1. Halliburton Cleared, But on CBS: Dean "Offers America New Love" Back in mid-December, the CBS Evening News twice led with stories about "war-profiteering" by Halliburton for the price of gas it sold inside Iraq, with Vice President Cheney's name linked prominently. But three weeks later, when a January 6 front page Wall Street Journal story revealed that the Army Corps of Engineers had cleared Halliburton of any wrongdoing in its pricing, the CBS Evening News, which had earlier touted a concern of "Pentagon auditors," ignored the development. But Tuesday's CBS newscast had time for a full story on how,... continue reading
1. "Everybody's Up in Arms," Process Reminiscent of "Nazi Horrors" "Everybody's up in arms" over the new procedure requiring foreign visitors arriving at airports from most countries to provide a fingerprint and get photographed, ABC's Diane Sawyer insisted at the top of Monday's Good Morning America. Everybody? On Monday night, CBS's Dan Rather referred to the policy as "controversial," as did NBC's Katie Couric on Today that morning before reminding Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge that "some countries...are furious at this new policy" with a judge in Brazil comparing "the new security plans to Nazi horrors saying, 'I consider the... continue reading
1. Lauer Remains in Past, Dubs Reagan's 1980s the "Decade of Greed" You'd think that after the phony bubble of the late 1990s, built on exaggerated earnings and revenue claims by some greedy corporate executives, that referring to the Reagan era of the 1980s as "the Decade of Greed" would be passe. But it's a slap at the decade some in the media can't shake. Case in point: On Tuesday's Today, Matt Lauer marked the 20th anniversary of the film The Big Chill -- yes, NBC considered this milestone newsworthy -- by recalling how it was released in 1983, a... continue reading
1. First Runners-Up Quotes in MRC's Awards for the Worst Reporting The first runners-up quotes in the MRC's "Best Notable Quotables of 2003: The Sixteenth Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting." First Runners-Up Quotes in MRC's Awards for the Worst Reporting Monday's CyberAlert featured the winners, and so today the first runners-up quotes in the MRC's "Best Notable Quotables of 2003: The Sixteenth Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting." For the winners, see item #4 in the December 29 CyberAlert: www.mediaresearch.org And for the names of the 46 judges, see item #5 in the same CyberAlert: www.mediaresearch.org Or,... continue reading
1. Bush "Divisive," But Dean a Uniter Who "Brings People Together" George W. Bush campaigned in 2000 as a "uniter, not a divider." But in what may be a preview of the prism through which the networks will see the 2004 presidential campaign, ABC's Terry Moran on Sunday described Bush as a divider, labeling him a "divisive President" and a "divisive figure." CBS's Bob Schieffer similarly portrayed Bush as a divider, calling him "a polarizing politician," but Schieffer hailed Democratic candidate Howard Dean as a uniter. Schieffer trumpeted how Dean "is a hit at this point" because "he seems to... continue reading
1. Stephanopoulos Hails Bill Clinton as Great "Character Witness" To ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Bill Clinton makes a valuable "character witness." On Sunday's This Week, Stephanopoulos described the "crowning moment" for Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark, during his testimony last week at the war crimes trial in The Hague for Slobodan Milosevic, as when the former General called "on a big gun as a character witness" -- Bill Clinton. 2. CNN's Zahn Marks 5th Anniversary of Impeachment with Regret Watching Paula Zahn's Thursday night CNN show on the 5th anniversary of the Clinton impeachment vote was like re-living the bias of... continue reading
1. CBS Gives Platform to Suggestion Bush Team Could've Stopped 9/11 CBS on Wednesday night provided a forum for the Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean, to complain about access to documents as reporter Randall Pinkston hyped his story: "For the first time, commission chairman Tom Kean is saying publicly that 9/11 could have and should have been prevented." Pinkston added: "Appointed by President Bush, Kean is now pointing fingers inside the administration and laying blame." 2. ABC Again Worries Saddam Trial Will Prove "Embarrassing" to U.S. ABC... continue reading
1. ABC's Barbara Walters Comes Out Against Executing Saddam Hussein ABC's Barbara Walters has come out against executing Saddam Hussein, arguing on the ABC daytime show The View on Tuesday that "we condemn the suicide bombers, we condemn those who have no regard for life, and Lord knows this man deserves, you know, the greatest punishment, but I just sort of feel this would be a chance for us to show the regard for life that this man didn't have." Another host, former ABC and CBS reporter Meredith Vieira, agreed with Walters. 2. CBS: "Hussein Gave Iraqis Dignity and Pride,"... continue reading
1. ABC Suppresses Poll Showing Post-Hussein Capture Bump for Bush ABC News suppressed its poll conducted after Saddam Hussein's capture which showed a ten point jump in approval for how President Bush is handling the situation in Iraq and a 4 point up tick in his overall approval rating, with Peter Jennings not uttering a syllable about it on Monday night. But NBC showcased on Monday's NBC Nightly News its survey finding that in the wake of Hussein's capture Bush's approval rating jumped by 6 points while his margin over Howard Dean expanded from 12 to 21 points. 2. Hussein... continue reading
1. Moran Frets Saddam Trial Will Embarrass U.S., Nazis "Railroaded" ABC's concerns: A Saddam Hussein trial could embarrass the U.S., it will be hard to find "impartial judges in Iraq" and Nazis were "railroaded" at Nuremberg. Barely an hour after Paul Bremer had announced the capture of Saddam Hussein, ABC's Terry Moran reminded viewers how "Secretary Rumsfeld was over in Baghdad meeting with Saddam Hussein years ago" and "there are allegations that the United States provided weapons to Saddam Hussein's regime during the Iran-Iraq war. And all that could spill out in a big show trial." Moran also fretted about... continue reading