Monthly Archives: March 2011

On Islamist Terrorism, WSJ Entitled to Its Own Opinions–But Not Its Own Facts

Posted on 03/16/2011 by Julie Hollar

A recent Wall Street Journal editorial (3/11/11) defended the Peter King hearings on Islamist terrorism against "our friends on the left [who] are busy portraying them as the McCarthy hearings and Palmer Raids rolled into one." The editors argued that … Continue reading →

Posted in Wall Street Journal | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

The End of the Nuclear 'Renaissance'?

Posted on 03/16/2011 by Peter Hart

If you've tracked media coverage of nuclear power, you know that every few months or so nuclear power is about to enjoy a comeback. The "nuclear renaissance" has always been right around the corner, we've often been told. Take the … Continue reading →

Posted in New York Times, Nuclear power | 12 Comments

Assigning Blame for West Bank Killings

Posted on 03/16/2011 by Peter Hart

Five members of a family in the West Bank settlement of Itamar were killed in their home on Friday night. Nothing is known about the perpetrators or their motivation. But much of the media coverage assumes the killers were Palestinians, … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine, New York Times | Tagged | 31 Comments

Afghan War Less Popular Than Ever

Posted on 03/15/2011 by Peter Hart

The new Washington Post/ABC poll is on the front page of the paper today (3/15/11): Nearly two-thirds of Americans now say the war in Afghanistan is no longer worth fighting, the highest proportion yet opposed to the conflict, according to … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Media Criticism, Polling, War/Military, Washington Post | 8 Comments

NBC Still Doesn't Know About O'Keefe's ACORN Hoax

Posted on 03/15/2011 by Peter Hart

From Wednesday's NBC Nightly News (3/9/11), courtesy of reporter Lisa Myers: We last saw O'Keefe wearing a fur coat and playing a pimp when he managed to take down the liberal group ACORN. No we didn't. As should be well-known … Continue reading →

Posted in NBC | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The 'New' Newsweek's Nuclear Power Puffery

Posted on 03/15/2011 by Peter Hart

There was a lot of chatter about editor Tina Brown and the "new" Newsweek, which debuted last week. None of it struck me as all that interesting–a column up front from Leslie Gelb warning about the threat of Arab democracy … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism, Newsweek, Nuclear power | Tagged | 11 Comments

NPR Unstung? Once Again, O'Keefe Shows He Shouldn't Be Trusted

Posted on 03/14/2011 by Peter Hart

After his fraudulent ACORN videos, the lesson media should havelearned aboutright-wing "citizen journalist" James O'Keefe is not to trust him. But they didn't, so here we are with his NPR stunt, which allegedly shows NPR fundraiser Ron Schiller saying mean … Continue reading →

Posted in NPR | Tagged , , , | 28 Comments

Time for a 'Debate' on Nuclear Power–Involving Mainly Boosters

Posted on 03/14/2011 by Peter Hart

Will the unfolding crisis in Japan lead to a debate over the safety of nuclear power in the United States? Initial signs are not encouraging. NBC's Meet the Press(3/13/11)had an interview with Marvin Fertel of the Nuclear Energy Institute.Host Chuck … Continue reading →

Posted in Network TV, New York Times, Reuters, Washington Post | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

Edward Said on the 'Clash of Civilizations'

Posted on 03/14/2011 by Peter Hart

It was great to see this letter in the New York Times from Edward Said's widow (3/11/11): To the Editor: I smiled when I read "Huntington's Clash Revisited," by David Brooks (column, March 4). Eighteen years after Samuel Huntington wrote … Continue reading →

Posted in Mideast, New York Times | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Stinging NPR: James O'Keefe's Big Nothing

Posted on 03/11/2011 by Peter Hart

He's back. Right-wing activist James O'Keefe's latest "work" is an undercover video that shows representatives from afake Muslim charity trying to make a $5 million donation to NPR. The "Muslim" donors-to-be meet with two NPR development officers. In the ensuing … Continue reading →

Posted in NPR | Tagged | 40 Comments

O'Reilly's Amnesia on Right-Wing Terror

Posted on 03/11/2011 by Steve Rendall

While defending Rep. Peter King's (R.-N.Y.) congressional hearings on domestic Muslim extremism, Bill O'Reilly (3/9/11) scoffed at the notion that the biggest domestic terror threats in the U.S. come from the "radical right" and not from homegrown Muslims. After playing … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, Race | Tagged , , , , , , | 27 Comments

NYT's Retro Rape Reporting Returns to Victim-Blaming Ways

Posted on 03/10/2011 by Jim Naureckas

I wrote a letter to the New York Times in 1991 after they ran a piece by Fox Butterfield (4/17/91) that invaded the privacy (literally peering into her daughter's bedroom window) and scrutinized the personal life of a woman who … Continue reading →

Posted in Gender, New York Times | Tagged , , , , , | 26 Comments

White Domestic Terrorism Suspect Arrested–See Page 20

Posted on 03/10/2011 by Peter Hart

Today the New York Times reports that an arrest has been made in connection with an attempted bombing at the Martin Luther King Day parade in Spokane, Washington. As we pointed out here, the case has generated relatively little media … Continue reading →

Posted in New York Times, Race | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Washington Post's Pension Propaganda

Posted on 03/09/2011 by Peter Hart

With a headline like "Public Workers Draining State, Local Pension Funds," I guess you know what to expect from Karen Tumulty's article in the Washington Post today (3/8/11). It appears thestory's headline was changed somewhere along the way, but unfortunately … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor, Washington Post | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Hawks vs. Hawks: Debating U.S. Military Intervention in Libya

Posted on 03/08/2011 by Peter Hart

The New YorkTimes has a piece today (3/7/11) about thedebate over U.S. military intervention in Libya. The paper reports that there are persistent voices–in Congress and even inside the administration–arguing that Mr. Obama is moving too slowly. Reporters David Sanger … Continue reading →

Posted in Libya, New York Times | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments