BiasAlerts

Each morning, the MRC has been showcasing the most egregious bias we have 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 September 27. (Click here for details and ticket information.) If you’ve missed a previous installment, recounting the worst of 1988 through 1996, you can find them here . Today, the worst bias of 1997: Fawning over Bill Clinton as a candidate for Mt. Rushmore; impugning conservative Senator Jesse Helms as a “terrorist;” and a classic New York Times... continue reading

The media have "nostalgia" for Bill Clinton and a "tedious marriage" with President Obama, according to panel members on Sunday's Reliable Sources. Is media bias any more evident when reporters admit the media had a past love affair with the current Democratic president and pine for the days of his Democratic forerunner? CNN's Howard Kurtz mused that "the extraordinary media reaction to Bill Clinton's speech" from the past week's DNC "says to me journalists missed the guy." The Hill's managing editor Bob Cusack admitted "I think there was definitely some nostalgia here," and added "the media reaction was a little... continue reading

Eager to get a jump-start on biased coverage of the next presidential race, on Monday's NBC Today , correspondent Andrea Mitchell salivated over a possible Hillary Clinton run: "Well, the conventions were barely over before politicians in both parties started talking about likely contenders for 2016, and overshadowing all others is the woman who wasn't even there." Mitchell sympathetically observed: "Hillary has been waiting a long time for her chance to be president , after losing a bitter primary fight to then-Senator Barack Obama four years ago." Mitchell then proclaimed: "She says she has no plans to run, but if... continue reading

On Monday's CBS This Morning , Charlie Rose and Norah O'Donnell let Illinois Senator Dick Durbin forward the Democratic Party's talking points against Mitt Romney on ObamaCare by tossing him softball questions on the issue. Rose acknowledged that "the Obama health care reform was unpopular in the country", but wondered if Republicans would " be on dangerous ground if the debate becomes health care ." Rose merely prompted Senator Durbin for his take on the Chicago teacher's strike: " Quickly turning to local politics in Chicago, the public schools strike ", with O'Donnell adding that " in the end, it's... continue reading

Responding to co-host Savannah Guthrie observing that Mitt Romney looked like he "was moving toward the center" on Monday's NBC Today , Meet the Press host David Gregory asserted: "...he knows he's going to have to make tough choices if he becomes president. That he would indeed have to infuriate conservatives on some of these budget deals..." [ Listen to the audio ] During an interview with Romney aired on Sunday's Meet the Press , Gregory grilled the Republican candidate on whether he would "cut a deal with Democrats that would cause conservatives to revolt." Speaking to Guthrie on Monday,... continue reading

All three morning shows on Monday covered the massive teachers strike in Rahm Emanuel's Chicago that left 350,000 students in the lurch. However, only CBS This Morning explained that the teachers, through their public sector unions, are already well compensated, making an average salary of $71,000 a year (plus benefits). Reporter Dean Reynolds informed viewers, " That a dispute involving public sector employees would erupt in Chicago was somewhat surprising, given the generous packages unions here have won in the past ." He noted that "Chicago's public school teachers make an average of $71,000 a year." Good Morning America and... continue reading

At the top of Monday's NBC Today , co-host Matt Lauer eagerly touted an Obama campaign photo-op: "One pizza shop owner in Florida got a little excited when he met President Obama, gave him a bear hug and then lifted him up....By the way, he's a Republican." [ Listen to the audio ] In the report that followed, chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd announced that Obama had "clearly found a bounce in his campaign step , on display as he visited a Florida sports bar, even making a birther joke....Later the President got a whole new lesson in retail... continue reading

For the past week, the MRC has been 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 September 27. (Click here for details, including ticket information.) If you’ve missed our recounting of the worst quotes from 1988 through 1995, you can find those here ). Today, the worst bias of 1996 : Implicating Republicans in the burning of black churches; seeking prayers for children in the wake of welfare reform; and admiration for the... continue reading

David Gregory teased Sunday's Meet the Press by highlighting a clip of himself pushing Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to upset conservatives in getting a budget deal, presumably by agreeing to raise taxes. “We go behind the scenes and on the record with Governor Romney less than two months before the election to press him on how he will turn around the economy and solve the nation’s debt crisis.” NBC then showed Gregory pressing Romney: “Are you prepared to cut a deal with Democrats that would cause conservatives to revolt? Is it that important to get a deal to get... continue reading