Monthly Archives: April 2009

Calvin Woodward's Fractured Fact-Check Strikes Again

Posted on 04/30/2009 by Jim Naureckas

Associated Press reporter Calvin Woodward has a history of straining to catch Barack Obama in factual errors. But today's review of last night's Obama press conference may have hit a new low in absurdity. In the piece, headlined "Fact Check: … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

'Modifying Adjectives' Replace Torture Facts at NYT

Posted on 04/29/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Brad Jacobson has an incisive take (Media Bloodhound, 4/29/09) on the consequences of mealy-mouthed torture language at the New York Times, where public editor Clark Hoyt provides he said/she said examples to show how the public has reacted. But in … Continue reading →

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Laying to Rest the 'Bandwidth Bogeyman'

Posted on 04/29/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Free Press is welcoming (4/28/09) as "a long overdue step in the right direction" the news that "Cablevision announced plans to offer download speeds of 101Mbps and upload speeds of 15Mbps" without charging "usage caps or overage fees" to users. … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Business | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Pol 'Thugs' Think Twice in Age of Internet Media

Posted on 04/29/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Sure that Andrew Sullivan "would be horrified" by the idea that he and Cindy Sheehan agree on anything, Jonathan Schwarz nonetheless quotes (A Tiny Revolution, 4/25/09) the Atlantic.com blogger's declaration of "love" for the Internet, because "can you imagine what … Continue reading →

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USA Today and the Meaning of Dissent

Posted on 04/29/2009 by Jim Naureckas

USA Today had a remarkable headline (4/29/09) on a story about Pennsylvania's Sen. Arlen Specter switching from the Republican to the Democratic Party: Leaving GOP, Specter Gives Dems a Boost in Stifling Dissent The headline writer does not seem to … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged | 2 Comments

Does Torture Work, or Might Therapy Be More Effective?

Posted on 04/29/2009 by Jim Naureckas

A couple of recent FAIR Blog posts have dealt with apologists for torture: Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen and former CIA interrogator John Kiriakou, who misled ABC News about the effectiveness of waterboarding. What's striking is how they both offer … Continue reading →

Posted in International | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Al Neuharth and 'What You Do for Children'

Posted on 04/29/2009 by Jim Naureckas

We're not in the habit of linking to Accuracy In Media–and here's an Extra! article that explains why–but I thought this piece, by the apparent though unacknowledged daughter of USA Today founder Al Neuharth, deserved an exception. Writing in response … Continue reading →

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Richard Cohen's Torture Fantasyland

Posted on 04/28/2009 by Peter Hart

In his column today, Washington Post's Richard Cohentells us that he is against torture, which itself is not remarkable. His real point is this: Yet the debate over torture has been infected with silly arguments about utility: whether it works … Continue reading →

Posted in International | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

NYT, ABC and Waterboarding: An Update

Posted on 04/28/2009 by Peter Hart

We noted recently that a New York Times story about the waterboarding of two Al-Qaeda detainees included a bit of media criticism. The Times mentioned that in 2007, ABC featured an interview with former CIA officer John Kiriakou,who claimed that"Abu … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, International, Media Criticism | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The NYT's Favorite 'Climate Change Denier'

Posted on 04/28/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

An April 24 New York Times op-ed from "Skeptical Environmentalist" Bjorn Lomborg contends "that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a hopeless cause and that public money is better spent on research and development of renewable energy"–which Jonathan Hiskes of Grist … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

CNN's Full Scope of Journalistic 'Genius'

Posted on 04/28/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

The Daily Howler's Bob Somerby has a look (4/27/09) at how Newsweek bigshot Fareed Zakaria "pandered and fawned in dragging out yesterday's panel" on his CNN show Zakaria: As I was thinking about the smartest people I could gather to … Continue reading →

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The 'Important Historical Context' of Torture Punditry

Posted on 04/28/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Quoting Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter's strong words on the Keith Olbermann show about how "it's important, historically, to look at the context of" the "effort in these OLC memos to try to dress [torture] up as something else," Hullabaloo blogger … Continue reading →

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Why Some Deaths 'Don't Seem to Impinge on Our Lives'

Posted on 04/28/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Having covered the U.S. war on Afghanistan at his TomDispatch website from the outset, Tom Engelhardt marvels (4/23/09) at how, "almost like clockwork, the reports float up to us from thousands of miles away" of "so many lives snuffed out … Continue reading →

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The Dark Side of MSNBC's 'Crazy Political Uncle'

Posted on 04/27/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Noting that, "for the last decade or so, Washington has indulged Pat Buchanan as a sort of crazy political uncle" by having "agreed to forget about his long track record of racially questionable commentary and writing," TPM Muckraker's Zachary Roth … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Race | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lots of Blame – No Accountability

Posted on 04/27/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

A New York Times op-ed by Roger Cohen saying that, because post-September 11 "journalists did not meet the challenge of holding the executive branch accountable," he is "wary of the clamor for retribution. Congress failed. The press failed. The judiciary … Continue reading →

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