Monthly Archives: August 2009

The Fabulously Unsurprising Lies of Glenn Beck

Posted on 08/31/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Eva Paterson (Huffington Post, 8/28/09), president and founder of the Equal Justice Society, has a response to Glenn Beck's assertion that "I want to point out the silence; no one has challenged these facts" after having been "smearing White House … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Race | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Corporate Media 'Default Position': 'War Must Go On'

Posted on 08/31/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Media Monitors Network has the latest column from Norman Solomon (8/26/09), in which the longtime analyst of corporate media boosterism for U.S. wars considers a recent swath of stories that "have compared President Johnson's war in Vietnam and President Obama's … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Iraq | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Way Cleared for More 'Excessive Media Consolidation'

Posted on 08/29/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

On news that "today, a federal court threw out the Federal Communications Commission's rule to cap cable ownership at 30 percent," Free Press (8/28/09) comments "the rule served as an important consumer protection from media consolidation and growing cable cartels, … Continue reading →

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

NYT Stands Up for the Little Insurance Company Employee

Posted on 08/28/2009 by Julie Hollar

It's about time someone stood up for the poor insurance companies! The New York Times today delves into what it's like to be "Dealing With Being the Healthcare 'Villains,'" eliciting sad stories from nice people who work for big insurance … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Still More Pentagon Lies, News Manipulation

Posted on 08/28/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Stars and Stripes reporters Charlie Reed, Kevin Baron and Leo Shane III (8/27/09) have an update on the military paper's recent exposure of Iraqi National Congress fabricators the Rendon Group helping the Pentagon in Screening New Embeds in Afghanistan "to … Continue reading →

Posted in International | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

'Meaningful Change' at the New Republic

Posted on 08/28/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Glenn Greenwald (8/27/09, ad-viewing required) of Salon's series of New Republic quotes morphing from condemning a perceived "anti-Lieberman jihad" to calling for "knocking off Democrats like Conrad and Joe Lieberman" charts the outlet's "rapid and total reversal–one effectuated without the … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

WSJ 'Scumbag' Columnist Gets Predictably Slimy

Posted on 08/28/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Noticing that Democratic strategist Mark Penn "is the Wall Street Journal's 'Microtrend'-spotting columnist" and "also CEO of PR giant Burson-Marsteller," Gawker blogger Hamilton Nolan (8/26/09) posits that "only a scumbag would abuse the former to drum up business for the … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Media Business, Wall Street Journal | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Downside to Murdoch's Plan to Control Online News

Posted on 08/25/2009 by Jim Naureckas

The problem with Rupert Murdoch's proposal to create an online news consortium, in which major publishers would all band together to put their news content behind pay walls (L.A. Times, 8/21/09), is that it's not illegal to discuss news events … Continue reading →

Posted in First Amendment, L.A. Times, Media Business, Wall Street Journal | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Take Action for a Real Debate on Afghanistan War

Posted on 08/25/2009 by Isabel Macdonald

In the wake of growing public dissatisfaction with the war in Afghanistan, FAIR is challenging the Sunday morning shows to include war critics and peace advocates as guests on their programs. Click here to read FAIR's action alert about these … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | 23 Comments

WaPo Pundit: Mass Transit Good for Others, Not U.S.

Posted on 08/24/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

"Robert Samuelson Doesn't Like Trains" is what Dean Baker (Beat the Press, 8/24/09) takes to be "the unifying theme from his column today, since his arguments against high-speed rail do not make a lot of sense." In his August 24 … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Debate Over Afghanistan–Newspapers Are Full of It

Posted on 08/24/2009 by Peter Hart

In his Week in Review piece wondering if Obama's Afghanistan policy is akin to LBJ andVietnam, New York Times reporter Peter Baker notes that the public mood is seeping into the media: That growing disenchantment in the countryside is increasingly … Continue reading →

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

Screening New Embeds in Afghanistan

Posted on 08/24/2009 by Peter Hart

As if journalists "embedding" with U.S. troops isn't troubling enough, Stars and Stripes is reporting that reporters looking to embed with U.S. troops in Afghanistan will face some troubling screening: As more journalists seek permission to accompany U.S. forces engaged … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Chuck Todd, Meet Jeremy Scahill

Posted on 08/24/2009 by Peter Hart

Independent journalist Jeremy Scahill (The Nation, Democracy Now!) appeared on HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher alongside NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd.Because Jeremy isn't the type to let such an opportunity to go to waste,he used some of his … Continue reading →

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

Telecoms' 'Fake Grassroots' Push Net Misinformation

Posted on 08/24/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Diligent media reformers Free Press (8/19/09) have announced a nifty new "online interactive tool to expose phony grassroots groups hired by big phone and cable companies to advance their political agenda." They're talking about "'astroturf' organizations–many of which also work … Continue reading →

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

Thanking Murdoch's Journal for More of Rove's Lies

Posted on 08/24/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

OpEd News has published an open letter from attorney Dana Jill Simpson (8/20/09) to "Mr. Murdoch and all the editors at the Wall Street Journal," in which she expresses her wish to "thank you from the very bottom of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Wall Street Journal | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments