BiasAlerts

While anchor Brian Williams described Newsweek's controversial cover photo of Michelle Bachmann as "clearly a misfire" on Monday's NBC Nightly News, on Tuesday's Today, correspondent Andrea Mitchell saw an opportunity to portray Bachmann as "extreme." Meanwhile, CBS completely ignored the story and ABC only provided a news brief on the topic. On Tuesday's Today, while Mitchell described the Newsweek cover, she skipped over accusations that it was sexist. She did manage to include a defense of the cover from both Newsweek editor Tina Brown and the author of the Bachmann article , Lois Romano, both of whom argued the clearly... continue reading

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, who the week before last cited 'the debt ceiling, which rational people agree needs to be raised,' on Monday evening again seemed to take a shot at Tea Party members of Congress as he urged President Barack Obama to fulfill a 'leadership moment' in order 'to force Congress into a sudden breakout of sanity.' Williams inquired of CNBC's David Faber: I'm not a historian, but I think this is a leadership moment, potentially, for the President of the United States. He's getting pressure to force Congress into a sudden breakout of sanity. If that... continue reading

On Monday's Early Show, CBS's Norah O'Donnell promoted the left-of-center talking point that Standard & Poor's recent lowering of the U.S.'s credit rating is a " Tea Party downgrade ." O'Donnell played three soundbites of notable liberals using this line of attack, versus only one opposing from a center-right politician. She also spun Treasury Geithner's decision to stay as " good news for the President ." The correspondent began her report by trumpeting how apparently, "this was supposed to be a week when President Obama was going to turn his attention toward jobs with a positive message. But instead, he's... continue reading

A clearly worried Chris Matthews on Monday fretted that a "coy" Barack Obama is being "too cute by half" in his handling of the economy. Matthews lamented the fact that in his afternoon remarks the President didn't exclaim, " Tax the freakin' rich! " Talking to former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Matthews proclaimed what Obama should have said. After agreeing to "some" cuts, the Hardball host wished the Commander in Chief had announced to Congress: "Now, I want you to do your part and tax the freakin' rich! Now, are you going to do it or not?' He didn't go... continue reading

TV Newser reported Monday afternoon the news that David Bohrman, the long-time Washington Bureau Chief for CNN, has been hired by Al Gore's Current TV, the cable home of Keith Olbermann which is transforming itself into a far-left news service. In Current TV's press release, Gore trumpeted how Bohrman shares the 'vision' to create a 'progressive voice in the news and political commentary arena.' The press release touted how Bohrman 'will also work closely with Current's Chief News Officer Keith Olbermann, who is host of Current's centerpiece program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, as the network expands its primetime line-up and... continue reading

At the top of Saturday's NBC Today, CNBC's chief Washington correspondent John Harwood told co-host Lester Holt that the downgrade of U.S. debt provided President Obama with "a tangible consequence to point to for Republican brinksmanship on the debt and deficit reduction deal." Harwood observed: "Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, always said, 'We don't want co-ownership of the economy,'" and predicted, "You can expect the administration to say, 'You've got it now.'" Later, Holt spoke to left-wing MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell about gridlock in Congress and fretted: "If they can't get their act together on the debt ceiling, can they... continue reading

Good Morning America's David Kerley on Saturday offered up a one-sided, biased take on a prayer event led by Texas Governor Rick Perry over the weekend. The ABC graphic for the segment chided, " Prayer Controversy: Is Rick Perry Going Too Far? " The piece featured four clips from those hostile from the event and none in support. Yet, Kerley still attempted to speak for the faithful: "Even some mainstream Christians are concerned about the event, which is being paid for by the American Family Association, which has been called anti-gay, a cultural warrior." Kerley touted clips from people such... continue reading

On Sunday's Meet the Press on NBC, host David Gregory allowed Massachusetts Senator John Kerry to blame Standard and Poor's downgrade of U.S. debt on the Tea Party without challenge . However, minutes later, in an interview with Arizona Senator John McCain, Gregory was quick to accuse Republicans of "politicizing" the issue by criticizing Democrats. After quoting a statement from House Speaker John Boehner on the downgrade – which cited the unwillingness of Democrats to curb massive government spending as a cause – Gregory fretted to McCain: "Do you not see this downgrade as something akin to war that should... continue reading

A reminder this week Hollywood moguls aren't just enthralled with Barack Obama. They are also ideological liberals who have disgust for conservatives and are especially enraged by the Tea Party's success. Explaining his $2 million donation to a left-wing political action committee, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg told USA Today he was motivated by how 'outside Republican spending in 2010 led to the election of 'Republican extremists.'' He warned: 'The stakes are too high for us to simply allow the extremism of a small but well-funded right wing minority to go unchallenged.' Priorities USA Action is the 'super PAC' founded... continue reading

At the end of Thursday's NBC Nightly News, correspondent Harry Smith, formerly of CBS, made his first appearance on the network with a fawning birthday message to President Obama: "Happy birthday, Mr. President. Once upon a time, when you were a young man, all you had to do was show up and teeming throngs of people would gather to cheer you on....They even wrote songs about you." [ Audio available here ] Smith then lamented: "As a young person yourself, you were convinced anything was possible. But here you were this week, all by yourself in the Oval Office, signing... continue reading