Two items this afternoon: GMA Hit Lieberman from Left on Guns Before Mentioning Hollywood Hypocrisy; Media Reality Check: "Family Ties to Occidental Petroleum Spiked While Al Bashes GOP 'Big Oil Ticket'" -- Back to today's CyberAlert Today on ABC's Good Morning America Charles Gibson pressed Democratic VP candidate Joe Lieberman from the left on gun control before he was hit from the right on how he's gone soft on Hollywood. On the September 22 show Gibson posed five questions, the first three about Al Gore's proposal to tap the strategic oil reserve. Gibson's first query: "The Vice President now proposing... continue reading
Not Knocked on "Nudge"; Gore Gaffe Delay; CBS Pounced on "Racist" Pro-GOP Ad; Focused on Whitewater Probe Costs & Timing -- Extra Edition 1) Days after promising to use federal power to crack down on the entertainment industry, at a Hollywood fundraiser Al Gore and Joe Lieberman promised to only "nudge" them. ABC, CBS and NBC ignored the hypocrisy as ABC focused on the popularity of Gore's business-bashing. 2) Two days after the disclosure that Al Gore fabricated an anecdote about how a drug costs more for his mother-in-law than for his dog, the CBS Evening News became the first... continue reading
Leno Covered Gore Gaffe That Brokaw Spiked; Will Media Challenge Gore "Profiteering" Charge? -- Back to today's CyberAlert Two items this afternoon: NBC's news shows refused to inform viewers of a Gore gaffe -- singing a union song he claimed to have learned as a child though it was not written until he was 27-years-old -- but the entertainment division provided viewers with more information than Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams or Katie Couric. And Jay Leno managed to do it despite the Olympics cutting his Tonight Show down to barely five minutes at 12:35am ET/PT, 11:35 CT/MT as an intro... continue reading
Does Bush Have "The Smarts"?; Oprah Gentle With Bush With Exceptions; NY Times Conceded Headline "Exceeded the Facts" 1) Does George W. Bush have "the smarts to be President?" So asked MSNBC's Brian Williams in picking out that question from Oprah to highlight. ABC stressed how Bush "opened up to Oprah." CBS's Bill Whitaker showcased a woman on the street who blasted Bush: "I don't feel like he's truly interested in women's rights." 2) If only Dan Rather were as balanced as Oprah Winfrey. FNC's Brit Hume decided she treated Bush "as gently as she did Al Gore." But there... continue reading
Bush's "Message Make-Over"; Gore Flub & Made Up Costs Skipped; Lynne Just Like Hillary; NY Times Found a Biased Network 1) Al Gore stumbled over words and a newspaper revealed he made up numbers in a speech, but ABC, CBS and NBC ignored that and instead focused on Bush "road-testing a new image and message make-over" aimed at the middle class. ABC checked Gore's appeal among women. NBC found a woman turned off by the "conservative Dick Cheney." 2) CNN and FNC showed Al Gore flailing as he could not remember the word "mammogram" and picked up on a Boston... continue reading
Gore Operative Directed Berke; Quid Pro Quo Blackout; Actors Tout Gore; Elian's Cable Story; Lazio "a Punk" 1) Rick Berke of the New York Times conceded "it took me several viewings" of the ad played in slow motion by a Gore operative "to notice the RAT" frame of it. But, a female editor supposedly caught it at regular speed. Jack Germond scolded the media for making such a big deal about it. 2) Tony Snow: "Berke had no idea he had been fooled into touting a stale story about an ad scheduled to go off the air the day his... continue reading
Gore Fundraising Blackout; Hillary Sleepovers Avoided; Afraid of Hillary's Power; Gumbel's Memorial Anger; Extremist Gore Boast -- Extra Edition 1) A probe of Gore's involvement in fundraising tied to a veto action? Not a syllable about it Thursday morning or evening on ABC, CBS or NBC. CNN and FNC examined the charge. Instead, ABC's Peter Jennings fretted about "stressed out" bees in Macedonia. 2) ABC scrutinized Dick Cheney's campaigning abilities. He fired back: "What I find disappointing is the extent to which trivia becomes the focal point for what the press is doing." 3) FNC advanced the Hillary sleepover for... continue reading
This Morning on GMA Diane Sawyer Proved Charge of Pro-Gore Omissions by Noting What Networks Aren't Reporting -- Back to today's CyberAlert Below is the text of a MRC Campaign 2000 "Quick Take" distributed by fax this afternoon on how instead of reporting a couple of unfavorable stories about Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, after having jumped on the anti-Bush "RATS" ad story earlier this week, ABC's Diane Sawyer just mentioned the complaint that the media are not covering them. (But first a correction for this morning's CyberAlert which quoted Peter Jennings as reporting Thursday night: "The Macedonians say that... continue reading
Morning Shows Refused to Mention New York Times Story on Gore's Possible Quid-Pro-Quo Fundraising, But They Pounced on NY Times "Rats" Story. Plus: Gore and Lieberman on Letterman and O'Brien. -- Back to today's CyberAlert Below is the text of a MRC "Quick Take" distributed by fax this afternoon and written by Tim Graham, but first a brief note about campaign-related TV events tonight: >> ABC's 20/20 begins tonight, Thursday September 14, a two-part examination by Peter Jennings of George W. Bush and Al Gore. Part two airs Friday night. >> Al Gore and Joe Lieberman on late night comedy... continue reading
Russert Asked Hillary to Apologize; Hillary's Suspect Fundraising; Cheney Chastened on "Humorous" Murder Lyrics -- Extra Edition 1) A network reporter finally put Hillary Clinton on the spot. Moderating the NY Senate debate, NBC's Tim Russert asked if she regretted "misleading the American people?" and "Would you now apologize for branding people as part of a 'vast right-wing conspiracy'?" 2) FNC revealed the story the New York Times suppressed: "White House staffers have voiced concern that the First Lady has been offering large donors to her campaign...overnight stays in the Lincoln bedroom and even Camp David." 3) ABC castigated Lynne... continue reading