BiasAlerts

1. Chiding Anti-War Celebs Reminds ABC of McCarthy and Blacklists ABC News on Wednesday night raised the specter of McCarthyism and blacklists in condemning how some have dared to criticize the anti-war views of celebrities. Peter Jennings previewed the story by claiming celebrities are being "punished" somehow: "Being against the war and in show business, and the people who want to punish you for that." Citing a few instances of anti-war celebrities being uninvited to events, reporter Jim Wooten ludicrously suggested "blacklists" are on the rebound: "All this has reminded some of the McCarthy era's blacklists that barred those even... continue reading
1. Brokaw: Can't Trust CNN Anymore, Jordan Should've Kept Quiet Tom Brokaw scolded CNN's Eason Jordan, suggesting he should have kept his knowledge secret since the revelation now casts doubt on anything CNN reports. On Tuesday's Late Show, Brokaw told David Letterman that CNN "should have worked harder at conveying" what Jordan knew, but that if you "decide to keep that as a secret for yourself to protect those people and to protect the interests of your company, then you probably ought to keep it secret for a long time because it opens them up now, wherever they go, wherever... continue reading
1. "They Come for Oil, Not to Protect Us from Saddam" Mixed messages from Tikrit and Baghdad. ABC's Jim Sciutto highlighted a man in Tikrit who complained that he's "been a slave to Saddam for 25 years," but Sciutto also found a man who insisted that "Saddam Hussein is better than George Bush." CBS's Allen Pizzey arrived in Tikrit and saw "sullen" people threatening violence while, in contrast, NBC's Tom Aspell saw "a few timid civilians, more curious than hostile." In Baghdad, ABC's Dan Harris showcased one doctor who charged: "They come for oil, not to protect us from Saddam."... continue reading
1. ABC Covers 40 Masters Protesters But Ignores Pro-Troops Rally ABC found a lot of protests newsworthy, but not a rally for the troops/victory celebration. ABC News had time over the weekend to highlight "about 40 demonstrators" outside the Masters golf tournament, a few hundred marchers against the IMF who "said the United States wants to dominate and exploit Latin America" and to showcase a pre-teen girl at an anti-war march who saw the rain "as a metaphor" as she explained: "Like all the rain like could have represented all the tears that were being shed for dead sons and... continue reading
1. ABC's Engel in Baghdad Finds Disillusion and Disgust with U.S. Barely 48 hours after U.S. forces arrived in Baghdad, ABC's Richard Engel decided that chaos in the streets meant "time may be running out" for the Americans. "There is a growing sense of disillusionment" amongst Iraqis Engel contended. Engel showcased the views of Iraqis who denounced the U.S. One woman demanded: "Did the Americans come to protect us or to kill us?" And Engel quoted a man who charged: "Now we know that America came to occupy us. They came to steal our oil and our riches and then... continue reading
1. Only Jennings Ignores Pro-Troops Rally in New York City No anti-war protest has been too small to earn coverage from ABC's Peter Jennings who in recent months has highlighted anti-war events involving just a few hundred people, a "virtual" protest and even one guy who jumped off a bridge, but on Thursday night, while CBS and NBC noted a pro-troops rally featuring 15,000 in New York City, Jennings could not manage to mention it on World News Tonight. 2. Couric Asks Marine's Family if Proud Despite U.S. Flag Display Strangest question of the day: Katie Couric asked the family... continue reading
1. Jennings Distances Himself from "Liberators" Tag for U.S. Peter Jennings just can't bring himself to describe American forces as "liberators" of Iraq without couching it as what "many" say or adding what "others" think. "American Marines and soldiers greeted as liberators by many," he announced at the top of Wednesday's World News Tonight before adding this caveat: "Others fear the U.S. will stay." Later, during an ABC News prime time special, Jennings referred to how Saddam Hussein's "capital city is controlled by the U.S., the liberators, many Iraqis would say." 2. Statue Toppling Conspiracy? Almost Seen as U.S. "Conquest"... continue reading
Special Gloat and Quote Edition: Media's Erroneous Predictions Though more fighting lies ahead and there are certainly still pockets of Saddam Hussein loyalists who pose a threat to our troops, the jubilant crowds filling Baghdad streets today, culminating in the toppling of a huge Hussein statue downtown, certainly undermines and contradicts much of the fearmongering and dire forecasts advanced by the media about Iraqis supporting Hussein and being willing to take up guns themselves to defend him. Since time is of the essence as I wanted to get this out before the end of the business day in the East,... continue reading
1. ABC Features Arnett in Look at U.S. Conspiracy to Kill Reporters In what looks to have been a tragic mistake by U.S. forces, a tank fired into the Baghdad hotel housing journalists, killing two of them. But while every network focused on the event on Tuesday, ABC's World News Tonight treated it as a seminal moment, devoting an incredible five minutes of their evening show to it and using it as an opportunity to cite Peter Arnett as an authority on Arab sensibilities and U.S. military incompetence. 2. CBS's Logan & CNN's Amanpour Don't Appreciate Clarke's Advice CBS's Lara... continue reading
1. Bombs Target Hussein, But CBS Finds Anti-Bush Civilian Victims Standing in front of the rubble which remained of a building U.S. forces destroyed because they suspected Saddam Hussein and his sons were inside, but before the U.S. had let known its suspicions, CBS News reporter Lara Logan in Baghdad portrayed an unwarranted attack on innocent civilians, as did ABC, NBC and CNN, though they refrained, unlike Logan, from featuring a man screaming that Bush "is a liar." Logan decried: "This crater is all that remains of four families and their homes." 2. Miklaszewski: Saddam's Walk in Baghdad Occurred Before... continue reading