Monthly Archives: June 2011

USAT, Baker and Shell: Update

Posted on 06/09/2011 by Peter Hart

We noted here on June 3 that a USA Today column by former Secretary of States James Baker was missing some important disclosure. Baker argued that the United States needs to encourage more domestic oil drilling. Baker championed efforts by … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism, USA Today | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

WaPo's False Equivalence on Founder Misquotes

Posted on 06/08/2011 by Steve Rendall

"Senators, congressmen and even President Obama have misquoted the Founding Fathers in recent years," writes Washington Post reporter David A. Fahrenthold in a June 7 piece suggesting that there is a bipartisan trend of misquotation and misrepresentation of historical events. … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Politics | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Democracy Now!: Moyers on the Media

Posted on 06/08/2011 by Steve Rendall

Bill Moyers appeared on Democracy Now! this morning (6/8/11) to discuss his new book about his days at PBS, The Conversation Continues. Interviewed for the hour by anchors Any Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, Moyers said, "The consensual seduction of the … Continue reading →

Posted in PBS | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Fed a Line of Bull by the NYT

Posted on 06/08/2011 by Jim Naureckas

"Fed Wants Priority Put on Deficit" was the New York Times' headline over Binyamin Appelbaum's June 8 story on the front page of the business section. Summarizing a speech Fed chair Ben Bernanke gave the day before, Appelbaum wrote, "He … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Economy, New York Times | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Reading the Headlines When the Left Wins

Posted on 06/07/2011 by Peter Hart

Two elections, different outcomes, different headlines at the Wall Street Journal (6/6/11). When the left loses: Portugal Decisively Ends Leftist Rule Portugal on Sunday voted decisively to end six years of leftist rule, electing the country's main conservative party and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, L.A. Times, Latin America, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post | Tagged | 6 Comments

Sean Hannity and Scandalous Double Standards

Posted on 06/07/2011 by Peter Hart

Last night (6/6/11), Fox News host Sean Hannity was talking with WorldNetDaily's Joe Farah: FARAH: Charles Rangel is still in the House. Barney Frank is still in the House. Bill Clinton is getting awards. Gerry Studds got a standing ovation … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Richard Cohen, Oxymoron

Posted on 06/07/2011 by Peter Hart

Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen writes (6/7/11): I once worked for an editor who banned the word "oxymoron." I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know why. It's a good word, meaning a contradiction in terms. The dictionary offers some examples: "wise fool" and "legal … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Economy, Israel/Palestine, Washington Post | Tagged | 11 Comments

Ron Paul Gets Covered in the New York Times

Posted on 06/07/2011 by Peter Hart

In the New York Times corrections box (6/7/11): An article on Monday about Rick Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, omitted the name of one of the other declared candidates, who number six, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, New York Times | Tagged , | 7 Comments

ABC's Raddatz, Citing Her 'Combat Mission,' Says Bombs Must Go On

Posted on 06/06/2011 by Peter Hart

Afghan president Hamid Karzai denounced once again U.S./NATO airstrikes that killed civilians. In this recent incident, 14 were killed, including 11 children. This prompted ABC World News anchor Diane Sawyer (5/31/11) to call in ABC reporters to sort things out, … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, Afghanistan, War/Military | Tagged , | 23 Comments

Drilling for Disclosure on USA Today's Op-Ed Page

Posted on 06/03/2011 by Peter Hart

The headline above this USA Today op-ed read like a slightly wordier version of a Sarah Palin bumper sticker slogan: "Cut the Red Tape: Free Up Oil Drilling in Alaska." The author is former George H.W. Bush Secretary of State … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, USA Today | Tagged , | 17 Comments

Politico Uses Anonymous Sources to Attack Hersh…for Using Anonymous Sources

Posted on 06/03/2011 by Steve Rendall

Seymour Hersh reports in the New Yorker (6/6/11–subscription required) that there is s virtually no evidence Iran has a nuclear weapons program, despite huge efforts on the part of the U.S. to prove otherwise. Though Hersh's findings do not contradict … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet, Iran | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

WaPo Reports Good News for WaPo Co.

Posted on 06/03/2011 by Peter Hart

A headline today at the Washington Post (6/3/11) reads, "A Reprieve for Higher-Ed Companies?" A more honest headline might have been, "A Reprieve for Us?" The story discusses congressional action on a bill that would increase oversight of private, for-profit … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Media Criticism, Washington Post | Tagged | 4 Comments

Bill Moyers' Worst Hour Is Charlie Rose's Typical Show

Posted on 06/03/2011 by Peter Hart

On the Daily Show on June 1, Bill Moyers talked about the types of outsider guests he preferred to interview on his TV show. As he put it at one point: "The worst hour that I ever put on, was … Continue reading →

Posted in PBS | Tagged , , | 35 Comments

NYT Explains German Nuclear Irrationality

Posted on 06/03/2011 by Peter Hart

The New York Times' Alan Cowell had a piece (6/2/11) about public opposition to nuclear power in Germany, and the fact that the country's political leadership has decided to establish policies that conform to that sentiment. It apparently left the … Continue reading →

Posted in New York Times, Nuclear power, Washington Post | Tagged | 29 Comments

Sunday Mornings Lurch to the Right

Posted on 06/02/2011 by Jim Naureckas

Of the 24 members of Congress who have appeared three or more times in 2011 on any of the five Sunday morning shows (i.e., CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox or CNN), according to Roll Call's ongoing tally, 16, or two-thirds, have … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, NBC | Tagged | 20 Comments