CBS Spiked Pro-Tax Cut Poll; ABC Focused on Budget Cut "Pain"; Dan Rather: Bush Cut Earthquake Help; Public Radio Censorship 1) A CBS News poll found 67 percent support Bush's tax cut plan, but Wednesday night the CBS Evening News ignored its own poll. Instead, Dan Rather characterized it as "risky business" while John Roberts highlighted a woman in Omaha who "fears" Bush "is rolling the dice on eight years of success." 2) FNC's Brit Hume noted: "A CBS poll of those who saw" Bush's speech "found 88 percent agreed with the Bush proposals, which anchor Dan Rather had characterized... continue reading
Bush's Speech Delivery Praised; Bush Reflected "Hard Core Conservatism"; Rather's Liberal Spin: Budget Cutting for Tax Cuts 1) Network reporters and analysts praised Bush's delivery. George Stephanopoulos: "In command of his brief." Sam Donaldson: "Overall people will judge this a very effective speech." Tim Russert: "I was amazed by how conversational he was tonight, and confident and comfortable." 2) ABC's Terry Moran insisted "the core of this speech was hard core conservatism: fiscal restraint; deep, across-the-board spending and tax cuts," but several analysts on other networks pointed out how Bush gave at least equal weight to liberal policies and spending... continue reading
Nets Pounced on Anti-Tax Cut Poll; Tax Cut "Favors" Wealthy; NBC's Today Pushed "Trigger" Idea; Helen Thomas's Liberal Views 1) The ABC and NBC morning shows jumped on an ABC News poll which found most want a smaller tax cut and only 22 percent think a tax cut should be the top priority for the surplus. GMA and Today both cited the numbers in three separate stories, with ABC's Terry Moran tagging it a "handicap" for Bush. 2) CBS's Jane Clayson this morning suggested "many Americans would prefer a smaller tax cut for lower and middle income Americans" and she... continue reading
NBC Ignored Miami Recount; Tax Cut Not Popular; Gumbel Argued Pardon Probe Should Be Ended; Donaldson Praised Thomas's Rant 1) NBC Nightly News ignored the Miami Herald tabulation of Miami-Dade undervotes which found Gore would not have picked up enough votes to beat Bush. CBS's Dan Rather stressed how the study "suggests" that if Al Gore got what he wanted he still "might" have lost. Morning shows all delivered brief mentions. Last month FNC noticed Bush would have gained votes in a GOP county. 2) President Bush's 55 percent approval shows he "has not connected" yet with the public, Peter... continue reading
No Worse Than Weinberger Pardon; Cokie Believes Hillary; Reporters Heard Clinton Joke About Pardons; Costas Hit Bush from the Right 1) ABC News analyst/reporter George Stephanopoulos: "How are any of these pardons worse than President Bush in his final days in office pardoning Cap Weinberger?" 2) Al Hunt defended Bill Clinton's record: "The idea that somehow that there was a whole bunch of criminality that went on for eight years and this [the pardons] just proves it, that is utter, complete nonsense." 3) NBC's Saturday Night Live had Bill, Roger and Hugh burst out laughing, along with Hillary, after she... continue reading
Bill Clinton Reacted with "Fury"; Worried About Impact on Hillary; "Reagan Couldn't Tie His Shoelaces..."; Geraldo's "Love Nest" 1) ABC uniquely put Bush's press conference ahead of Hillary's session of denial and "disappointment." CBS's John Roberts painted Bill Clinton as an angry victim trying to make things right: "When President Clinton found out what Hugh Rodham had done he telephoned Rodham's lawyer in a fury, demanding that the money had to go back." 2) FNC's Brit Hume wondered about the credibility of Senator Clinton's "Sergeant Schultz"-like "I know nothing" mantra. 3) "This is just terrible" for Hillary Clinton, fretted Gloria... continue reading
Hillary: Hugh Rodham's Victim; "Piling On" Bill Clinton? Harris Vs. Rich; West Wing: A Pardon "That Will Outrage a Nation" 1) Dan Rather portrayed Hillary as Hugh Rodham's victim as he relayed how someone told CBS that her "family has quote, 'always been very important to her' and that these revelations 'are absolutely devastating to her and she is furious about them.'" Rather focused on how drug dealer Vignali "was a first time offender and many political figures" lobbied on his behalf. 2) Former President Jimmy Carter denounced Clinton's pardon for Marc Rich: "I think that was, in my opinion,... continue reading
Malaria, Drought & Drowning; No Estate Tax, No Food for Poor; New Clinton Whopper Omitted; FNC Noticed Media Interest in Homeless 1) The end is near. Dan Rather led Monday's CBS Evening News by hyping a UN report on the dire impact of global warming, "the forecast from Hell" of droughts, drowning and malaria. Peter Jennings focused on fear "there will be potentially enormous loss of life, greater risk of disease and the extinction of entire species." 2) No estate tax, no food for the poor. CBS highlighted a soup kitchen, "exactly the kind of faith-based service President Bush sees... continue reading
Clinton Avoided "Is"; Will GOP "Overplay" Pardon?; Democrats Give Less to the Wealthy; ABC Promoted Affluent Who Want Estate Tax 1) ABC and NBC stressed how donations by Denise Rich, in the words of ABC's Jackie Judd, "shows no huge spike in giving when talk of a pardon began in earnest." CBS assured viewers the controversy hasn't hurt Bill Clinton as speaking offers are "lined up like airplanes over LaGuardia on a foggy day." 2) In his statement Bill Clinton was grammatically incorrect in saying "any suggestion...are false." FNC's Brit Hume wondered if he was trying to avoid the word... continue reading
Congress Not Networks Examined; Wealthy Anti-Tax Cutters Promoted; Geraldo Rationalized Pardon; After Eight Years Media Find Scandal 1) At the top of his newscast ABC's Peter Jennings mentioned the House hearing on TV coverage of election night, but Dan Rather gave it just 29 seconds. He stressed how the executives argued "it is not the role of Congress to investigate news organizations." NBC's Tom Brokaw served up off-topic soundbites, such as NBC's Andrew Lack urging a look at voting machine problems. 2) ABC's Good Morning America and the NBC Nightly News jumped on the news that some wealthy people, led... continue reading