On Thursday's front page, New York Times media reporter Brian Stelter produced another homage to Occupy Wall Street, this time their slogan: ' Camps Are Cleared, but '99 Percent' Still Occupies the Lexicon .'(Thanks in no small part to fawning reporters like Stelter and others at the Times.) Most of the biggest Occupy Wall Street camps are gone. But their slogan still stands. Whatever the long-term effects of the Occupy movement, protesters have succeeded in implanting 'We are the 99 percent,' referring to the vast majority of Americans (and its implied opposite, 'You are the one percent' referring to the... continue reading
MSNBC's Martin Bashir on Friday offered tax evader Charlie Rangel the opportunity to deride Newt Gingrich for being insufficiently concerned about the poor. Talking to Rangel, who was censured on the floor of the House in 2010, Bashir implored, " As someone who represents a district in New York that includes some extremely poor neighborhoods, what's your reaction to Mr. Gingrich? " Bashir made no move to interrupt or challenge Rangel as the Congressman slammed Gingrich for financial gain: "Perhaps you know, when you live that Tiffany life or when you're getting $60,000 a speech or when you can make... continue reading
CBS's Jan Crawford played up Newt Gingrich's " baggage " on Friday's Early Show, underlining how the Republican presidential candidate is " going to be hit hard for his ties to corporate interests, the ethics allegations...even his personal relationships- his adulterous affairs." Crawford also spotlighted the claim that only Herman Cain's " die-hard supporters ... think that he can stay in this race ." The correspondent first reported on the allegation that Cain had a 13-year affair with Ginger White and how the candidate recently admitted to helping White financially. Crawford shifted to Gingrich by stating that "in a crowded... continue reading
On Thursday's NBC Nightly News, anchor Brian Williams fretted over comments made by Newt Gingrich about providing school jobs for inner-city students: "The Newt Gingrich that a lot of folks will remember from his speakership days back in the '90s was back on display making statements about controversial issues that left some of his critics slack-jawed." In an interview with the former Speaker aired on Thursday's ABC World News, chief White House correspondent Jake Tapper similarly cautioned: "And then the other concern has to do with your propensity to make outrageous, interesting, however – whatever adjective you'd like to assign... continue reading
On Friday's Morning Joe on MSNBC, Zbigniew Brzezinski, former Carter national security advisor and father of show co-host Mika Brzezinski, ranted: "The United States is becoming rapidly one of the most socially unjust societies in the world." Panelist NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell declared: "I agree with just about everything that Dr. Brzezinski has said..." Mitchell lamented: "The disparities between rich and poor is this country are the underlying tension." She noted how, "You see the exaggerated forms of it on both sides. With what we saw with the Tea Party, the objection to a social compact on... continue reading
George Stephanopoulos, who did his best in the '90s to extract Bill Clinton from charges of infidelity, on Friday continued his attacks on Herman Cain. Stephanopoulos appeared to convict the Republican presidential candidate, referring to the latest accuser as Cain's "girlfriend." Talking to Jake Tapper, Stephanopoulos opined that Cain's wife " didn't know anything about Ginger White, the girlfriend that we spoke to earlier this week ." After playing a clip of Cain declaring his innocence, Stephanopoulos, who worked to undermine women such as Paula Jones, lectured, "And for his sake, Mrs. Cain better believe him because she made it... continue reading
On Friday's NBC Today, MSNBC anchor Craig Melvin gushed over a new class at Georgetown University taught by liberal professor Michael Eric Dyson: "Race, class, gender, culture, all things that would be covered in most sociology classes and they're covered in Michael Eric Dyson's as well, but the issues are examined in a way that uniquely appeals to college students." Melvin touted how, "Jay-Z's street rhymes that became stage anthems are being taught at one of America's top schools." He promoted the course as serious education: "In the Georgetown University syllabus, it's called, 'The Sociology of Hip-Hop: The Odyssey of... continue reading
In an interview with Vice President Joe Biden in Iraq aired on Thursday's NBC Today, co-host Ann Curry depicted the war effort there as a failure: "In a war that was started to protect the world from weapons of mass destruction that were never found, can the United States claim victory?" [ Audio available here ] Biden agreed with Curry as he took a jab at the Bush administration: "We're not claiming victory. What we're claiming here is that we've done the job our administration set out to do, to end a war we did not start, to end it... continue reading
Introducing an interview with CEO Richard Branson about his new book, "Screw Business As Usual," on Thursday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer proclaimed: "...Sir Richard Branson argues the driving force behind capitalism should not be about making a profit, it's about caring for people, communities, and the planet." [ Audio available here ] After questioning Branson on the practicality of such a business model, Lauer concluded: "So it's a different kind of capitalism. You're not saying that once you become successful you abandon the principles of capitalism, you just adjust those principles." Moments later, Lauer wondered if, "that form of... continue reading
Good Morning America's reporters and hosts on Thursday continued to hype their own impact in the Herman Cain scandal. Co-anchor Robin Roberts gloated that Cain is "under a lot of pressure right now, facing so many questions after George [Stephanopoulos'] interview, Wednesday, with a woman who says she was his mistress for more than a decade." On Wednesday, co-host Stephanopoulos touted his exclusive with accuser Ginger White, wondering, "Will our interview spell the end of the one-time front-runner's presidential bid?" On Thursday, an ABC graphic pushed, "Can Cain survive? Is he feeling the strain?" Reporter John Berman is known for... continue reading