Category Archives: MSNBC

NYT Critical Spotlight on Tanton Gives His Anti-Immigrant Groups a Pass

Posted on 04/18/2011 by Julie Hollar

The Sunday New York Times (4/17/11) ran a big front-page piece on John Tanton, founder of the anti-immigration organizations Federation for American Immigration Reform and Center for Immigration Studies. I guess it's positive that someone in corporate media is finally … Continue reading →

Posted in Immigration, MSNBC, New York Times | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Maddow Wonders Why Libyan Journalists Aren't Being Targeted

Posted on 04/05/2011 by Jim Naureckas

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow had a discussion last week (3/31/11) about the U.S. role in the Libya War with Col. Jack Jacobs, an MSNBC military consultant. Jacobs described the U.S. military's "ability to jam communications that take place between units or … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, Libya, MSNBC | Tagged , | 16 Comments

GE Avoids Reporting on GE Avoiding Taxes

Posted on 03/28/2011 by Peter Hart

You may have heard about the New York Times report (3/25/11) explaining that General Electric made $14 billion in worldwide profits in 2010–and paid the federal government exactly nothing in taxes. The Times explained this is"based on an aggressive strategy … Continue reading →

Posted in MSNBC, NBC, Taxes | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

Libya, Lockerbie and the Fox/MSNBC Convergence

Posted on 03/22/2011 by Peter Hart

U.S. airstrikes in Libya have brought renewed focus on the 1988 explosion of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Some are making the argument that the U.S. could–and should–be getting revenge for this act a mere 22 years later. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, Iran, Libya, MSNBC | Tagged , , | 32 Comments

The Right Way to Support a Friendly Dictator…er, 'Strongman'

Posted on 02/07/2011 by Peter Hart

From the Friday broadcast of the PBS NewsHour (2/4/11) came a discussion about how the U.S. supports dictators–which elicited some chuckles. Remember, Mark Shields is the one who plays the "left" on the program. MARK SHIELDS: Just one little point … Continue reading →

Posted in Egypt, Media Criticism, MSNBC, PBS | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Arab TV vs. Polite People Like You

Posted on 02/01/2011 by Peter Hart

An accidentally revealing moment fromRachel Maddow's interview with Martin Indyk of the Brookings Institution last night (MSNBC, 1/31/11): MADDOW: Well, let me ask you about one tactical question in this diplomatic dance, I guess. Are American officials making appearances on … Continue reading →

Posted in MSNBC | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

O'Reilly: The Real Problem Is MSNBC

Posted on 01/11/2011 by Peter Hart

Last night (O'Reilly Factor, 1/10/11), Bill O'Reillytalking to Brit Hume: O'REILLY: We have a network, an entire network that's built around attacking Fox News and right-wing people. That's all they do at MSNBC. They have nothing else. HUME: How's that … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, MSNBC, New York Times | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

With Short Memories, Violent Tone of Media Unlikely to Change

Posted on 01/10/2011 by Peter Hart

One theme in the coverage of the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffordsconcerns whether the tone of the political debate will change. That's probably going to happen in the short-term. A long-term shift is unlikely. There have been frequent allusions … Continue reading →

Posted in MSNBC, radio | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

No, Senator, You Can't 'End' Fox–But Do We Have to Pay for It?

Posted on 11/18/2010 by Peter Hart

Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia caused a bit of an uproar at a hearing yesterday. As Brian Stelter reported at his New York Times blog (11/17/10), Rockefeller mused: There's a little bug inside of me which wants to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, MSNBC | Tagged , | 35 Comments

Olbermann and the Cult of Objectivity

Posted on 11/16/2010 by Jim Naureckas

I agree with Keith Olbermann (11/15/10) about the dubious value of "objectivity" as a journalistic value; he makes a telling point about how journalistic icons like Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow are most honored for the moments when they … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, MSNBC, War/Military | Tagged , | 41 Comments

Political Donations Are OK for Executives, Who Don't Influence News…on Some Other Planet

Posted on 11/12/2010 by Peter Hart

MSNBC host Keith Olbermann's indefinite suspension for violating network policies regarding political donations lasted all of two work days. On his Wednesday show (11/10/10), Olbermannbrought up the point that FAIR made in our alert–the difficulty of squaring such a policy … Continue reading →

Posted in MSNBC | Tagged , , , | 24 Comments

FAIR Out There

Posted on 11/09/2010 by Peter Hart

–On Democracy Now! (11/8/10): While Keith Olbermann's donations became front-page news, little attention has been paid to the massive amount of political spending by MSNBC's parent company General Electric, one of the nation's largest military contractors. Fairness & Accuracy In … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism, MSNBC, NPR | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Action Alert: NBC/GE's Double Standards on Political Donations

Posted on 11/05/2010 by Jim Naureckas

MSNBC has suspended host Keith Olbermann for making political contributions–even though GE/NBC executives and fellow MSNBC host Joe Scarborough has made similar donations. If you'd like to urge MSNBC to follow a consistent standard, see FAIR's Action Alert (11/5/10). And … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Activism, MSNBC | Tagged , | 73 Comments

Undocumented Labor in Lou Dobbs' Backyard

Posted on 10/08/2010 by Krystle Manintveld

Isabel Macdonald, a former FAIR staff member, published an article in the Nation (10/7/10) revealing that undocumented workers had been landscaping Lou Dobbs' Florida home and looking after his daughter's show horses. As a hardline commentator on the issue of … Continue reading →

Posted in Immigration, MSNBC | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Chris Matthews' Role in MSNBC's Donahue Firing

Posted on 10/08/2010 by Peter Hart

Gabriel Sherman's piece in New York magazine (10/3/10) on the cable news wars includes a bit of history on MSNBC's firing of progressive host Phil Donahue in 2003; an internal memo at the timeworried that the showwould be "a home … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, MSNBC, War/Military | Tagged , | 44 Comments