Friday's CBS This Morning and NBC's Today both spotlighted the walk-out protest on Thursday of a group of congressional staffers, who gave the "hands up, don't shoot" gesture of the groups protesting the grand jury's decision in the Michael Brown case. NBC's Tamron Hall trumpeted the " powerful statement without words " on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. CBS's Jeff Glor noted that the participants " stood with their hands in the air ." [ video below ] Neither morning show mentioned, however, that the pose forwards an inaccurate portrayal of the Brown shooting. Ten days earlier, on the... continue reading
On Friday, NBC's Today and CBS This Morning sympathized with left-wing Democrats upset by portions of a budget deal passed in the House Thursday night. On Today , correspondent Kelly O'Donnell declared: "Democrats had objected to a rollback of financial provisions that would help big Wall Street banks that take some high-risk investments with taxpayer ensured deposits. In the end, compromise, even ugly compromise, carried the night." On This Morning , co-host Charlie Rose introduced a report on the legislation by remarking: "...some Democrats say House Republicans added Christmas presents to the bill for their friends." In the segment that... continue reading
Twelve years after interviewing communist leader Fidel Castro, Barbara Walters is still mesmerized by the "charismatic" dictator. But she is not a fan of the "constipated" Richard Nixon. The former View co-host returned to the show she created, Friday, to promote her yearly program on the "most fascinating" people. In a word association game, Rosie O'Donnell asked her to quickly describe Castro. Walters fawned, " Maybe the most charismatic person I have met. " [MP3 audio here .] Complimenting her own 2002 chat with the communist, Walters enthused, "It was an incredible interview." The veteran journalist is clearly fascinated by... continue reading
Wrapping up a report on Friday's NBC Today about CIA Director John Brennan reacting to the Senate Democrats' "torture report" during a Thursday press conference, chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell highlighted: "The unveiling of the brutal tactics gave American adversaries a chance to accuse the U.S. of hypocrisy – on International Human Rights Day, no less." Mitchell continued: "China and Russia mocked the U.S. for hypocrisy. China's state-run media saying, 'We advise the U.S. side to reflect on and correct its own human rights problems and stop their unwarranted attacks on China.'" That parroting of propaganda came as NBC... continue reading
During Thursday’s NBC Nightly News , NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Kelly O’Donnell heaped praise on far left Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), anointing her “the liberal wing’s newest star” as one of many to speak against the $1 trillion government funding bill being considered by Congress (which passed the House late Thursday night). When one goes back to look at the program’s coverage of the government funding battle in 2013 that led to a government shutdown, it had far different descriptions for one of the leading figures of that debate in Republican Senator Ted Cruz (Texas). [MP3 audio here... continue reading
On Thursday night, CBS continued to make no mention of the news that the hacking attack on Sony Pictures has revealed emails between co-chairwoman Amy Pascal and film producer Scott Rudin mocking what they perceived to be President Barack Obama’s movie tastes. The CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley covered continued fallout from the attack, but only in the context of no press being allowed at the premiere of the Sony film The Interview , which is largely believed to be the reason that the movie studio was targeted for attack. [MP3 audio here ; Video below] Having previously ignored... continue reading
CBS This Morning was the sole Big Three morning newscast on Thursday to report that the police in Hong Kong cleared out the main camp of pro-democracy protestors in the former British colony. Anchor Charlie Rose gave a 20-second news brief on the government's crackdown on the demonstrators. [ video below ] BBC News reported that "more than activists have been arrested...after police cleared the main pro-democracy protest camp." Meanwhile, ABC's Good Morning America aired a two-plus minute report on Angelina Jolie's " tattoo trouble " regarding her kids asking her and husband Bratt Pitt about their many tattoos. Jolie... continue reading
In January of 2013, in the wake of the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting, the networks aggressively pushed gun control and compared the struggle for new restrictions to the battle against the Nazis and segregationists. On Thursday, a poll showed support for gun rights to be at the highest point in 20 years. Yet, ABC's Good Morning America and NBC's Today skipped the new survey. CBS This Morning gave it 18 seconds. Anchor Charlie Rose revealed that "for the first time in two decades, more Americans support gun rights than gun control." He added, "A poll by the Pew Research... continue reading
During a Thursday press conference, NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell seized the opportunity to lecture CIA Director John Brennan as she rattled over the "torture" techniques detailed in the recently released report by Senate Democrats: "...waterboarding, near drowning, slamming people against the wall, hanging them in stress positions, confining them in small boxes or coffins, threatening them with drills, waving guns around their head as they are blindfolded..." Finally getting to her actual question, Mitchell wondered: "...what or which of these techniques could be used if, as the director of Central Intelligence, you and another president or this... continue reading
Carol Costello, who got a kick out of the assault on Bristol Palin, lamented on Thursday's CNN Newsroom that " the national conversation surrounding sexual assault on campus has taken kind of an ugly turn. It's become this he-said, she-said politically-tinged fight ." Costello cited the attention on Lena Dunham's rape claim in her memoir as an example. The anchor also spotlighted how conservative blog RedState attacked the left-wing TV producer on Wednesday (it should be pointed out that the anchor did not censor RedState's curse word, nor did CNN bleep her when she read the quote): CAROL COSTELLO: ...In... continue reading