An April 2 Media Research Center press release announces the official launch of Eyeblast, “a groundbreaking, interactive news and entertainment platform designed to transform the world of online video-sharing and networking – without the censorship or political agenda of YouTube.” It’s been in beta mode the past couple of months.
Um, wait. Doesn’t the MRC’s very own NewsBusted “comedy” webcast have its own YouTube channel? Why, yes, it does. And lookie here: an interview with Eyeblast executive producer K. Daniel Glover, also on YouTube.
That kinda destroys the argument that YouTube “censors” conservatives, does it not?
Nevertheless, the press release presses on:
“Eyeblast is a leapfrog in technology for the conservative movement,” stated Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center. “We have harnessed the capabilities of various online networks into one place that is free of censorship. Google, YouTube and the liberal media have squashed certain information due to its conservative bent. Eyeblast does not discriminate based upon political view. It is an online location where all sides are welcome to share. We especially hope to capture the attention of conservative college students and those under 30 who are longing for a place to connect with other conservatives.”
Strangely, this ulterior motive of targeting conservatives is nowhere to be found on Eyeblast’s “about” page. But oops, it slips out big-time on the “be a contributor” page:
Have you grown weary of liberal bias in the mainstream media? Are you sick of the censorship and political correctness that attack conservative principles? So are we — and you can help us combat liberal media bias and promote conservatism here at Eyeblast.tv.
You can be the media at Eyeblast. You can be a watchdog. You can be an activist. You can even be a star. We are recruiting an army of citizen video journalists to cover conservative events on campuses across America, to catch mischief-making liberals on film, to feed us video for special reports and to profile up-and-coming young conservatives. We’re also looking for entertaining, video-savvy young conservatives to create mash-ups or even their own online shows.
How can Eyeblast “not discriminate based upon political view” yet also claim it’s all about promoting conservatives and attacking liberals, thus suggesting that one particular political view is, at the very least, more equal than the others? We don’t understand.
Similarly, the “about” page is coy about Glover’s conservative bona fides, but they (along with his dislike for Barack Obama) are pretty clear in this interview with conservative blogger (and ex-CNSNews.com reporter) Robert Bluey.
We’ll see how long that tissue of a non-discrimination vow lasts — or, more to the point, how long the MRC’s conservative funders tolerate paying the huge bandwidth costs of a video-heavy site with content that isn’t exclusively conservative.