Barack Obama came to Philadelphia on March 18 not so much to address his poisonous pastor, Jeremiah Wright, but to talk vaguely of race relations. The news media swooned. No one was giddier than MSNBC's Chris Matthews, who rhapsodized that Obama's speech was one of the greatest speeches in American history, worthy of Abraham Lincoln, and should be read by school children like "The Great Gatsby" and "Huckleberry Finn." This, after all, is the Chris Matthews who said he "felt this thrill going up my leg" over Obama. Obama said he could no more disown Wright than his own white... continue reading
The Supreme Court has taken up the case of FCC vs. Fox Television Stations, the bizarre case in which Fox and other broadcast TV networks have argued that "fleeting" profanities are mere accidents that should not be punished with fines. While it's laudable that the nation's top court would take up the matter, it's beyond outrageous that what Hollywood really wants - and in a cowardly way, is refusing to declare publicly - is the "right" to bombard your living room, and your children, with obscenities. The high court is taking up a decision last summer by the Manhattan-based Second... continue reading
It's Damage Control Time for the liberal press. Count New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof as one in the media masses who have been outraged, just outraged at the supposed conservative bigotry against Barack Obama. This "most monstrous bigotry" isn't just about race, but also religion. Stating his middle name and Internet whispers that he's a Muslim "are the religious equivalent of racial slurs." Kristof concluded his March 9 column by quoting Martin Luther: "I'd rather be ruled by a wise Turk than a foolish Christian." Through months of outrage over Obama the Supposed Muslim, reporters have largely ignored the... continue reading
Lewis Black is a stand-up comedian. His shtick is foam-flecked fits of rage and profanity. Amazon.com advertised one of his DVDs by promising "There's eye-crossing, teeth-gnashing, raspy-voiced yelling, and liberal use of the F-word." In his show at Washington's Warner Theatre, Black complained the Kennedy Center refused their facilities on the grounds that he dropped F-bombs 42 times in his first hour-long HBO special. With a record like that, it should be no surprise that he's a star on Comedy Central, that venomous Viacom property that markets mockery of everything polite, charitable, and (especially) holy. Black is the star of... continue reading
For most of this decade, Eliot Spitzer has been one of the liberal media's favorite public servants. Before being elected governor of New York in a landslide in 2006, he was hailed as the nation's most powerful state Attorney General, the scourge of high finance. At "60 Minutes" on CBS, he was the "Sheriff of Wall Street." In the pages of Time, he was on their list of "Heroes and Icons" as "The Tireless Crusader." While Spitzer was toasted by the national media elite for pursuing Wall Street chicanery, he'd also prosecuted at least two prostitution rings as head of... continue reading
Newsweek magazine recently celebrated the latest trend in elite Northeastern colleges: sex magazines, complete with highbrow titles - like "Boink." In applauding the shifting sexual mores of American youth, reporter Jennie Yabroff noted that these enterprising students "no longer see a distinction between their bedroom behavior and their publishing activities," and consider their sex-magazine careers in college to be building blocks for the business world. "I continually tell my mom this is a great résumé builder," says Alecia Oleyourryk of her career publishing "Boink" magazine at Boston University. Newsweek now needs a sociologist to affirm the wisdom of these "young... continue reading
Now that Barack Obama is closing in on the Democratic nomination, some are wondering whether the media will be tougher in their coverage. There's a better question: is it possible to be any softer? The media writ large have been sounding like they're covering a messiah more than a man. So was Hillary Clinton right to complain that Barack Obama has been more celebrated rather than vetted? Let's be clear. Hillary Clinton has been the beneficiary of so many cotton-candy profiles and "I Am Woman" honorifics that it's almost impossible that her bad press will ever come anywhere close to... continue reading
MRC President L. Brent Bozell reflects on the passing of William F. Buckley on the Mark Levin show. You can listen to the audio here . Thirty years ago I was fresh out of college, with no particular career path chosen, and decided I'd like to be a nationally-syndicated columnist. I'd learn rather quickly that before being one, one has to become one, and to qualify on that caliber one has to demonstrate a talent which this young man didn't possess. Bill Buckley told me so. I'd penned a couple of practice pieces, one having something to do with Jimmy... continue reading
"The New York Times is not a supermarket tabloid," boasted their Washington Bureau Chief R.W. Apple when Gennifer Flowers first declared in 1992 that she and Gov. Bill Clinton had an affair. Even then, the line sounded laughable. One year before, then-Times reporter Maureen Dowd penned a 2400-word front-page stink bomb passing along discredited gossip author Kitty Kelley's unproven charges of something apparently too glorious to fact-check: an alleged long-time affair between Nancy Reagan and Frank Sinatra, including private "luncheons" that went on all afternoon at the White House. Almost seventeen years later, the New York Times is still displaying... continue reading
Since 1991, the Dove Foundation has been encouraging American movie studios to make uplifting, positive entertainment with its Family Approved Seal. This year, they've launched a new initiative, an annual awards presentation akin to the Academy Awards, to honor the "best of the best" family-friendly films. They call theirs the Crystal Dove Seal. The Dove Foundation awarded 58 films with its seal of approval in 2007, in and of itself an encouraging sign for families who would like to see movies together. The first annual awards honored the very best of these films, in six categories. Their Best Drama award... continue reading