Can Tee Vee Pundits Understand Space Policy?
Surrendering in Space, Paul Spudis
“The program was divided into four segments, one for each area of national concern. A five-minute news overview preceded each segment, followed by a four-member panel discussion of each report’s content. Space advocates should take sober notice that the panelists – all well-read, highly regarded Beltway pundits (from both ends of the political spectrum) – appear to be fairly uninformed about many of the space policy issues. But consider: they are representative of the intelligent general public, to whom we wish to convince of the value and importance of space.”
Keith’s note: And of course, this aired on Fox so everyone blamed President Obama for implementing the decision made by President Bush to retire the Space Shuttle and none of them has ever heard of SpaceX. And none of them could smell the pork aspect of the SLS. Again, this program aired on Fox. That said, Paul Spudis manages to distill what these talking heads said, or might have said, or should have said, and thus explains why U.S. space policy is adrift and is a pale reflection of what it once was or could be – minus the Fox snark. Not that MSNBC or CNN can do much better with their own flavor of clueless snarkiness, of course.
Fox News should be renamed the Republican Party News Network.
In one of the break rooms where I work, one of the TVs is permanently set to Fox News. Every single time I walk into that room — EVERY SINGLE TIME — they are complaining about Obamacare. You’d think that, just once, I’d walk in and they’d be talking about something else, that missing airplane or something, but it is ALWAYS about Obamacare.
I thought this was about Space News, not Obamacare and FoxNews.
Since you brought it up, there are many events covered by Fox News not covered by the other media. And unlike most of the media, Fox usually does cover, at least in some manner, the other side of the story. I learned this by viewing other media sources in addition to Fox. Some of us like to hear both sides of a story rather than just one biased side.
I have seen Fox News from time to time and it would be a strain on the definition of the words ‘other side’ to use them to describe what is produced by that network.
Propaganda and misinformation in service to an ideology and its affiliated corporate backers is not news, not fair, and not balanced. It is a gross disservice to the United States, for it leaves a substantial portion of the population making choices based upon untruths.
Democracy works only when the population has good information based upon actual verifiable facts. Those are in mighty short supply on Mr. Murdoch’s network.
On a lot of the topics, they usually find someone to argue both sides. For instance, regarding ObamaCare, they’ve had Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the chief architects on to debate it.
And for each time they cover a Koch brothers “victim” of Obamacare that turns out to be a paid actor .. how many times does Fox report it was actually a paid actor and not a victim?
I think the best alternative is to watch both Fox and MSNBC, as well as a little CNN. And NASAwatch, where we can talk as well as listen.
Yeah. Al-Jazeera. For a fun diversion try RT (“those aren’t Russian troops, anybody can buy a uniform in a store”…. but they actually do provide yet another perspective). NPR. Definitely spread it around. I paid my dues watching Fox almost exclusively in college being the least conservative of my buddies.
I found Aljazeera impressive, although RT is as you point out a little obvious in its slant, sort of a Russian Fox.
I’m not sure I’d agree with watching MSNBC but I agree with your basic idea. 🙂
When CNN eliminated Miles O’Brien’s position, it was pretty clear that they didn’t care to attempt to report on spaceflight in a meaningful way. That’s why I turn to the Internet every morning and peruse half a dozen different sites in an attempt to keep up with current events.
I was just going to post about Miles O’Brien. Bring him back! I was happy to see him on in the monster panels on the missing flight 370 as an aviation expert (CNN). They don’t have much real stuff to talk about despite how much time they are filling with it. I wish he was there to smack down their “mini black holes” theory on the flight disappearance. My god. I don’t turn on the Tee Vee for that kind of BS unless I’m watching Ancient Aliens or something.
I am already depressed by reading real facts on NASA Watch. I don’t need to be even more depressed (and uninformed) by watching TV programs and fictional wish fulfillments a la moon conspiracy.
You are our hope, Wendy! 😛 Stay excited about space! Spread it around!
You may be able to change the course of events by arguing effectively for US-China collaboration.
If it’s FOX, then they didn’t have any real liberals or progressives. Just pretenders or former liberal flunkies who are now actually FOX pundits. FOX is the Tea Party Television Network. I agree though – most pundits are ill-informed about real space and NASA policy.
I’m not sure I’d call Bob Beckel a liberal flunkie.
I don’t know who he is, I never mentioned his name. No clue who he is. I just know FOX is garbage. Anybody with sense should be able to see that.
Ahhhh, I see you look to that beacon of objectivity: BSNBC?
At least Fox mentions space program and they do so regularly, usually with more than some casual reference.
Don’t put your words in my mouth. I don’t watch any TV. I don’t have cable. But I know that FOX is trash.
Don’t want to get into a debate about Fox vs BSNBS or CNN but Krauthammer made one good point: we have no real space policy. A mission to nowhere (Obama’s nonsense about asteroids) and that the lack of a clearly defined policy results in engineering talent leaking away to focus on something real.
Trippi, a liberal, (btw, something Fox puts on – the other side [along with Powers] – that you WON’T see on BSNBC or CNN) also pointed to commercial space as the future. No one disagreed.
We can mine asteroids for resources. I would prefer setting up camps on the moon, but I think the asteroid retrieval unmanned mission is a good idea. Bring an asteroid into lunar orbit and let corporations learn how to mine them – close to home. A NASA manned mission to this asteroid should not be considered a “deep space mission” but as a test mission (if at all). Lunar settlements and Mars should be the goals.
At least FOX NEWS recognizes that there is a problem and is attempting to address said problem. There is a legitimate concern for the AMERICAN LEADERSHIP role, in all aspects of technology, science and space exploration. Where we as a nation were once perceived as the absolute leader in space accomplishments, and what we were capable of, we are now regarded as HAS BEEN! FOX NEWS is trying to stir the people up so that we will bring about change. A strong, capable, pioneering nation must have a STRONG LEADER! And currently, sadly we do not.
a STRONG LEADER? Like Vladimir Putin, perhaps? He who wrestles bears bare-chested? Soon we’ll have a leader who can stare down Putin, who can meet all your desires for strength and purpose. A leader who will reforge NASA as a powerful instrument of national policy.
A STRONG LEADER who will intimidate even FOX NEWS!!
A leader named ….HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON!!!