon is a public employee and his email are subject to such an inquiry, the information the GOP is looking for would be part of Cronon’s personal emails and not related to his job.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin released a statement in response to the controversy, saying that the university would comply with the open records request as required by law. She continued, however: “Compliance with public records requests involves a balancing test. There are many cases in which the university must balance the need, for instance, to protect proprietary research against the public’s right to know. In this instance, we will need to consider whether disclosure would result in a chilling effect on the discourse between colleagues that is essential to our academic mission.”

Michigan is now, even more broadly, using the open record request to investigate those damn liberal commie professors in their state university system.  A conservative think tank in Michigan, the Mackinac Center, submitted a FOIA request seeking any emails from labor professors at the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Michigan State University.  The center demanded any email that includes the words “Scott Walker,” “Wisconsin,” “Madison,” and “Maddow.”  The Mackinac Center is funded by many prominent conservative foundations, such as those of the Koch brothers, the Waltons, and the parents of Blackwater chief Erik Prince.

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, presumably who the Center is after, was perplexed on how she became synonymous with the Wisconsin protests.  “This show was the first national news outlet to report in detail on that policy, and now, the Mackinack Center is demanding the emails of anybody who could be an expert on that subject who might have the temerity to type the word ‘Maddow’ in any context in an email,” Maddow said on her Wednesday night show. “How’s that leave me alone personal liberty thing working out for you?”

The Republicans who campaigned fiercely on small government continue to pass laws that are not small government at all.  For instance, going through university professors emails—that really doesn’t strike me as small government at all.  Try again.  William Cronon writes on his blog that the “open records request seems designed to give him (Mr. Thompson of the state GOP) what he hopes will be ammunition he can use to embarrass, undermine, and ultimately silence me.”  This is big government oppression at its worst.

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