1. Unlike Other Nets, ABC Again Refuses to Tag Hamas as "Terrorist" While CBS and NBC reporters were willing Thursday night to outright tag, without any qualifiers or attributions to others, Hamas as a "terrorist" group, for the second night in a row, ABC's World News Tonight distanced itself from the term -- even avoiding it during a friendly profile of a terrorist. ABC anchor Bob Woodruff teased from Jerusalem: "Tonight, a monumental shake-up in the Middle East. Hamas declared the winner of the Palestinian elections. The U.S. calls them terrorists." But that was it for the label. Woodruff proceeded... continue reading
1. Schieffer Appalled Congress Might Expand Authority to Eavesdrop When John Roberts wrapped up his report Wednesday night, about President Bush's visit to the National Security Administration (NSA) in Maryland, by relaying how "one Republican Senator told CBS News tonight she might consider loosening the standards for approving the wiretap and allowing more officials at the Justice Department, not just the Attorney General, to authorize eavesdropping, so that it could begin just as soon as the NSA needed it," CBS Evening News anchor Bob Schieffer seemed astounded: "Now, just a second, John. Are you telling me there's a feeling amongst... continue reading
1. CBS Again, and NBC Too Warn Alito Will Move SCOTUS "To the Right" For the third time in fewer than two weeks, the CBS Evening News on Tuesday night made sure that viewers realize how the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito would move the court "to the right." (Neither the ABC or NBC evening newscasts have shown such concern for alerting viewers as to the ideological direction of the Supreme Court, though NBC's Today fretted about it Tuesday morning.) Anchor Bob Schieffer recalled how "the President promised during the election to move this court to the right... continue reading
1. Nightline Paints Conservatives & Rush as Too Cowardly to Help USO A December 23 USA Today front page story, "Safety concerns, disagreement with war keeping many celebrities from volunteering" for USO tour, related how actor/comedian Robin Williams, "who like [Al] Franken has been an outspoken critic of Bush's management of the war -- and [Wayne] Newton, a Republican who backs Bush, say some stars have turned down the USO because they thought such performances would amount to endorsing the war." But in a Friday Nightline story, Terry Moran, through his use of soundbites from two left-wingers, portrayed cowardly conservatives,... continue reading
1. CNN's Cafferty Sees Conspiracy Helpful to Bush Behind Osama Tape Just before reading e-mailed responses to his "Cafferty Files" question of the 4pm EST hour on Thursday afternoon's The Situation Room on CNN, "How important is the new Osama bin Laden tape?", Jack Cafferty proposed a conspiracy existed in the timing, one meant to help Bush justify his NSA wiretapping: "The last time we got a tape from Osama bin Laden was right before the 2004 presidential election. Now here we are, four days away from hearings starting in Washington into the wiretapping of America's telephones without bothering to... continue reading
1. CNN Highlights Claim "Bush May Be No Saddam, But No Saint Either" President Bush not much better than Saddam Hussein? In the 4pm EST hour of Wednesday's Situation Room, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer contrasted how Bush has "been talking today about brutality during Saddam Hussein's regime," with how Bush is "also facing some questions about alleged human rights abuses by the United States itself" in a report from Human Rights Watch. White House reporter Dana Bash described the visit to the White House by Hussein victims as "the latest Bush effort to justify the Iraq war." Bash then pointed... continue reading
1. Nets Label Assisted-Suicide Critics But Don't Tag Far-Left Group The broadcast network evening newscasts on Tuesday night refrained from applying any ideological tag to the far-left group of lawyers, who represent terror suspects at Guantanamo and elsewhere, which filed a lawsuit against the NSA's program to eavesdrop on communications between terrorists abroad and people inside the U.S., but none hesitated to place a conservative label on those opposed to Oregon's assisted-suicide law (which the Supreme Court upheld). The network reporters avoided labeling the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), which was founded by the radical-left William Kunstler, and whose President,... continue reading
1. Nets Play Gore Blast at Bush Lawbreaking, MSNBC Mulls GOP Crackup NBC and ABC on Monday night gave time to short items on Al Gore's charge, leveled during a morning speech, that President Bush's "domestic surveillance" means he "has been breaking the law repeatedly and insistently." And MSNBC's Countdown led with it as host Keith Olbermann showcased a clip of Gore with his allegation before Olbermann insisted: "Just more old-fashioned partisanship? Not when it's Bob Barr joining Gore in the same complaint about NSA spying. Not when it's Arlen Specter calling for a full investigation." Seeing great import in... continue reading
1. Stephanopoulos Frets Alito Will Overturn Roe, Move Court to Right Interviewing liberal Republican Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter on Sunday's This Week, ABC's George Stephanopoulos devoted all of his questions about the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, to chafing over his position on abortion and how he will make the Court "more conservative." Stephanopoulos first asked: "You are pro-choice and you're voting for Judge Alito. Does that mean you're convinced he won't vote to overturn Roe v. Wade?" Next, Stephanopoulos worried that, unlike, Chief Justice John Roberts, Alito "wouldn't use the word 'settled law' to describe... continue reading
1. CBS: CAP Anti "Minorities," Warns Alito Will Take Court "Right" CBS's Gloria Borger on Thursday night applied a disparaging and misleading description to Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP), providing only the assessment that the group "fought against admitting women and minorities to the school," when the group, at least on the minority front, just wanted all those admitted to meet the same academic standards. But Borger also, unlike the ABC or NBC evening newscasts, highlighted a "liberal" former law clerk for nominee Samuel Alito who denounced Democrats: "They are smearing a man of honor and integrity and I am,... continue reading