Monthly Archives: July 2011

Could Hack Scandal Spell Trouble for Murdoch's U.S. TV Licenses?

Posted on 07/11/2011 by Peter Hart

As noted by an account on the TVNewser blog (7/11/11), on ABC's This Week panel there was some talk of Rupert Murdoch losing his U.S. television licenses over the News of the World phone hacking scandal. There is a "character … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, Media Criticism, NBC | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Is Japan Threatened by Anti-Nuke Politicians…or by Nukes?

Posted on 07/11/2011 by Peter Hart

I was struck by this headline in the Washington Post (7/10/11): Loss of Support for Nuclear Power Threatens Japan's Economy There are probably a lot of things that are threatening the Japanese economy–a massive, deadly earthquake and tsunami, for instance. … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear power, Washington Post | Tagged | 14 Comments

Newsweek Covers Egyptian Election…Via Israel

Posted on 07/11/2011 by Peter Hart

Here's the headline and subhead in a Newsweek piece (7/10/11) about the Egyptian presidential election: Egypt's Rising Power Player Amr Moussa is on track to succeed Mubarak. And that spells danger for Israel. Reporter Dan Ephron characterizes Moussa like this: … Continue reading →

Posted in Egypt, Israel/Palestine, Newsweek | Tagged , | 3 Comments

WaPost: Iraq 'Complicates' Withdrawal by Sticking to Plan

Posted on 07/11/2011 by Peter Hart

The current Status of Forces agreement calls for U.S. troops to be out of Iraq by the end of the year. The U.S. government wants to stay longer, and would seem to be pressuring the Iraqi government to ask them … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, Media Criticism, New York Times | Tagged | 4 Comments

Zakaria: All U.S. Presidents Support Democracy (Except When They Don't)

Posted on 07/08/2011 by Peter Hart

In the Washington Post (7/7/11), Fareed Zakaria tries to defend Barack Obama against the criticism that he needs a more consistent foreign policy. He writes: All American presidents have supported and should support the spread of democracy. The real question … Continue reading →

Posted in Washington Post | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

Questioning Obama: The Pros vs. the Tweeters

Posted on 07/07/2011 by Peter Hart

Barack Obama took questions via Twitter at an event yesterday. The queries they posed didn't impress everyone– Michael Shear of the New York Times wrote: Most of the Twitter queries were not very tough-minded and gave the president the opportunity … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Media Criticism | Tagged | 10 Comments

Jose Antonio Vargas and the 'I Word'

Posted on 07/05/2011 by Peter Hart

Reporter Jose Antonio Vargas wrote a moving piece for the New York Times magazine about his status as an undocumented immigrant. One hope is that his story might improve the tone and substance of media coverage of immigration; Vargas has … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, Immigration, New York Times | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

Is the Justice Department Holding Torturers Accountable?

Posted on 07/05/2011 by Peter Hart

The answer might depend on which media outlet you rely on. I read the headline at Democracy Now! on Friday: "Justice Dept Drops 99 of 101 Cases Against CIA for Abuse and Torture" The New York Times, on the other … Continue reading →

Posted in New York Times | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Ethan Bronner on the Non-Crisis in Gaza

Posted on 07/05/2011 by Peter Hart

When I saw the July 3 New York Times headline "Setting Sail on Gazaâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s Sea of Spin," I expected the worst. Times reporter Ethan Bronner's analysis piece on the Gaza humanitarian flotilla starts off predictably enough, saying there's blame to … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine, New York Times | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

Everyone Could Have a Mark Halperin Moment

Posted on 07/05/2011 by Peter Hart

The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza's curious take on the Mark Halperin affair: The truth of the Halperin matter is that all reporters (or others) who go on television frequently are forever in a 'there but for the grace of God … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

NYT's Imaginary GOP Tax Shift

Posted on 07/05/2011 by Peter Hart

"2 Republicans Open Door to Increases in Revenue" reads a headline in Monday's New York Times. The suggestion is that a few Republicans are walking away from the the party's no-tax-hike orthodoxy. That much is clear from John Broder's lead: … Continue reading →

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

WaPo Discovers UK Anti-Austerity Protests

Posted on 07/01/2011 by Peter Hart

The Washington Post reports today on a one day walkout by public sector workers: The strikes are the first major uprising over the Conservative-led governmentâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s ambitious plans to slash $128 billion in spending over the next four years. I don't … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | Tagged , | 11 Comments