Monthly Archives: June 2011

Why Did Mark Halperin Call Obama a Dick?

Posted on 06/30/2011 by Peter Hart

Time magazine's Mark Halperin called Barack Obama a dick on MSNBC this morning. The video clip is posted all over the web today, and Halperin and MSNBC have both apologized. Forget about that for a second, and ponder why Halperin … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama | Tagged , | 98 Comments

Hugo Chavez's Diabolical Conspiracies

Posted on 06/30/2011 by Peter Hart

The Washington Post's Juan Forero comments today (6/30/11) on how Hugo Chavez's illness means that he's off television: Chavez governs like the host of a reality show, cameras always rolling as he presides over summits, hectors opponents and warns of … Continue reading →

Posted in Venezuela, Washington Post | Tagged , , | 30 Comments

New Action Alert: CBS and Factchecking Bachmann

Posted on 06/28/2011 by Peter Hart

FAIR has a new action alert about CBS Face the Nation and Michele Bachmann. Read it here, and if you write a letter to CBS please post it in the comments section below.

Posted in Media Criticism | 23 Comments

Andrew Breitbart Is an Ink Blot

Posted on 06/27/2011 by Peter Hart

That's not my opinion– that's what I learned reading the New York Times today (6/27/11). Jeremy Peters profiles the right-wing scam artist, telling readers (emphasis added): Some of his reader-generated scoops have reverberated all the way to the halls of … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet, New York Times | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

To NYT, Tea Party's Talk Is More Newsworthy Than an Actual Progressive Budget

Posted on 06/27/2011 by Peter Hart

"Tea Party Plans Its Own Debt Panel" reads a headline in today's New York Times (6/27/11), where reporter Kate Zernike described efforts by the well-financed right-wing lobbying group FreedomWorks to organize a debt commission that will come up with yet … Continue reading →

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

USAT Debates Afghan Withdrawal, Minus the Debate

Posted on 06/24/2011 by Peter Hart

USA Today has a piece today headlined "Drawdown's effects debated"– meaning the timetable for troop withdrawals from Afghanistan. The article starts with critical comments from U.S. military officials David Petraeus and Mike Mullen, who say they think the troop withdrawals … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Bill O'Reilly Makes a Mess of the Economic Mess

Posted on 06/24/2011 by Peter Hart

On last night's Fox show (6/23/11), O'Reilly gave viewers a lesson in… well, something: So why is this happening? Well, it all boils down to political philosophy. President Obama is a liberal guy who believes the feds should run the … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | Tagged , , | 35 Comments

USAT: Anti-war movement applauds Obama speech?

Posted on 06/23/2011 by Peter Hart

An analysis in USA Today (6/23/11) by Richard Wolf claims: President Obama's decision to remove 10,000 troops from Afghanistan this year and a total of 33,000 by next September was deemed a step in the right direction Wednesday by a … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, USA Today, War/Military | Tagged , | 17 Comments

NYT and the Pampered Public Worker's Pension

Posted on 06/22/2011 by Peter Hart

When you see a headline like "Public Unions Take On Boss to Win Big Pensions," you know what you're going to get– more scaremongering about runaway public employee pensions. The New York Times delivers, with a lengthy front-page piece by … Continue reading →

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

WaPo Defines Obama's Afghan War Mission

Posted on 06/22/2011 by Peter Hart

The headline in today's Post, previewing Obama's speech tonight: Obamaâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s challenge: Leaving, but not too quickly Funny how it's not the other way around– leaving too slowly would seem to be a larger political problem, given the state of public … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, War/Military, Washington Post | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Jon Huntsman Couldn't Possibly Run For President

Posted on 06/21/2011 by Peter Hart

I stumbled upon this ABC report not too long ago, and it seems especially timely given Huntsman's announcement today. It's not to say that ABC was uniquely off the mark. The point is that much of what passes for political … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Media Criticism | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

USA Today Misses the Point on Voter ID Laws

Posted on 06/21/2011 by Peter Hart

USA Today's Fredreka Schouten reports (6/20/11) on states adopting photo ID laws to crack down on the nearly non-existent problem of voter fraud. Schouten lays out the argument: Proponents say the measures prevent vote fraud. Opponents say they are designed … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | Tagged , | 6 Comments

We Are A Profit-Driven Industry

Posted on 06/21/2011 by Peter Hart

"I mean, we are a profit-driven industry. And if you want the most eyeballs, you have to go with the thing that people are most talking about. But if you're trying to do a quality program, then maybe you have … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | Tagged , | 15 Comments

Meet the Press–But Skip the Libya Debate

Posted on 06/20/2011 by Peter Hart

There is growing Congressional opposition to the Libya war. Two House votes this month sought to challenge the White House policy– one of which passed by a wide margin. On Saturday (6/18/11) Charlie Savage reported in the New York Times … Continue reading →

Posted in Libya, Media Criticism, NBC | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

LA Public TV: Less PBS, More Al Jazeera

Posted on 06/20/2011 by Peter Hart

Elizabeth Jensen has an interesting piece in the New York Times today (6/20/11) about Los Angeles public television station KCET. After deciding to cut its ties to PBS, the channel is experimenting with different programming options, including Al Jazeera English. … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism, PBS | Tagged , , | 10 Comments