A limited look at ‘Faith in America’

December 22, 2006

Nico offers an important preview of what to expect on Sunday morning’s top-rated public affairs show.

This weekend, NBC will air a special edition of Meet the Press addressing “Faith in America.” The only two guests scheduled are evangelist Rick Warren, author of “Purpose Driven Life,” and Newsweek editor Jon Meacham, author of “American Gospel.” NBC says the two will discuss the questions, “Can religion unite the country for the greater good and what role will God and values play in the 2008 presidential election?”

It appears that the discussion will be surprisingly one-sided. Warren, while far more tolerant of dissent than some of his colleagues (Falwell, Dobson, Robertson) is nevertheless opposed, on religious grounds, to abortion, gay marriage, stem-cell research, human cloning, and euthanasia. In 2004, he described these issues as “nonnegotiable” and “not even debatable.”

Meacham, meanwhile, has been sympathetic to religious right talking points, including what he described as “the secular battle against Christmas,” and during a chat on Fox News, Meacham did not dispute O’Reilly’s claim about “the ACLU jihad…against Judeo-Christian tradition in this country.”

Meet the Press’ producers have to be aware of the fact that there are plenty of religious progressives who would be more than happy to help offer MTP viewers a broader, more comprehensive view of “Faith in America.” Would it have killed them to put in a call to Tony Campolo, Jim Wallis, or Barry Lynn? Get, say, more than one perspective on the issue?

Of course, we probably shouldn’t be terribly surprised. Last month, after Dems won back congressional majorities for the first time in 12 years, Meet the Press had two guests on to discuss the results — neither of whom were Democrats.

It’s an unfortunate reminder: if it’s Sunday, it’s conservative.

The Sunday-morning talk shows on ABC, CBS, and NBC are where the prevailing opinions are aired and tested, policymakers state their cases, and the left and right in American politics debate the pressing issues of the day on equal ground. Both sides have their say and face probing questions. Or so you would think.

In fact, as this study reveals, conservative voices significantly outnumber progressive voices on the Sunday talk shows. Media Matters for America conducted a content analysis of ABC’s This Week, CBS’ Face the Nation, and NBC’s Meet the Press, classifying each one of the nearly 7,000 guest appearances during President Bill Clinton’s second term, President George W. Bush’s first term, and the year 2005 as either Democrat, Republican, conservative, progressive, or neutral. The conclusion is clear: Republicans and conservatives have been offered more opportunities to appear on the Sunday shows – in some cases, dramatically so.

I keep wondering when the pendulum is going to swing back in the other direction. I’m afraid we’re not close yet.

“It’s an unfortunate reminder: if it’s Sunday, it’s conservative.”

It’s why I no longer watch those shows, and stick to “GI Joe: Sigma Six”

In 2004, he described these issues as “nonnegotiable” and “not even debatable.”

Translation: I don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell in being right, so I just ignore those topics altogether.

  • And they think they are being marginalized by blogs. The lack of progressive opinion on the gasbag shows created a fertile field for lefty blogs to not only thrive, but challenge the legitimacy of MSM punditry.
    They haven’t been marginaized by the blogs. They’ve been trivialized, and they did it all by themselves.

  • At least in the past few weeks the Sunday talkies have avoided their addictions to Lieberman and McCain. Now they are giving a new class of idiots the spotlight.

  • Surely there are more mainstream Christian viewers than there are those Evangelicals. Evangelicals divide rather than unite. The question ought to be Can Religion Gain Control of Government and the American People together at Gitmo?

  • If they want fireworks (not to mention a real dissenting voice), invite PZ Myers on the show.

    His answers to the questions would be “No,” and “None, hopefully.” (As would mine.)

  • Disgusting. As much as the national broadcast media pander to the right in politics, they do it even moreso in religion. According to the dominating conglomerates of propaganda, these benighted stinkers are the paragons of Christianity, just as Osama bin Laden is the best example of Islam.

  • MSM is addicted to the lunatic fringe – they create controversy and buzz which translates into attention and viewership/bucks.

    Maybe we should treat the talking heads like trolls and ignore them to see just how far they will go to generate attention.

  • As they pander to the same ol’ bunch of yahoos, it must frustrate these shows that not only are liberals and moderates not watching the nonsense, but that a far larger fraction of the populace are either watching football or are out shopping.

  • And Mainstream Media (otherwise known as “MSM”) is called “the Liberal media” and “Liberal-biased”? Maybe we should have those who insist on calling the media “liberal,” consult any standardized dictionary of the American English language for the true definitions of “liberal,” “conservative,” and, while they are at it, “democracy,” “accountability,” and “checks and balances,” that is, pre the George W. Bush administration? Or would that give them the incentive to change those definitions to suit their purposes?

  • Here’s an honest question:

    “Meet the Press” airs on Sunday mornings at 9 AM. Aren’t all these little theocratic munchkins who’ll be watching the broadcast—the ones targeted by the plot behind the broadcast, of course—supposed to be in church around that time?

    Theocratic munchkin hypocrites….

  • is this the right place to say that meacham’s book “franklin and winston” is a piece of crap? a boring recitation of bonhommie and tea parties. ugh.

  • I have not read franklin and winston, but American Gospel was better than I expected.

    I imagine the dobsonites will not include it one a reading list , a book burning maybe but not a reading list

  • “Meet the Press” airs on Sunday mornings at 9 AM — Steve, @ 10

    I was gonna ask about that. I always assumed (I don’t watch TV, so am ignorant on that score) that all those talking shows were scheduled for after-church, same as they were in (“communist”) Poland of my childhood. Which may have scheduled the very best programs to coincide with the biggest religious ceremonies in hopes of making people choose between them but was also pragmatic enough to schedule the second best ones for when the most people would hear/view them. And that was in the days before there was any advertising on either radio or TV (most people assuming that, if something had too be advertised, it was bound to be too crappy to waste one’s money on )

    Which makes me wonder… Is it possible that the only people watching such programs are those who do not go to church? IOW, godless liberals? Who watch them for something to bitch about? And the writers/talking heads, fully aware of the fact, are yanking our left strings?

  • If Tim can ask the question about this celebration of parthenogenesis or how god became man to help capitalists make billions of dollars with the help of the MSMedia’s boosterism of materialist consumption then Tim could be said to be doing his job — keeping the wheels on the machine.

  • My comment would have made more sense with this — “then Tim would not be doing his job — keeping the wheels on the machine.”

    Like it or not, the machine thrives on a lot of myth, some old, some new. We are fortunate to have this venue to poke a few holes in it with our snark without undermining the foundation that we all depend on. Some don’t appreciate having a few holes ripped, but hey, that is half the fun, no?

    Have a Happy One, you hole rippers!

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