Enron as "Bush's Whitewater"; And "Worse" Than Whitewater; To CNN, Arafat is the Victim; Kinsley Insulted Goldberg as "Dense" 1) The networks added a "who knew what and when did they know it" scandal motif to the Enron story while ignoring or downplaying how Democrats also benefitted from Enron donations. "The story some are already calling Bush's Whitewater," charged MSNBC's Brian Williams. "Enron's connections to the Bush administration, wide and deep," warned ABC's Peter Jennings. Newsweek's Howard Fineman revealed the White House press corps were "like a pack of bloodhounds on the first day of hunting season." 2) NBC's Pete... continue reading
New Moyers PBS Show; Media-Generated Bush "Pakis" Hype; More Engberg Bias; Al Michaels Hit on Begala; ABC: President's Ranch in Scotland 1) While even MSNBC is hiring a conservative host, PBS blithefully continues to program for liberals. Next week PBS will debut a new weekly prime time show hosted by Bill Moyers. 2) The New York Times claimed on Tuesday that President Bush "raised some eyebrows by using the term 'Pakis,'" which is "considered an ethnic slur in Britain." But Reuters inadvertently divulged it was a controversy self-generated by the Washington press corps which kept calling the Pakistani embassy for... continue reading
Tax Cut Deepened Recession; Salute to Engberg's Sleuthing; Shales: Goldberg a "No-Talent Hack"; CNN's Greenfield Cited MRC on Gumbel 1) CBS's John Roberts only allowed a Democrat to counter Bush's warning that they wish to raise taxes, but did not let any Bush-backer counter Tom Daschle's claim that the tax cut made the recession worse. Without pointing out how only a small fraction of the tax cut has occurred, NBC's David Gregory passed along how Democrats blame the deficit "on Bush's trillion dollar plus tax cut." He also personally pleaded with Bush to delay it. 2) In a good-bye salute... continue reading
Russert Presses to Annul Tax Cut; "Truth" = Taxes Must Be Raised; More SUV-Bashing; Even Maher Sees Media Bias; Bye-Bye Eric Engberg 1) NBC's Tim Russert on Sunday unrelentingly tried (14 times) to get Treasury Secretary O'Neill to concede the tax cut must be rescinded: "Will you continue to press for the implementation of the tax cut if it means deficits or tapping into the Social Security Trust Fund?" Russert recalled how after Reagan's tax cut led to deficits he "revisited the entire situation because he saw that record deficits were going to be created, and he had what was... continue reading
FNC Hires Another Starr-Basher; Rosie for Reno; Pro-Life Murderer on NBC; Two Weeks Until Dishonor Awards; 4th and 5th Runners-Up 1) In snagging Greta Van Susteren from CNN, FNC has added another cable news defender of Bill Clinton who also denigrated Ken Starr. Van Susteren used her CNN perch in 1998 to urge President Clinton to defy Starr's subpoena, impugned Starr by asserting it's "improper for a prosecutor to set a perjury trap," and maintained that Clinton would win any "he said, she said" spat since Monica Lewinsky "has absolutely no credibility." 2) Proclaiming "I'll do whatever she wants, right... continue reading
NY Times Flip on Rehnquist Rebuke; Washington Post's Euro-Envy; Another Complaint about "Patriotism" from Jennings; 3rd Runners-Up 1) When Chief Justice Rehnquist chastised the GOP-controlled Senate for holding up judicial confirmations, the New York Times showcased it on page one: "Senate Imperils Judicial System, Rehnquist Says." But this year, when he made the same complaint about Senate Democrats, the Times put the story inside and didn't get to his complaint until the tenth paragraph. 2) Many Europeans oppose replacing their currency with the Euro, but the Washington Post on Tuesday showed it's enthralled with the idea, running two celebratory stories... continue reading
Winning Quotes in the MRC's Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting; A Survivor Contestant Denounced the News Media 1) The 15 winning quotes in the MRC's "Best Notable Quotables of 2001: The Fourteenth Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting." Plus, a list of the 41 judges who picked the winning quotes. 2) Last Thursday on CBS's Survivor: Africa, contestant Frank Garrison denounced gun control advocates and even raised liberal media bias as he lamented "these liberal special interest groups that the media give open market to..." The Early Show's Russ Mitchell chided him: "You went mouthing off about liberals... continue reading
Jennings Cited "Root Causes"; Brokaw Chided Ted Olson Over Wife's Book; CNN's Pelton: "Respect the Cause" Espoused by John Walker? 1) ABC's Peter Jennings exhibited hints of leftist concerns on the Late Show as he twice fretted about the difference between "nationalism" and "patriotism," asserted that "campaigning against terrorism" means recognizing the "root causes for dissatisfaction around the world," maintained that global leadership is not just "selling American culture," and bemoaned how "Americans are pretty insular people for the most part." 2) Tom Brokaw demanded that Ted Olson defend his decision to proceed with the publication of his late wife's... continue reading
More About U.S. Abusing Walker; Castigating Only Bush as Partisan; No Bias at ABC? You're "Delusional"; Goldberg Book a Best-Seller 1) Helen Thomas on John Walker: "Are we so primitive that we would ship this man in a box, deny him legal rights, deny him the right to see a lawyer, deny him the right to see his parents? I mean, is that America?" 2) Referring to President Bush's announcement of a bi-partisan compromise stimulus bill which Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle opposes, ABC's Terry Moran castigated Bush for his "'in-your-face, Tom Daschle' move" and asked why shouldn't people "see... continue reading
Worried About Walker's Rights; Journalists Suddenly Concerned About Rivera's Credibility; Letterman's Osama bin Laden Complaints 1) During Tuesday's White House press briefing ABC's Terry Moran repeatedly pressed Ari Fleischer over John Walker's access to a lawyer, arguing: "As an American citizen, he has a constitutional right...to talk to a lawyer." Moran followed-up: "Should the authorities refrain from interrogating him and placing him in jeopardy of incriminating himself?" Helen Thomas lectured: "Lawyers aren't that few around. You could get one to him." 2) Tuesday's World News Tonight devoted a story to concerns about how John Walker is not being given access... continue reading