Monthly Archives: November 2010

Charlie Rose's Debt Commission Non-Debate

Posted on 11/12/2010 by Peter Hart

As you may have gathered by now, the deficit reduction plan offered by debt commission chairs Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles is pretty unpopular, particularly on the left. But one place it was well-received: The Charlie Rose Show, a comfortable … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, PBS, Social Security | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Incoherent Trade Reporting

Posted on 11/12/2010 by Peter Hart

It's never hard to figure out what side the media are on when it comes to corporate-friendly "free trade" deals. They're for them,because they're "free," and people whooppose themapparentlyprefer protectionism over freedom. So Barack Obama's apparent failure tonegotiate a trade … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, New York Times, Washington Post | 7 Comments

What–if Anything–Does Bush Know About the Iraq War?

Posted on 11/12/2010 by Peter Hart

Time magazine's Joe Klein has read George W. Bush's memoir, and has a few criticisms (11/11/10); for instance, he points out that Bush never stops to wonder if the UN inspectors, whom Saddam Hussein had allowed back into Iraq, were … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Time, War/Military | Tagged , | 22 Comments

Hey, NYT: What Exactly Is 'Centrism'?

Posted on 11/12/2010 by Peter Hart

Reportingontheproposalfrom debt commission chairs Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, a New York Times article (11/11/10) by Jackie Calmes framed the discussion this way: Mr. Obama created the commission last February in the hope it would provide political cover for bold … Continue reading →

Posted in New York Times, Social Security, Taxes | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Fox News: The No. 1 Name in Murder Fantasies

Posted on 11/10/2010 by Steve Rendall

Bill O'Reilly's recent "joke" about decapitating Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank was only the latest example of a demented Fox News culture that permits on-air personalities to fantasize about assassination and other forms of violence against those deemed enemies of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 48 Comments

Interviewing Bush: Lauer's Lowlights

Posted on 11/10/2010 by Peter Hart

NBC star Matt Lauer's one-on-one interview with George W. Bush revealed very little in the way of information, though some lessons could be drawn fromLauer's mediocre performance. Here was one comment from near the top of the interview: The Florida … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, Media Criticism, NBC | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

The Media/Education Reform Revolving Door

Posted on 11/10/2010 by Jim Naureckas

New York City school chancellor Joel Klein is stepping down to take a job with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, and will be replaced with Cathleen Black, chair of Hearst Magazines. Though Black has no experience with education and Klein had … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Fox News, magazines | 8 Comments

The Goal of Stimulus Is Not to Show How Progressive You Are

Posted on 11/09/2010 by Jim Naureckas

Matt Bai (New York Times, 11/9/10), as a standard-issue corporate media political analyst, sees the Democrats being moved to the right as an upside to their disastrous showing in the '10 midterms. But he's worried that the party isn't learning … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Election, Healthcare, New York Times | Tagged | 12 Comments

Arson Threats and Other Negotiating Tips From Rupert Murdoch

Posted on 11/09/2010 by Jim Naureckas

People love Fox News…. We said to the cable operators when we put the price up, we said do you want a monument to yourself….â┚¬Ã… Cancel us, you might get your house burnt down. –Rupert Murdoch (Australian Financial Review, 11/5/10)

Posted in Fox News | Tagged | 3 Comments

FAIR Out There

Posted on 11/09/2010 by Peter Hart

–On Democracy Now! (11/8/10): While Keith Olbermann's donations became front-page news, little attention has been paid to the massive amount of political spending by MSNBC's parent company General Electric, one of the nation's largest military contractors. Fairness & Accuracy In … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism, MSNBC, NPR | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Papers Pick a Midterms Winner: 'Free Trade' Agreements

Posted on 11/09/2010 by Peter Hart

Whatever lesson you want to draw the midterms, the nation's top editorial pages want to make one thing perfectly clear: Now is the time to move on bipartisan, corporate-friendly "free trade" agreements. "A time for free trade," was the Washington … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Economy, Election, L.A. Times, New York Times, Washington Post | 9 Comments

Bush Is Back–And So Is Softball Journalism

Posted on 11/09/2010 by Peter Hart

Over athis Nation Media Fix blog (a must-read), Greg Mitchell watched Matt Lauer's NBC interview with George W. Bush, and wasn't impressed. He writes: Time after time Bush would offer a whopper and Lauer either said nothing, or expressed sympathy … Continue reading →

Posted in NBC, USA Today | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

NYT Fails to Factcheck Republican Victory Laps

Posted on 11/08/2010 by Peter Hart

Thereare almost always stories in the Monday papers about what politicians said on the Sunday morning chat shows. Today's New York Times is no different, and given the election outcome the quotes are primarily from Republicans taking their victory laps. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Network TV, New York Times | 10 Comments

Bush's 'Sickening Feeling' on WMDs Was an Inside Joke With the Press

Posted on 11/08/2010 by Peter Hart

"I had a sickening feeling every time I thought about it. I still do." That's how George W. Bush referred to the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in his new book Decision Points. The quote is featured in … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, War/Military | Tagged | 40 Comments

Action Alert: NBC/GE's Double Standards on Political Donations

Posted on 11/05/2010 by Jim Naureckas

MSNBC has suspended host Keith Olbermann for making political contributions–even though GE/NBC executives and fellow MSNBC host Joe Scarborough has made similar donations. If you'd like to urge MSNBC to follow a consistent standard, see FAIR's Action Alert (11/5/10). And … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Activism, MSNBC | Tagged , | 73 Comments