Watching network morning show anchors interview the Democratic presidential candidates often makes you wonder if you've seen tougher interviews on overnight acne-care infomercials. Their questions are often so simple and promotional that you wish they'd just go ahead and wear their "Hillary!" or "Obama '08" buttons on the set. There is no pretense of political balance. They are actively rooting for a Democratic victory next year, and they have the power to make a real difference. Notwithstanding their overall loss of audience in the last decade, ABC, CBS, and NBC morning shows draw nine times the audience of their cable-news... continue reading
Several years ago I was visiting with a neighbor, a career military man, a veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. I asked him what was his most harrowing experience. None of those, he answered. He then walked me through his assignment in the military police, in San Francisco during the 50s, going undercover to penetrate the darkest corner of society's underside and expose what to most was simply unthinkable: the snuff-film world, the dark, seedy rooms where men sat, having paid hundreds of dollars apiece, watching grainy 8 millimeter footage of real humans being tortured and killed. We... continue reading
After CNN and YouTube organized a fairly silly and yet seriously liberal presidential debate for the Democratic presidential candidates this summer, GOP contenders developed cold feet about placing their ambitions at the feet of these groups. When only two GOP candidates accepted invitations for a proposed CNN/YouTube debate in September, the event was called off. In response, a set of conservative bloggers started a website called Savethedebate.com, urging that "Republicans cannot afford to write off the Internet" and risk "denigrating" the youth vote and the way they communicate. Five GOP candidates have now agreed; the new date is November 28... continue reading
Every year there are literally dozens of new shows premiered in the vast television universe, broadcast, basic cable and the premium pay-per-view channels. Critics meant to cover these things can only choose from a fraction of them. What motivates their decision tells you more about them than it does the shows. It can be that a network, sensing a hit, pours its formidable resources into an intense marketing campaign and captures their attention. It can be a Big Name associated with the new release that commands coverage. In some cases, and I'm afraid in far too few cases, the new... continue reading
Howard Fineman of Newsweek recently ratified the conventional media wisdom on the Vice President. "Dick Cheney isn't running for anything which, of course, gives Dick Cheney a lot of scary freedom in people's eyes." What is it with the press and Cheney? Why do they insist he sit in his Naval Observatory quarters and obsess about his low approval rating rather execute his responsibilities? Why do they feel a Vice President serve at the pleasure of the media, and not the pleasure of the President? There is a lot of scary freedom going on, of a different sort. Author Stephen... continue reading
This fall, just in time for a slate of new TV shows sure to insult the tastes of millions of viewers, watch for congressional action on a list of potential new television legislation circulating on Capitol Hill to address the public's outrage. The fastest-moving item is a congressional fix for the bizarre Second Circuit court ruling that the networks can't be fined by the Federal Communications Commission for fleeting profanities, since expecting TV executives to employ their own seven-second delay system is supposedly "arbitrary and capricious" regulating, and never mind that a) that is the only reason for which to... continue reading
Here's one sign that Hillary Clinton is the Democratic presidential frontrunner. Reporters are tripping over themselves to convince us how likable and human she is, strong and yet nurturing. It's the same playbook the media used for Al Gore and John Kerry, both just as stiff, robotic, and unlikeable then as Hillary is now. So they're portraying Hillary not only as strong and invincible, but also as warm as a down comforter and as sweet as Mrs. Butterworth. The New York Times stands out as a primary transmission belt for the Clinton campaign's effort to melt the ice-queen image. On... continue reading
It wasn't that long ago that the bureaucracy at the Federal Communications Commission fell on its collective rump when with Solomonic wisdom it announced that use of the "f-bomb" over the broadcast airwaves didn't constitute an indecency so long as that word was used as an "intensifier" adjective, and not a verb. The real world shook its head in disbelief, the appropriate cobwebs were cleared, and ultimately the FCC reversed itself. Never underestimate a federal bureaucracy. The FCC has struck again. One responsibility of this agency is to assign call letters to new TV and radio stations. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin... continue reading
Senator Charles Schumer is a legendary pursuer of television cameras. But look at the way the national media are covering Schumer's heavy-breathing pursuit to make Attorney General Alberto Gonzales cry uncle and resign. It makes you wonder just how hard Schumer has to work to get press attention. The media look Schumer-owned and operated. One interview really captures how the press looks more like a Democratic goon squad than a nonpartisan observers of the national scene. On ABC's "Good Morning America," news anchor Christopher Cuomo, son of Mario Cuomo, asked this pushy question on July 27: "Is Alberto Gonzales out... continue reading
Michael Vick has done something no politician in Washington ever accomplished. The star quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons has united nearly everyone against him, indicted for being at the center of a gruesome spectacle of dog-fighting and gambling. Federal investigators found 17 dog carcasses on Vick's property in Virginia. According to the federal complaint, the fights at the house happened in the wee hours of the morning and lasted several hours, usually until one dog died or surrendered. Sometimes, at the end of the fight, the report says, the losing dog was strangled, hanged, shot, or electrocuted. Paris Hilton's behavior... continue reading