Left-wing bias in the american media.

[Khan Singh]

Okay, well why don't you find a news story at CNN that you think is biased and post a link to it? That way we can all have a look at one so we can see exactly what you are complaining about. Please note the points you think are biased.

[Khan Singh]

Bugs? Imran? Anyone?

Surely it can't be that hard to find a biased story, since the bias is so pervasive. Show us exactly what you mean.

[mactbone]

Front Page, above fold

http://www.purdueexponent.org/2002/02/05/city/index.html

Student organization opposes Senate bill

Jason Yeo/Exponent Photographer

ON THE DOTTED LINE: Amy Huelskamp, a junior in the school of Consumer and Family Science, signs a petition Monday afternoon at a local liquor store.

By Heather Poston
Staff Writer

A student civil liberty group plans to present petitions opposing the keg-tagging legislation that will be presented to the Indiana House of Representatives sometime this month.

The Purdue chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has posted petitions in local liquor stores to appeal against legislation that had recently claimed victory in the state Senate.

Senate Bill 97 — a bill that proposes the registration and tagging of kegs — passed the Senate by a vote of 37-13 last week. The bill requires all kegs to be registered and tagged, and can be easily traced back to the purchaser if found being consumed by minors.

The Purdue chapter of the union chose to take action to keep this legislation from being passed.

"The keg tracking bill should be a concern to all, along with the American Civil Liberties Union since it violates our basic freedom of privacy," said Andrea Callan, president of Purdue's union chapter. "Even if someone is in support of the bill, they should stop to recognize the impact that it will have in stripping more of our civil liberties away from us."

The union states that they are the nation's foremost advocate of individual rights and equal justice and are the leading guardian against unwarranted government interference and abuse. Their overall goal is to preserve the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights regardless of stature, gender or ethnicity.

"We really want to make it clear that the action we are taking doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Senate bill 97 is concerned with the distribution of alcoholic beverages, and the effect that it will have on us as students, but more that we want to stop the government from imposing more restrictions on our privacy," said Callan.

The petitions can be found in most West Lafayette liquor stores and can also be found circulating throughout classrooms on campus. Petitions will be collected Wednesday and will then be faxed to legislators, including an Indiana Civil Liberties Union lobbyist who will present the petitions to other legislators.

Village Bottle Shoppe owner Dan St. John has allowed the petitions to be posted in his stores. He does not think that legislators understand the consequences of this bill.

"The paperwork involved with keg tagging will be a nightmare," said St. John. "It will annoy customers that are not buying kegs and that must wait while other customers are filling out paperwork."

St. John said that he sells an average of 10,000 kegs a year, and, since it might take up to two minutes to fill out the forms, it would be an additional 300 hours of labor he would have to endure.

Students can help the union by signing petitions that are posted in liquor stores, the Black Cultural Center, the Stewart Center basement and on bulletin boards throughout campus. The union said a more effective way to be heard is to call the government directly. There is a designated phone number that people can call to voice their opinions on any piece of legislation that is pending. The phone number is 1-800-382-9842, and, the union strongly encourages calling in addition to signing the petitions.

[mactbone]

Front Page

http://www.purdueexponent.org/2002/02/04/city/index.html

Study reveals wage gap still exists
By Emily Baldauf
Senior Writer

Although the wage gap has been decreasing over the last 20 years, men are still getting paid more than women.

According to a study done by the U.S. Department of Labor, female workers made 76 cents for every dollar their male counterparts made in 2000. The study reported that the median weekly earnings for female full-time and salary workers were $491 compared to the $646 median for male workers.

Although 76 percent may seem like a rather large disparity, the wage gap has been shrinking over the last 20 years. For example, when comparable earnings data was first available in 1979, women earned about 63 percent as much as men did.

There are a variety of reasons for the wage gap. Although discrimination is often cited as one leading cause, it is any part of the story.

"Part of the wage gap is explained by discrimination, but not all of it," said Jerry Lynch, assistant dean of the School of Management.

One explanation for the wage gap may be deeply rooted in early childhood experiences. Many experts argue that girls are often steered toward certain lower-paying professions.

"Women tend to work in occupations that are lower paying," political science professor Laurel Weldon said. "The reasons are complex, but there is evidence of job steering."

Job steering is a term used to describe the practice of counselors, human resource personnel and job placement officers to see women as better suited for "women's jobs" like teaching, nursing and clerical work.

Children internalize these social norms and girls will even begin to pressure each other not to enter certain fields.

"There is a lot of pressure in middle school and high school for girls not to do well in school; it's not cool to be smart so they don't take the higher math and science courses," said Beth Holloway, director of the Women in Engineering program. "But in a profession like engineering you really need to have had those prep classes in middle and high school."

Women who do break social pressures and come to a school like Purdue for engineering often then feel a different kind of pressure when they enter the classroom.

"Sometimes they want to come and see other people like them," Holloway said. "They want to know they are not alone — and they aren't."

Organizations like Women in Engineering have helped to encourage more women to enter higher paying fields. Most experts agree that closing the education gap between men and women has decreased the wage gap.

In fact, Halloway said, women graduates in some fields might actually receive higher salaries then their male classmates. For example, she said a lot of times women with a four-year degree in engineering may have a higher starting salary because companies are beginning to see they need a diverse workforce.

"A more diverse workforce lends itself to more diverse ideas and a more optimal solution," Halloway said.

Even if a woman does become successful in a male-dominated field, she is often faced with a different set of responsibilities and expectations than her male co-workers.

Women usually are the one responsible for caring for young children, elderly parents and sick relatives.

Although in recent years there has been a slight shift in responsibilities, many studies have confirmed that women still are given the majority of family responsibilities. And if a woman chooses to take several months or years away from the labor force, her career could suffer for years.

"It is definitely affects you in terms of promotion and seniority," Weldon said.

Although there has been a significant decrease in the wage gap over the last 20 years and many women have broken into male-dominated fields, simple wage discrimination does still exist.

"When you take into consideration all the things that explain the wage gap there is still a big gap," said Shelley MacDermid, professor of child development and family studies. "There is evidence that some gender bias is still present."

Although many experts agree there has been some significant improvement in the fight for equality for women, many agree there is still room for improvement.

"We have access to many more jobs than we did in the past and we have more women in hiring positions, but social change takes a long time," Weldon said. "Just because the bulk of women face barriers doesn't mean one can't do better and be part of this social change."

[mactbone]

Front Page with only color photo in paper.

http://www.purdueexponent.org/2002/01/31/campus/fur.html

Students interpret fur industry

By Matt Lindner
Assistant Campus Editor

The graphic contents of a display case across from Fowler Hall in Stewart Center are causing more than a few heads to turn and stare.

Inside the case is a fur coat dripping fake blood onto a white piece of paper. Encompassing the coat is a white sheet that is spattered with fake blood with a poster to the left of the coat that says, "Here's the rest of your fur coat." Also included in the poster is a picture of a skinned animal carcass to show what an animal looks like after its fur has been removed.

Students in Defense of Animals is putting on the display for the second consecutive year. Kara Beaver, a senior in the School of Liberal Arts and a member of Students in Defense of Animals, said the group's goal is to inform.

"We are doing it so people can see what they are supporting when they buy fur and fur-trim coats which are popular right now," Beaver said. "Really, the display is nothing in comparison to the torture that those animals face to become a fur coat."

Students who have seen the display don't agree with the way it is presented because the actual fact sheet is eclipsed by the large, graphic display inside the case. Jill Puzey, a freshman in the School of Management, said the display was overdone.

"The poster is too graphic, and there's probably a better way for them to get their point across," Puzey said.

Camilo Zapata, a graduate student, said the display probably would not achieve its desired affect with the way it is presented.

"The idea of the display is good, but the way that they express it isn't," Zapata said. "They're trying to avoid something that is violent by using violence to display their message."

Justin Marquis, a junior in the School of Liberal Arts, said the display didn't change his views about fur.

"Things like this don't affect my opinion because they are sensationalistic," Marquis said.

When informed of students' opinions, Beaver said the group had only presented the facts.

"I don't see the display cases as being an over-dramatization because the picture in the display case shows an actual animal after it has been skinned," Beaver said. "It's a horrible thing to look at but it should make people think twice before they go out and buy a fur coat."

Beaver also said the presentation might help to change the views of some.

"I think that anyone would be turned off to any industry that tortures animals for something as frivolous as vanity because that's all the fur industry is," Beaver said.

[mactbone]

Front Page with photo

http://www.purdueexponent.org/2002/01/24/features/index.html

Café makes water pipe smoking available to public
By Katie Muehlhausen
Staff Writer

After Sept. 11, security concerns made Ahmed Alsoffi, who is originally from Yemen, think twice about projecting an obviously Middle Eastern image.

Alsoffi, owner of Café Moka, introduced Shisha smoking to his customers last semester. But after hearing horror stories of shop burnings and public ridicule in other U.S. cities, he decided to stop offering this novelty.

"It was just too ethnic," he said of the Shisha smoking.

Now that the country is getting back to "normal," Alsoffi is planning to continue the Shisha, or water pipe, smoking.

This Turkish tradition will take place for the first time this semester at 9:30 p.m. on Friday at Café Moka following regular dining hours. The Shisha will then be available to the public every evening for $6 per person.

Alsoffi's hesitancy to smoke the Shisha followed a nation-wide fear that life after the attacks would not promptly return to normal. After a period of time, however, Alsoffi said that West Lafayette has proven itself to be a town that stands above the stereotypes.

"We're comfortable now," he said. "This town is a good town."

It is this thinking that has encouraged Alsoffi to reintroduce Shisha smoking to his customers.

The imported tobacco smoked in the Shishas comes mixed with dried strawberries, apples, apricots or other dried fruit. This mixture produces a sweet, flavored smoke that is filtered through water before creeping through a snakelike tube to greet the smoker.

Owner Ahmed Alsoffi said that the entire experience — the smoke, taste and smell — is not as harsh as that of cigarettes.

"Even people who don’t smoke cigarettes will try this and love it," he said.

Stephanie Schmitz, an employee of Café Moka for two and a half years and a senior in the School of Management, agrees. She said that when exhaling the Shisha smoke, it leaves a fruity flavor in your throat instead of the grating taste of tobacco.

Because the Shisha tobacco is diluted by fruit and then filtered through water in the pipe, Alsoffi said the Shisha lends itself to social interaction without the fear of addiction.

"It's an alternative to going to the bars," he said. "And it's up to you whether you smoke alone or share it with friends."

Alsoffi expects to see some student interest in the Shisha smoking. "We're the only place that does it around here, and it's becoming very trendy," he said.

[Wraith]

Got to run in a sec, so I didn't spend long looking (heck, type in "gun control" and you'll get plenty), but...

Suspect in law school slayings arraigned. Note that this story was written at the arraignment (ie. well after the fact), and yet says that "other students grabbed and subdued him" without bothering to mention that the "other students" were armed...

Wraith
"Anyone who hates Dogs and Kids Can't be All Bad. "
-- W. C. Fields

[Khan Singh]

The Perdue Exponent? Great name

Anyway, University papers don't count. I'll even concede that college papers are generally little better than gullible exponents() of the loony left. My old college paper was even worse. But we also had a right-wing paper (privately printed) that was just as bad. I'm sure it is the same at Perdue.

If we aren't talking about mainstream media, then there isn't really much to complain about, is there? How many people read the Perdue Exponent? (I just can't stop laughing at that name)

[JohnT]

A student newspaper? Um, what was that Churchill quote again...?

[Bereta_Eder]

my elaborate responce:

there IS no left wing press in America

[Guynemer]

Just thought I'd throw this in:

Fox News is NOT attracting viewers from CNN. CNN's viewership has been stable for a while. Fox is getting viewers who didn't watch cable news to begin with.

Also, in the big picture, the numbers are barely a blip on the map. Any of the main broadcast networks attract far more viewers than all the cable news networks combined.

And, lastly, if you honestly think CNN is "liberal", you ought to be checked for paranoia.

[General Ludd]

CNN is big brother, they are always telling you to depend on them, trust them, ect...

[mactbone]

Hey, approximately 38,000 people read the Purdue Exponent, and those liberal viewpoints are mainly coming from people who grew up in the Midwest, one of the more conservative regions in the US.

Also, those people are going to be the ones that get jobs elsewhere and start their climb up the journalist ladder.

[mactbone]

I found something, but I think one of the big things is what the press does not print, that makes it seem to have a liberal bias. Take another example at Purdue - Several activist groups had anti-war protests, which I heard about fairly extensively in the Exponent. Meanwhile, I know that the College Republicans had an anti-anti-war protest, which recieved no coverage whatsoever.

Here's something from www.cnn.com

Key suspect in kidnapping says Pearl is alive

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- A British-born Islamic militant believed responsible for the kidnapping of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl was arrested Tuesday and told investigators Pearl is alive, said Karachi Police Chief Tariq Jameel.

Pakistani police said the hours immediately following the arrest would be "crucial" to Pearl's release.

In Washington, officials confirmed that the Pakistanis have Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh in custody. Sheikh -- sometimes called "Sheikh Omar" -- told police that Pearl was alive and still in Karachi, where he disappeared on January 23, police said.

Sheikh, 28, was arrested for the 1994 kidnapping in India of three Britons and an American tourist and was released five years later in exchange for the freedom of 155 passengers aboard a hijacked India Air flight. The son of a Pakistani immigrant couple, he grew up in London suburbs and attended elite private schools in the British capital. He attended the London School of Economics before becoming an Islamic jihadist in 1993.

Sheikh had eluded law enforcement since he was identified as a suspect in the kidnapping earlier this month. Punjab police detained Sheikh after a lengthy search of Lahore, about 654 miles (1053 km) northeast of Karachi. Investigators said they obtained the information that led to Sheikh from a series of arrests in Islamabad and Karachi on Monday night.

Sheikh will be handed over to Sindh province police and taken to Karachi later Tuesday for questioning.

Earlier Tuesday, three suspects accused of aiding and abetting in Pearl's kidnapping were remanded to police custody and are scheduled to be back in Pakistan's anti-terrorism court in 14 days to face formal charges.


The emails showed pictures of Pearl with a gun to his head
In the first case to be tried under a new amendment to Pakistan's anti-terrorism law, Fahd Naseem, "Salman" and "Adil" were formally arrested in connection with Pearl's kidnapping.

They were brought into the court with towels over their heads, surrounded by police officers and told not to talk to anyone about their case. A lawyer for one of the men told CNN that he still has not had a chance to talk to his client. (What do they normally do? If, as this assumes, this is not the norm.)

The three men were detained when investigators discovered a connection between them and a computer that had been used to send notes demanding the release of Pakistani prisoners being held at the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. One of the men allegedly told investigators that Sheikh had given him the text of the messages and photographs of Pearl in captivity to transmit.

Pearl, 38, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, disappeared while supposedly on his way to interview another Pakistani militant believed to have connections with Richard Reid, the man accused of trying to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight with explosives hidden in his shoes.

In New York, the newspaper's managing editor, Paul Steiger, who has repeatedly appealed to Pearl's kidnappers to release him, told CNN he is waiting for further word from Pakistan.

"Let's hope we have some good news," he said. "It's a slow process."

Last week, CNN obtained copies of e-mails purportedly sent to Pearl by Sheikh, using the pseudonym Chaudery Bashir Ahmad Shabbir, or simply Bashir. The e-mails indicate that Pearl was lured into a trap with promises of an interview with Sheikh Mubarik ali Gilani, the head of the fundamentalist Islamic Jamaat ul-Fuqra group.

Police had briefly detained Gilani, but later said they did not believe he had a hand in the kidnapping. (How relevant is this?)

-- CNN's Ben Wedeman and Hugh Williams contributed to this report

Not the best example, but, I hope you get a general idea.

[Ming]

Originally posted by Guynemer
Just thought I'd throw this in:
Fox News is NOT attracting viewers from CNN. CNN's viewership has been stable for a while. Fox is getting viewers who didn't watch cable news to begin with.

CNN viewship has not been stable. Prior to 9/11, it's viewship was dropping big time, while Fox News Net was increasing.
Granted, it is assumption that the lost viewers were going to FNN, but that's what the experts were saying... And it must have been believable to CNN, because they have made many changes to counter the FNN challange. Now, after 9/11, all the news networks saw an increase... so CNN viewing levels rose to what they were the previous year.

And yes... all the cable stations combined can't compete with the over the air networks when it comes to total numbers... but the gap is starting to narrow