Liberal Protesters Amplified; Gushing Over "Granny D"; Early Show Lamented Lack of Concern for Global Warming; "Reagan-Era Cynicism" 1) On Saturday night ABC and CBS amplified the influence of protesters. ABC's Terry Moran emphasized how trade divides leaders "from many of their own people." CBS's John Roberts cited how the Prime Minister of St. Lucia decided free trade "has destroyed the lives of others." CBS also devoted an entire story to "more than a hundred American protesters" standing along a roadside in Vermont, including a member of the Chicago Seven. 2) "You're not a granny who gives up," NBC's Ann... continue reading
Day Care Bad? Let's Have More; Bush Has "Worst Record" on the Environment; Clayson's Kyoto Advocacy; ABC's Loaded Poll Question 1) ABC, CBS and NBC focused on a study on how day care leads to more aggressive kids, which CBS and NBC tagged as "controversial." But instead of looking at how to reduce dependence on day care, the networks advocated more of it subsidized by the government. CBS and NBC featured the opinion of the "expert" Marian Wright Edelman and Peter Jennings lamented how "the U.S. is actually the least generous of the industrialized nations." 2) "The White House apparently... continue reading
Bush's Green: Big Business Money; NY Times Editor Admitted Stories Tell "You What to Think"; Gumbel: Race Over Meritocracy in U.S. 1) "Fairly or unfairly," Dan Rather intoned in summing up an image he fueled, "critics of President Bush's environmental policy believe the only green policy he's displayed is the color of big business money." Reporting on Bush's decision to enforce a Clinton rule on lead, CBS on Tuesday night stressed how environmentalists "question the depth of Mr. Bush's commitment." 2) ABC's Good Morning America mocked how after every meeting with a foreign leader President Bush calls the leader "a... continue reading
Tax Cuts Over Fighting Cancer; Bush "The Toxic Texan"; The Up Side to Rioting: Making People Address the Racial Divide 1) Since Lt. Shane Osborn had to use all his physical strength to save his plane, National Review's Kate O'Beirne professed she was "grateful that there wasn't a female pilot at the controls." But ABC's Cokie Roberts wasn't interested in that and instead celebrated how the navigator was a woman. 2) Bush "did do well here," ABC's George Stephanopoulos conceded before cavalierly asserting: "We'll never know if it could happened earlier if he hadn't been so hard line." 3) George... continue reading
Bush "Exacerbated" China Showdown; ABC's Tribute to Hillary on Her 100th Day; Columnist Believed MRC's April Fools Rather Quotes 1) The Bush campaign's "tough" line on China caused "some people" to think that "exacerbated this particular incident, from the Chinese point of view," ABC's Peter Jennings scolded just after Bush's Rose Garden remarks. 2) On Thursday's Today Katie Couric pressed Condoleezza Rice about moving the surveillance flights over China "further away" from their coast and Matt Lauer asked the parent of one of the detained airmen: "As a father, did you ever just wish we would say, 'We are sorry... continue reading
Jennings: "Why Not" Apologize?; ABC Focused on "Deep Cuts" But FNC Noted They Amount to 0.02%; ABC Raised Bias Over Dirkhising 1) ABC's Mark Litke on Tuesday night pointed out how China never apologized for "the brutality of the cultural revolution" in which "many were tortured and killed." Peter Jennings, however, soon put the burden back on the U.S. as he asserted that "some Americans say if an apology would free the Navy crew, why not?" 2) Geraldo Rivera expressed perfect Clintonian reasoning on China: "Does that really matter? Right or wrong?" 3) CBS and NBC skipped the Bush budget... continue reading
"Arrogant" Bush at Fault on China; Nets Focused on Harm of Budget Cuts; "Slaughterhouses Over Schoolchildren"; Whoopi for Tax Cut 1) CBS's Barry Petersen blamed Bush's policies and words for prolonging the situation as the Chinese "military is especially angry with tough-talking policies from the Bush administration," including "the U.S. abandoning a policy of partnership." Petersen featured a Chinese expert who maintained that if Bush's first words were not a "demand," the U.S. personnel would be home. 2) Newsweek's Howard Fineman asserted on Monday's Today that "there was some criticism early on in the first day or two" of the... continue reading
Dan Rather's "Objectivity"; Why Not Apologize?; Can't "Eat, Drink or Breathe" Thanks to Bush; Bush Too "Hard-Edged" on China 1) Howler of the Weekend. Bernard Kalb on Dan Rather's Democratic fundraising: "I don't believe for an instant it will affect Dan's constant pursuit of objectivity." 2) Best Question of the Weekend. Brit Hume to Senator Tom Daschle on the $1.2 trillion tax cut plan: "If it's such a great victory for your side, why did you vote against it?" 3) CBS's Bob Schieffer to Colin Powell: "What would be wrong with apologizing?" ABC's Sam Donaldson proposed the same idea to... continue reading
Bush Tax Cut Means No Help for Winnie; New Dan Rather Web Page; Letterman's Rather "Top Ten"; Time's Global Warming Crusade 1) Winnie is back! Gore's can-collecting poster oldster for a new prescription entitlement program was resurrected Thursday night by NBC Nightly News. Jim Avila formulated a story so that Skinner and another "older American" could denounce Bush for putting his tax cut ahead of their needs. The fresh woman complained that Bush only wants to give a "break" to "the wealthy people." 2) Now on the MRC Web site: A new page devoted to several dozen of Dan Rather's... continue reading
Rather Gave 23 Seconds to Recount; Couric Still Obsessed by Confused Voters; On China, Conservatives "Belligerent" & "Nasty" 1) In December Dan Rather impugned the "ideologically motivated" U.S. Supreme Court for having, "in effect, handed the presidency to Bush" by stopping a statewide hand count. But Wednesday night after a newspaper hand count found more votes for Bush, Rather gave it a vague 23 seconds and didn't correct his spin. 2) Peter Jennings relayed the key finding: "The first major, independent review of the Florida vote has found that President Bush would have won by an even greater margin if... continue reading