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Wezas
11-23-2005, 10:16 AM
So I looked at google news today because the top 3 stories are on my start-up page.

Jose Padilla story was one of the stories, from "Globe and Mail". The subject of the article, "White House reverses field on 'dirty bomb' suspect" seemed a bit mean towards the president, so I decided to do a little comparison. (boards are slow, bored at work)

Globe and Mail:
White House reverses field on 'dirty bomb' suspect (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051123/BOMBER23/TPInternational/TopStories)

Yesterday, in a stunning climbdown, the Bush administration indicted Mr. Padilla, thereby short-circuiting the Supreme Court's plan to examine the legality of the President's move to jail an American citizen indefinitely without charge by declaring him an enemy combatant.

Fox News:
'Dirty Bomb' Suspect Padilla Indicted (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,176361,00.html)

"We believe it is the appropriate thing to do," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said.
The indictment says Padilla planned various overseas trips to plan terror operations and sent money and assets abroad from the United States.
Gonzales also noted that certain provisions of the Patriot Act aided the investigation.

CNN:
Terror suspect Padilla charged (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/11/22/padilla.case/index.html)
CNN seemed careful not to throw around too much of it's opinion, letting the quotes from lawyers/officials on both sides do the talking.

Washington Times:
Padilla to face federal charges (http://washingtontimes.com/national/20051123-122909-7760r.htm)

Basically only the facts of the indictment and what was in it:

In March, U.S. District Judge Henry Floyd in Spartanburg, S.C., ruled the U.S. government could not hold Padilla as an enemy combatant without charging him with a crime, calling the case a "law-enforcement matter, not a military matter."

Washington Post:
Terror Suspect Jose Padilla Indicted (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/22/AR2005112201046_2.html?sub=AR)

The spectacular allegations that led President Bush to classify Padilla an "enemy combatant" in 2002 _ that the former Chicago gang member sought to blow up U.S. hotels and apartment buildings and planned an attack on America with a radiological "dirty bomb" _ were not part of the indictment.

By charging Padilla, the administration is seeking to avoid a Supreme Court showdown over the issue. In 2004, the justices took up the first round of cases stemming from the war on terrorism, and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring, wrote, "A state of war is not a blank check for the president when it comes to the rights of the nation's citizens."
Eric Freedman, a professor at Hofstra Law School, said the Padilla indictment was an effort by the administration "to avoid an adverse decision of the Supreme Court."

ABC News
Dirty Bomb Suspect Padilla Indicted (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/LegalCenter/wireStory?id=1337562)

The indictment avoids a Supreme Court showdown over how long the government may hold a U.S. citizen without charges.
"They're avoiding what the Supreme Court would say about American citizens. That's an issue the administration did not want to face," said Scott Silliman, a Duke University law professor who specializes in national security. "There's no way that the Supreme Court would have ducked this issue."

CBS News:
Padilla Case Shows Abuse Of Power
(http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/22/opinion/courtwatch/main1070025.shtml?CMP=ILC-SearchStories)
Jesus Christ, the entire article is slanted

MSNBC
Padilla indictment avoids high court showdown (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10152846/from/RL.1/)

By charging Padilla, the administration is seeking to avoid a Supreme Court showdown over the issue.
Eric Freedman (law professor quoted in the Washington Post article) is also quoted here.
Basically MSNBC seems to be a carbon copy of the Washington Post

Here's the AP article (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/ENEMY_COMBATANT_INDICTED?SITE=SALEM&SECTION=HOME&T EMPLATE=DEFAULT)

Seems that the main culprits are the Globe and Mail (who?), Washington Post, and the 4 main TV networks (CBS being the worst).

Liberal media FTW.

Gan
11-23-2005, 11:32 AM
Preach on.

I usually use CNN for its supposed neutrality. However, when I feel/see a slant impending I have to get off my lazy ass and dig up both left and right wing sources in order to see the 'ditches' on both sides of the road to discern the middle.

Even the Dallas Morning News was slanted which is a disappointment since they're usually objective in their reporting.

xtc
11-23-2005, 12:08 PM
The Globe and Mail is a Canadian national paper. It has a slight conservative slant overall, however more like British conservatives than American ones.

I don't think any newspaper in Canada has been favourable to George Bush.


Here is what the Toronto Star had to say about it.

There was much speculation here that the justice department moved to have him charged in the U.S. court system before being ordered to do so by the U.S. Supreme Court.

But three spectacular allegations against Padilla — that he was a member of Al Qaeda, had planned an attack on the country with a radioactive dirty bomb and had plotted to blow up U.S. apartment buildings — were not contained in the formal charges unsealed in Florida yesterday.

LINK (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&c id=1132701011190)

Personally I haven't found CNN very objective.

Back
11-23-2005, 07:21 PM
This is why I check as many sources as I can, and check out media watchdog sites like FAIR.org (http://www.fair.org/index.php) and mediamatters.org (http://mediamatters.org/) though some will call them smear sites. Oddly, they slam the so-called “liberal rags” ie. NY Times, Washington Post more than anyone else. FOX shows up quite a bit but MSNBC, Matthews, McLaughlin, CNN and other do as well.

One of the biggest things that seems to happen in media today is omission. Not providing one essential detail to spin your story. Case in point last Friday night’s vote to withdraw troops from Iraq. Many places reported that they voted on the resolution to withdraw troops immediately without mentioning it was not Murtha’s resolution but a one sentence GOP resolution that was nowhere near Murtha’s original.

[Edited on 11-23-2005 by Backlash]

Warriorbird
11-23-2005, 09:10 PM
:shrugs: It goes both ways. I don't think, frankly, that you can find a completely objective media source in the country.

Therefore you need to nab what information you can from various sources until you find a mix that makes you happy.

4a6c1
11-23-2005, 09:20 PM
I was so totally *just* listening to this song by Dope.

YOU SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND BABY RIGHT ROUND
LIKE A RECORD BABY RIGHT ROUND BABY RIGHT ROUND




Yes, thats all i have to contribute.