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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNevada Reporter Who Falsely Claimed Sanders Supporters Threw Chairs Just Got What He Deserves
A veteran political reporter who spread a viral lie demeaning Bernie Sanders delegates at the Nevada convention is now looking for a new job.
Jon Ralston, who has been called The biggest fish in Nevada by Politico, has been let go by PBS after the network cancelled his show Ralston Live on Tuesday.
Ralston became nationally reviled after the Nevada Democratic Convention, in which he famously propagated the oft-repeated lie that Bernie Sanders delegates threw chairs in a fit of rage after state party chair Roberta Lange disqualified a large number of delegates from participating and refused to hear their appeals.
While Ralstons insistence of Sanders supporters throwing chairs was secondhand, as he left the convention early, the claim was still taken at face-value due to his status as a respected journalist in Nevada. Despite the lack of verifiable evidence, national news media ran with Ralstons claims and printed numerous stories falsely claiming that Sanders supporters threw chairs, including trusted outlets like the Associated Press, the New York Times, and CBS.
-snip-
http://usuncut.com/politics/nevada-reporter-chair-throwing/
Bye!
rurallib
(62,448 posts)must be an ego thing.
Whatever -- Bye John, don't let the door hit the split
lapucelle
(18,328 posts)The real moral of the lesson is "don't take on the political establishment, and don't piss off Sheldon Adelson".
Ralston has been calling out Harry Reid for years. His fatal mistake was calling out a powerful right-wing billionaire who is hellbent on controlling what we see on the news.
Craig234
(335 posts)Ralston made a false claim. It was used by the media, and abuse by Hillary supporters, to smear Bernie.
And now, he's seen some accountability. That's great news. His credibility is not intact.
Gothmog
(145,563 posts)Ralston's show was not canceled due to any complaints by sanders supporters
I read further and commented below, that if correct, that is a very important issue and even outweighs my desire to see punishment for Ralston's reckless action against Bernie.
lapucelle
(18,328 posts)losing his forum due to the influence of a right-wing billionaire who doesn't want the truth reported.
Craig234
(335 posts)I will say PBS and NPR have seemed to move way to the right.
Bill Moyers is basically the founding father of PBS, and Bush put him under attack, appointing a far-right head of PBS who went to war against Moyers.
There is a story about a PBS station head who alerted the Kochs to an approved upcoming documentary hostile to them - and it was killed.
Ill just repeat, lets oppose both the corruption of the media regarding the right wing AND Ralston's recklessness on Bernie.
LittleGirl
(8,291 posts)Octafish
(55,745 posts)Frontline aired "An Election Held Hostage" or some such. It named names and dates, all which have checked out over time.
Craig234
(335 posts)I'll look for that Frontline.
Also, Lawrence Walsh seems to have pretty clearly said he's convinced Bush is culpable, he just couldn't get the trial evidence.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)For some reason, this never gets mentioned on tee vee much:
THIS is why the conservatives -- no matter their jersey color -- HATE Robert Parry. He reports the truth:
Firewall: Inside the Iran-Contra Cover-up
By Robert Parry
1995
EXCERPT
Those combined interests likely will lead to very few favorable reviews of a new book by a man who put himself in the way of that cover-up -- Iran-contra independent counsel Lawrence Walsh. In a remarkable new book, Firewall: The Iran-Contra Conspiracy and Cover-up, Walsh details his six-year battle to break through the "firewall" that White House officials built around President Reagan and Vice President Bush after the Iran-contra scandal exploded in November 1986.
For Walsh, a lifelong Republican who shared the foreign policy views of the Reagan administration, the Iran-contra experience was a life-changing one, as his investigation penetrated one wall of lies only to be confronted with another and another -- and not just lies from Oliver North and his cohorts but lies from nearly every senior administration official who spoke with investigators.
According to Firewall, the cover-up conspiracy took formal shape at a meeting of Reagan and his top advisers in the Situation Room at the White House on Nov. 24, 1986. The meeting's principal point of concern was how to handle the troublesome fact that Reagan had approved illegal arms sales to Iran in fall 1985, before any covert-action finding had been signed. The act was a clear felony -- a violation of the Arms Export Control Act -- and possibly an impeachable offense.
SNIP
" White House chief of staff Don) Regan, who had heard McFarlane inform the president and who had heard the president admit to Shultz that he knew of the shipment of Hawk (anti-aircraft) missiles, said nothing. Shultz and (Defense Secretary Caspar) Weinberger, who had protested the shipment before it took place, said nothing. (Vice President George) Bush, who had been told of the shipment in advance by McFarlane, said nothing. Casey, who (had) requested that the president sign the retroactive finding to authorize the CIA-facilitated delivery, said nothing. (NSC adviser John) Poindexter, who had torn up the finding, said nothing. Meese asked whether anyone knew anything else that hadn't been revealed. No one spoke."
CONTINUED
http://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/story34.html
What had come earlier makes the Iran "dealings" understandable. Reagan and Poppy owed the Ayatollah a major.
Debunking the Debunkers of October Surprise
Magazines mangled facts to dismiss Reagan campaign collusion with Iran
By Robert Parry
March 1, 2013
EXCERPT...
The New Republic faulted Nightline for failing to find out that Casey was not in Madrid, but in London. The magazine also mocked anchor Ted Koppel for a Nightline update, which was the first story to note that Casey had made the unannounced trip to London, despite his campaign duties. Koppel had observed that Madrid was only a 90-minute flight from London, making Jamshid Hashemis story possible. Nightline was wrong again, Emerson and Furman gloated.
I was ridiculed, too, as one of the entrepreneurial journalists who had investigated the October Surprise story, presumably for financial gain. (Because of my extensive work on the Iran/Contra scandal, I had been recruited by PBS Frontline in 1990 to look into the longstanding October Surprise mystery, leading to an hour-long documentary which aired in April 1991.)
The dual debunking stories from Newsweek and the New Republic brought relief and delight to many corners of the WashingtontoNew York power corridor, especially at the White House, where President George H.W. Bushs team could now go on the offensive against the remnants of the broader Iran/Contra scandal. On Capitol Hill, the impact of the one-two punch of Newsweek and the New Republic could not be overstated. Whatever momentum there was for a thorough investigation of the October Surprise issue quickly dissipated.
On the Senate side, Republicans mounted a filibuster to block special funding for an investigation. On the House side, an investigative task force was created but it was soon clear that its principal role would be to ratify the debunking, not dig aggressively for the truth. There was less happiness inside Nightline, where the producer who had arranged the Jamshid Hashemi interview soon found herself out of a job.
There also was little attention when our reporting team at Frontline determined that the London alibi, which Newsweek and the New Republic featured so prominently, was false. It turned out that the magazines had misread the attendance records and failed to interview some of the key people at the conference, including that mornings speaker, historian Robert Dallek. He told us that he had looked for Casey around the modest-sized board room at Londons Imperial War Museum and found him missing.
A closer examination of the attendance records also revealed a notation next to Caseys box saying came at 4 p.m. In other words, the much-trumpeted debunking by Newsweek and the New Republic had itself been debunked. But the debunking of the two magazines drew virtually no public notice. No corrections were run. No one was held accountable. The conventional wisdom about the supposedly bogus October Surprise story stuck.
CONTINUED...
http://fair.org/extra/debunking-the-debunkers-of-october-surprise/
Secret Government means Secret Beneficiaries.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)does. Some "journalist" makes a half-assed claim and then they run with it. The corp-media loves this shit.
OwlinAZ
(410 posts)Ralston's credibility is intact with people who know anything about Nevada politics, Ralston's history of doing stories that expose corruption, and Adelson's recent attempts to control what people see, hear, and read by buying up media.
Not only is Ralston's credibility intact, it is enhanced by the fact he makes both Adelson and Reid very, very nervous.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Craig234
(335 posts)Good to hear if Ralston is usually a good reporter. And others share a lot of blame for using his false statement to inflate it into a huge national story and smear. But how is his repeating a secondhand falsehood and defending it as well not wrong?
MADem
(135,425 posts)He's been quite harsh with her, too.
Google and peruse, you'll see.
Craig234
(335 posts)But I have no opinion that he's in the tank for Hillary. It's why I described has action as reckless, not partisan.
It was an important part of causing a lot of harm to Bernie, without needing him to have intended that.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Not the candidate's fault, certainly--it was all down to the supporters who behaved really badly. No point in rehashing it all, though--it's done.
Craig234
(335 posts)It is worth having the record clear that there was massive misrepresentation of the situation for partisan politics, and accountability is appropriate to try to prevent a reoccurance, not simply ignoring the bad reporting.
MADem
(135,425 posts)I am not interested in re-fighting the primary. What's done is done.
greiner3
(5,214 posts)But so is the Holacaust, The Cold War, mass shootings, etc, etc, etc.. But strange, we still have all that crap with us Also, as the Who so brilliantly, with apologies, 'same as the old politician'.
MADem
(135,425 posts)You are refighting the primary, and we're in GE mode.
Further, comparing it in any way to the Holocaust (check your spellcheck), the Cold War, and mass shootings is a very offensive thing to do.
Stories of "riots" and multiple chairs being thrown and fistfights are massive misrepresentations of what happened.
And sorry, but I'm not for the bad behavior with no accountability, which is what 'not refighting the primary' is wanting.
There needs to be an understanding that wrongs were done, and then we can move on.
It's a little like how we 'just moved on' from the Bush administration wrongs without any accountability.
choie
(4,111 posts)How does that translate into integrity that's intact?
kiva
(4,373 posts)I and several other people I know contacted PBS about Ralson's lies and his unethical refusal to admit that he lied for two days, while his falsehoods hit the major news outlets, and given this turn of events I suspect many more people e-mailed and called.
Ralston's credibility is still good with people who wanted to believe what he said, but the rest of us know better.
passiveporcupine
(8,175 posts)Well said!
billhicks76
(5,082 posts)Lies always catch up with people. Democrats are not immune. It's best in the long run to stick with people with integrity.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)PBS,you can expect reprisals in today's world. Remember ADM and the Andrus price fixing,well,Ralston has always called Adelson,Wynn,and Harry Reid to accountability. With the exception of the Las Vegas Sun Newspaper,which is printed in the same plant as the Journal Review and is a supplement to the RJ,all the Newspapers and several Radio Stations here in Nevada are now owned by Adelson. The Guy has gone totally hardliner in recent years. Seems the only Guy who has kept Adelson in check has been Reid and investigative reporting by Ralston.
Rex
(65,616 posts)Just another garbage pundit with his integrity tarnished forever. Egos seem to do that.
840high
(17,196 posts)Response to arcane1 (Original post)
Post removed
ciaobaby
(1,000 posts)the question then becomes, did he correct his initial version and apologize for his error?
I do not know if he did so maybe you will enlighten me.
Eric J in MN
(35,619 posts)NT
arcane1
(38,613 posts)No Sympathy from me. And the comparison to Dan Rather is completely dishonest.
floriduck
(2,262 posts)840high
(17,196 posts)sangfroid
(212 posts)Capehart just stayed off MSNBC for a couple of weeks and then was greeted with open arms by Tweetie. Lovely.
disillusioned73
(2,872 posts)merrily
(45,251 posts)djean111
(14,255 posts)on ALL media for quite a while. People were encouraged to fucking ASSOCIATE Bernie with supporters throwing chairs.
And Ralston said nothing. Lost his job? Just a detail.
cstanleytech
(26,319 posts)a supposed supporter might do unless the candidate ordered it done or incited it? For example I don't blame Hillary or Bernie for the actions of some of their supposed supporters here on the DU because it's not logical to do that.
klook
(12,166 posts)Just kidding! I completely agree with you.
OhZone
(3,212 posts)Then he dropped it. It looks like it did hurt someone.
SO I guess "supporters" no. Supporter - yes.
"Threw" - maybe not, but dropped clumsily - yes.
"New Video of Nevada Dem Convention Shows Someone May Have Been Hit By Chair"
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4c0yjb_new-video-of-nevada-dem-convention-shows-someone-may-have-been-hit-by-chair_news
Oh well.
floriduck
(2,262 posts)pnwmom
(108,995 posts)Uncle Joe
(58,421 posts)throwing chairs and demonizing all of Bernie's supporters at the event.
pnwmom
(108,995 posts)Uncle Joe
(58,421 posts)covered by the corporate media conglomerate monopolies.
reACTIONary
(5,772 posts).... video of that? Or just some "eye witness"?
OhZone
(3,212 posts)reACTIONary
(5,772 posts)arikara
(5,562 posts)People preferred to spread the lies rather than actually watch it.
reACTIONary
(5,772 posts)TeamPooka
(24,255 posts)with it because people were grabbing it away from the guy at the same time wrestling for control and the guy let go and it hit someone..
Uncle Joe
(58,421 posts)and put it down, then you can see them group hug the man to calm him down.
Of course the corporate media conglomerate monopolies never reported on it being one individual, nor that the chair was never thrown, nor that it was Bernie supporters that calmed him down... no with them it was "chairs being thrown, Bernie supporters were "violent" and when Bernie condemned violence in general, the corporate media conglomerate monopolies demonized Bernie for not condemning specific acts of violence that never happened.
That's one of the major problems with having corporate media conglomerate monopolies posing as a free press, at best they're dumbed down due to fewer independent numbers and critical voices while at worst, they're more easily corrupted due to inherent conflicts of interest and corporate boss intimidation.
OhZone
(3,212 posts)He should never have raised it in anger in the first place - BTW.
floriduck
(2,262 posts)important to even bring it up anyway? Please just leave it be. It's over and nothing good will come of mentioning the Nevada meeting anyway, no matter who you supported.
OhZone
(3,212 posts)And look again, the chair did not go down smoothly and a bunch of people had to help someone up.
But whatevs.
Either they have evidence or they don't. "May have" means there isn't any, just supposition.
She "might be" pregnant.
OhZone
(3,212 posts)Javaman
(62,534 posts)Let. it. go.
Javaman
(62,534 posts)"look out! he's raising a chair!!!"
reACTIONary
(5,772 posts).... with the chair. I've also seen video* from the convention. What he did was irresponsible and threatening to the point of illegality, even under normal circumstances let alone the emotionally charged and agitated circumstances he was in.
* Have not yet viewed video of the incident posted above.
Craig234
(335 posts)None of that justifies the lying that was NOT true about more, nor the inflating of this issues, like Gore's sighs and Dean's yell, into the huge campaign attack issue that it was.
One guy picked up a chair and put it down.
How does that rate the massive national news reporting of 'riots' and attacks on Bernie? It doesn't.
reACTIONary
(5,772 posts).... I'm sure you agree that the uncivilized hooliganism exhibited at the NV convention was completely unjustified and that it is wrong to make light of it as Javaman did.
Javaman
(62,534 posts)I still maintain this is nothing more than a making a mountain out of mole hill.
and yes, I will continue to make light of it.
reACTIONary
(5,772 posts)..... I responded to your post. In responding to another poster, i thought it would be useful to point that out to him.
The behavior that I saw in the videos of the NV convention, including the chair incident, was shameful, irresponsible and uncivil. And it should not be defended, excused or made light of.
Javaman
(62,534 posts)what rises to "shame" these days is laughable.
I give you post #159 for a better perspective.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=7941451
cheers!
reACTIONary
(5,772 posts)Javaman
(62,534 posts)it's time for ignore for you.
you have a very odd sense of priorities.
reACTIONary
(5,772 posts)..... unless, of course, you want to be considered obsesive yourself . Your choice.
Craig234
(335 posts)I think the issue is that this was a hugely exaggerated issue for reasons of both careless journalism and partisan politics.
You refer to it as uncivilized hooliganism. Well, there are a lot of things we might not approve of, but they don't deserve to be national stories and used to smear a presidential candidate.
I can think of all kinds of cases where people don't behave great. One guy picking up a chair in anger, not targeting anyone with it, and within about a second having all the other Bernie supporters around him get the chair put down and hug him - no, not a scandal.
Of course there was some other bad behavior - a few people leaving terrible voicemail messages they regretted.
But on dailykos when I saw people willfuolly hyping the issue and using it for partisan attacks, I responded with the same sort of attack on their behavior. I posted that I'd just picked up a chair and put it down and demanded equal national coverage.
That's not to make light of anything that is wrong, but rather to attack the exaggeration and smearing.
Javaman
(62,534 posts)BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)I sure wouldn't be.
Javaman
(62,534 posts)actually yes. LOL
because he didn't do a damn thing with it.
you try so hard to make this into something that it's not.
Howard Dean's yell is asking for you, do you want to answer?
BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)violence and mob-rage, as what happened at the Nevada Democratic Convention, I'm certain you'd have a far different attitude.
Howard Dean's yell is asking for you, do you want to answer?
This makes absolutely no sense.
Javaman
(62,534 posts)1) you don't know anything about me.
2) I have been in protests that turned into riots and didn't feel any fear for my safety.
3) I have been in riots that were just plain riots and still didn't fear for my safety.
IF you are so afraid of someone holding a chair, then I think you honestly need to reflect more upon your life.
BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)1) I don't care to know you, but I base my assessment on your silly "lols".
2) Yeah, right. I'm now supposed to take your word on that? Not likely.
3) See Response #2
IF you are so afraid of someone holding a chair, then I think you honestly need to reflect more upon your life.
Never said such a stupid thing. Perhaps a reread and a reread of that reread of my post might help clear up your confusion. Then get back to me.
Javaman
(62,534 posts)because your posts are filled with ridiculousness.
believe what you will, but the hoisting of a chair does not bother me, for it was not thrown.
I hate to see what you would do in a chair factory, I think you would freak out on shipping day.
Ta!
BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)on things you want to read in them rather than what I wrote because of your inability to read comprehensively while keeping things in context of this subthread that flows from OhZone's post. But if that gives you something to look forward to in your day-to-day because you have nothing else, so be it.
Javaman
(62,534 posts)oh thank you for pointing out my inability to read. I honestly don't know what I would do if you didn't do that. LOL
As I wrote originally, "the chandeliers quaked with fear" and stand by that. Mountains out of a mole hills and all that.
And I am continually bemused by you letting your self righteousness rule your perspective.
because, it seems, that's all you have.
Ta!
(On a side note, I can do this all day if you like)
DisgustipatedinCA
(12,530 posts)You should probably consider editing.
BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)hughee99
(16,113 posts)Chair and didn't throw it at anyone, would you think it was pretty much the same as if they did?
BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)the man to lower the chair. Were I there and had I stood in front of the man lifting the chair, I would've very much been afraid for my safety, and I'm assuming, so would you.
hughee99
(16,113 posts)or that someone intended to throw chairs but didn't, it was that chairs were thrown.
It didn't happen. It's not the same thing, it's not really that close. Pretending like it's pretty much the same thing, or close enough, isn't making an honest argument.
passiveporcupine
(8,175 posts)Not one word of truth there from Ralston. Another Bernie supporter (blue shirt) took the chair from him (black shirt) and set it down. In your video, it looks like it's possible that in wresting it from the guy in the black shirt, someone might have been knocked down (with the chair? Someone bumped into him? It doesn't really show how he got knocked down).
Still, the guy holding up the chair did not try to hurt anyone. He was waving a chair over his head, but did not attempt to hit anyone with it, or throw it at anyone.
AlbertCat
(17,505 posts)To Throw:
1. to propel or cast in any way, especially to project or propel from the hand by a sudden forward motion or straightening of the arm and wrist:
to throw a ball.
Hmmmm.... no "maybe" about it. No one threw anything.... except words.
Dr. Strange
(25,924 posts)jillan
(39,451 posts)ciaobaby
(1,000 posts)And none of them ever corrected or set straight. I always hope Jonathan Capehart will one day pay for his smear/lie about Bernie and his support and work done on behalf of civil rights.
Akamai
(1,779 posts)with protests in Chicago (e.g., "Those pictures are not of Bernie! Why does the school continue to say they were of Bernie?" have never been apologized for, I believe.
These two people both were filled passion at the things they said and which almost certainly influenced others at a delicate time.
OwlinAZ
(410 posts)peace13
(11,076 posts)...as it turns out that place isn't so special. He can stay right here where we all know just what he is made of. So despicable!
Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)So much better, normal human social behavior.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)I guess I'm an asshole because I refuse to answer for the actions of one guy
bunnies
(15,859 posts)To throw or hurl forcefully.
Hurl: throw an object with great force
Person 2713
(3,263 posts)bunnies
(15,859 posts)Last edited Wed Jun 22, 2016, 02:45 PM - Edit history (1)
(edit: apologies from the so called journalists.)
Aaaaany minute....
huh.
Rex
(65,616 posts)I bet he never lands a good gig like that one again, now he will be known as the guy that lied to make ratings. IE, just another joe nobody fighting for the MSM scraps.
DonRedwood
(4,359 posts)He was, for a while, the only one willing to go after her. If not for him it might be Senator Angle.
Raine
(30,540 posts)Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)They will all come to justice.
Raster
(20,998 posts)...on this very website, I resolutely pointed out no chairs were thrown and invited ANYONE to provide evidence to the contrary. It was even implied that I was the chair lifter in Nevada, because I ad the audacity to state over and over that no chairs were thrown and THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY.
I look forward to more of the 2016 liars being revealed from just what they are: liars who had no qualms about spreading lies and rumors.
RoccoR5955
(12,471 posts)more than a few sacrificial lambs going down. The big ones actually OWN the country.
phazed0
(745 posts)tabasco
(22,974 posts)I'm a former journalist and standards must be high.
LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)another former journalist
Response to arcane1 (Original post)
Post removed
Snarkoleptic
(6,002 posts)You are also mischaractarizing these Sanders supporters as "hooligans".
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hooligan
"Hooligan - a usually young man who does noisy and violent things as part of a group or gang"
No violence OR chair throwing at the convention.
Everyone here is for kindness and respect, but it's a two way street, that needs to be based on truth.
pnwmom
(108,995 posts)like this chair got tossed. Not across the room, but down. And it was a hazard no matter what. The man shouldn't have been holding that chair up in the air. The people around him obviously saw it as a threat, and that's why they tried to stop him.
In any case, the political reporter still has his job at the Las Vegas newspaper. He just doesn't have his side gig.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4c0yjb_new-video-of-nevada-dem-convention-shows-someone-may-have-been-hit-by-chair_news
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)happened. It didn't happen yet the Corporate Media didn't care and were more than happy to run with the lie.
The man with the chair was among friends and no one was threatened.
During the Bush Admin all Democrats agreed that the Corporate media was carrying water for the Powers That Be.
pnwmom
(108,995 posts)been waving the chair around above their heads.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)One man, one man and no chairs were thrown, no one was in any danger but the corporate media was more than willing to blow it into a huge deal.
pnwmom
(108,995 posts)a loud, excited crowd.
Snarkoleptic
(6,002 posts)Depending on the angle of the viewer, and in the right lighting, I could look like a unicorn.
closeupready
(29,503 posts)Snarkoleptic
(6,002 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Noise tactic. Get some nitwit reporter to make a false claim and then report on it as if it was legitimate.
pnwmom
(108,995 posts)mistake in the heat of the moment.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)The main point here is that the Corp-Media didn't need facts to blow this out of proportion.
lapucelle
(18,328 posts)and the right wing billionaires who are buying it up. And for some bizarre reason, "progressives" are happy.
Ralston lost his show because Sheldon Adelson wanted him out. Chalk up another victory for money in politics.
LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)"While Ralstons insistence of Sanders supporters throwing chairs was secondhand, as he left the convention early," (my italics)
He wasn't there, he didn't personally witness it, he had no basis for reporting what he did.
I worked as a newspaper journalist for over 25 years, 11 of them at a very large metro daily, and I would never have even dreamed of publishing something like this based on second-hand information. And if I had, I would have been canned, and deservedly so.
ciaobaby
(1,000 posts)if it was a "mistake" he needs to acknowledge his mistake and publicly apologize.
Thinking that's not going to happen.
lapucelle
(18,328 posts)I'll say it again. Ralston is one of the good guys, and anyone who thinks he tweeted with the intent of pleasing corporate media owners doesn't know anything about Ralston's 30 year career as a hard-hitting investigative journalist, his history of losing television gigs for honest reporting that displeased people in power, and the news monopoly that Sheldon Adelson is trying to create in his home state of Nevada.
And to be frank, anyone who continues to argue that this is a victory for progressive values, the first amendment, or an independent press will in the end get what they deserve: to be willingly played by right wing billionaires whose goal is to control and censor the news.
ciaobaby
(1,000 posts)w4rma
(31,700 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)What matters is that multiple BS supporters (not one) flung (not picked up and set down) chairs. Who would be embarrassed by evidence?
Craig234
(335 posts)It's important to understand that propaganda is taking a nugget of truth and inflating and distorting it into a lie that people are predisposed to want to believe.
Many Hillary supporters have blinders on - they're so 'for her' that they treat Bernie as an enemy more than a good Democrat and badly want things to attack him for, and so they really want a story where his supporters riot and throw chairs.
And that's why 'facts don't matter'. On dailykos where the Hillary bias is high, it was hard to get any word in about the attacks being exaggerated, against the sort of riot of posting attacking Bernie for it and attacking anyone who said anything different.
Response to w4rma (Reply #41)
Post removed
pangaia
(24,324 posts)DonRedwood
(4,359 posts)Say lay off. If the guy hadn't picked up,the chair in the first place we wouldn't even be having this discussion. He made a bad decision--the outcome of that you can debate but he shouldn't have picked up the chair. You don't pick up a chair in a crowd unless you want people to feel threatened. He wasn't picking up flowers, or a sign or a balloon...
kiva
(4,373 posts)Several of us who were at the convention have repeatedly posts that there were no chairs thrown, no violence. The fact that some posters refuse to believe people who were there, video taken of the event, and Snopes is indicative that the problem isn't that one guy picked up a chair then put it back down.
Rex
(65,616 posts)I guess his integrity will forever be tarnished, serves him right.
lapucelle
(18,328 posts)if a hard hitting journalist wasn't terminated.
But you are right about one thing. If Ralston hadn't offended the very easily offended Sanders supporters, you wouldn't be discussing him.
A right wing billionaire's efforts to control news outlets by buying them up, refusing to allow into print stories questioning the agenda of major state players, and dropping a dime to get the political news show of an investigative journalist cancelled...why on earth would that warrant discussion among "progressives"?
kiva
(4,373 posts)68 times, but maybe you should consider using a thesaurus to add some variety to your vocabulary.
Outraged: annoyed, fuming, livid, irate
DonRedwood
(4,359 posts)Um....yelling at people and picking up a chair to threaten...I don't think you'd like it if I didn't agree with you and did the same thing.
If you are going to blame one person's actions why not blame the person who started the whole mess?
kiva
(4,373 posts)He lied and didn't admit the truth until he had no choice.
The other guy picked up a chair, allowed someone to take it away, and joined in a group hug.
Oh, and I never felt any fear of violence at the convention until Roberta Lange and friends called in Metro.
Rex
(65,616 posts)Sad that he had to have his integrity tarnished like that, hope it doesn't cost him his livelihood.
DonRedwood
(4,359 posts)then said they no longer had money for the show.
Read Ralston's on Hillary Clinton. He was just as harsh on her.
Bradical79
(4,490 posts)Why should anyone lay off? Having an opinion doesn't mean you have a right to lie about an incident unchallenged.
840high
(17,196 posts)SouthernDemLinda
(182 posts)So, what's the problem the whole group wasn't throwing chairs. The group stopped one man from throwing a chair.
One man lifted a chair as if to throw it and another man took it away from him. That's what I read, but it wouldn't make a very exciting story.
Or how brave the man was to get the chair away.
OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)Fuck that guy.
AtomicKitten
(46,585 posts)ozone_man
(4,825 posts)Perhaps he has a career with Wall Street. Liars and cheats prevail there.
rjsquirrel
(4,762 posts)No journalist knows more about the inside dynamics of Nevada politics. He's a regular on cable news and if Nevada is close by September you'll see plenty of him on Rachel Maddow's show in particular. He is and will remain extremely highly regarded by his colleagues.
Not stating any position on the chair incident, but the idea that Ralston is somehow finished because his show had bad ratings ain't likely. And Indont think anyone but a few Sanders supporters really care about the chair thing.
Ford_Prefect
(7,921 posts)Last edited Tue Jun 21, 2016, 11:02 PM - Edit history (1)
How could the Chair and the violence purported to occur with it have any real significance in the larger scheme of the Nevada party, or the party as a whole, since things are now settled and done? As Mr. Trump's recent experience has so aptly shown the internet is full of lies, half truths and other mysteries.
...and yes the sarcasm is very clearly implied.
Response to Ford_Prefect (Reply #69)
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YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)pangaia
(24,324 posts)wallyworld2
(375 posts)there's a glimmer of hope for PBS
and faux spews is about to hire another fair and balanced reporter
peace13
(11,076 posts)...he'll be back!
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)tenderfoot
(8,438 posts)arcane1
(38,613 posts)PatrynXX
(5,668 posts)is when they were forced to accept money. and two brothers quickly came in. so PBS is tainted by the Koch Brothers don't trust them anymore
Response to arcane1 (Original post)
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Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Eric J in MN
(35,619 posts)...story with images of chairs thrown at a professional wrestling match.
I'm glad she eventually came around.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Equinox Moon
(6,344 posts)His false reporting hurt a lot of people and slandered Bernie and his delegates.
lapucelle
(18,328 posts)This isn't about Ralston's coverage of the convention.
It's payback for Ralston taking on Sheldon Adelson, a major PBS donor. Adelson doesn't want him on the airwaves, and poof! he's gone.
But go ahead and celebrate the fact that a seasoned investigative reporter who writes about corruption on both sides of the aisle lost his show on PBS because he pissed off a powerful, right-wing billionaire who is buying up media outlets so he can control what you read in newspapers.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2015/04/ralston-las-vegas-sun-editor-pulled-column-to-protect-reid-204868
https://www.ralstonreports.com/blog/where-does-harry-reid-draw-line-my-column-about-reid-and-his-mitt-romney-tax-attack-was-killed
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/business/media/sheldon-adelsonspurchase-of-las-vegas-paper-seen-as-a-power-play.html?_r=0
https://www.ralstonreports.com/blog/editor-columnist-cant-write-about-adelson-adelson-news
Response to lapucelle (Reply #67)
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lapucelle
(18,328 posts)ruffling the feathers of PBS donors.
I don't think he was talking about the $27 a pop demographic.
The only thing more incredible than attributing this to the "chairs thrown" story is that any informed person who wishes to remain informed would think that this is good news.
http://freebeacon.com/politics/jon-ralston-recalls-shock-after-publisher-killed-column-to-help-his-friend-harry-reid/
w4rma
(31,700 posts)lapucelle
(18,328 posts)Everyone else has moved on.
But it is interesting that some people believe that revenge over imaginary slander is more important than an independent press and the people's right to know.
SouthernDemLinda
(182 posts)Well how hard would it have been to say one man tried to throw a chair and another man stopped him?
A bunch of people throwing chairs is pretty far removed from the facts.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I imagine that is indeed, the singular and critical thing to far too many people.
That's a very important issue if true. It'd even outweigh the great support I have for punishing him for the Bernie lie.
But let's both oppose the Adelson issue of his money giving him too much influence, AND oppose Ralston's reckless action.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)lapucelle
(18,328 posts)He's a reporter, and he reported what eyewitnesses told him.
And his work is important. He takes on corruption and big money in politics.
SouthernDemLinda
(182 posts)Like Bernie supporters - who get out of hand........let me stop laughing.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)and didn't verify it. The Corp-Media love that. They can repeat the lies with no responsibility. This is a typical Fox News tactic.
Did he qualify that he didn't see the chairs being thrown? He promoted the lie for personal attention.
Nevernose
(13,081 posts)Although that's certainly the reputation he's created for himself. It's all hype. Jon Rslston is a salesman, and mostly what he's sold is himself.
He's had a few good stories now and then, but mostly he's a right wing-centrist hack. In person, the man is a genuine asshole, and on TV, he's never met a liberal or a woman that he liked. I gave up Ralston for good after watching/reading his reporting over the 2006 governor's race, both his weird antipathy towards Dina Titus and his lack of any real substance. He's Faux News Lite.
tl;dr
Ralston? Guy's an asshole.
NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)desmiller
(747 posts)tonyt53
(5,737 posts)lapucelle
(18,328 posts)PBS gave "costs" as the reason for the cancellation; Ralston referenced the influence of donors on news programming at PBS in his Twitter feed.
Person 2713
(3,263 posts)Exaggeration is a blood relation to falsehood and nearly as blamable.
L. Coyote
(51,129 posts)NOT! Business as usual and it will just happen all over again. One scapegoat fired and everyone feels much better while noone takes responsibility for not vetting the truth.
jack_krass
(1,009 posts)kiva
(4,373 posts)Feeling the Bern
(3,839 posts)jillan
(39,451 posts)Eric J in MN
(35,619 posts)Last edited Wed Jun 22, 2016, 07:39 PM - Edit history (2)
Jon Ralston's Twitter feed mocked Sanders supporters before-and-after the lie. It's not what I want or expect from PBS.
I would say the same thing about a PBS reporter who repeatedly mocked HRC supporters on Twitter.
Maybe Jon Ralston could have been effectively disciplined in a way short of firing, but I don't think PBS should have kept him if he continued being publicly obnoxious.
Else You Are Mad
(3,040 posts)...the MSM's irresponsible need to be 'first' in reporting stories. There is no fact checking beyond seeing if it is trending on twitter with the occasional man on the street interview of a person that will garner the most ratings not the most facts.
It is easier to release a retraction burried over the weekend when no one is watching than to waste time fact checking.
Every MSM outlet commits journalism malpractice each and every day.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)But that's all in the past now...
Betty Karlson
(7,231 posts)Hope he never finds another job.
Gamecock Lefty
(700 posts)They seem nice and respectful.
sangfroid
(212 posts)Last edited Wed Jun 22, 2016, 10:54 AM - Edit history (1)
But why should they be respectful? They had just been told the leadership had cut 'way back on the Bernie delegate numbers and hey, there isn't a damn thing they could do about it, and the next day their Party and the MSM falsely portrayed them as violent, furniture-throwing thugs.
Respect is earned.
Bradical79
(4,490 posts)Eric J in MN
(35,619 posts)...with decisions made by voice-vote. Delegates have to be loud in voice-votes.
Minnesota had a presidential caucus, but it was nothing like Nevada's. Minnesotans cast secret paper ballots in the first (and only) stage of determining how many delegates to the Democratic National Convention each candidate got.
blackspade
(10,056 posts)Just as intended.
Ralston was a fall guy.
CharlotteVale
(2,717 posts)RoccoR5955
(12,471 posts)he was "secretly" working for an opponent.
You know, like China, or Russia...
That's all I can say here without being banned.
ladyVet
(1,587 posts)He did not. And when confronted with the truth, he doubled down. I won't go so far as to call myself a journalist, as I have no degree, but I was a reporter once, and I would have lost my job so fast had I done something like this man did.
Good riddance.
closeupready
(29,503 posts)She sold herself out. Hope it was worth it, because many people who were her fans will never again trust anything she says.
Pauldg47
(640 posts)Eric J in MN
(35,619 posts)NT
closeupready
(29,503 posts)peace13
(11,076 posts)This footage was everywhere and Sander's supporters were made out to be looters! It completely changed the focus of the event. Who repairs that damage? Thinking about the press gobbling up this story makes me ill! You know there was video with one chair lifted, one chair put down by words of human encouragement. Stories, lies and manufactured rage were the result of this man's lies! How will he repay the people he stole from. He stole future opportunity. What is the price. And what is the price that those who were there and let the lie live and grow will pay. There is so much wrong with all of this.
BainsBane
(53,071 posts)Ignore the blog post, just look at the video. It doesn't show it being thrown, but they were held overhead in a threatening manner.
This Samatha Bee piece also contains a similar clip:
Nevernose
(13,081 posts)God only knows how he managed to keep it together for this long. He'd do well on Faux: he's got people convinced that he's an unbiased, political muckraker with the inside connection.
He's just a partisan hack who's better at disguising the fact. I think he even tries NOT to be, which is something at least.