Monthly Archives: February 2011

Just the Facts: The New Guy at CNN

Posted on 02/28/2011 by Peter Hart

From a Broadcasting & Cable interview with new CNN hostPiers Morgan: What kind of feedback have you gotten from CNN? They're thrilled. They just tell me not to forget it's an intelligent audience. And to remain independent. And being independent … Continue reading →

Posted in CNN | Tagged | 9 Comments

NYT Public Editor Explains What's Not Fit to Print

Posted on 02/28/2011 by Jim Naureckas

New York Times public editor Arthur Brisbane (2/27/11) offers a justification that makes very little sense for his paper's concealing the fact that an American arrested in Pakistan worked for the CIA. The Times, Brisbane wrote, could not "take the … Continue reading →

Posted in International, New York Times | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

WSJ and the Disappearing 'Gasland' Quote

Posted on 02/28/2011 by Peter Hart

The documentary Gasland was up for an Academy Award last night. Director Josh Fox has been writing about the gas industry's campaign against the film, which is a critical look at hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." That controversy found its way … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Wall Street Journal | Tagged , | 7 Comments

What Union Voices Mean to the Wisconsin Debate

Posted on 02/28/2011 by Peter Hart

As we noted here, there weren't many labor voices booked on the Sunday morning chat shows. One, actually–Richard Trumka from the AFL-CIO. ABC's This Week featured four governors (two Democrats, two Republicans) talking about their fiscal problems. CBS's Face the … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, NBC | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Who's the Source of O'Reilly's 'Nonpartisan' Pro-Walker Poll?

Posted on 02/28/2011 by Peter Hart

On his Fox News show Friday, self-described "union guy" Bill O'Reilly was touting the results of a newpoll finding that Wisconsinites are backing Gov. Scott Walker: According to a new poll by WisconsinReporter.com, a nonpartisan group, 71 percent of Wisconsinites … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, Polling | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

WaPo Profiles Most Awesome Guy in World

Posted on 02/28/2011 by Peter Hart

In journalistic parlance, a "beat sweetener" is a story that lavishes praise on a powerful figure the reporter is assigned to cover on a regular basis–a great way for that reporter to get in good with an important source. That … Continue reading →

Posted in Washington Post | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Latest Glimpse of Fox's Culture of Lying?

Posted on 02/25/2011 by Steve Rendall

A front-page story in todayâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s New York Times strongly suggests that Roger Ailes–the News Corp executive who runs the Fox News Channel, the Fox Business Network, and Fox broadcast stations–urged a witness to lie to federal officials in order to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, Media Criticism | Tagged , | 37 Comments

What Americans Want to Read

Posted on 02/25/2011 by Peter Hart

The gallery of covers for Time magazine this week. One stands out, obviously.

Posted in International, Media Criticism, Time | Tagged | 24 Comments

Where Are the Workers' Voices?

Posted on 02/25/2011 by Peter Hart

As best I can tell, the labor battle in Wisconsin is a big story–and maybe the biggest labor story in years. But as Amanda Terkel reported at the Huffington Post, that doesn't mean you're going to see union advocates on … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, CBS, NBC | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

The Public Doesn't Hate Public Workers

Posted on 02/24/2011 by Peter Hart

As Josh Marshall noted recently, one of the assumptions in the media discussion about Wisconsin is that Republican politicians are playing on public outrage over the perks given to public workers. That assumption took a hitafter anew Gallup Poll, reported … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Polling, USA Today, Washington Post | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

Giving and Getting 'Coined'

Posted on 02/24/2011 by Peter Hart

The Washington Post had a report yesterday (2/22/11) about the military tradition of giving "challenge coins." For thoseunfamiliar, here's a quick explanation: "Challenge coins," as they are known, have become an important part of the ethos of the armed forces, … Continue reading →

Posted in CNN, War/Military | Tagged | 1 Comment

Breaking News: There Is a Labor Movement. In the United States, Even!

Posted on 02/23/2011 by Peter Hart

I read this in the New York Times a few days ago (2/19/11): The images from Wisconsin–with its protests, shutdown of some public services and missing Democratic senators, who fled the state to block a vote–evoked the Middle East more … Continue reading →

Posted in New York Times | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Fact Checking ABC's Fact Check on Public Workers

Posted on 02/23/2011 by Peter Hart

On Monday (2/21/11), ABC World News wanted to set the record straight on Wisconsin's budget problems. As host George Stephanopolous put it, the debate is over whether pensions and other benefits for public workers are to blame for the crippling … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC | Tagged , , , , | 30 Comments

ABC's Lopsided Debate on Deficits and Austerity

Posted on 02/23/2011 by Peter Hart

This is how ABC This Week host Christiane Amanpourintroduced the roundtable pundit line-up on Sunday's show: With pitched battles going on right now here in Washington and in statehouses from Florida to Wisconsin to California, with me now, our roundtable: … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Republicans, Doing Just What Democrats (Never) Did

Posted on 02/22/2011 by Peter Hart

Sometimes the premise of an article is just all wrong. Like this from Monday's New York Times (see bold): As Republicans See a Mandate on Budget Cuts, Others See Risk By ADAM NAGOURNEY and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN WASHINGTON — In … Continue reading →

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