Monthly Archives: March 2010

Glenn Beck Needs to Devote More Time to His Strange Obsessions

Posted on 03/10/2010 by Jim Naureckas

I don't know why it should surprise me that Glenn Beck doesn't know what he's talking about, but you'd think that if you had a furious grudge against someone who died 40 years before you were born, you would spend … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News | Tagged | 5 Comments

Action Alert: PBS Replacing Moyers, Now. . .With Jon Meacham?

Posted on 03/10/2010 by Jim Naureckas

FAIR has a new Action Alert reacting to reports that PBS's replacement for the retiring Bill Moyers and the canceled Now series will be headed by Newsweek editor Jon "Center-Right Nation" Meacham. To learn more or to send a message … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Activism, Newsweek, PBS | Tagged , , | 84 Comments

NYT Debate: Bill of Rights, Sometimes or Never?

Posted on 03/09/2010 by Jim Naureckas

The New York Times has a piece today (3/9/10) with the headline "Experts Urge Keeping Two Options for Terror Trials"–meaning both regular trials under the criminal justice system as well as newly established military tribunals. But who are these "experts," … Continue reading →

Posted in New York Times, War/Military | Tagged | 2 Comments

Dennis Kucinich, Right-Wing Democrat?

Posted on 03/09/2010 by Jim Naureckas

If you're a politics buff, you probably remember the way National Journal's ratings were used in the 2004 and 2008 elections to establish that the Democratic candidate was the "most liberal voting record in the Senate"–first John Kerry (Extra! Update, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged , | 27 Comments

Newsweek Wants Accountability for Teachers, Not Editors

Posted on 03/09/2010 by Peter Hart

Newsweek devotes several pieces this week to public schools. But the lead piece, "Why We Must Fire Bad Teachers," by Evan Thomas and Pat Wingert, lays out the magazine's skewed vision: Teacher unions protect the worst performers, while charter schools … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Media Criticism | Tagged , | 21 Comments

Washington Post and Afghan War Critics

Posted on 03/09/2010 by Peter Hart

Sometimes the words journalists choose are revealing. Take the lead of a story in the Washington Post today (3/9/10) about congressional debate on the Afghanistan War: Liberals in the House, who have spent much of the past year complaining that … Continue reading →

Posted in War/Military | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Progressive History on the Public Airwaves: U.S. vs. U.K.

Posted on 03/05/2010 by Steve Rendall

Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of the end of the historic British miners strike of 1984-85. The BBC has a special broadcast in commemoration, The Ballad of the Miners Strike, featuring the voices of miners. But where can Americans turn … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Allowing Homophobia to Have Its Say on Gays in the Military

Posted on 03/05/2010 by Jim Naureckas

The New York Times features an op-ed today (3/5/10) by Gen. Merrill McPeak, a retired Air Force chief of staff, arguing against allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military. It's not much of an argument, … Continue reading →

Posted in New York Times, War/Military | Tagged | 14 Comments

Friedman's Wisdom: CEOs Want to Pay Even Less Tax

Posted on 03/03/2010 by Jim Naureckas

In a column headlined "A Word From the Wise" (3/3/10), New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman lets us know what Intel CEO Paul Otellini thinks is wrong with the U.S. economy. And there's a certain theme that runs through his … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, New York Times | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Only Rahm Emanuel Can Save You Now

Posted on 03/02/2010 by Peter Hart

White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has always been a controversial figure–famously profane and short-tempered, and politically speaking a center-right Clinton Democrat. As of late, though, there's been a strange effort–particularly in the Washington Post–to present Emanuel as the … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Fortune Journalist–and Mitt Romney Adviser?

Posted on 03/02/2010 by Peter Hart

Sasha Issenberg reports in the Boston Globe (3/2/10) that Fortune magazine Washington bureau chief and Fox News pundit Nina Easton advised Republican Mitt Romneyon his recent book No Apology. Easton told the Globe that she "offered some writer's advice on … Continue reading →

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

Read the Chart, Not the NYT Article, to Get the Straight Dope on Book Profits

Posted on 03/02/2010 by Jim Naureckas

There's a certain category of newspaper article where you're better off ignoring the text and just looking at the accompanying graph. Such an article is "Math of Publishing Meets the E-Book" (New York Times, 3/1/10), by Motoko Rich. The context … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | 10 Comments

Death Panels–Again?

Posted on 03/01/2010 by Peter Hart

In a February 28 pieceheadlined, "Obama Ready to Move Forward on Healthcare Reform," the Washington Post's Anne Kornblut closed on a rather odd note: Republicans have expressed growing confidence heading into the midterm elections, with healthcare as a potential campaign … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Newsweek Blames the People

Posted on 03/01/2010 by Peter Hart

A headline over an Evan Thomas story in this week's Newsweek (3/8/10) tells us: "We the Problem: Washington Is Working Just Fine. It's Us That's Broken." Thomas blames, among other things, "our 'got mine' culture of entitlement," adding: Politicians, never … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , | 24 Comments