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Commentary: The New York Times and the McCain lobbyist scandal

In this post-modern era of moral relativism, the truth is becoming more and more difficult to find. No longer are right and wrong seen as absolutes-they are subjective to far too many people. According to relativists, right may sometimes be wrong, and wrong may be right under certain circumstances. It doesn't make sense, nor is it logical, but then, that's what post-modernism is all about-the rejection of logic. Since 90% of journalists vote for Democrat politicians, and because the line between right and wrong is blurred, it should be no surprise that journalists are no longer content to report the news. Instead, they "frame" the news and manipulate the stories so that they mock conservatives and celebrate liberals.

It has become an acceptable practice among "journalists" to base news stories upon the word of anonymous sources. The obvious problem is that these sources cannot be verified or trusted. An individual can say anything and never be forced to answer for it, so long as he or she can remain anonymous. This became apparent this week, with the New York Times' article about John McCain in which they accused the Senator of committing questionable behavior with a young female lobbyist, "according to anonymous sources inside the McCain 2000 campaign."

The actual facts in the story cannot be proven or disproved, but the suspicion that McCain has done something unethical has been planted in the minds of readers. Therefore, for all practical purposes, it's true in the minds of many. This practice is rife with opportunities for abuse, and should be ceased. No honest and forthright news agency would entertain this kind of story. But then, reporting the truth has not been the primary objective of left-wing news agencies like the TV networks, the New York Times, or the Washington Post for several decades.

Another abusive practice widely used by the media, is polling. USA Today and television news networks rely upon polls more and more, and most of them are deceptive. You know this when they fail to reveal the internals of the poll, or the exact wording of the questions asked. Often, the questions are leading, they elicit a predictable response. And then, the poll results are presented as if the numbers themselves are news. Polling data is often used as a substitute for real reporting. The media will report the results they want, and ignore the rest. For example, near the end of last year, television networks were all reporting on President Bush's low approval ratings,


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Commentary: The New York Times and the McCain lobbyist scandal

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    by Ted Sherman

    An unfounded story of scandal that may or may not have happened eight years ago has been resurrected by The Times just as

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    by H. Aslan Aslani-Far

    The New York Times allegations regarding Sen. John McCain's purported professional impropriety, and possible personal perfidy,

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    by Angela S. Young

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    by Bob Schmidt

    Smears, innuendo, unnamed sources, and influence peddling all are components of The New York Times article about Senator

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    by Timothy Buchanan

    In this post-modern era of moral relativism, the truth is becoming more and more difficult to find. No longer are right and

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Commentary: The New York Times and the McCain lobbyist scandal

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