Bush's "Contrition" for GOP; Greedy Drug Companies; Mayberrys Move; Jacoby Suspended 1) ABC and NBC picked out this soundbite from George W. Bush to the NAACP: "There is no escaping the reality that the party of Lincoln has not always carried the mantle of Lincoln." ABC's Dean Reynolds added: "Bush is associated in this community with his proposed tax cut that many see as benefitting the rich." 2) ABC's Jack Ford condemned the pharmaceutical industry for "making enormous profits" while people die from AIDS: "The terms 'greedy,' 'insensitive,' 'uncaring,' 'inhumane' have all been used by critics to describe the pharmaceutical... continue reading
Disbarment Barred; Supreme Court: "Far-Right" to "Moderate"; ABC Hit Both Parties from Left 1) The Arkansas committee officially filed suit last Friday to have Bill Clinton disbarred. CBS gave it 14 seconds, ABC a piddling nine seconds. 2) NPR's Nina Totenberg defended the Supreme Court decision barring any prohibition of partial-birth abortions, though she denounced the term as inaccurate. 3) A Reuters story contended the Supreme Court is made up of three "far-right" justices, two "more moderate conservatives" and four "moderates." That left zero as liberals. 4) ABC News hit both the Democratic and Republican Medicare prescription entitlement programs from... continue reading
Elian's "Freedom" in Cuba; Ros-Lehtinen Fired Back at Avila; Cuban Pioneers Just Like Cub Scouts 1) "They are exercising for the first time in seven months the opportunity to live really in freedom as a family," a Castro deputy claimed in comments highlighted by NBC's Jim Avila who then blamed the U.S. for making life "difficult" for Cubans. 2) Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen took advantage of her guest spot on CNBC's Rivera Live to scold NBC's Jim Avila for his "incredibly nauseating" pro-Castro propaganda in the guise of news reporting. 3) Dateline NBC painted a glowing picture of what awaits Elian... continue reading
"F***ing Idiot" Outburst by Gumbel; Donaldson Also Dissed a Conservative 1) A CBS camera on Thursday seemed to have caught a disgusted Bryant Gumbel blurting out "What a fucking idiot" just after wrapping up a hostile interview with Robert Knight of the Family Research Council about how the Boy Scouts exclude gays. 2) Robert Knight had a bad day Thursday. ABC News dropped him from Sam Donaldson's noontime Webcast show because a liberal refused to appear with him. 3) "Hollywood celebrities are not pleased with the American Investigator newsmagazine show called Amazon Rainforest: Clear-cutting the Myths." Watch it tonight on... continue reading
"Spontaneous Joy" in Cuba; No Deprogramming; New Texas Inmate to Champion; Jesus Slant 1) "Spontaneous joy" broke out in Cuba over Elian's return. NBC played video showing how Elian's home features a picture of Fidel Castro with a photo of Elian tucked in the corner. ABC and CBS passed along regret from U.S. officials about his departure while ABC and NBC stressed efforts to drop the trade embargo. 2) Don't worry about Elian. NBC's Jim Avila: "The school system in Cuba teaches that communism is the way to succeed in life and it is the best system. Is that deprogramming... continue reading
2-for-1, Hillary & Bill?; Reno Ignored; Geraldo's Viagra; Bill Maher's Liberal Diatribe 1) Bryant Gumbel hoped he and his fellow New Yorkers get a two-for-one deal: Hillary, plus her husband's "expertise." An audience member placed Hillary and Lazio on the Survivor island. And Tom Brokaw insisted Hillary is "a very skilled campaigner." 2) Janet Reno appeared before a Senate committee Tuesday for the first time since it was learned her deputy Robert Conrad urged a special probe of Al Gore's fundraising. FNC and CNN ran stories, but not a word on the ABC, CBS, NBC and MSNBC evening shows. 3)... continue reading
Clinton as Internet Pioneer; Bush's Oil Ties; "Murder" of Gary Graham; Dennis Miller Raw 1) By using the Web to make an announcement, President Clinton cracked a great barrier "and now joins JFK, the first President to hold a televised press conference, and FDR, the first to use radio to chat with an entire country," gushed CBS's Lee Cowan. 2) Friday night, of the broadcast networks, only CBS felt compelled to relay the White House spin on how Robert Conrad "was appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1989 by a man with ties to Republican Jesse Helms" and in 1996 Conrad... continue reading
About Bush's "Truth"; Gary Graham Crusade; ABC Picked Liberal Over Limbaugh; Byrd Attack Dismissed 1) Unlike previous revelations about requests for an Independent Counsel, the networks jumped on Thursday's news that a current Justice official wants Gore probed. Peter Jennings likened Bush and executions to Gore's honesty: "This is all about truth and character for both these men, right?" 2) ABC, CBS and NBC ran short items on how Independent Counsel Robert Ray decided to not indict Hillary Clinton, though he concluded that she did have a role in Travel Office firings. 3) Charles Gibson boasted of GMA's slant: "We've... continue reading
Conservative vs. Conservative; Better Healthcare in Dominica; Loose Security at Los Alamos & Warned on E-Mail 1) Peter Jennings worried if rising gas prices "could put seats in peril and even Vice President Gore's candidacy?" 2) How to get on TV if you're conservative or Republican: criticize another of your own kind. The networks played up conservative criticism of the death penalty and of Senator Gordon Smith condemning his colleagues for opposing the hate crimes bill. NBC: He appealed to fellow "Christians to put down their stones." 3) Schedule surgery in Dominica? World News Tonight promoted a WHO study which... continue reading
Bush & Gore Eat Dessert, Avoid Spinach; Liberals not Labeled; Missile Shield "Doubts"; Helen's Plea 1) ABC, CBS and NBC led with the Supreme Court's ruling against student-led prayer. Dan Rather spun it as "strengthening...the wall between church and state." ABC tagged as "anger" Rehnquist's criticism that the majority "bristled with hostility" to religion. CBS suggested prayer backers would be "heartened" by his comment. 2) "After he bashed" Bush's "plan to invest Social Security money in the stock market," Gore announced a "strikingly similar plan," CBS's John Roberts noted. ABC's John Cochran complained Gore and Bush are telling voters they... continue reading