NBC Refuses Ad Thanking Troops; FOX Refuses Liberal Ad

UPDATE: Oooppps. Maybe their standards are not that high. NBC reversed its decision this weekend and WILL AIR THE AD. Wow. What suddenly changed in this from hours before? Once you make a decision and it is this public... it is tough to change it. But, NBC did. Read more from the Associated Press here.

As if the public perception of a ‘liberal media’ bias was not enough, now NBC is taking heat (especially from conservatives) for rejecting a TV ad thanking our men and women of the military for their service. The ad is sponsored by Freedoms Watch. That’s a conservative group that really supports the Bush administration policy in Iraq.

NBC said the ad was too political. It refused to air the ad that included the group’s website address on the last screen. So, the network told Freedom’s Watch it would run the ad IF the group’s website address was redacted. Unfortunately, I could only find the actual commercial used in a segment on FOX News. Take a look at the clip from YouTube.

"Anybody in the world who would look at this ad would come away with nothing other than 'we should be thankful for their service,'" Freedom's Watch president Bradley Blakeman told the Associated Press. The ad is running on CNN and FOX News through Dec 21.

“The fact that FreedomsWatch.org appears in a TV spot thanking our troops stationed around the world this holiday season does not justify their refusal and reeks of censorship. NBC’s decision is sad and unfortunate,' Blakeman is quotes on Freedom's Watch website. This is not the first time NBC rejected a Freedom's Watch ad. The network refused a previous ad about funding for the troops.

Meantime, FOX News also rejected a commercial this week, according to the AP. A liberal group’s ad claimed “The Bush administration is destroying the Constitution.” FOX asked the group for proof of that claim. Without that proof, FOX refused to air the commercial. If you noticed, FOX failed to mention it’s own decision during the segment questioning NBC’s refusal. Take a look at that ad.

What a mess! If only viewers at home realized how many biases enter into every decision made in television (and every where else for that matter). What’s wrong with letting viewers decide the validity of a TV commercial? The political slant of NBC is clearly defined by refusing the conservative ad. The political slant of FOX is also defined by refusing to air a liberal group’s ad. What’s worse in all of this is that no doubt those decisions are absorbed into the news operations some how. Could it be that none of the media is truly independent? That’s a huge question that could never be fully explored in a simple blog. But, it is an important point. The news is rarely balanced (even on FOX). The news organizations have allowed themselves to fall into line with the greater political alignment of their ownership groups.

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