CNN's Gloria Borger provided the Obama campaign spin on Tuesday afternoon, excusing the President's choice to not meet privately with any foreign leaders at this week's UN General Assembly. This despite the previous two presidents having met with world leaders at the UN during a campaign year. "This is kind of a 'don't rock the boat' strategy. I think there's a sense that no good can come of any controversy right now," Borger explained the President's decision. However, even anchor Wolf Blitzer called it "probably a missed opportunity" for Obama, and reporter John King said even some Democrats questioned it... continue reading
In an interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, CNN's Piers Morgan asked him about his love life and got into an exchange with him about women not being able to ski by themselves in Iran. "How many times in your life, Mr. President, have you been properly in love?" Morgan asked at the end of the interview. "I'm in love with all of humanity," answered Ahmadinejad, to which Morgan responded "That might be the best answer I've ever heard to that question." Morgan did not bring up the UN Secretary-General recently expressing " serious concerns " about Iran's human rights... continue reading
During the Today's Professionals segment on Tuesday's NBC Today , chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman applauded New York City schools handing out morning-after contraception pills to teenage girls without parental consent: "Parents aren't going to like to hear this, but teenagers are having sex....People want to be anti-abortion. If you're anti-abortion you should be anti-pregnancy....the reality is it's smart public health." [ Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump ] Co-host Matt Lauer teed up Snyderman: "Let's remember that schools have been offering condoms for years now. Is this the next logical step, Nancy?" Moments after... continue reading
George Stephanopoulos and Barbara Walters on Tuesday fawned over the "fun," loving marriage of Barack and Michelle Obama. Walters appeared on Good Morning America to promote the President's appearance on The View . Stephanopoulos, a former Democratic operative, hyped Walters' "lighter stuff." He gushed, "The President seemed to mix politics and fun, when he talked about coaching his daughter's basketball team." Walters was positively impressed with the couple: "He's funny. She says she's funnier. But he's very relaxed with her." [MP3 audio here .] Stephanopoulos marveled, "The President seemed, I have to say, in much better humor than if you... continue reading
In a surprisingly tough interview with President Obama aired on Tuesday's NBC Today , co-host Savannah Guthrie cited Mitt Romney's criticism that the President has sided with teachers' unions against education reform, to which Obama shot back: "I think Governor Romney and a number of folks try to politicize the issue and do a lot of teacher-bashing." Guthrie followed up: "Can you really say that teachers' unions aren't slowing the pace of reform?" Obama repeated the anti-Romney talking point: "I just really get frustrated when I hear teacher-bashing as evidence of reform." While Guthrie made some effort to pin down... continue reading
The MRC is showcasing the most egregious bias we've uncovered over the years — four quotes for each of the 25 years of the MRC, 100 quotes total — all leading up to our big 25th Anniversary Gala on Thursday evening. Click here for articles recounting the worst of 1988 through 2010 . Today, the worst bias of 2011 : Paul Krugman calls the anniversary of 9/11 “an occasion for shame;” ABC’s Diane Sawyer fawns over the left-wing “Occupy” movement; and Esquire ’s Steven Marche pens a thousand-word Obamagasm worthy of Chris Matthews. “What happened after 9/11 — and I... continue reading
Sunday's 60 Minutes couldn't be bothered to air Steve Kroft pursuing President Obama about " nasty and negative campaign ads under your name, or under the name of your various PACs ." Obama begrudging admitted, " Do we see, sometimes, us going overboard in our campaign , or the mistakes that are made, or...areas where there's no doubt that somebody could dispute how we are presenting things? You know, that happens in politics ." The news program relegated the exchange to CBSNews.com. Despite the fact the clip didn't make it on the air, correspondent Jan Crawford mentioned it on Monday's... continue reading
NBC's Today show mentioned the Obama campaign's newest attack ad three times on Monday, but not once did they report on developments in the wake of deadly attacks in Libya. Questions are being raised against the Obama State Department's handling of security prior to the embassy attacks. The Romney campaign is "coming off one of the roughest couple of weeks all campaign," reported correspondent Peter Alexander, who added that campaign will "be met by a new attack ad" in Ohio. Natalie Morales touched on the Obama ad in her news briefs at the top of the 8 a.m. and 9... continue reading
On Monday, ABC's Good Morning America and NBC's Today failed to air any full reports on the continuing inquiry into the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and mentioned the issue only in passing. CBS This Morning did devote a full segment to the dispute between the State Department and CNN over their use of a Ambassador Chris Stevens' personal journal, but didn't mention President Obama or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by name. Matt Lauer vaguely referenced the " new wave of anti-Americanism " in the Islamic world during an interview of Tony Blair, but it... continue reading
CBS News political director John Dickerson on Sunday conceded the obvious, advising Mitt Romney to make Libya an issue in the campaign because the media "isn't necessarily going to make that case for him." Dickerson's admission proved true on CBS's Face the Nation , as well as NBC's Meet the Press and ABC's This Week . In one of the few mentions of Libya on CBS, Dickerson marveled, "...This administration first thought this uprising in Libya was...something that bubbled up from the ground. Well, now they are calling it a terrorist attack." This led him to suggest, " These are... continue reading