MSNBC "pushed out" Ed Schultz in order to "make way for new talent," according to Politico on Thursday. This would contradict Schultz, who insisted the decision was voluntary and a great step forward for his " brand ." What is that brand, exactly? Sneering at "bastard," "slut," "dirthole" conservatives who want to see Barack Obama murdered. [Audio here .] Schultz's show is being moved to weekends, home of MSNBC's prison specials and To Catch a Predator marathons. Schultz insisted this change will allow him to "produce and focus stories I care about and I know are terribly important to American... continue reading
On Thursday's NBC Today , White House correspondent Peter Alexander promoted the first public comments from Scott Prouty, the bartender who secretly recorded Mitt Romney's 47% comments during the 2012 presidential race: "Even today some political observers insist without that 47% tape, we might actually be talking about President Mitt Romney these days. Instead, the infamous comments marked what was really a campaign game-changer. And now months later, the man behind that tape has finally come forward." [ Listen to the audio ] In the report that followed, Alexander highlighted portions of a Prouty's interview with MSNBC host Ed Schultz... continue reading
In an " exclusive" interview with ABC, Barack Obama on Tuesday dodged responsibility for the ending of White House tours, stating, " I have to say this was not a decision that went up to the White House. " The President placed the responsibility on the Secret Service. Later in the day, press secretary Jay Carney contradicted Obama and admitted that the White House cancelled the tours. ABC's World News on Wednesday and Good Morning America on Thursday didn't bother to cover updates on Obama's denial. Appearing on the Washington D.C. radio show Mornings on the Mall , former Secret... continue reading
During CBS's special coverage of the papal election on Wednesday, correspondent Mark Phillips singled out two dissenters from Catholic tradition in the middle of crowd of hundreds of thousands in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, mere minutes after the white smoke went out of the Sistine Chapel's chimney, and before Pope Francis emerged onto the balcony over the piazza. The two activists, who wore pink "ordain women" pins, not only sought to change the Catholic Church's teachings on the all-male priesthood, but spotlighted "LGBT issues [and] reproductive health care " – a thinly-veiled reference to abortion and contraception –... continue reading
On Tuesday's NBC Nightly News , on the eve of the Wednesday election of Pope Francis, anchor Brian Williams proclaimed to viewers: "...this is a decidedly bad time for the Catholic Church. There are hopes among many that the new pope will signify a new direction." [ Listen to the audio ] In the report that followed, correspondent Lester Holt hyped the divide between the Vatican and some liberal American Catholics: "It's roughly 4,000 miles between Vatican City and the nearest shores of the U.S., but for American Catholics who often find themselves out of step with the Church here,... continue reading
National Review magazine has published an excellent and comprehensive response to New York Times Book Editor Sam Tanenhaus's dishonest smear of conservative thought in a cover story for The New Republic . The article by National Review contributors Ramesh Ponnuru and Jonah Goldberg appears in the March 25 issue. After first explaining that for the left, "The explanation for conservatives’ opposition to President Obama and his agenda must be found not in our ideas but in our pathologies," they argue: Thus many liberals seem to have convinced themselves that we resist Obama’s agenda because he is black. It is a... continue reading
It took only seven minutes after the announcement of a new pope for CNN to interview women's ordination activists in St. Peter's Square. The liberal activists were the first interviewees on CNN after the white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel chimney. Correspondent Miguel Marquez pointed out their "ordain women badges" and gave credence to their cause. " We have heard this across the U.S. and around the world, certainly, that people do want and hope for a more open, transparent, liberal, progressive church ," he noted. [Video below. Audio here .] Erin Saiz Hanna hailed from the Women's Ordination... continue reading
Former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) was convicted Tuesday on 24 separate federal corruption charges, which could cost him up to 20 years in prison. However, ABC, CBS, and NBC could not be bothered to even mention the conviction of this disgraced ex-mayor of a major, blighted American city on their nightly news programs. Perhaps they were busy with what are clearly weightier matters. Monday’s NBC Nightly News , for example, found time to mention Justin Timberlake’s recent appearance on Saturday Night Live , the ten worst places to retire in America, and the plight of penguins in Antarctica. The... continue reading
During live coverage, Wednesday, of the announcement that Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio had been chosen the new pope, two of ABC's journalists insisted that the Argentinian would help "revive" the Catholic Church's interest in helping the poor. Nightline co-anchor Terry Moran didn't explain when such a desire went away. Moran lectured, "... If he's a pope who makes a commitment to be close to the poor of Latin America and the poor of Africa, that can turn a corner for the church in someways, revive that mission, the original mission of Christ and the early Christians ." (Could it be that... continue reading
While NBC and CBS both highlighted a quote from an anonymous senior White House official labeling President Obama's recent budget meetings with members of Congress "a joke," ABC managed to leave the controversial remark out of its coverage of the budget negotiations, with Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos even failing to ask the President about it in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. In a National Journal article posted Tuesday morning, Ron Fournier recounted: "'This is a joke. We're wasting the president's time and ours,' complained a senior White House official who was promised anonymity so he could speak frankly... continue reading