On Wednesday's CBS This Morning , national correspondent Chip Reid glossed over proposals in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's fiscal cliff plan that would add to the deficit. "The bill would also extend long-term unemployment benefits, patch up the alternative minimum tax that threatens to hit even more middle class families and prevent a scheduled dropoff in Medicare reimbursement to doctors," Reid rattled off the proposals without noting whether they would add to or subtract from the deficit. "[Senator] Reid's plan is expected to extend Bush-era tax cuts for households making less than $250,000 a year. It would also include... continue reading
On Wednesday's CBS This Morning , co-host Rebecca Jarvis asked a pollster for a liberal anti-gun group what he thought of the NRA's response to the Newtown shooting. CBS hosted Frank Luntz, a Republican strategist but also a pollster for Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Co-host Rebecca Jarvis asked him, "what do you make of the NRA's strategy here to say there should be someone in every school system in America holding a gun protecting the kids?" "That's not quite the language that they used and if that was the language they used, they'd be even more opposed to it," responded... continue reading
When Democratic Rep. Jim Moran (Va.) promoted his new gun control bill on CNN Wednesday, anchor Victor Blackwell spoonfed him a talking point from the anti-gun Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG). Moran then claimed Congress would have blood on its hands if it didn't take action on guns. Asking Moran about his bill's five measures, Blackwell simply prompted him with poll numbers that MAIG touted earlier this summer: "You picked these five because there's a poll over the summer by a GOP pollster that says that these are not only things that are mildly supported by NRA members, but they... continue reading
The winning quotes in the MRC’ “ Best Notable Quotables of 2012: The Twenty-Fifth Annual Awards for the Year’s Worst Reporting .” As announced in a CyberAlert Special last Tuesday, the awards issue was posted, with videos, on Monday, December 17, but following tradition, today, Thursday and Friday - the last weekdays of the year - MRC.org’s BiasAlert and corresponding CyberAlert e-mail newsletter will run the winning quotes followed on succeeding days by the runners-up. The page linked above also has links for the text of the entire issue in MS Word or WordPerfect formats. You can also download a... continue reading
On Friday's Today , NBC's David Gregory used the Newtown tragedy to buttress President Obama's push for more gun control. During a heartbreaking story about the grieving father of shooting victim Emilie Parker, Gregory switched to a massive petition for the White House to pursue gun control. "This morning, President Obama has posted this video response online to nearly 200,000 people that signed a petition on the White House website, pushing the President for action on gun control," reported Gregory. [Video below. Audio here .] Just before, Gregory had relayed Robbie Parker's emotional remarks at his daughter's memorial: "After his... continue reading
CNN reporters castigated the NRA on Twitter during the organization's Friday press conference. Piers Morgan went so far as to blame future mass school shootings on the organization. " Coming to a town near you, courtesy of the #NRA - Gunfights At The U.S. School Corral ," Morgan tweeted . He also ripped their agenda as "murderous." "This is your moment, America: The #NRA has 4 million members, your population is 311 million. Don't stand for this murderous crap any more ," tweeted Morgan. CNN's Ali Velshi didn't shy away from sniping at the NRA: "NRA says 26 lives might... continue reading
Norah O'Donnell helped Bob Schieffer hype his upcoming segment with actor/director Ben Affleck on Thursday's CBS This Morning . O'Donnell played a clip of the soon-to-be aired interview and remarked, " He sure does sound like a politician. He won't give you a straight answer! " Schieffer ballyhooed Affleck's supposed credentials to be a possible replacement for Senator John Kerry, who could be named the next Secretary of State [audio available here; video below ]: BOB SCHIEFFER: He has this organization called Eastern Congo Initiative....He appeared yesterday before the House Armed Services Committee to talk about some way to make... continue reading
For ABC's Good Morning America , favoring more guns on the streets is "controversial" but President Obama's plea for gun control is simply news. "Those who argue that the best way to stop mass killings is to have more guns in the right hands at the right time, even in the classroom. It's a controversial debate ," reported co-host George Stephanopoulos on Thursday. In contrast, ABC's Jake Tapper framed the Newtown shooting as a "tipping point" amidst Obama's push for more gun control. Correspondent Alex Perez's report featured three quotes from supporters of arming school teachers with guns, and just... continue reading
The day after a gun control advocate told CNN that America's gun problem includes handgun shootings, Starting Point anchor Soledad O'Brien began asking Democratic politicians if they would consider legislating handguns. " Well, is going to the assault weapons far enough? " O'Brien asked Democratic Rep. Ron Barber (Ariz.) on Tuesday. "I think it's 80 percent is handguns involved in gun violence. Does this, do you think open up a conversation toward limiting handguns? " she questioned Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) the same day. [Video below. Audio here .] On Monday's Starting Point , the director of Mayors Against Illegal... continue reading
On Thursday's CBS This Morning , Major Garrett tried to shoehorn Steven Spielberg's screening of his recent film "Lincoln" for the Senate into his report on President Obama's Wednesday press conference on the fiscal cliff and gun control. Garrett hyped how the movie " celebrates presidential power and crafty legislative strategy ," and that Obama " may need the wisdom of Lincoln for his latest legislative battle - gun control ." The correspondent even played a clip from the film about the sixteenth President to hint at a parallel between the passage the 13th Amendment, which happened after the carnage... continue reading