Ruddy Blackout Shows a Book Bias by L. Brent Bozell III October 2, 1997 In an age of media spectacles large (Princess Diana) and small (Marv Albert), one might think there is no such thing left in journalism as a taboo. Investigative journalist Christopher Ruddy would disagree. Over the last three years, he's focused on a story that no one else wants to touch: the strange death of top White House aide Vincent Foster. On a beat virtually abandoned (if ever covered) by the rest of the national media, Ruddy has broken scoop after scoop for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review documenting... continue reading
Campaign Reform? What Media Chutzpah! by L. Brent Bozell III September 25, 1997 ABC White House reporter John Donvan said something crucial on CNN's "Talk Back Live" last week. He explained that Paul Friedman, the Executive Producer of ABC's "World News Tonight," has decided the Paula Jones lawsuit is to be mostly ignored, that unless "it matters to the public, that he will make the choice not to do the story." Lost on Donvan (and presumably Friedman, too) was the arrogance in the bold declaration that the press will decide what the public wants. Underscoring that elitism, Donvan declared later... continue reading
The tuition for the local Catholic high school - some $5,000 per year for each of my two eldest - would surely put a dent in the family budget, but if that was what it took to give them a real education, it was worth it. Or so I thought. I could have saved a bundle simply by renting that education at Blockbuster. To study the subject of suicide, a religion teacher had her class watch the movie "Ordinary People." In another theology class, students watched "Philadelphia," since apparently the priest was unable to formulate a discussion on the topic... continue reading
NEA: Preserving Perversion's Heritage by L. Brent Bozell III September 18, 1997 The Senate, to no one's surprise, couldn't muster the guts to defund the National Endowment for the Arts. Once again, a worthless and arrogant federal agency can thank its publicists in the national media. A few weeks back, one such propagandist, CBS's Martha Teichner, took to her "Sunday Morning" soap box to denounce the defunding campaign as "an annual congressional blood sport." Even if the Senate voted to save the NEA, conservatives in the House would "take another whack" at NEA funding. Words have meaning, and Teichner clearly... continue reading
On September 11, the Kennedy Center announced its 1997 Honorees. Chosen as members of America's de facto performing-arts hall of fame were singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, opera singer Jessye Norman, dancer Edward Villella, actress Lauren Bacall, and actor Charlton Heston. There's not much to say about Norman and Villella other than they're delightful talents, and there's not much to say about Dylan other than he's lost all his talent and no one's understood a thing he's said since, oh, 1982. What strikes me about the honorees are the similarities and the differences between Heston and Bacall. Each will be 73 when... continue reading
Classless Obituaries for Mother Teresa by L. Brent Bozell III September 11, 1997 Weeks after the tragic and touching story of Princess Diana's untimely death, the story has been beaten into an unrecognizable pulp, and still the media won't let go. This is no longer news. It's a blatant attempt to cash in on a horrific event, and if it means transforming the departed princess into a figure worthy of Greek mythology, so be it. And they condemn the paparazzi? In a sense, it was fitting that Mother Teresa's death should come five days into this frenzy, if that's what... continue reading
Preparing for a trip to the West Coast a few weeks ago, I called him to see if we could get together. His office was cryptic: they'd get back to me. They never did. Odd, I thought. We'd met last year and at the end of an hour-long conversation he'd readily agreed to join the advisory board of the Parents Television Council, which I head and whose mission is to restore positive family programming to television. Three days later, while in Los Angeles, I learned why he'd not responded. Brandon Tartikoff, at 31 the youngest ever to head the entertainment... continue reading
What Gore Feeding Frenzy? by L. Brent Bozell III September 4, 1997 Perhaps no group is more familiar with the world of current events than Washington reporters and editors. Lynn Sweet is Washington Bureau Chief of the Chicago Sun-Times, a prestigious journalistic post that certainly demands someone in the know. But when last week's scoop on Vice President Al Gore popped up - what he claimed had just been a "few" phone calls to donors from the White House were actually 71 - Sweet claimed on CNBC's "Equal Time" the Gore story had been subject to a never-ending drumbeat: "This... continue reading
On June 18, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) announced its national boycott against the Walt Disney Co. Soon the SBC was joined by a number of other organizations representing millions more families thoroughly disgusted by Disney's continuing assault on traditional values. As we approach the three-month mark, it's still difficult to gauge the boycott's effectiveness, but one thing's sure: Disney continues to be clueless about why the boycott began, why it's still going on, and why it's growing. It certainly grew on August 27 when Dr. James Dobson announced that his organization, Focus on the Family, would join the SBC,... continue reading
The Espy Blackout, One of Many by L. Brent Bozell III August 28, 1997 On October 3, 1994, Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy resigned after it became clear he had cashed in on his Cabinet position with frequent trips home to Mississippi and free football tickets and goodies from companies regulated by his department. The next morning, CBS reporter Bill Plante concluded: ""White House officials hope now that with Espy's resignation, this story will simply be over." After Espy resigned, and each network did its obligatory single evening news story, the White House got its wish, as usual. Until Espy was... continue reading