Monthly Archives: August 2011

The Libya Rebels and Al-Qaeda, Anonymously

Posted on 08/31/2011 by Peter Hart

FAIR editor Jim Naureckas tweeted recently, "NATO's installation of an Al Qaeda-friendly government in Libya is one of 2011's most underreported stories." He's got a point. The Washington Post today published a pretty interesting look at how the Libyan government … Continue reading →

Posted in Libya, Washington Post | Tagged , | 8 Comments

NYT TV Critic: Sharpton's Show Could Use More Misinformation

Posted on 08/31/2011 by Peter Hart

New York Times TV critic Alessandra Stanley has a piece (8/31/11) about Al Sharpton's debut as an MSNBC host. It seems his show, like others on the channel, could use more of a debate: On Monday Mr. Sharpton followed the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, MSNBC, New York Times | Tagged , | 24 Comments

Libya and Terrorist Signatures

Posted on 08/30/2011 by Peter Hart

Under the headline "Nations Hope Veil Lifts From Libya's History of Terrorism," John Burns writes in today's New York Times (8/30/11): Television footage of the only man convicted in the Lockerbie bombing lying in bed, purportedly comatose with advanced prostate … Continue reading →

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

Hurricanes and Climate Change? Close That Door!

Posted on 08/30/2011 by Peter Hart

In case you were wondering whether Irene sparked any discussions of climate change, here's a moment from the panel discussion on ABC's This Week (8/30/11): RON BROWNSTEIN (National Journal): Do we want to get into a global warming and a … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, Climate Change, Media Criticism | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Ron Paul in the Post–by the Numbers

Posted on 08/29/2011 by Peter Hart

Washington Post ombud Patrick Pexton dedicated his column this weekend (8/29/11) to addressing complaints about the skimpy coverage of Republican presidential contender Ron Paul. It's hard to argue with the numbers he's gathered: Still, the Postâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s coverage of Paul looks … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Washington Post | Tagged , , , | 31 Comments

Zakaria, Libya and Iraq: Don't Remember What I Wrote

Posted on 08/26/2011 by Peter Hart

Fareed Zakaria cheers the Libya War in Time magazine this week for not following the Iraq model: It has been prosecuted with the memory of the Iraq war firmly in mind. Only this time the approach has been to view … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, Libya, Newsweek, Time | Tagged | 19 Comments

O'Keefe's Bogus NPR Sting Lives On

Posted on 08/26/2011 by Peter Hart

Jesse Jackson had some tough criticism for the Tea Party movement at a Martin Luther King event on Thursday. USA Today's Melanie Eversley covered his remarks, getting a Tea Party activist to respond to his criticism. The piece then added … Continue reading →

Posted in NPR, Race, USA Today | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

Why Is Israel Bombing Gaza?

Posted on 08/26/2011 by Peter Hart

The coverage of the Israeli attacks on Gaza is following some predictable patterns. The New York Times has a headline today (8/26/11), "Israeli Strikes in Retaliation Kill Nine Gazans." Readers should ask: Retaliation for what? It's widely understood that this … Continue reading →

Posted in Egypt, Israel/Palestine, Media Criticism, New York Times, NPR | Tagged | 15 Comments

Ron Paul Top Tier Shakeup!

Posted on 08/26/2011 by Peter Hart

There is little reason to care about what the polls say right now about who's leading in the Republican presidential nomination. But the media obviously think otherwise, hence this headline in the Washington Post yesterday (8/25/11): Romney Loses GOP Front-Runner … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Polling, Washington Post | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Corporations Want to Create Jobs (and Other Myths)

Posted on 08/26/2011 by Peter Hart

New York Times reporter Jennifer Steinhauer takes a look (8/26/11) at U.S. trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama that are currently languishing in Congress. The piece calls them "free-trade" agreements, which is generally misleading: Trade deals usually involve … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism, New York Times | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

NYT Quake Reporter: Don't Worry, Be Happy

Posted on 08/24/2011 by Jim Naureckas

The New York Times' Katharine Seelye begins her report (8/24/11) on yesterday's Virginia-centered earthquake with a dangerous inaccuracy: Of all the things there are to worry about, earthquakes are fairly low on the list for those on the East Coast. … Continue reading →

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

News Report: Costly, Unnecessary Regulations Are Strangling the Economy

Posted on 08/24/2011 by Peter Hart

OK, that headline reflects one of the most common right-wing complaints against the Obama administration. (See Bill O'Reilly's bullet point on Monday: "Increased federal regulations: Cutting into profits and causing banks to hoard, not lend money.") That's the right-wing argument, … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, USA Today | Tagged , | 31 Comments

NYT Points Out 'Racist Overtones' in Libyan Disinformation It Helped Spread

Posted on 08/24/2011 by Peter Hart

Today's New York Times has a story by David Kirkpatrick and Rod Norland running down the exaggerations and misinformation that have been spread throughout the Libya War. There's been "spin from all sides," they report. Gadhafi's exaggerations are well-known, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Libya, New York Times, Race | Tagged , , | 36 Comments

Fairness Doctrine Dead: Misconceptions Live On

Posted on 08/22/2011 by Peter Hart

The FCC announced it was doing away with dozens of rules today, including the Fairness Doctrine–perhaps one of the most widely misunderstood media policy concepts of all time. As the Hollywood Reporter put it: Bound to get the most attention … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism, Media policy | Tagged , | 25 Comments

ProPublica's False Balance on Economic Myths

Posted on 08/19/2011 by Steve Rendall

ProPublica's factcheck of seven economic myths facing the country makes some good points: Taxes aren't going up, for instance. Some of the "myths" are a bit muddled: "The stimulus has been full of/free of fraud, waste and abuse." Is someone … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism | Tagged | 4 Comments