Fidel Castro Resigns. That's a fantastic headline, and should be cause for celebration. But just because the doddering dictator is stepping aside doesn't mean that Cuba's abandoning tyranny. And just because he's leaving doesn't mean the media are dropping their fictions about Castro, the Cuban "president." Glancing at a TV set, I caught this CNN screen graphic: "Fidel Castro Resigns: Cuban Pres. Rejects New Term." Where on earth is the media's regard for accuracy? A "new term"? This murderous despot has only had one, long, abusive term, and it's lasted 49 years. Anyone who says otherwise, that the Cuban "parliament"... continue reading
The name Disney used to conjure up the image of family entertainment: a hint of magic, as a twinkling Tinkerbell lit up on the TV screen. But in the past two weeks, the name Disney has come to mean something else: a tawdry corporation stocked with lawyers making ridiculous arguments suggesting that nudity and obscenity on television are to be lauded, not protested. In December, the Federal Communications Commission announced it would fine ABC affiliates in the Central and Mountain time zones $27,500 each - for a total of $1.4 million - for airing nudity before 10 pm, in violation... continue reading
Hillary Clinton should be nobody's idea of a paragon of civil discourse in the political arena. Her personal style of political warfare is ruthless, a bare-knuckles fight to the death. Ask Ken Starr. Her idea of employee relations is also rough. Paul Fray, an Arkansas campaign worker said she cursed him out with F-bombs and ethnic slurs after Bill Clinton lost his one race for Congress in 1974. A co-worker told NBC News in 1999 that he heard cussing from Hillary that night like he'd never heard before. So it's a little strange to see Hillary appearing so upset over... continue reading
It's tempting to root for the writer's strike in Hollywood to continue, since it's resulted in a slow-down in stylized depravity. But it's never that easy. CBS is now planning to fill this void in new scripted programming with something so warped that you'd pray for a power outage. CBS will re-purpose the Showtime drama "Dexter," the series that asks viewers to root for a lovable serial murderer. Fans can now buy the first season of the show on DVD, the same 12 episodes set to air on CBS. You can't miss the cover: star Michael C. Hall has a... continue reading
There's one little three-syllable word that has been left out of most of the Democratic primary coverage on the TV: "liberal." We're constantly told by anchors and reporters how the Republican contenders are fighting over the "conservative" vote and who's more "conservative," and that's true. But exactly the same fight is taking place on the left side, with the Clintons trying to suggest Barack Obama's not sufficiently liberal (he praised Ronald Reagan!) and Obama trying to take Hillary's Iraq war vote and turn her into Rumsfeld in a black pantsuit. But the news media cannot routinely bring themselves to say... continue reading
Few people in the public eye can escape hate mail. Public scrutiny is one thing, but the sophomoric and so often crude letters designed to ruin the recipient's day are increasingly the gambit of idiots. Maybe it goes all the way back to Michelangelo. "If you're such a great artist, why are you painting graffiti on church ceilings?" But I doubt it. It's the kind of dialogue that has also become the signature of many in the entertainment world. If Roger Ebert doesn't like a movie, it's a critique. It's not hate mail. That's not only because he's paid to... continue reading
You can tell a lot about how the news media feel about conservatives by watching how they talk about Rush Limbaugh. They want his influence curbed. They pine for the day his career hits the skids. They're constantly looking for a moment where they can declare that conservatives no longer have - that Rush Limbaugh no longer has - the Grand Old Party in a menacing trance. They don't want Republican candidates seeking a Limbaugh endorsement. They think they found that moment on January 19. When McCain won the South Carolina primary, The Washington Post sharply declared the next day... continue reading
Teenagers who tumble from the bed to a sudden pregnancy often face this reaction from the people surrounding them: These poor kids made a mistake, yes. But they don't have the maturity to bring a life into the world. It would ruin their lives, and they would probably be irresponsible and resentful parents. Admitting their immaturity and having an abortion is the truly mature choice. That might sound like a formulaic TV movie of the week. But then comes "Juno," the quirky, arty film with a completely different take - and it's taking the movie world by storm. For a... continue reading
Every four years, the media try to offer the Republican electorate advice on what they should do to achieve victory. Buyer beware: those eager to accept the media's conventional "wisdom" ought to recognize that these are blueprints for Republican domination of Washington only if it's a domination by the party's liberal wing. Currently, the simmering stew of conventional "wisdom" suggests that Sen. John McCain is going to emerge as the obvious front-runner for 2008 because his is the winning message for Republicans. All the recurring media love for McCain - he's the only candidate who can go on Fox News... continue reading
The concept of "sex education" has been a stomping ground for controversy for at least fifty years, probably as long as the apostles of "openness" have argued that parents in general do a terrible job of talking birds and bees with their offspring, and the public schools needed to expose children to a "frank" and "comprehensive" curriculum on How to Have Sex, complete with the pessimistic (or in their case, neutral) assumption that children will be irreversibly aggressive sexual beings. All of which pales in comparison to what is not being taught on the Internet, where some outrageous amateurs have... continue reading