# MSNBC: it’s the media’s job to “control exactly what people think.” **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 23, 2017, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561 "2017-02-23T15:30:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/41 "2017-02-24T13:09:31Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Yes. Because typically, left-wing news sites have a little more integrity than to pretend that an awkwardly-worded slip of the tongue is some major revelation. Mmm…really? Seems to me that most media (except Fox) jumped all over Kellyanne Conway when she referred to “alternative facts”. Yes I know it was funny and yes she had to accept a bit of ribbing. Nevertheless it was immediately clear to me (and I suggest most American journalists) that she meant that there are other ways of interpreting facts. Or there were other facts which gave a different picture. Eg: Ferocious Gorilla Threatens Child in Cincinatti. or Brave Gorilla Tries to Protect Child in Zoo. Take your pick. Both headlines are accurate for most readers. I do not have the slightest interest in your President but I do respect Ms Conway for doing a difficult job. Acting as a lawyer to represent her boss. And returning to the OP, no I don’t believe any MSM are trying to control your thoughts. Fox might give it a try but they are funny with it and they get a pass lol. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/42 "2017-02-24T13:12:26Z")
> [@Blinkyandpinky](#): > > The left wing, anti-American MSM has already lost whatever little credibility they had during the election cycle. > > President Trump is absolutely correct when he calls them the enemy of the American people. They most certainly are. > > They are all throwing hissy fits now, because their entire world has come crashing down, and good for them! I am very glad. They should be destroyed completely, and we will see to that. You forgot to add the bit about “seeing them driven before you” and “hearing the lamentation of their womenfolk” and “grabbing the womenfolk by the pussy”. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/43 "2017-02-24T13:25:18Z")
Some things go without saying. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/44 "2017-02-24T14:35:27Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > It wasn’t a slip, it was code to let us liberals know about the upcoming media coup, Quartz is one of the few smart enough on the right to have caught on. Important safety tip for future liberal strategists: pick better codes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/45 "2017-02-24T15:00:40Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > Mmm…really? Seems to me that most media (except Fox) jumped all over Kellyanne Conway when she referred to “alternative facts”. It wasn’t the media deciding after the fact to “jump all over it”. She was challenged on that asinine statement right then and there, by a totally astonished interviewer who seemed incredulous at this brazen endorsement of lying as an art form; she had set herself up for it by making a career out of lying, and she was playing this ridiculous semantic game because she was once again forced to defend the indefensible. Life is hard when your boss is a chronic liar and his press secretary is a spineless weasel. Anyone who sees any equivalence whatsoever between the fake interpretation that the OP and the right-wing media tried to put on the MSNBC commentator’s remark is an idiot. > [@Ken001](#): > > I do not have the slightest interest in your President but I do respect Ms Conway for doing a difficult job. Acting as a lawyer to represent her boss. You don’t need a defense lawyer – which is what Conway and Spicer both do for their boss almost every day – unless you’ve been charged with a crime. Most people think it’s a better idea not to commit crimes in the first place. Yet their boss is charged with lying or saying something totally asinine virtually every single day, requiring this pair of mendacious assholes to try to walk it back with some form of fabricated “what he meant was …”. Anyone who voluntarily chooses to be a professional liar for money is a shameless mercenary with absolutely zero ethics, and anyone who “respects” them for it may have unwittingly revealed their own true character. > [@Ken001](#): > > And returning to the OP, no I don’t believe any MSM are trying to control your thoughts. That’s not what this discussion is about. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/46 "2017-02-24T15:16:09Z")
You do realize that even though he’s on MSNBC, Joe Scarborough is a former Republican congresscritter and his show is generally considered to be conservative? Did you know that Joe and Trump used to be friends? And early on in the Trump candidacy, Joe and MB were HUGE Trump cheerleaders. But Joe and MB are also real journalists so the relationship with Trump soon went downhill. I believe Trump threatened to “expose” Joe and MBs personal relationship in retaliation for them asking him real questions instead of asking him about his golf game. (They neither confirm or deny a romantic relationship and they’re both currently unmarried so who cares?) > **[Donald Trump might just have made Joe Scarborough as important as he always...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/donald-trump-might-just-have-made-joe-scarborough-as-important-as-he-always-thought-he-was/2016/12/13/81ce67fe-bd7b-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html?utm_term=.42d8a9b36805)** > > What it’s like when the president-elect is watching your show — and calling you later. > **[Morning Blow: How Joe and Mika Became Trump's Lapdogs](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/morning-blow-how-joe-and-mika-became-trumps-lapdogs-90992/)** > > Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski should be herded into a rocket and shot into space for their brown-nosing of Trump ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/47 "2017-02-24T16:51:25Z")
I thought Mika’s job was to provide comic relief, and play straight man for Joe and the other guys. While I’m sure she would love to control what everyone eats, wears, says, and votes for, I didn’t think anyone took her babbling seriously. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/48 "2017-02-24T16:55:49Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > I have little doubt it was a slip of the tongue. I also have little doubt that MB, and many of the folks in the MSM, do believe they themselves should control the narrative. You have little doubt that what? You mean tell the story? The news story? You mean that they don’t polish it the way you want it? Got a problem with people trying to control your narratives do you? You are making up a narrative. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/49 "2017-02-24T17:01:27Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > Mmm…really? Seems to me that most media (except Fox) jumped all over Kellyanne Conway when she referred to “alternative facts”. > > Yes I know it was funny and yes she had to accept a bit of ribbing. Nevertheless it was immediately clear to me (and I suggest most American journalists) that she meant that there are other ways of interpreting facts. Or there were other facts which gave a different picture. > > Eg: Ferocious Gorilla Threatens Child in Cincinatti. or > > Brave Gorilla Tries to Protect Child in Zoo. > > Take your pick. Both headlines are accurate for most readers. > > I do not have the slightest interest in your President but I do respect Ms Conway for doing a difficult job. Acting as a lawyer to represent her boss. > > And returning to the OP, no I don’t believe any MSM are trying to control your thoughts. Fox might give it a try but they are funny with it and they get a pass lol. Man I can’t see the humor in FOX at all. You get a kick out of it? They sneer all the time. It’s a compulsion and a mission. I used to watch but it’s too repetitive and unchained to any human values now. I just flip around to the other stations and guess what fox is going to say. And I’m right most of the time. But really, what a bore fest! I guess it’s funny as in laughing all the way to oligarchy? But then again you are satisfied with the presidents rep saying that he is using “alternative facts.” ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/50 "2017-02-24T22:20:05Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > \ didn’t think anyone took her babbling seriously. We don’t take yours seriously, either. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/51 "2017-02-24T22:23:29Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I thought Mika’s job was to provide comic relief, and play straight man for Joe and the other guys. While I’m sure she would love to control what everyone eats, wears, says, and votes for, I didn’t think anyone took her babbling seriously. I don’t and I don’t know anyone who does. I have no idea why she still has a job. I was sure Fox News would steal her away by now. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/52 "2017-02-25T09:56:48Z")
Right-wingers are quick to seize on a slip-of-the tongue or sentence out of context to prove that rational thinkers are devil worshippers. In one case (I wish I’d bookmarked it) they quoted a Clinton _clause_ out of context, omitting an ‘if’ or some such, to reverse the meaning. Yet when a right-winger deliberately says something evil, they pass it off: “Oh that’s just colorful talk.” “Oh, of course we don’t think Trump actually _believes_ the nasty venom he spouts!” ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/53 "2017-02-25T13:53:52Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Brzezinski unapologetically and forthrightly admitted that the media’s job is to control thought? > > Or she spoke unclearly. > > If the first interpretation is correct, why do you suppose she chose this moment to drop the charade of impartiality and admit the media’s plan for total control? It seems an odd time to confess a view that she must have known would not be well-received. I was wondering which “Oswald” the **Bannon Team** would pick to try to justify throwing the very best sources for investigative journalism out of White House Press Briefings. Thank You, **Bricker** …! You Nailed it in One! ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/54 "2017-02-25T15:09:41Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > {…} He says that MSNBC said something, {…} MSNBC that spells [DEL][COLOR=“Black”]Moon[/DEL][/COLOR] Mika! CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/55 "2017-02-25T15:22:12Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I’ve got news for you, MSNBC: your job is to inform us, not control us. > IOW: Fuck right off. Typical right wingnut bullshit. Yes, you’re right, if a second banana on a show that airs at 4AM phrases something inartfully, then that becomes permanent MSNBC policy. Of course her brain got ahead of her mouth, she probably meant something like it’s the media’s job to inform people. But this is what Fox News viewers do. They will ignore, if not retweet, deliberate, repeated lies from Hannity or O’Reilly or now Trump, but if a liberal ever misspeaks, they never, ever forget it, even if he immediately apologizes and retracts it. And if they can’t find him misspeaking, no problem, they’ll just take something he said out of context, like “You didn’t build that,” or “What difference does it make?” ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/56 "2017-02-25T21:33:37Z")
Well, as someone who loves to snark at _any_one (a friend coined the phrase _“an Equal Opportunity Annoyer”),_ I have no trouble laughing at conservatives, tea partiers, and liberals alike when they misspeak. And it _is_ fun to ask “Hey, do you realize what you said? Har! You realize how crazy it would be if you actually meant it?” So I welcome a “Point and laugh at the libtard who said something stupid” thread. But if you can’t tell the difference between “misspoke” (this example) and “misspoke because you’re revealing how racist/misogynist/evil you really are” (our new administration) then I fear you’re not even smart enough for Da Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/57 "2017-02-26T03:01:08Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > It wasn’t the media deciding after the fact to “jump all over it”. She was challenged on that asinine statement right then and there, by a totally astonished interviewer who seemed incredulous at this brazen endorsement of lying as an art form; she had set herself up for it by making a career out of lying, and she was playing this ridiculous semantic game because she was once again forced to defend the indefensible. Life is hard when your boss is a chronic liar and his press secretary is a spineless weasel. Anyone who sees any equivalence whatsoever between the fake interpretation that the OP and the right-wing media tried to put on the MSNBC commentator’s remark is an idiot. > > You don’t need a defense lawyer – which is what Conway and Spicer both do for their boss almost every day – unless you’ve been charged with a crime. Most people think it’s a better idea not to commit crimes in the first place. Yet their boss is charged with lying or saying something totally asinine virtually every single day, requiring this pair of mendacious assholes to try to walk it back with some form of fabricated “what he meant was …”. Anyone who voluntarily chooses to be a professional liar for money is a shameless mercenary with absolutely zero ethics, and anyone who “respects” them for it may have unwittingly revealed their own true character. I could reply Wolfpup but apparently I am an idiot with possibly zero ethics. Admittedly its a bit of a shock so I’ll just fade out. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561/58 "2017-02-26T05:14:10Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Man I can’t see the humor in FOX at all. You get a kick out of it? They sneer all the time. It’s a compulsion and a mission. I used to watch but it’s too repetitive and unchained to any human values now. I just flip around to the other stations and guess what fox is going to say. And I’m right most of the time. But really, what a bore fest! I guess it’s funny as in laughing all the way to oligarchy? But then again you are satisfied with the presidents rep saying that he is using “alternative facts.” Lol. I should explain. I’m not in the US. In NZ young educated people treat Fox as a comedy news channel. It doesn’t get much traction. On the other hand my elderly mum watches both Fox and BBC avidly. Personally I click on Fox for about 20 minutes a night because the Trump presidency is fascinating. Part of that is seeing what the conservatives say to support him. As for “alternative facts”…Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters wants to impeach Trump because: “… he is wrapping his arms around Putin while Putin is continuing to advance into Korea.” Korea? Really? Wouldn’t the Chinese notice? However it was a mere slip of the tongue and she meant Crimea. An easy mistake. Just like Kellyann Conway makes and myriad others. Leaving that aside, when arguing political issues it is wise to first listen to what your opponents are saying. You are then prepared to counter those arguments and can anticipate where they are going. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-it-s-the-media-s-job-to-control-exactly-what-people-think/780561.md?page=2)