Washington Post Labeled Conservatives But Not Liberals; Clinton "Our Last Legally Elected President"; ABC's Anti-Bush Land Use Spin; "The War on Terrorism is Terrorism"; Anna Nicole's Insight 1) In a 3,600 word profile of the far-left Cornel West, Washington Post reporter Lynne Duke managed to avoid even once using the term "liberal" as she applied no label Al Sharpton, Bill Bradley, Jesse Jackson, Ralph Nader or Lawrence Summers, but was quick to tag National Review as a "conservative journal," Shelby Steele as "a black conservative scholar" and Martin Peretz as "a leading neoconservative." She dubbed West a "radical," but insisted... continue reading
Reminder About Iraq Going Nuclear; "Firestorm" Over Bush's Vacation?; Raines Extolled Clinton for "the Greatest Prosperity in Human History"; NYT 's "Bushophobia"; Keith's "Warmongering Lyrics" 1) CBS's David Martin reminded viewers on Wednesday night that though the CIA now says "Iraq is still several years away from having a nuclear weapon," that's the same thing the agency said back in 1990 "and it was badly mistaken." 2) With Brian Williams on vacation, fill-in CNBC anchor Forrest Sawyer devoted a Tuesday night segment to the supposed "firestorm" and "controversy" over President Bush's vacation. Sawyer declared: "Some feel a month away from... continue reading
CBS & NBC Hyped How Clinton Gave Bush Anti al-Qaeda Plan; Public Grades for Media Have "Tumbled"; More Democrats Trust CNN; CNN's Grade Worth a "Spanking" 1) CBS and NBC on Monday night jumped on a Time story about how the Clinton administration provided a plan to fight al-Qaeda which the Bush team ignored. Dan Rather declared: "Veterans of the Clinton administration say the Bush team didn't take their al-Qaeda warnings and plans seriously enough." NBC anchor Stone Phillips announced: "There is a new published report tonight that the outgoing Clinton administration gave the Bush White House a ready-made plan... continue reading
Russert: Afford Iraq and Tax Cut?; Clift: "Awful" Tax Cut; Chen: "Huge Tax Cut"; Clinton "Inhaling Again"?; CNN Dropped in Israel; Moyers Arrested 1) Tim Russert's obsession with the tax cut continued on Sunday's Meet the Press. Without posing any question about the impediments of soaring domestic spending, he asked Senator Joe Biden: "Can we afford an invasion of Iraq and also maintain the Bush tax cut?" 2) Newsweek's Eleanor Clift gave Congress a grade of "D" for "that awful tax bill they passed last year," a "tax cut that we can't afford." 3) CBS's Joie Chen on Saturday delivered... continue reading
Cheney Like Enron?; CNN's Kagan Scolded the Senate for Not Creating New Entitlement: "Shame on Them"; Couric Cheered Movie Plot with Adult-Minor Sex; Moyers' Pontifications and Conflicts 1) Cheney = Enron executives? Though the media never would have countenanced Dick Cheney not selling his Halliburton stock immediately after being picked as the VP nominee, two years later CBS's Jane Clayson imputed a nefarious motive to the sale. On Thursday's Early Show she noted that he sold it at $50 a share when it is now only $13 and asked Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill: "Did the Vice President do what we're... continue reading
No Prescription Drug Plan = Death for Seniors; Sen. Robert Torricelli (?-NJ); NBC Linked Bush to Hoover; Early Show Ratings Up Post-Gumbel?; Geraldo "Smashed" Into a Bridge 1) A new prescription drug entitlement program or death. "No deal on drugs. The last hope for a Medicare prescription benefit goes down to defeat in the Senate," NBC's Tom Brokaw lamented. In the subsequent story an elderly women, who has given up bingo, charged: "This is an issue of life and death." ABC anchor Elizabeth Vargas ominously warned: "Prescription drugs. The Senate kills a plan to help senior citizens afford them. Americans... continue reading
Bush Approval Plunged to...69%; NBC Skipped Cuban Defections; AP: Hillary Clinton a "Moderate"; FNC Noted How Media Ignore Rubin Role Because of "Near Deification" of Rubin 1) President Bush's approval level has plunged to "its lowest...point since the September attacks," ABC anchor Elizabeth Vargas declared Monday night, but she immediately clarified, "it is still overwhelmingly positive at 69 percent." 2) ABC, CBS and CNN all noted how 23 Cubans who traveled to Toronto for the Pope's visit have refused to return to the totalitarian island, but not NBC Nightly News on Monday evening. 3) "Hillary Clinton Emerges as Moderate" declared... continue reading
Schieffer's Skewed Homeland Questioning; Liaison Bollixed by Bogle; Clift Wished for Bush's "Political Suicide"; Condit a Republican; Harry Smith's Liberal Pontificating 1) CBS's Bob Schieffer asked Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman why President Bush would veto the bill creating a Department of Homeland Security. An incredulous Schieffer raised a more nefarious motive: "Do you think there's something else that he's got a problem with here?" After having not challenged Lieberman to defend his position, Schieffer demanded that Republican Fred Thompson respond to Lieberman's claims. 2) On Fox News Sunday, Vanguard Group founder John Bogle rejected the suggestion from NPR reporter Mara... continue reading
Now They Tell Us: Law Won't Stop Corporate Crime; Traficant an "Independent"; Couric Obsessed About Bush Vacation; Pro-Abortion = "Moderate"; Flag Pins Denounced; Donahue's False Media Critique; Bush Policy Recalled Nazism 1) Now they tell us. After weeks of portraying new laws as the answer to corporate shenanigans and worrying about how the Senate Democratic bill might be watered-down when reconciled with the "weaker" House Republican bill, ABC's Linda Douglass conceded on Wednesday night that "experts say just the threat of more jail time won't stop corporate crime." 2) U.S. Representative James Traficant (I-OH)? CNN's Aaron Brown identified the Ohio... continue reading
CBS: Seniors "Just Get the Shaft"; WorldCom's GOP Ties; CNBC Anchor: Liberal Media "A Gimme"; Dancing with Reno a Reporter's "Fantasy" 1) CBS and ABC lamented the failure of the Senate to pass a huge new entitlement program for prescription drugs. Dan Rather bemoaned "the badly fading chances that President Bush and Congress will deliver on their promises and give any kind of help to seniors." While each party blames the other, Schieffer charged: Seniors "just get the shaft." ABC's Charles Gibson pleaded: "Can they come up with a compromise before this coming election?" 2) WorldCom donated to both Democrats... continue reading