corrente

This is a powerful statement. I found it in one of those "odd news o' the day" wrapups in this obscure California rag:

(via North County CA Times)

Cable news pioneer Ted Turner used an appearance before a group of television executives to criticize the Fox network as a "propaganda voice" of the Bush administration and to compare Fox News Channel's popularity to Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany before World War II.

Turner, 66, in a speech Tuesday before about 1,000 people at the National Association of Television Programming Executives targeted "gigantic companies whose agenda goes beyond broadcasting" for timidity in challenging the Bush White House.

"There's one network, Fox, that's a propaganda voice for them," Turner said. "It's certainly legal. But it does pose problems for our democracy when the news is 'dumbed-down."'

Turner stepped down as vice chairman of AOL Time Warner in May 2003.

During a wide-ranging hour-long question-and-answer session moderated by former CNN anchorman Bernard Shaw, Turner called it "not necessarily a bad thing" that Fox ratings top CNN and other cable news networks.

"Adolf Hitler was more popular in Germany in the early 30s than ... people that were running against him," Turner said in remarks videotaped by conference administrators. "So, just because you're bigger doesn't mean you're right."

Fox, of course, had a response, which was of the level of civility and rational discourse for which we love them so much:

Fox News in New York issued a statement Tuesday saying, "Ted is understandably bitter having lost his ratings, his network and now his mind -- we wish him well."

When you can't dispute a man's points, or his accuracy, or his truthfullness, there's always comebacks suitable for a grade-school playground to fall back on. Whenever I picture a Fox News executive board meeting it's with Rupert Murdoch surrounded by Nelson Muntz, Stan Cartman and [fill in name of your favorite ignorant, bigoted cartoon bully here.]

But Ted's right, you know. I can see why Fox doesn't want to argue him on the merits of his case.