1. Bush "Punishes" Allies, CBS Cites Halliburton "War-Profiteering" Every network on Wednesday highlighted the angry reaction of nations excluded from receiving U.S.-paid contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq, but CBS went the furthest in treating the decision to limit the contracts to the 63 nations in the anti-Hussein coalition as some kind of scandalous punishment when it could also be seen as a reward to those who helped or as an incentive to others to join up. Dan Rather managed to work "Halliburton" and "war-profiteering" into his introduction of his lead story. CNBC's Brian Williams noted how critics warned that... continue reading
1. CBS Insists Dean No McGovern, "Had a Moderate Record" in Vermont Do you remember any CBS News stories in 1999 which countered liberal attacks on George W. Bush as a hardline conservative by emphasizing his moderate record as Governor of Texas? But on Tuesday night, CBS came to Howard Dean's defense against charges he's any kind of a liberal. Instead of looking at the left-wing policies Dean is now advocating, such as a massive tax hike, Byron Pitts insisted: "This five-term former Governor had a moderate record during his ten years in the Vermont state house. He was a... continue reading
1. In Wake of Dean Endorsement, Nets Remind Viewers Gore Really Won Re-running the 2000 presidential campaign, on Monday night, in relaying late-breaking news that Al Gore would endorse Howard Dean, reporters and anchors on ABC, CBS, CNBC, CNN and NBC all emphasized how Gore won the popular vote in 2000. ABC's Peter Jennings intoned: "Former Vice President Al Gore, who actually won the popular vote in the last election..." CNBC anchor John Seigenthaler announced: "Former Vice President Al Gore, who lost the race for President even though he won the popular vote, has decided to back Howard Dean." CNN's... continue reading
1. Stephanopoulos and Russert Plead with Senator Clinton to Run On Sunday, ABC's George Stephanopoulos and NBC's Tim Russert grew excited and repeatedly tried to entice Senator Clinton into the presidential derby, eliciting laughter from Clinton for their efforts. Stephanopoulos fantasized about a pollster telling her that with her on the ticket the party wins and without her it loses, "will you accept?" Clinton retorted: "That is not going to happen George," prompting an excited Stephanopoulos to eagerly exclaim: "That's not a no!!! It could happen!" NBC's Tim Russert presented her with the scenario of a deadlocked convention which turns... continue reading
1. WH Reporters Suggest Confused Anecdote Mars Bush's Iraq Trip Obsessive White House press corps interest in the irrelevant, part one of two. At Thursday's White House press briefing, reporters for major outlets treated a slight change in the particulars of which pilot asked who whether a plane the pilot saw was Air Force One, as some kind of scandal which undermines the integrity of the Bush White House. NBC's Norah O'Donnell suggested the confused anecdote marred the entire trip: "Do you think, though, that this third revision of this story now, takes some of the shine off the President's... continue reading
1. Nets Frame Bush Mercury Reduction Policy as "Gift to Polluters" "Mercury rising," Tom Brokaw warned at the top of Wednesday's NBC Nightly News, "A new Bush administration plan on dangerous mercury emissions. Critics call the plan a gift to polluters." But the networks provided a gift to liberal environmentalists in how they framed an expected decision to require reductions in mercury output through a "cap and trade" system. Dan Rather falsely stated that Bush's EPA will "curb some toxic power plant emissions, such as sulfur dioxide, but not others, such as potentially dangerous mercury." But as ABC's Terry Moran... continue reading
1. Couric Cues Up Clinton's Talking Points, Assumes Worst in Iraq Assuming the worst and matching your guest's agenda. When Senator Hillary Clinton appeared Monday morning on NBC's Today after returning from a trip to Afghanistan and Iraq, Katie Couric's first question didn't consider the possibility that maybe things in Iraq look better on the ground than they do from afar on TV, as many other visitors have observed. Instead, her first question to Clinton: "What are your impressions of the situation in Iraq? How bad is it, in your view?" And instead of pressing Clinton about the feasibility of... continue reading
1. CBS Features Historians Rebuking Bush, Wish Dems Tougher on Him Bob Schieffer's bait and switch. At the top of Sunday's Face the Nation on CBS, Schieffer promised that his guests, "three eminent historians," would address the questions of the day, but while Schieffer's historians may have been "eminent," they were two liberals, Robert Dallek and David Maraniss, and a left-winger, Gary Wills, and they all shared a disdain for President Bush and a disappointment in how Democrats are supposedly going too easy on him. Dallek fretted: "It's amazing that the Democrats have been relatively ineffective in...raising the consciousness and... continue reading
1. CBS's Pizzey Takes Swipe, Urges Iraq Policy "Reassessment" CBS's Allen Pizzey went beyond reporting on Monday night and offered his opinion on the situation in Iraq as he suggested the upbeat attitude of U.S. military commanders, in the wake of a mob attack on two soldiers killed in Mosul, needs a "reassessment." Noting how "U.S. spokesmen here insist they are not worried," Pizzey scolded: "Given how brazen and ruthless their enemies have shown themselves to be, however, it may be time for a reassessment." 2. Ann Curry: Indians "Feel Thanksgiving Should Be Day of Mourning" Thanks for nothing. During... continue reading
1. ABC Deplores Bush TV Ad for Intimating Dems "Soft on Terrorism" ABC on Friday night condemned a new RNC television ad on behalf of President Bush. Peter Jennings intoned on World News Tonight that it "will, potentially, make an already bitter debate about war in Iraq and the campaign against terrorism, even more so." Jennings maintained that "the ad seems to suggest that if you are tough on the President, or criticize the war in Iraq, you may be soft on terrorism." And though the words "terrorists," "others" and "self-defense" also appear in red in text in the ad,... continue reading