The Sunday, August 25,2019, Los Angeles Times front page lead story was titled "Conservative radio host is an internet smash." The subheadline is "His online 'university' makes hugely popular videos that aim to indoctrinate the right." Dennis Prager has a radio show based out of Los Angeles. He and Allen Estrin founded Prager University for the purpose of, as Prager often says, "teaching what isn't taught" in schools and universities. What follows is my letter to the Times about their one-sided coverage of Prager U.
"Your article on Prager U is so one-sided and biased, it is why the President refers to the mainstream media as "fake news." Let's start with your subheadline that Prager's aim is to"indoctrinate" the right. The assertion of "indoctrination" is repeated in the second column on page one, and is repeated yet again in the very first paragraph on page eleven where the story continues. You then go on to assert that Prager's messages are "polarizing."
This article is a perfect example of why Prager U is needed, and how you in the media, in Hollywood and in academia live in such a left-wing bubble that you are unable to recognize your own biases. Rather, you believe "your" truth is "the" truth. You are unable to even see the "indoctrination" perpetrated by you in the media and by Hollywood and by academia. Yet, you say Prager and Adam Carolla are releasing a documentary, "No Safe Spaces," about the "intolerance for conservatives on college campuses." You say it is one of their favorite subjects. Why does it not bother the Times that conservative views are not permitted in academia? Shouldn't the lack of tolerance for diverse viewpoints at colleges and universities be one of the Times' favorite subjects?
How ironic that you are able to quote one left-wing source after the next, yet, in this lengthy hit piece you were unable to find a single subscriber to Prager U in order to seek another opinion. You acknowledge that Prager U has had over 2 billion views - but you could not locate a single individual to ask what he or she thought of the videos.
You quote a UCLA professor who states that Prager U "is much more effective than the version of this content available on the liberal side." You wonder why that might be? Everywhere in society we are inundated with left-wing voices and talking points. Liberals/leftists need only read the LA Times or NY Times, or watch NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN or MSNBC for the left-wing view of issues. They need only attend left-leaning (most) colleges and universities. However, people who want to hear another side of the issues - the conservative side - need to seek it out.
You close with an assertion that Prager has a "combative view of ideological debate." I have listened to his radio show for decades. Not only is Prager not combative with callers, he is the most likely, of the various talk show hosts, to allow callers to make their points without interruption.
The fact that you chose to make this totally biased and one-sided story about Prager U your front page lead story in the Sunday paper speaks volumes about your biases - and your inability to recognize them. This should have been an Op-Ed."
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Hi Mike,
ReplyDeleteYou should send a copy to Dennis. I know he'd enjoy it. But you've probably already done that.
They choose Prager to pick on, a real gentleman. But then they aren't shy about attacking Brett Kavanaugh either. All that matters to the left is subjugating the rest of us, and their only tools are mockery, sarcasm, lies and distortions - not solid intellectually honest arguments. But we all know that.
Hope you keep up your blog. I read every post.
Cheers!
John Newport