Monthly Archives: September 2009

NYT: Swerving to the Right Is a 'Middle-of-the-Road Approach'

Posted on 09/30/2009 by Jim Naureckas

In a story about the Senate Finance Committee voting down two amendments that would have added a public option to the committee's healthcare bill, New York Times reporters Robert Pear and Jackie Calmes (9/29/09) write, "The votes vindicated the middle-of-the-road … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Richard Cohen's Insults

Posted on 09/29/2009 by Peter Hart

Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen writes today of Iran's nuclear program: They then turned themselves in to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna and, as usual, said the site was intended for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. These … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Reading the New York Times Poll on Healthcare

Posted on 09/25/2009 by Peter Hart

The Times has a report about their new poll on today's front page. As Adam Nagourney and Dalia Sussman put it in their lead, Obama "is confronting declining support for his handling of the war in Afghanistan and an electorate … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | 12 Comments

Bill Bennett, Please Leave Frederick Douglass Alone

Posted on 09/22/2009 by Jim Naureckas

William Bennett at the Values Voter Summit (AlterNet, 9/22/09): I don't know why more of the African American leadership doesn't talk about Frederick Douglass…. Probably because of his deep devotion to Lincoln, and his deep devotion to this country. Frederick … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Race | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

New Developments in Honduras–Same Old Bad Media

Posted on 09/22/2009 by Peter Hart

Ousted President Manuel Zelaya hasreturned to Honduras, though not to office.Unfortunately, press accounts still manage to mangle the story behind his ouster, relying onthose who supported the coup to explain what happened. In today's New York Times (9/22/09): At the … Continue reading →

Posted in International | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

Debate, Washington Post Style

Posted on 09/22/2009 by Peter Hart

We've talked about these "Topic A" debates in the Washington Post before, and today's installment is a doozy. The topic on the table is Obama's media strategy. And, as before, the important people are on the political right, Here are … Continue reading →

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

The Neverending 2008 Presidential Campaign

Posted on 09/22/2009 by Peter Hart

Remember back in 2007/2008 when Democratic candidate Barack Obama was being called an elitist? Well, if you miss that kind of media coverage, the Washington Post's Dana Milbank has got you covered (9/18/09) here, writing up Michelle Obama's visitto aD.C. … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The 'Progressive' Multicultural Anti-Semitism of KPFK

Posted on 09/21/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

The Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report (Fall/09) is calling attention to Pacifica Radio network member station KPFK for airing the Spanish-English show La Causa's "naked anti-Semitism." According to the SPLC, the weekly program's hosts, Augustín Cebada and Rafael Tlaloc, … Continue reading →

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

Localism: Corporate Media's Ultimate Bogeyman

Posted on 09/20/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

On his Media Citizen blog, Free Press' Timothy Karr (9/17/09) has compiled some astounding Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Lou Dobbs quotes propounding a "fear that's laced with paranoia, stoked by misinformation and prejudice and fed to millions of people … Continue reading →

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

More 'News' from WaPo's 'Exciting Alternate Universe'

Posted on 09/20/2009 by Gabriel Voiles

Under the headline "Washington Post Publishes More Information About Exciting Alternate Universe," A Tiny Revolution blogger Jonathan Schwarz (9/13/09) lets us know that, while "lots of banks had to get a bailout from the federal government," do "you know who … Continue reading →

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

Ignatius Proposes a 'New Deal for the CIA' That's Two Centuries Old

Posted on 09/17/2009 by Jim Naureckas

David Ignatius starts off his Washington Post column today ("A New Deal for the CIA," 9/17/09) with a story about Jeannie de Clarens, a 90-year-old Frenchwoman who infiltrated the Nazi army, discovered information about German rockets that "saved London," was … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

USA Today's Afghanistan Non-Debate

Posted on 09/17/2009 by Peter Hart

USA Today 's left/right op-ed feature today is a doozy– a "debate" on escalating the Afghan War between regulars Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel. The headline gives it away: Time to Dig In, Not Bail Out Forget left or right. … Continue reading →

Posted in International | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Baucus Plan: No One Likes It, So It Must Be Good

Posted on 09/17/2009 by Peter Hart

Conservative Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana unveiled his long-awaited health reform proposal yesterday, the results of weeks of negotiations among the Senate Finance Committee's so-called "Gang of Six"–three Democrats from the right-wing of their party and three moderate-to-conservative Republicans. … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Are Obama's Critics Racist? Why Don't We Listen to Them?

Posted on 09/16/2009 by Jim Naureckas

Former President Jimmy Carter's statement (NBC, 9/15/09) that "I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he's African-American," has generated widespread discussion … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Race | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

How to Spread Misinformation

Posted on 09/16/2009 by Peter Hart

The Drudge Report (9/16/09) is featuring this headline (in scary red type): Obama Admin: Cap And Trade Could Cost Families $1,761 A Year… The link goes to a CBSNews.com post, which declares: A previously unreleased analysis prepared by the U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments