Bush "'Partner-in-Chief' With Big Business"; Hunt: Patriotism "the Last Refuge of Scoundrels"; ABC & CBS: Cars Cause Global Warming; Bush "Failed Miserably" on Conservation 1) CBS's Wyatt Andrews snidely adopted liberal spin Monday night in describing President Bush as "the same President who, for most of his term, has been 'partner-in-chief' with big business." ABC's Claire Shipman heralded how the administration "has a decidedly pro-business stance on tax issues and regulatory issues" so "people are now starting to raise questions about President Bush's role on the board of directors of one energy company, Harken." 2) During a CNN interview with... continue reading
The Stirring 1973 Canadian Radio Commentary: "The Americans" On this day before Independence Day, at the suggestion of the MRC's Rich Noyes, I'm repeating a CyberAlert sent last September with the text of Canadian radio broadcaster Gordon Sinclair's famous 1973 commentary, "The Americans." CFRB has posted an article about the commentary and the radio station's Web page features both RealPlayer and mp3 files of the original commentary as broadcast on June 5, 1973. Go to: http://www.cfrb.com/archives/american.html They've also posted the transcript: http://www.cfrb.com/archives/american2.html Below is a reprint of the transcript of Sinclair's "Let's Be Personal" commentary as aired on CFRB-Radio in... continue reading
"Lot of Merit" to Pledge Ruling; 9th Only "Relatively Liberal"; "Judges United by Dedication to the Constitution"; 50 Percent Chinese Tax Rate "Only Fair" 1) "There was actually a lot of doctrinal merit in what the majority said," New York Times reporter Linda Greenhouse declared Friday night on PBS of the anti-Pledge of Allegiance ruling. Pentagon reporter Barbara Starr argued on CNN that "you could say the judge was right in the very strictest sense of the Constitution." USA Today columnist Walter Shapiro rejoiced: "Doesn't it make you proud to pledge allegiance to a nation in which unpopular minorities like... continue reading
"Unorthodox" or "Liberal" Court?; Sawyer Ahead of Her Time? She Dropped "Endowed by Their Creator"; Navratilova Bashed U.S.; Send a Boot to Jennings; Bye-Bye to PI 1) "Unorthodox" or "liberal"? ABC's Jackie Judd noted that the federal circuit court, which ruled the Pledge of Allegiance to be unconstitutional because of the "under God" phrase, "has a reputation for unorthodox opinions." But on CBS, John Blackstone and John Roberts were less obtuse as they simply stated that the court is "liberal." 2) "It is the kind of story Roger Ailes dreams of," CNN NewsNight anchor Anderson Cooper quipped. Some other interesting... continue reading
Jennings Bitter Toward Bush Peace Plan; "Hardliners" Won?; WSJ 's Front Page Polemic; Couric Defended Her "Airhead" Insult of Reagan; CNN's "Damage Control" in Israel; Chung's Anchor Idea 1) Peter Jennings displayed more than a bit of bitterness towards Bush's peace plan. On Monday he rued: "If this sounds like Mr. Bush has come down squarely on Israel's side in the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, that is how it looks in the Middle East." The next night he claimed the plan was making "waves, particularly the idea that has been out there since yesterday that Palestinians must somehow get rid of Yasser... continue reading
PBS Rejected Charlie Daniels' Tribute, "The Last Fallen Hero"; Sunday Morning TV Too White & Male; Like a Liberal, Couric Saw a Conservative; Environmentalist Role in Fires Cited 1) Just a week after ABC booted Toby Keith from its 4th of July special because of his lyrics, country singing legend Charlie Daniels pulled out of PBS's July 4th concert after PBS refused to let him perform his tribute to those lost to terrorism, "The Last Fallen Hero." The objectionable lyrics: "Now the winds of war are blowing and there's no way of knowing where the bloody path we're traveling will... continue reading
"In the Pocket of the Drug Industry"; CBS: Regulate Amusement Parks; Asner Lashed Out at the "Immoral" War on Terrorism; Dennis Miller Mocked Liberal Whining 1) ABC, CBS and NBC jumped on Democratic complaints about how a big Republican Party fundraiser showed how the pharmaceutical industry was shaping the GOP version of a patents' bill of rights. Dan Rather declared as fact that "big bucks from pharmaceutical companies" is influencing "legislation and White House policy on drug coverage for seniors." ABC's Linda Douglass relayed how "the Democrats are going to try to score points by saying that they are in... continue reading
Israel "Knew," But It Didn't Help; CNN Distanced Itself from Ted Turner; Stephanopoulos: "Analytical," Not "Ideological"; Today Covered Just One Side of Nick Controversy; NY Times vs. NY Times 1) A month ago Dan Rather regretted how President Bush and the intelligence agencies failed to share what they "knew" about terrorist threats and thus "possibly prevent the attack," but on Tuesday night he acknowledged that forewarning did Israel little good to prevent the homicide bomber who murdered 19 Israelis: "Israeli authorities knew this one was coming, but the knowledge did not help." 2) To CNN founder Ted Turner both victim... continue reading
Estate Tax Repeal Effort Unpatriotic; Salivating for Enron-Bush Scandal; FNC's Burns Scolded CNN's Brown; Reagan Bombing of Libya Condemned; MSNBC's No Conservative Prime Time 1) Margaret Carlson condemned Karl Rove for pushing to repeal the estate tax: "What will fathers say to the age-old question now: 'What did you do during the war daddy? Fight to destroy al Qaeda and avenge the deaths of three thousand U.S. citizens? Or wage war to protect America's luckiest and wealthiest?'" 2) What's most upsetting to Newsweek's Martha Brant about the Arthur Andersen prosecution? It's "distracting" the press corps from the scandal of how... continue reading
Rather Adopted Liberal Environmentalist "Rollback" Spin; CNN's Brown Insisted He Was Just "Asking Questions"; Jennings Spiked Patriotic Song?; Goldberg on Rooney's Bias Admission 1) The broadcast networks followed the liberal script Thursday night in characterizing how the Bush administration's new rules on power plant emissions, especially CBS. Dan Rather twice referred to a "rollback" of clean air regulations. But at least NBC's Tom Brokaw properly attributed to "environmental groups" the spin Rather treated as fact. CBS's John Roberts called it a "give back to an industry that pledged more than $4 million" to Bush and Republicans, but in highlighting how... continue reading