Monthly Archives: May 2011

Some Muslims Like Us! The Lighter Side of the Libya War

Posted on 05/31/2011 by Peter Hart

New York Times reporter Rod Norland (5/29/11) gave readers a lighter look at the war in Libya from rebel-controlled Benghazi. Some versions of the story were actually headlined, "In Benghazi, Warmth for West Doesn't Come from Burning Flags"–which pretty well … Continue reading →

Posted in Libya, New York Times | Tagged | 12 Comments

George Will: All Over the Map on the War Powers Act

Posted on 05/31/2011 by Peter Hart

On Sunday George Will wrote a strong Washington Post column about Obama, the Libya War and the law: In a bipartisan cascade of hypocrisies, a liberal president, with the collaborative silence of most congressional conservatives, is traducing the War Powers … Continue reading →

Posted in Libya, War/Military, Washington Post | Tagged , | 11 Comments

It CAN Happen Here–But Newsweek Doesn't Notice

Posted on 05/31/2011 by Peter Hart

Newsweek has a new piece wondering why it is that the United States doesn't seem to muster protest movements like we're seeing in Europe and in a number of Arab countries. The headline and image on their website: If you … Continue reading →

Posted in CounterSpin, Newsweek | 4 Comments

NBC's Investigation of Patriot Act

Posted on 05/31/2011 by Peter Hart

There was some Congressional debate over extending certain parts of the Patriot Act last week– this Institute for Public Accuracy release is a helpful guide to some of the criticisms of the Act. But don't let anyone tell you there … Continue reading →

Posted in NBC | Tagged , | 10 Comments

The Things That Roger Ailes Fears…

Posted on 05/31/2011 by Peter Hart

According to Tim Dickinson's new piece in Rolling Stone, Fox honcho Roger Ailes lives in fear of "those gays": Murdoch installed Ailes in the corner office on Fox's second floor at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan. The location … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, LGBT, magazines | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

MSNBC: War Crimes Arrest and Henry Kissinger

Posted on 05/28/2011 by Peter Hart

A good friend of FAIR happened to catch this segment on MSNBC. Turns out it was a false alarm; the noted Peace Prize winner was a guest, talking about another war criminal.

Posted in MSNBC | Tagged | 5 Comments

NPR Journalists Worry About (Some) Money

Posted on 05/27/2011 by Peter Hart

NPR ombud Alicia Shepard has a piece (5/25/11) about internal discomfort with a recent $1.8 million grant from the George Soros-connected Open Society Foundation. Shepard writes: The money is for a worthy purpose. NPR is using the two-year grant as … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Business, NPR | Tagged , | 21 Comments

MSNBC Misogyny

Posted on 05/26/2011 by Peter Hart

MSNBC host Ed Schultz has been suspended without pay for a week for calling right-wing pundit Laura Ingraham a "right-wing slut" on his radio show. Schultz apologized on MSNBC last night, calling his words "terribly vile." This is not a … Continue reading →

Posted in Gender, MSNBC | Tagged , , , | 33 Comments

The Curious Case of the CIA Whistleblower

Posted on 05/26/2011 by Peter Hart

Every so often reports surface about the Justice Department's prosecution of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling–often due to the government's attempts to convince New York Times reporter James Risen to testify about his interactions with Sterling. The Times reported on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Media Criticism, New York Times | Tagged , | 2 Comments

'Obama Can't Win' Author Sees 2012 Defeat

Posted on 05/25/2011 by Peter Hart

On the Wall Street Journal op-ed page, conservative pundit Shelby Steele lays out the argument that Barack Obama's blackness is a unique asset that makes him difficult to beat in 2012. The argument–which, on some level, is worth taking seriously–is … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Election, Wall Street Journal | Tagged | 19 Comments

Friedman's Bogus Advice on Palestinian Nonviolence

Posted on 05/25/2011 by Peter Hart

In today's New York Times (5/25/11), columnist Tom Friedman issues yet another call for Palestinians to practice non-violence: May I suggest a Tahrir Square alternative? Announce that every Friday from today forward will be "Peace Day," and have thousands of … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine, New York Times | Tagged | 33 Comments

Gingrich Out of Touch With 'Rest of America'–but So Is NYT

Posted on 05/25/2011 by Jim Naureckas

The New York Times (5/25/11) is reporting, perhaps accurately, that Newt Gingrich may have trouble living down his $500,000 credit line at Tiffany's. But this sentence by Sheryl Gay Stolberg is so Timesian: The way some voters out in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Election | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Sorkin Gets the Scoop Direct From His CEO Pal

Posted on 05/24/2011 by Peter Hart

There have been a lot of complaints about New York Times business reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin being too cozy with the Wall Street powers that he's covering. Some of those critics are in-house; a New York magazine article went so … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Media Criticism, NBC, New York Times | Tagged , | 7 Comments

New NYT Columnist's Bush-Boosting History

Posted on 05/24/2011 by Peter Hart

Frank Bruni has been named the new Sunday op-ed columnist at the New York Times. Bruni has been writing restaurant reviews for the past few years, but came to a lot of people's attention as the reporter covering the 2000 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Media Criticism, New York Times | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

PBS's New Plan: More Intrusive Ads

Posted on 05/24/2011 by Peter Hart

The public broadcasting newspaper Current (5/18/11) reports that public television–you know, the non-commercial outlet–will start airing more commercials: The move could be controversial for the network, which has traditionally prided itself on offering uninterrupted programming over its 40-year history. PBS … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertisers, Media Criticism | Tagged , | 36 Comments