Monthly Archives: August 2009

A 'Sudden Interest' in 'Amplifying Grassroots Concerns'

Between the Lines executive producer Scott Harris (8/14/09) has a new Q & A featuring FAIR's own Peter Hart discussing how "Media Coverage of Healthcare Debate Emphasizes Drama Over Substance." Asked to assess "corporate media's coverage of the U.S. healthcare … Continue reading

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Media's Afghan 'Metrics' Exclude 'Value of Human Life'

As "official Washington is buzzing about 'metrics'" of success in the U.S. war on Afghanistan, Norman Solomon (ZNet, 8/13/09) notes of media's persistent question, "Can the war in Afghanistan be successful?"–"Don't ask the dead": On August 7, under the headline … Continue reading

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Shallow Press Longs for Shallow President

WashingtonMonthly.com blogger Steve Benen (Political Animal, 8/12/09) has words for corporate pundits lambasting Barack Obama's "Attention to Detail" as "going "into the weeds": A few weeks ago, MSNBC's First Read had an item questioning whether President Obama "knows too much" … Continue reading

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

Advertisers Black Out Liberal Radio, Pay Up for Haters

Media Matters research director Jeremy Schulman (8/12/09) writes that "Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaughand Lou Dobbs have used their radio and television shows to incite hatred and push wild conspiracy theories, leading several of Beck's advertisers to reportedly pull out of … Continue reading

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Hillary Clinton and 'Celebrity Coverage'

Thedominant storyfrom Hillary Clinton's trip to Africa wasnother comments about combating rape and sexualviolencein Congo.No, the top story was Clinton's testy response to a question about what her husband thought of Chinese business interests in Kenya Congo. That exchange prompted … Continue reading

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

Dobbs Still Resisting 'Nonpartisan Objective Reality'

Since "on his Wednesday radio show, [Lou] Dobbs as much as announced that CNN president Jon Klein" is forcing him into "focusing on a nonpartisan objective reality that it is our job to cover"–with Dobbs "admitting, 'I resisted this idea … Continue reading

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Kidnapped Reporters Still Can't Get Story Covered

When "journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling stepped back onto American soil after being detained in North Korea for over four months. Their safe return was covered widely in the American media, and rightfully so," writes Women In Media & … Continue reading

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

'Snobbery, Cruelty & Ugliness' in NYT 'Journalism Fail'

Blogging at Jezebel, Sadie Stein (8/12/09) turns the spotlight on the New York Times' Cintra Wilson "in a remarkably nasty piece. Brace yourselves, kids": In a paper often characterized by a tone as carefully bland as NPR's, she can be … Continue reading

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Anti-Hate Activists Win S.F. City Media Resolution

The Hispanic/Latino Anti-Defamation Coalition, along with the National Hispanic Media Coalition (8/11/09), "applauds" the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for being "the first elected body to take a stand against hate speech in media" by having approved unanimously a resolution … Continue reading

Posted in Gender, Media Activism, Race | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Can Shock Radio Save the Fox Business Network?

News Corpse blogger Mark Howard (8/10/09) calls the fact that "industry sources are reporting that Don Imus is in talks with the Fox Business Network to simulcast his Imus in the Morning radio program" a "de facto admission by FBN … Continue reading

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

On the Central Political Role of Modern Media

In a wide-ranging ZNet interview on both the history and future of U.S. media, Robert McChesney (8/11/09) gets to the kernel of reform activism: The media is one of the key areas in society where power is exercised, reinforced and … Continue reading

Posted in Media Business, Politics | Tagged , | 3 Comments

U.S. Media's 'Connection' to Honduras Coup

Foreign Policy In Focus analyst Conn Hallinan (8/6/09) has yet another debunking of "the story most U.S. readers are getting about the coup" in Honduras, being "that Zelaya–an ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez–was deposed because he tried to change … Continue reading

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

WaPo: Military Advisers Dispense Usual Military Advice

The Washington Post's Walter Pincus writes (8/9/09)(under the headline "Analysts Expect Long-Term, Costly U.S. Campaign in Afghanistan") that "military experts are warning that the United States is taking on security and political commitments that will last at least a decade … Continue reading

Posted in Media Criticism | 1 Comment

WaPo Lays Blame for 'Unhealthy' Healthcare Debate

The Washington Post editorial page weighed in on the troubling scenes from congressional "town hall" healthcare discussions, where angry right-wing protesters have shouted down politicians, threatened violence, compared Barack Obama to Adolph Hitler and so on. As the Post's subhead … Continue reading

Posted in Media Criticism | 3 Comments

At WaPo, 'Others Tell Readers What "Populists" Think'

Economist Dean Baker (Beat the Press, 8/9/09) sees the Washington Post as simply "keeping with its strict editorial policy of only letting others tell readers what 'populists' think," when publishing its August 9 "front-page article on setting executive compensation at … Continue reading

Posted in Economy | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment