Elizabeth Dole, "Social Conservative" and "Darling" of the Right 1) Elizabeth Dole, right-winger? Monday night ABC called her "a social conservative" and MSNBC tagged her "a darling of some on the right." That should be news to conservatives. 2) The fourth runner-up quotes in "The Best Notable Quotables of 1998: The Eleventh Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting." >>> A welcome to our newest readers/Backlog of e-mail. The CyberAlert subscriber list has jumped by over 300 in the past two weeks, thanks I suspect to the many who visited the MRC site to view the Alec Baldwin video ... continue reading
"Right-Wing Nuts" Employ "McCarthyism"; Spend More; China Tanked 1) Al Hunt and Evan Thomas impugn House conservatives for McCarthyism. Thomas accused "real right-wing nuts in the House" of threatening "extortion" over a discredited charge against Clinton. 2) CNN's Wolf Blitzer bemoaned how "even though the Cold War is over," Clinton wants more money for defense, "money that could go for education...health care...improving the cities." 3) The House report about how U.S. technology transfers have boosted Chinese missile capabilities, skipped by NBC's Today. 4) The third runner-up quotes in "The Best Notable Quotables of 1998: The Eleventh Annual Awards for the... continue reading
ABC & NBC Shunt Technology Transfers to China; Media Missed Liberal $ 1) A bi-partisan congressional committee determined technology transfers to China have harmed national security. Network interest: 22 seconds on ABC and 26 seconds on NBC. Only FNC reminded viewers that Loral's chief donated $100,000 to Democrats. 2) A liberal group actually paid for a pre-election ad by anti-impeachment historians, "though nobody in the major media seems to have bothered to discover this." 3) The second runner-up quotes in "The Best Notable Quotables of 1998: The Eleventh Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting." 4) Cable competition? Minutes apart... continue reading
Ted Turner a Friend of Larry Flynt?; Stahl Gushes Over Hillary 1) A Larry Flynt-Ted Turner connection? A Boston Globe story revealed Flynt sought advice from his "friend" when he wanted to buy the Cincinnati Reds. And Flynt proclaimed: "I love Clinton." 2) Hillary Clinton named one of the Ladies Home Journal's Ten Most Fascinating Women of 1998. Lesley Stahl gushed over the "the dignity with which she has comported herself." 3) NBC's Ann Curry proclaimed: "I'm hoping...that I never have to say the name Monica Lewinsky again in the New Year!" 4) The first runner-up quotes in 14 categories... continue reading
Starr: "Flynt with Subpoena Power"; "A Legislative Coup d'etat"; GOP McCarthyism 1) Margaret Carlson impugned Ken Starr as Larry "Flynt with subpoena power." Al Hunt denounced the "extraordinary hypocrisy" of those who voted to impeach Clinton but opposed punishing Gingrich. 2) "Is Mr. Flynt, in effect, doing the work of the Christian Right, here?" So asked ABC's Cynthia McFadden on GMA. 3) Led by the "repulsive billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife," Geraldo Rivera charged, conservatives enacted "a legislative coup d'etat" as part of their "pathologically ideological movement to oust our very popular and effective President." 4) MSNBC's Brian Williams lamented that... continue reading
Best Notable Quotables of 1998: Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting 1) The winners in 14 categories in "The Best Notable Quotables of 1998: The Eleventh Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting." 2) The names and affiliations of the 50 judges who assessed each vote and picked the winners. 1 Here are the winning quotes in 14 award categories in "The Best Notable Quotables of 1998: The Eleventh Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting." To pick the winners the MRC sent ballots to 50 media observers who picked a first, second and third best quote in each category... continue reading
Barbara Walters Comes Clean; GOP's "Mindless Cannibalism"; Baldwin Chastised 1) Barbara Walters told David Letterman that she thinks it was a "mistake" to impeach and that Linda Tripp is no hero. 2) Geraldo Rivera went to the White House Christmas party on Monday so he could encourage Bill Clinton to "stay strong." 3) Monday night the networks started with Clinton's high approval and negative reaction to Republicans. CBS: "The President is on trial, the Republicans have been found guilty." ABC found a woman who "says it reminds her of a coup in her native Guatemala." 4) Matt Lauer challenged Bill... continue reading
Time: Starr Worse Than Clinton; Avoid Senate Trial Mantra; Maria Shriver's Agenda 1) In naming Bill Clinton and Ken Starr its "Men of the Year" Time held Starr more blameworthy than Clinton for what transpired in 1998. Time's top editor let slip that if they'd wanted to "honor" somebody with an "award" Hillary Clinton would have won. 2) Old media mantra: Must have censure deal to avoid impeachment. New media mantra: Must have censure deal to avoid a Senate trial. NPR's Nina Totenberg hopes "sanity will prevail." NBC's Jodi Applegate slammed by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. 3) Don't blame Clinton... continue reading
Pro-Impeachment "Morons"; Nets Impugn GOP Doubts About Iraq Decision 1) Tom Snyder disparaged House Republicans as "morons" for saying they are patriots following "the call of the Constitution." 2) Instead of scrutinizing Clinton's decision to bomb Iraq, ABC and NBC cast disrepute upon GOP doubts. Peter Jennings bemoaned how "there was not the traditional rally around the leader support" as both networks focused on White House anger. 3) Geraldo Rivera: "Republicans in Congress are engaging in conduct that during the war in Vietnam they called giving aid and comfort to the enemy." 4) Brian Williams, Dan Rather and Peter Jennings... continue reading
ABC: DeLay Will Lead to Defeat; Van Susteren's Galactic Federation 1) Ten Republicans decided they would vote to impeach, but in profiling Tom DeLay, ABC's John Cochran warned he may be pushing Republicans "toward defeat in the next election." CBS highlighted how in a "mostly Republican" area most want to move on. 2) CNN's Greta Van Susteren belongs "to a religion that teaches of Xenu, evil head of the Galactic Confederation" who "flew people to Teegeeack (Earth)...in space ships, chained them to volcanos and blew them up with hydrogen bombs." And her "pro-Clinton voice hasn't gone unrewarded" while her husband... continue reading