C-Span on Gun Shows!

[Mendocino]

I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I watched a two hour C-Span piece on Silverado Productions Maryland gun Shows. Frank Krasner, the President of Silverado took calls from across the country, and even Hong Kong and fielded them in a VERY articulate manner. There were interviews with merchants and attendees. Overall gun shows were portrayed in a positive, unbiased manner. In short, good job C-Span!

Regards, and off to the range,

JH

 

[Contender]

Just saw it. If only all media reporting on the gun issue was like this!

Just some CALM,unemotional, fact based reporting.

I especially liked the quick interview with the Marine who was a gun show attendee.

Think I'll send C-Span a quick e-mail of thanks.

[This message has been edited by Contender (edited July 18, 1999).]

 

[Ipecac]

C-Span is the only place on tv to get unbiased coverage, and to see what congress is really up to. They know how to report.

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"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed -- and thus clamorous to be led to safety -- by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." -- H.L. Mencken

 

[Mal H]

Am viewing the show right now. They are doing an excellent job without any apparent bias at all, truly amazing for any "news" type of show on TV. The dealers they interview and Frank Krasner of Silverado Productions running the show are excellent spokesmen for gun shows in general.

 

[2nd_amendment]

If only the other networks would be unbiased. I sawe the last 30 minutes of the show. I was impressed with the reporting.
2nd

 

[spark@onestopknifeshop.com]

I saw it, and while the dealers and the proprieter did a great job, I don't think you could really call it unbiased. I watched the thing twice and both times I noticed that the cameraman was lingering over the "ugly black guns" or displays that showed piles of firearms.

The view from above though was another matter, it looked like a pretty average sized show overall.

The dealers and the proprietor did a great job answering questions and there was a lot of intelligent call ins, excluding the guy from Hong Kong....

Overall, I'd call this a win, though we'd never see something like this on the "mainstream" channels.

Spark

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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com
www.bladeforums.com

 

[leedesert]

Everbody here make sure you email C-span to tell them "good job". If they don't think anyone listened they won't do it again. Most importantly email the sponsors and thank them. I didn't see the show so I have 2 questions.
1. What companies did commercials during the program?
2. Is there a site that I can see a recording of the show (Realplayer,..etc..)

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"It is easier to get out of jail then it is a morgue"
Live long and defend yourself!
John 3:16

 

[Oatka]

I've written my thanks to C-Span also. Crimeny, what a breath of fresh air! A sad commentary on the situation when we can be SO grateful for even-handed coverage! (I'm NOT complaining). All the interviewees did a
great job. Especially Krasner, who got in some great digs at the antis and the media without being in your face about it. Also the way he handled the anti-gun troll who requested a definition of "assault weapon" and how many of them did he have for sale. I did notice the "lingering camera" though, along with the female reporters insistence on being shown an "assault" rifle. Also her probing of one guy who was looking for parts and her stressing that parts could be bought with no check/permit (don't remember which).
Since it is C-Span, I will allow that she was just being a good reporter, as everyone
else seemed to be pretty straightforward. I did get a kick out of her apparently abysmal
ignorance of guns, calling handguns "a short
gun" (as compared to a long gun). Ah well,
perchance to nitpick. It's the best press I've seen in a LONG time. Hope this is a trend.

 

[Oatka]

If you'd like to thank them, here's their address -- http://www.cspan.org/contact/

 

[JJB]

I saw a little of this show and share the overall positive impressions. But, there ain't no sponsors to thank. C-Span is funded by the cable TV industry and thus isn't pushed by ratings or news as entertainment. The quality of their work is more a product of the integrity of the people working there. The flip side of that is should that integrity lapse, there goes the reporting.

A problem of the modern advertising age. Make it freemarket support by advertising and you get what we see on the networks now. In the old days when news was an obligation but not a profit center the news junkees ruled. Make it elitist (not for profit) and for now we get excellant work while the likes of Brian Lamb is in charge. But, what do we get in the future if someone or someones with another agenda take over?

Rant mode off. For now we've got that rare commodity, good and unbiased reporting.

Jim in IN


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-- TANSTAAFL

 

[2nd_amendment]

You can goto Cspan.org and watch and listern to the program.

 

[2nd_amendment]

You can goto Cspan.org and watch and listern to the program.

 

[2nd_amendment]

You can goto Cspan.org and watch and listern to the program.

 

[2nd_amendment]

sorry about the triple post computer glitch.

 

[Gene Beasley]

If you have RealPlayer, this is the link