Monthly Archives: January 2011

A Whole Lot of Lone Nuts

Posted on 01/12/2011 by Jim Naureckas

Right-wing pundits have come out vociferously against the idea that they, their colleagues and the political movement they identify with have anything to answer for in the wake of the Tucson massacre. David Brooks (New York Times, 1/11/11) asserted that … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, New York Times, Washington Post | Tagged , , , , , | 40 Comments

Harold Meyerson on Tucson and Right-Wing Paranoia

Posted on 01/12/2011 by Peter Hart

Washington Post columnist Harold Meyerson writes an important column today (1/12/11) about right-wing rhetoric and the Tucson shootings. Meyerson's point is thatdiscussingcertain symbols–like the Sarah Palin "cross hairs" map–makes little sense without understandingthe paranoid worldview that is advanced by right-wing … Continue reading →

Posted in Washington Post | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Recalling the NYT's Iran Missile Fizzle

Posted on 01/12/2011 by Peter Hart

From theendofa New York Times story headlined "Gates Warns of North Korea Missile Threat to U.S.," readers saw this: Predicting missile capabilities is notoriously difficult. Documents released last year by WikiLeaks, the antisecrecy organization, revealed sharp disagreements between American and … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | Leave a comment

More War = Aid to Afghans

Posted on 01/12/2011 by Peter Hart

The Washington Post headline overa story about Joe Biden's remarksthat U.S. military forces would stay in Afghanistan after the supposed 2014 withdrawal deadline "if the Afghan people want it" is: Biden Promises Long-Term Aid to Afghans Of course, if theU.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Washington Post | Tagged | 5 Comments

NYT: Clintonian Centrism a 'Strategic Masterstroke'

Posted on 01/11/2011 by Peter Hart

A New York Times profile (1/8/11) of author/economist Robert Reich was headlined "Obama the Centrist Irks a Liberal Lion." It's hard not to see where reporter Michael Powell comes down in the debate over Democrats moving to the right: Mr. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, New York Times, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

False Balance, Joe Klein-Style

Posted on 01/11/2011 by Peter Hart

Appearing on CNN's Reliable Sources (1/10/11), Time's Joe Klein denouncedthe "crap" on the Fox News Channel. And as many pundits are prone to do, he found the need to balance that by citing a comparable example from the "other" side: … Continue reading →

Posted in CNN | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

O'Reilly: The Real Problem Is MSNBC

Posted on 01/11/2011 by Peter Hart

Last night (O'Reilly Factor, 1/10/11), Bill O'Reillytalking to Brit Hume: O'REILLY: We have a network, an entire network that's built around attacking Fox News and right-wing people. That's all they do at MSNBC. They have nothing else. HUME: How's that … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, MSNBC, New York Times | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Bob Schieffer and the Eloquence of John Boehner

Posted on 01/10/2011 by Peter Hart

On CBS's Face the Nation (1/9/11), host Bob Schieffer declared: Democracy's arguments have never been pretty, but technology has changed the American dialogue because we can now know of problems instantly. We expect answers immediately and when we don't get … Continue reading →

Posted in CBS, Politics | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

With Short Memories, Violent Tone of Media Unlikely to Change

Posted on 01/10/2011 by Peter Hart

One theme in the coverage of the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffordsconcerns whether the tone of the political debate will change. That's probably going to happen in the short-term. A long-term shift is unlikely. There have been frequent allusions … Continue reading →

Posted in MSNBC, radio | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Violent Rhetoric and False Balance

Posted on 01/10/2011 by Peter Hart

Today in the New York Times Paul Krugman (1/10/11) suggests that we not pretend that "both sides" are responsible for toxic political rhetoric: Where's that toxic rhetoric coming from? Let's not make a false pretense of balance: It's coming, overwhelmingly, … Continue reading →

Posted in NBC, New York Times, Politics, Washington Post | Tagged , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Center Moves to the Center, Courting the Middle

Posted on 01/07/2011 by Peter Hart

Obama's selection of conservative Democrat William Daley as his new chief of staff didn't surprise anyone.So reporters were left to explain the political shift behind the move. Some saw little movement at all, since Daley's political views would seem more … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, L.A. Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post | Tagged , | 24 Comments

Liberal Media Slams Boehner!

Posted on 01/07/2011 by Peter Hart

The Washington Post's account(1/6/11) of John Boehner's first day as Speaker of the House could have been a press release from Boehner's office. The headline was "A Modest Boehner Takes Congress's Most Powerful Office." Post readers learned that"Boehner tends to … Continue reading →

Posted in Polling, Time, Washington Post | Tagged | 26 Comments

Greedy Public Workers and Fat Pensions? Try Again

Posted on 01/06/2011 by Peter Hart

There's been a spate of reporting and commentary attacking public workers for having lavish pensions that are bankrupting various states. CBS's 60 Minutes got into the act inDecember with a report (12/19/10) that was criticized for lionizing Republican New Jersey … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, New York Times, Washington Post | Tagged , , , , | 24 Comments

NYT Should Talk to Those Liberal Activists Who Oppose Helping Poor African Women

Posted on 01/06/2011 by Peter Hart

Reporting on variousWhite House personnel changes, specifically the idea that Clinton administration veteran Gene Sperlingwill soon head the National Economic Council, the New York Times explains (1/6/11): Mr. Sperling, much like Mr. Obama, is a liberal but with a pragmatic … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Economy | Tagged , | 6 Comments

At NBC, Olympics Were Bigger News Than Healthcare or Unemployment

Posted on 01/05/2011 by Peter Hart

I always enjoy Andrew Tyndall's year-in-review report, which tallies the minutes each network newscast devoted to the important stories of the year. His 2010 report is worth a look. The most newsworthywoman of the year? GOP Senate hopeful and Tea … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, Afghanistan, CBS, Healthcare, NBC | 7 Comments