December 20, 2005

Good example of Media Bias at The Guardian

I generally think that The Guardian does OK reporting but the way things are displayed shows a bias. Take this example. Written by Luke Harding in Berlin it starts:
Schwarzenegger faces 'Tookie' backlash in Austria
Already in trouble with voters in California, Arnold Schwarzenegger was facing a backlash in his native Austria yesterday over his decision last week to allow the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams.

Leftwing councillors in Graz yesterday announced that they are seeking to strip Mr Schwarzenegger - who was born and grew up near the town - of his Austrian citizenship. In a further protest, they also want to rename the local sports complex, now the Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium, as the Tookie Williams Stadium.
OK -- Luke is writing that Arnold is not popular over there and that he is not popular over in California. Mr. Negative-Popularity. Must be something wrong with him. Luke then writes that a group of "Leftwing councillors" of the city are circulating a petition to revoke his Austrian citizenship and to change the name of Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium to the Tookie Williams Stadium. Sounds like a groundswell people's movement! Power to the People! That sure is Speaking Truth to Power! Then there is this item: "Article continues" and a rather large advertisement. The placement of the ad puts the remainder of the article "below the fold" and it requires user action to read. The rest of the article is of interest too -- here are the last three paragraphs:
In a pre-emptive strike on Monday, however, Mr Schwarzenegger sent a letter to Graz's mayor announcing that he wanted to sever all his links with the town. "Graz will not have any problems in the future with my decisions as governor of California, because officially nothing connects us any more," he wrote.

Adding that he still considered himself "Austrian with all my heart", he went on: "The death penalty is law here and I have to uphold the law of the land and the will of the people."

He was returning a ring given to him in 1999 when Graz made him an honorary citizen, he said, and withdrawing permission for the football stadium to use his name. "Since the official Graz appears to no longer accept me as one of their own, this ring has lost its meaning and value to me," Mr Schwarzenegger wrote.
They put the place where Arnold says Hasta La Vista Baby where most people will not see it. In case they change the layout, here is an image of the page in question: Click here for page image. Lest we forget exactly who Tookie was, here is his picture:
tookie-in-prison.jpg
He murdered four people in cold blood and started one of the most vicious street gangs in the USA. His 'Children's Books' were ghostwritten. His 'Nobel Peace Prize' nominations are junk because the Nobel Committee keeps this information secret for fifty years. He was a common thug who only made the effort to redeem himself when it served him in his attempt to cheat death. His presence on this earth is not missed... Posted by DaveH at December 20, 2005 8:48 PM
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