Television

July 8, 2012April 18, 2020

Barbara Walters Heaven Special Includes Token Atheist Response

Ellen Johnson and Barbara Walters

The July 6th special 20/20 episode all about “Heaven” gave about 2 minutes and 30 seconds for the atheist view. Even though it was a token amount, it was more time than I thought they would give to non-believers.

When I saw the title of the special edition of the ABC news magazine 20/20, I assumed it would be religious cheerleading the whole time even if journalist Barbara Walters was presenting the story. I almost decided not to watch it at all but then I wanted to prove how bigoted the show would be so I put it on DVR and scanned though it over the weekend.

May 12, 2012April 18, 2020

Even A Celebrity Tabloid Show Can Be A Prude: Show Censors Time Cover

This week Time magazine created a storm by having a nursing mother on its cover to highlight a story about attachment parenting. Some people lost their minds over the picture that was not obscene unless you think a mother nursing their child is obscene. A celebrity tabloid TV show, not known for general decorum in their stories seemed to find something it wouldn’t hype. The show censored the Time cover, pixelizating the point where the child is suckling. What drama over a natural human behavior.

The celebrity TV show “The Insider” had a couple of stories on the Time cover and the “debate” about it. However, every time the image of the cover was shown – even on video from other TV shows, the cover was censored. It was pixelizated at the point the child was suckling.

April 26, 2012April 18, 2020

Pageant Mother Misses Irony After Child’s Photo Shows Up On Adult Website

Pagent mother upset her child exploited

On Tuesday the local news had a story about a mother who found out a photo of her young daughter, that had been posted on a reality television show website, showed up on a adult website. She called law enforcement and was told the posting and the disgusting message with it was not illegal. I probably would have more sympathy for the mother but the reality show she and her daughter was on was “Toddlers & Tiaras.” The story and the mother’s reaction is full of irony.

January 5, 2012April 18, 2020

Huckabee Obamacare Ad Plays Fast And Loose With The Facts

Political issue ads are a sad fact of life. One thing I really wish would happen is that issue ads would be required to be factual about the issue in the ad. One ad which lacks the facts is one featuring Mike Huckabee speaking out against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act derided by the right as ‘Obamacare’. The ad gets heavy play on the Military Channel and plays fast and lose with the truth about the law and the reaction to it. Free speech shouldn’t give cover to a false political advertisement.

I couldn’t find the exact ad online that is playing on the Military Channel but below is one that is 98% close. I did transcribe the audio from the one playing on TV following the clip.

November 14, 2011April 18, 2020

FOX Lies About Occupy Protests

On FOX “news” Sunday, the panel decided that the Occupy movement was un-American and maybe even Marxist but during the Tea Party protests FOX “news” fell over itself to promote them. There is no difference between the Occupy movement and the Tea Party protests – in that they both were an exercise of their right to protest for what they believe in. To say one is “un-American” and the other isn’t betrays FOX’s bias toward the 1%.