BiasAlerts

On Thursday's CBS Early Show, news reader Erica Hill used loaded liberal terms to describe a Texas pro-life event that Sarah Palin attended on Wednesday: "Palin shared the stage in an anti-abortion rights rally with Texas Governor Rick Perry." Hill touted how despite making no announcement to make a 2012 presidential run, Palin "was looking an awful lot like a candidate," adding that the appearance with Governor Perry represented "a dream ticket for some tea party supporters." However, after playing a brief clip of Palin, Hill noted how "A just-released Associated Press poll finds of all the potential 2012 Republican... continue reading

CNN has launched a new advertising campaign, claiming to be the only cable network without an ideological ax to grind . "If you want to keep them all honest, without playing favorites, the choice is clear: CNN, the worldwide leader in news," the on-screen message declares. So, did CNN "play favorites" during the midterm campaign? MRC analysts reviewed all of the guests and commentators on CNN's primetime weekday programs from October 4 through October 29, the last four full weeks before the November 2 elections. Guests were grouped into three categories: "Democrat/liberal," "Republican/conservative," and "Other." The latter category included all... continue reading

In his weekly "The Final Word" column for USA Today, " Out of the closet...well, almost ," features reporter Craig Wilson recalled in Wednesday's newspaper: "I once knew a gay youth who was bullied. Me." He soon, however, pivoted to "when I came out to my parents, they were not surprised." But, "the real trouble came when I told my mother I had become a Democrat." Wilson recounted in his November 10 "Life" section column: My dad was still alive and sitting in the living room. She just stared at me for a moment. "Please don't tell your father this,"... continue reading

Appearing as a guest on Monday's Last Word, MSNBC contributor and Princeton University Associate Professor Melissa Harris-Perry claimed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama have pushed a "sort of center right" agenda as she defended Pelosi's decision to continue leading House Democrats despite her party's defeat. As she missed the point that most moderate Democrats hold conservative-leaning districts where Pelosi and Obama are unpopular, she suggested that moderate Democrats fared poorly in the elections because they were not supportive enough of Pelosi and Obama. Harris-Perry: It may be, in fact, that precisely what the party needs is... continue reading

Since Republicans won control of the House of Representatives last week, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has recited at the end of his Countdown show a new sign-off each night he has hosted noting the number of days since the GOP victory and mocking Speaker-designate John Boehner by sarcastically asking, "Where are the jobs?" At the end of Wednesday's Countdown, he ended the show: "That's November 10th, seven days since the Republicans took control of the House. Mr. Boehner, where are the jobs? I'm Keith Olbermann. Good night and good luck." Back in February 2006, Olbermann began mocking President Bush by... continue reading

After 40 years of delivering snarky movie reviews for NBC's Today show, Gene Shalit is calling it quits, with his final broadcast this Thursday and the long-serving movie critic didn't reserve his barbs for bad acting and direction, conservatives and their causes were occasionally targeted as well. From bad mouthing hunters - saying they exhibited "mankind's stupidity" in his review of the documentary Winged Migration - to denigrating the effort in the first Gulf War - he called it "America's first oil war" in his critique of Warhead - Shalit occasionally jarred his viewers with out of nowhere liberal condescension... continue reading

Hardball host Chris Matthews on Monday rhapsodized over Fair Game, the new Sean Penn movie about the Valerie Plame scandal, even going so far as to compare the film to the classic Casablanca. In a closing commentary on the lefty movie, Matthews enthused, " This is one fine movie . While there will never be another Casablanca, Fair Game is perfect for our murky time ." Matthews, who interviewed Plame's husband, Joe Wilson, earlier in the show, showcased the movie as a bold truth teller. Casablanca, it should be pointed out, was ranked by the American Film Institute as the... continue reading

According to Good Morning America, Michelle Obama is the second coming of Jackie Kennedy. Co-host Robin Roberts enthused on Wednesday, "...First Lady Michelle Obama is drawing comparisons to the first first lady of fashion diplomacy. That, of course, being Jackie Kennedy." An ABC graphic lauded the "American icon." Correspondent Claire Shipman highlighted Michelle Obama's trip to India with her husband and hyped, "It's a charm and style offensive that has all of us reaching for that inevitable comparison. India just as besotted by this glamorous First Lady as it was by that ultimate style icon Jackie Kennedy, almost half a... continue reading

In a follow-up interview to his prime time special with George W. Bush, NBC's Matt Lauer invited the former president on Wednesday's Today show and in the process got an education on how tax cuts can create jobs. During the wide ranging interview that covered everything from the Ground Zero mosque to Kanye West, it was Lauer's questions about Bush's tax policy where he revealed his bias. Noting that "there's a heated debate" over whether "we should continue in this country with your tax policies" Lauer pressed Bush "We've been living under that system for seven years now and we've... continue reading

On this past weekend's Fox News Sunday, panel member Mara Liasson - also of NPR - invoked the name of Winston Churchill as she recommended that House Democrats send off Nancy Pelosi "in a blaze of glory" after having "accomplished historic things," rather than keep her on as party leader in the House. Liasson: Nancy Pelosi did two things for which she will go down in history. She was an incredibly effective majority leader when, and Speaker, there was an opposition President. She helped make the majority. And when she was in the majority, she was the hammer that got... continue reading