Monthly Archives: May 2009

The Results of 'Smothering Torture in Euphemism'

Posted on 05/30/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

In a Smirking Chimp piece (5/29/09) averring that "Everyone Should See Torturing Democracy"–the delayed documentary that "recounts how the Bush White House and the Pentagon decided to make coercive detention and abusive interrogation the official U.S. policy" and "also credits … Continue reading →

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

Sotomayor Not 'Normal' Like 'Unbiased' White Pundits

Posted on 05/30/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Claiming that he doesn't "know at this point whether Judge Sonia Sotomayor is a good choice for Supreme Court justice or a bad one," critic Dave Lindorff (ThisCantBeHappening.net, 5/28/09) does note that she "is a lousy judge for writers and … Continue reading →

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NYT Likes Its Readers Complacent

Posted on 05/30/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Looking at "people of a certain age" for whom "getting a letter published in the Times has always been a very, very big deal," David Margolick (Nation , 5/27/09) tells the tale of two lifelong friends and constant New York … Continue reading →

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NYT Public Editor 'Circles the Wagons' Against Public

Posted on 05/30/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Posting to the Columbia Journalism Review's Behind the News blog, Megan Garber (5/26/09) catches New York Times public editor Clark Hoyt espousing "a peculiar brand of institutional defensiveness" in his May 23 column: One that plays itself out via divisiveness–and … Continue reading →

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Sotomayor Not a Rags-to-Rags Story, AP Explains

Posted on 05/29/2009 by Peter Hart

This Associated Press story ("Debate Over Who Sotomayor Is a Sensitive One," 5/29/09) sure is confused. Luckilyreporter Sharon Thiemermakes at least that much clear from the very start: There are two sides to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor: a Latina … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Politics, Race | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Trouble With Japanese Media

Posted on 05/29/2009 by Peter Hart

According to today's New York Times (5/29/09), there's a scandal brewing in the Japanese media. Apparently in its coverage of a current political scandal, the Japanese press has "reported at face value a stream of anonymous allegations, some of them … Continue reading →

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NYT's One-Sided Sotomayor Framing: Accident or Agenda?

Posted on 05/29/2009 by Jim Naureckas

The New York Times' front-page piece today (5/29/09) on Sonia Sotomayor's work with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund is a good example of what is meant by "framing"–and a bad example of how it can distort a … Continue reading →

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NPR: Ever Faithful to U.S. Empire

Posted on 05/28/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Dubbing National Public Radio "The Counterinsurgency Channel," blogger Mytwords (NPR Check, 5/28/09) takes issue with a May 27 All Things Considered report "meant to promote an aspect of U.S. counterinsurgency in Afghanistan–the training of Afghan police as part of Task … Continue reading →

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

'Ugly Sentiments' and 'Reckless' Reporting on Sotomayor

Posted on 05/28/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Making clear on Salon (5/28/09, ad-viewing required) that his "writing about this issue from the start has not been based on my view that [Judge Sonia] Sotomayor is the best choice" for the U.S. Supreme Court, Glenn Greenwald states that … Continue reading →

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NYT's Bad Stats Push for European Layoffs

Posted on 05/28/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Blogging (Beat the Press, 5/26/09) about how the "New York Times Cooks the Books on Europe's Auto Industry," economist Dean Baker catches the paper "touting the layoffs in the U.S. auto industry as a virtue"–since "it notes that auto industry … Continue reading →

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U.S. Pundits' Hiroshima Ignores Rest of the World

Posted on 05/28/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Noticing that "many of the headlines greeting North Korea's nuclear blast yesterday carried the phrase 'as big as the Hiroshima bomb' or words to that effect," media writer and Hiroshima in America co-author Greg Mitchell (Editor & Publisher, 5/26/09) says … Continue reading →

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

Spinning the Sotomayor Abortion Debate in the NYT

Posted on 05/28/2009 by Julie Hollar

Charlie Savage did some good reporting on the Bush signing statements, but his front-page story in today's New York Times on reproductive rights groups' reaction to Sotomayor is way off course. His lead explains that abortion rights advocates are worried … Continue reading →

Posted in Gender, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Supreme Court Fights: Left-Wing Media Bias Is Seldom More Imaginary

Posted on 05/28/2009 by Jim Naureckas

Politico's Mike Allen writes (5/27/09) The media's left-of-center bias is rarely more apparent than during court fights. The coverage running up to the pick was slanted heavily toward the notion of how "pragmatic" Obama's legal views are and how unlikely … Continue reading →

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Latin America Pundits Avoid Latin American Opinion

Posted on 05/27/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Observing that Latinobarómetro's 2008 report on Latin American public opinion again "went entirely unreported in almost all of the world's major media outlets," with "only small snippets selectively analyzed by writers at the Economist, Christian Science Monitor and Washington Times," … Continue reading →

Posted in International | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

On MSM's 'Liberal Bias'… Toward the Bush Presidents

Posted on 05/27/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Recapping at TPM Café (5/27/09) how the U.S. "press bent over backward to paint both Bushes as moderate, sensible, nice guy Republicans," Editor & Publisher's Greg Mitchell writes that "a hard-right [George W.] Bush, whether real or media-created, would have … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments