Monthly Archives: August 2011

Bill O'Reilly and the Imaginary Bush Tax Cut Windfall

Posted on 08/09/2011 by Peter Hart

Fox host Bill O'Reilly laughs off any calls for increasing government spending to help create jobs. Last week he derided Paul Krugman for demanding more stimulus spending. And this guy teaches economics at Princeton University? Unbelievable. People like Bill O'Reilly … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Fox News, Media Criticism, Taxes | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

'Deadliest Day' in Afghanistan? Not by a Long Shot

Posted on 08/09/2011 by Jim Naureckas

August 6, 2011, when 38 soldiers, including 30 U.S. troops, were killed when their helicopter was shot down, was the "deadliest day" of the Afghan War, several media outlets told us: David Muir (ABC World News Saturday, 8/6/11): "It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, War/Military | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

'Hard Choices' and the Budget Cuts Left Off the Table

Posted on 08/09/2011 by Peter Hart

There is no shortage of pundits like Robert Samuelson who demand cuts to Social Security and Medicare, usually in the name of balancing the budget. These political decisions are usually labeled "hard choices" in media discussions–as if politicians who favor … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, War/Military | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Tea Party: Raging Against the Wall Street/DC Machine?

Posted on 08/09/2011 by Peter Hart

Time's Michael Crowley deserves some credit for saying this about the Tea Party movement, in his piece about how they largely won the debt standoff: The Tea Party movement has proved not only that people can have their own facts … Continue reading →

Posted in CNBC, Media Criticism | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Richard Cohen: Even the Dow Jones Can't Make Obama Cry

Posted on 08/09/2011 by Peter Hart

There are plenty of thoughtful pieces–Drew Westen's in the New York Times over the weekend being the most recent one–that try to figure out what's going on with Barack Obama. Then there's Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen today (8/9/11), who … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Economy, Washington Post | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Covering the Verizon Strike: Are the Bosses Telling the Truth?

Posted on 08/08/2011 by Peter Hart

Labor disputes are often about compensation– salary and/or benefits. Management claims its employees are actually doing just fine, workers say otherwise. 45,000 Verizon workers are on strike on the East Coast over salary, pension and health benefits and collective bargaining … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor, New York Times | Tagged , | 24 Comments

Michele Bachmann: Covers Vs. Coverage

Posted on 08/08/2011 by Peter Hart

The right is apparently up in arms over this photo of Michele Bachmann that appears on the cover of this week's Newsweek: If someone wants to say this is an unflattering picture, fine. But Bachmann's supporters are unlikely to find … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Media Criticism, Politics | Tagged , | 21 Comments

Myth Informing Readers on Offshore Drilling

Posted on 08/05/2011 by Jim Naureckas

If the White House encouraged Americans to prevent colds by wearing sweaters, one would hope that media outlets would point out that there's no evidence that being chilly has anything to do with catching a cold. Likewise, if the Interior … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Environment, New York Times | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Anonymous Frankness at the Washington Post

Posted on 08/04/2011 by Peter Hart

U.S. officials seem to be making progress in convincing Iraqi politicians to let some troops stay in Iraq beyond the December withdrawal deadline. The Washington Post weighs in today (8/4/11) and gets some anonymous straight talk: "There seems to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, Media Criticism, Washington Post | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Senate Dems Getting Wise to Media's 'Balance' Bias?

Posted on 08/04/2011 by Peter Hart

There's an interesting piece by Alexander Bolton in the Hill (8/3/11) that suggests Senate Democrats are frustrated by the Beltway media's tendency to cover political standoffs between the parties as situations where everyone's to blame. Bolton writes: This frustration boiled … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Capitol Hill Rituals, Strange and Not-So-Strange

Posted on 08/03/2011 by Peter Hart

New York Times reporter Dan Barry has an "outsider visiting the Capitol" piece (8/3/11) about the strange things one encounters in the legislative sausage factory. In some rooms you are required to wear a necktie; others have no such rules. … Continue reading →

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

Action Alert: David Gregory Misinforms on Social Security

Posted on 08/02/2011 by Jim Naureckas

Amid tough competition from his corporate media colleagues, Meet the Press host David Gregory has stood out as a journalist who has consistently misinformed the public about the impact of Social Security and other entitlement programs on the deficit. To … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism, NBC, Social Security | Tagged | 38 Comments

Debt Ceilings and the 'Balance' Bias

Posted on 08/02/2011 by Peter Hart

There's been plenty written about how reporters skew reality by treating "both sides" as equally intransigent or inflexible when it comes to the budget deficit battle. Another example, from the L.A. Times today (8/2/11): For Republicans, it was preventing any … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, L.A. Times, NBC, Social Security | Tagged , | 39 Comments

PBS in the UK?

Posted on 08/02/2011 by Peter Hart

There was an interesting piece in the New York Times yesterday (8/1/11) by Elizabeth Jensen about plans to ship PBS programming across the pond. It's a hard concept to get your head around, especially if you're under the impression that … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Media Criticism, New York Times, PBS | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

To Post Ombud, Critics of 'Muslims Did It' Blogger Are the Real Monsters

Posted on 08/01/2011 by Peter Hart

Washington Post ombud Patrick Pexton weighed in yesterday (7/31/11) on the criticisms of right-wing Post blogger Jennifer Rubin. She was among a handful of media personalities who declared the Norway terror attacks to be the work of Muslim jihadists. As … Continue reading →

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