Is this going to be the second campaign in a row where the so-called mainstream media will make a fetish of fact-checking the Republican candidates while ignoring the misstatements and gaffes of the Democratic candidates — of which there is now just one, President Barack Obama? Last week, as the MRC's TimesWatch project documented, the New York Times published a lengthy piece on how the White House ' declined to challenge ' a new book by ex-Times reporter Janny Scott that documents how Obama ' mischaracterized a central anecdote about his mother's deathbed dispute with her insurance company .' The... continue reading
In an interview with the Dalai Lama aired on Monday's NBC Today, co-host Ann Curry bizarrely asked the Tibetan spiritual leader about the debt ceiling fight in Congress: "The President is in a fierce struggle with his political opponents over the future of the nation's finances. What is the best way, your best advice, in how to find compromise with those you deeply disagree with?" [ Audio available here ] The Dalai Lama responded by saying both sides "must work together" to come to a deal: "this is economic problem. It is not the interest of this party or that... continue reading
A couple of Sunday interview show hosts again forwarded White House talking points about the necessity to include taxes, I mean 'revenues,' in any debt ceiling increase deal with ABC's Christiane Amanpour focusing on a single poll she highlighted for ammunition the public is on her side while ignoring how, by two-to-one, the public opposes raising the debt ceiling at all. CBS's Bob Schieffer touted how President Obama has made 'concessions' but, he sputtered, 'I don't hear any concessions from people on the other side. They just say no taxes, and that's their negotiating posture.' He demanded of Senator Marco... continue reading
Here are a couple of examples, caught by the eagle-eyed Brent Baker, of MSNBC's supposedly more-restrained "news" anchors mouthing the kind of left-wing rhetoric that's a staple of their prime time hosts. Shortly after President Obama's press conference on Friday, 11am ET anchor Thomas Roberts framed a question about tax policy thusly: "Why do you think the top 2 percent of America has a chokehold on the other 98 percent?" A few minutes later, 12pm ET anchor Contessa Brewer disparaged the Republican position against raising tax rates: "They ignore the fact that we've been under Bush-era tax cuts and we've... continue reading
Washington reporter Jackie Calmes' lead story, ' Behind Battle Over Debt, A War Over Government – Deal Elusive as 2 Parties Cling to Principles in Dispute Over Washington's Role ,' reeled off a slanted history of recent Washington budget wars. Calmes baldly stated the G.O.P. isn't serious about deficit reduction and treated Obama's abrupt negotiating tactic on supposed deep spending cuts as equivalent to the G.O.P.'s long-standing, specific budget-cutting proposals. Calmes' reporting is often weighted toward Democrats, and she has expressed her sympathies for Obama in his dealings with Republicans the last few years, complaining the G.O.P. had not sufficiently... continue reading
ABC's George Stephanopoulos appeared on Tuesday night's Charlie Rose show on PBS to discuss what Rose described as 'the political implications of the debt-limitation talks.' Rose tried to compare Obama to Clinton. Stephanopoulos resisted the idea that Obama was more 'cautious.' In fact, when asked on the July 12 show how Obama is doing overall, Stephanopoulos pulled out the old line about how nobody 'in our lifetime' has been dealt a tougher hand coming into the White House, as if Ronald Reagan had it easy faced with Carter-era inflation and unemployment. Grading on a recession curve, he's 'done remarkably well,'... continue reading
A desperate sounding Chris Matthews, on Thursday's Hardball, began his show by handing out the direct line to Congress as he urged his viewers to stand up against the "Tea Party members" and their "stay-at-home blogging cheerleaders." Matthews warned his audience that these "blogging cheerleaders" and their GOP Representatives were all too willing to "embrace" economic "calamity" to show how "dedicated they were to not raising the debt ceiling." In his "Let Me Start" segment Matthews framed the debt ceiling debate as a "civil war" and called it "an historic test of who will take the wheel, who will drive... continue reading
Appearing on Thursday's NBC Today, MSNBC host Martin Bashir shared his thoughts on the tabloid phone hacking scandal in Britain and proclaimed that News Corporation owner Rupert Murdoch was "...a combination of Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist, and someone like James 'Whitey' Bulger, the mobster." [ Audio available here ] Despite Bashir's outrageous comparison – Abramoff was convicted on corruption charges and Bulger is accused of 19 murders during his time as the head of the Irish mob in Boston – co-host Matt Lauer offered no objection to the claim. In fact, Lauer began the discussion by praising Bashir's insight into... continue reading
MSNBC's Chris Matthews on Wednesday questioned the patriotism of Rupert Murdoch, wondering of the media mogul is a "true American." Talking to Judd Legum of the liberal Center for American Progress, the Hardball anchor, derided, " Did [Murdoch] become a citizen just like somebody marries somebody to get into the country because they want a job or because he discovered some love of America? Is he a true American or is he an Australian ?" Viewers will remember a furious Matthews denouncing Michele Bachmann in 2008 for her questions about people who have "pro" or "anti-American views." [MP3 audio here... continue reading
On Wednesday's NBC Today, correspondent Stephanie Gosk reported the latest details on the phone hacking scandal in Britain involving a Rupert Murdoch owned tabloid and declared: "Damage to the company [News Corporation] may have already been done. And some say it is about time." Gosk noted that included, "actor Hugh Grant, who in recent months has led his own campaign against the tabloids." A sound bite was played of Grant: "we're talking about pretty nasty people." Gosk went on to speculate that the scandal may spread and put "pressure on Rupert Murdoch's worldwide media empire," which of course includes Fox... continue reading