The Role of Geography in News

There was a time where it made sense for the distribution of news to be confined to one or two locations. Instead of sending news from Dallas, Kansas City, Chicago and other cities to all cities around the country, it was simpler to send information to major sources and for them to distribute it. It fit the technology limits of the time, but is no longer necessary today because of the online world we now live in.

The choice location for news to be sent was New York, which became the industry "leader" in journalism. More news is distributed from New York than any other source. The vast majority of the content in magazines, newspapers, and other traditional media are from the "Big Apple" and it is from that city's perspective that news is often "couched" or interpreted.

New York has polling numbers of "liberals vs. conservatives" that is almost twice the national average leaning to the left. Very few states -- maybe Hawaii, Vermont, or Massachusetts -- can even compete. Furthermore, the center of the universe of New York City is a tiny little neighborhood that yields a disproportionate amount of power called Wall Street. There is no question that the businesses traded there have a profound effect on the nation's economy, but it doesn't even come close to creating a majority of the jobs in this country (that honor goes to small businesses around the nation). Simply put, New York has an exaggerated view of itself and seems to measure the importance of all news on how it reflects on this small area.

The other major source for news is the nation's capital, Washington, DC. Having had lived many years there, I can speak first hand about the extent of its self importance. Those on the left content the rest of the nation cannot feed itself without an act of Congress. We are a nation of pets waiting to be taken care of by those far brighter than ourselves. This has long been the case, but seems to have hit an all time high under the Obama administration. Those on the right, on the other hand, have largely become cowards. They are no longer fighting for what is right and what is wrong, but are merely hoping to slow down the break neck pace of socialism. Those in the policy process that actually ask the question of what government can and should do are simply laughed at as irrelevant. It isn't "cool" to think the constitution matters. All sides there seem to think that policy is crucial, rather than the millions of people who create meaningful lives for themselves in spite of the governments best and worse efforts.

Combined these two cities add up to around 10 million people. Than there are the other 290 million of us who are fed up with the arrogance of both cities. People who believe that the average American is more capable of pursuing his or her destiny than the best government institutions can do for them. These people believe that the Constitution matters and if you swear to defend it, you better do so. These same people know that the vast majority of jobs are made by them and in spite of government.

The explosion of the blogosphere and social media are directly linked to the national discontentment towards both Washington, DC and Wall Street. People are making their own media that provides a better picture of reality than the vast majority of the mainstream media. In my opinion we have only seen the beginning of news media driven by the people. There is more to come and the need is huge. The news media was intended for the people and like what you are seeing with the Tea Party movement and government, expect the people take the news industry back also. These are interesting times indeed.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on AM 650 (M-F at 11 am) in Houston, Texas and on AOL Radio. His articles often appear in Chicago Sun Times, Reuters, USA Today, and other national media. Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.

Is Michele Bachmann Considering a White House Run?

Recently I had the opportunity to interview Michele Bachmann (R-MN), a woman often described as a rising star of the Republican Party. In a political world plagued with Democrats on the fast track of socializing our economy and Republicans who provide the weakest of criticisms, Bachman certainly stands out. She is very vocal about her convictions and is willing to take Democrats and Republicans to task.

Bachmann has not been on the political scene long, first getting elected to Congress in 2006, but there is significant buzz that surrounds her among the rank and file of the GOP. She took Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner to task for what appears to be his complete lack of understanding of the United State Constitution. It was actually very riveting television. In spite of her short sprint in the House, her overall political experience is as long or longer than President Obama, having served in the Minnesota Senate since 2000.

What makes Bachmann interesting is her honesty about the obligations she made to defend the US Constitution. Frankly, most members of Congress in the GOP act simply too sophisticated to take the Constitution seriously and the Democrats simply don't seem to care. Bachman is quick to remind people that they have sworn to defend that document and that commitment requires more than lip service.

Drew Zahn of WorldNetDaily is reporting that Bachmann is now hinting on a possible Presidential run. No, she has not put together an exploratory committee, but she has already stuck her neck out by modern political standards. Zahn discussed the possibility of a run for the White House with Bachmann. The Congresswoman stated that "If I felt that's what the Lord was calling me to do, I would do it." Furthermore she noted that "When I have sensed that the Lord is calling me to do something, I've said yes to it. But I will not seek a higher office if God is not calling me to do it. That's really my standard. If I am called to serve in that realm I would serve," she concluded, 'but if I am not called, I wouldn't do it." Meanwhile most of the other candidates who are ran in 2008 and consider likely contenders in 2012 seem to dismiss this possibility without hesitation.

Bachmann would have a serious challenge running for the nation's highest office. She is a female facing a media that doesn't seem that interested in having a woman for President. Just remember the ridiculous "stay at home mom" questions Hillary Clinton faced. Furthermore, she is a conservative woman. This is almost a crime by media standards since the press seems to believe women and minorities should all be liberal. Finally, she comes from the politically impotent US House of Representatives, which has not been able to produce a President in over 120 years. In the end she will be interesting to watch. She has already caught the imagination of many in the conservative movement at at time when it is looking for serious leadership.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on AM 650 (M-F at 11 am) in Houston, Texas and on AOL Radio. His articles often appear in Chicago Sun Times, Reuters, USA Today, and other national media. Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.

Fox Nation: Needed Change in Media or a Compromise in Objectivity?

Today Fox News announced its long awaited and new "TheFoxNation.com." With a great deal of fanfare the network has had a huge advertising campaign and has all of its network personalities referring to it at every opportunity.

On the surface, TheFoxNation.com looks like many other websites. I do like how it fuses Fox News with its Fox Business site and there is no question that such will help to bolster the visibility of the latter. Also, I love how it has articles from various news sources, rather than just content produced by Fox directly. (However, some of the affiliated media is from companies owned or closely linked to Fox parent company, News Corp, such as the New York Post). Visually this news portal is very easy to read, navigate, and to find content. Furthermore it is exhaustive in its reach covering virtually every area of news, business and lifestyle.

However, TheFoxNation.com is designed to be more than just another TV network website. According to its purpose statement, much more. The site states that the "Fox Nation was created for people who believe in the United States of America and its ideals, as expressed in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Emancipation Proclamation.
It is a community that believes in the American Dream: Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. One that believes being an American is an honor, as well as a great responsibility—and a wonderful adventure." It always amazes me that the most pro-American major news network is owned by a person born in another country (Rupert Murdoch is from Australia). This statement goes beyond the typical scope of a news network.

The site goes on to say that "this is a place for people who believe we live in a great country, a welcoming refuge for legal immigrants who want to contribute their talent and abilities to make our way of life even greater. We believe we should enjoy the company and support of each other, delighting in the creativity, ingenuity, and work ethic of one and all, while observing the basic rules of civility and mutual respect and, most importantly, strengthening our diverse society by striving for unity." This sounds more like a conservative social networking site, than the content of a news media. This is the kind of statement that will attract criticism from those in the mainstream media. We are told that "taking sides" may be patriotic, but it may compromise objectivity.

Finally the site states that "the Fox Nation is for those committed to the core principles of tolerance, open debate, civil discourse--and fair and balanced coverage of the news. It is for those opposed to intolerance, excessive government control of our lives, and attempts to monopolize opinion or suppress freedom of thought, expression, and worship. We invite all Americans who share these values to join us here at Fox Nation." Again, not what you expect to find from a media website. But, then again, maybe it should be.

Currently the mainstream media behaves as though it hates this country. It seems far more fond of models being promoted by Europe and other parts of the world than that of the US. Many traditional media sites claim objectivity, while plowing us over with agendas and hostility towards the values that have made this nation the most prosperous and free in the history of the world. A great example was the recent election for President in which the media didn't merely witness history, but created it.

I have been involved in journalism since the 80s, working with both publications and as a radio personality, so this approach to broadcast journalism even makes me a little uncomfortable. However, Fox Nation is being refreshingly honest. That network is made up of people that make a living conveying news and information. They want to continue to do that without government interference. Fox is a business, not just a news sources, and it wants to be able to stay profitable and not be crushed by a government out of control. Fox is made up of individuals who have families and they want to make sure that their spouses and children live in a country that is continually improving. The bottom line is that Fox Nation recognizes, above all things, they are Americans first and journalists second. That may be the perfect role of media in a time such as this.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on CNN 650 (M-F at 11 am), AOL Radio, and CBS Radio. Eric Bolling of Fox News and Fox Business says that Price’s Blog “is very influential and moves the blogosphere.” Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com.

Rush Limbaugh and "I Hope Obama Fails"

Obama is under scrutiny like many on the Right never imagined and it is beginning to show in the President's declining poll numbers. Some in the mainstream media are beginning to have buyers remorse, even as the news continues to operate as a propaganda machine to defend itself as ones who moved from the role of "witnesses of history" to makers of it. If Obama fails, the media fails with him they fear. They served as a sophisticated PR tool to get the Illinois Senator in the White House.

Conservatives are up in arms in a way that I have never seen. Even at the height of the Clinton impeachment trials Conservatives were not as vocal. Barack Obama has created an alarm among every day Americans for many good reasons. Obama hates free enterprise, limited government, and those other elements that have made us free. Furthermore, he is developing a shadow government within his White House designed to keep him free from Congressional accountability.

So serious is this Administration's radical actions, even one of his strongest allies, Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) has warned about the establishment of "White House Czars." His policies are radical -- socializing health care, eliminating what little local control is left in education, and the government's far reaching control of energy. These policies may pale in comparison to what Obama plans on doing with the political process. From his hostility towards criticism seen in the removal of reporters from his plane that represented newspapers which endorsed his opponent to his lust for political power by moving the Census (which is used to determine Congressional Districts among other things) to the White House all point to a man who is more interested in the "Cubaization" of the United States and not the mere "Europization" that so many talk about it.

Enter Rush Limbaugh, the long time voice of grassroot conservatives regardless of who was in power. In light of the dangerous times being brought on by the Obama Administration, Limbaugh and other Conservatives feel forced to take off the gloves. Recently, a major publication asked Rush Limbaugh (as well as many other political and media leaders) the media giant's hopes with the dawn of a new Administration. Following a summary of the radical and socialist policies being pursued by the new president, Limbaugh simply said four words, "I hope Obama fails." This is a statement that will not go away and Limbaugh is also not shying away from it either.

A recent Newsweek Magazine has a picture of Limbaugh with (what appears to be) tape over his mouth and the title "Why Rush is Wrong" and it is the reflections of a Conservative journalist who is trying to take the radio host to task. It is interesting that the only Conservative they could find to take Rush on is David Frum, a man described as a "Canadian conservative" who is most identified with the neoconservative wing and has served as a speechwriter to President Bush. His strongest links to the Conservative movement are with the National Review, he is an ardent critic of Sarah Palin, and a huge fan of Michael Steele. In other words, he represents that wing of the "Conservative movement" that most people on the right have largely disregarded. Newsweek, in its desperate efforts to try to create division in the Conservative movement when it comes to Obama, had to go outside of the country and really, outside of the movement, to find a critic. It shows you how pathetic the mainstream media has become.

Could Limbaugh have handled his criticism of Obama better? I think so and with greater effectiveness as well. As an Obama critic who has studied history and economics for years, I know Obama well fail. That is fact, not speculation. It has nothing to do with "hope," but mere reality. Socialism has failed, government isn't the answer, freedom is all that works. Limbaugh should have spoke of Obama's failure as fact, not hope. So if I had been asked to make a statement of what I would "hope" with the inauguration of this new Administration, I would have to say four words like Limbaugh too: I hope America survives.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on CNN 650 (M-F at 11 am). Eric Bolling of Fox News and Fox Business and says that Price’s Blog “is very influential and moves the blogosphere.” Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com.