Category Archives: Cable TV

Bill O'Reilly and the Invention of the Internet

Posted on 03/02/2012 by Peter Hart

Last night Fox's Bill O'Reilly (3/1/12) asked guest Tamara Draut from the think tank Demos to name just one green energy success story. She tried to resist the question, explaining that in some cases, the benefits of government funding can … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, Internet, War/Military | Tagged , , | 37 Comments

Bizarre Record of Fox's Rape-to-Be-Expected Pundit

Posted on 02/15/2012 by Steve Rendall

Liz Trotta, a Fox News contributor and former Washington Times editor, drew attention this week (2/12/12) when she suggested that women serving in the U.S. military should expect to be sexually assaulted by their male counterparts: But while all of … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Fox News, Gender, War/Military | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Bill O'Reilly Admits He Has 'No Blanking Idea'

Posted on 02/14/2012 by Peter Hart

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly celebrated the release of the White House budget by demonstrating on last night's program (2/13/12) that there are a lot of things doesn't understand. Or at least pretends not to understand. He started by making … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Fox News, Media Criticism | Tagged | 12 Comments

Bill O'Reilly vs. Reality on Planned Parenthood

Posted on 02/06/2012 by Peter Hart

It was inevitable that Fox host Bill O'Reilly would weigh in on the Planned Parenthood/Komen Foundation controversy. And perhaps just as inevitable that he'd mangle the facts along the way. Here he is, on Friday night (2/3/12): Last year the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, Gender, Media Criticism | Tagged , , , | 41 Comments

Rooting for Newt?

Posted on 01/23/2012 by Peter Hart

To me, the most interesting observation after the South Carolina primary came from New York magazine reporter and regular TV pundit John Heilemann, who said this on MSNBC (h/t Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars): Gingrich is going to get … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, MSNBC | Tagged , , , | 24 Comments

NYT's Apple Debate Factcheck, Without Facts

Posted on 01/20/2012 by Peter Hart

If Arthur Brisbane wants the Times to consider becoming factchecking 'truth vigilantes," this is hopefully not what he had in mind. At last night's Republican debate (1/19/12), CNN host John King asked the candidates how they would convince a corporation … Continue reading →

Posted in China, CNN, New York Times | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

O'Reilly's Comes to Romney's Aid on Taxes–Armed with Inaccuracies

Posted on 01/19/2012 by Peter Hart

Mitt Romney might need some help defending his considerable wealth or controversial career in private equity. But he doesn't need the kind of help Bill O'Reilly is offering. Mitt Romney's declaration that he pays about a 15 percent tax rate … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Fox News, Taxes | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Newsweek's Surprising Media Advice: Watch More Al Jazeera

Posted on 01/10/2012 by Peter Hart

In its new issue, Newsweek puts this as #4 on their list of "31 Ways To Get Smarter In 2012": 4. Get News from Al Jazeera Don't shut yourself out from new ideas. A 2009 study found that viewers of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News | Tagged , | 11 Comments

New Audio of Hannity's Homophobic History

Posted on 01/03/2012 by Steve Rendall

Sean Hannity got his start in radio on UC Santa Barbara's KCSB in the late 1980s, where he got in trouble for promoting homophobia and disinformation about HIV and AIDS. I wrote about this in a 2003 Extra! profile of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, LGBT, radio | Tagged | 10 Comments

Pentagon Investigates Pentagon Pundits Scandal

Posted on 01/03/2012 by Peter Hart

On December 25, New York Times reporter David Barstow filed this update on the scandal that he broke back in 2008: A Pentagon public relations program that sought to transform high-profile military analysts into "surrogates" and "message force multipliers" for … Continue reading →

Posted in CNN, New York Times, War/Military | Tagged , , | 32 Comments

CBS, Panetta and (Hypothetical) Iranian Nukes

Posted on 12/21/2011 by Peter Hart

The Monday broadcast of CBS Evening News (12/19/11) began with big news, with anchor Scott Pelley announcing: The secretary of Defense says tonight that the United States will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. In an interview with … Continue reading →

Posted in CBS, Election, Fox News, Iran | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

The New Anti-Corporate Populism Isn't So New

Posted on 12/16/2011 by Peter Hart

Last night (12/15/11), MSNBC hosts Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes were impressed by a new Pew poll–flagged by Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent–showing that a vast majority of the public believes that corporations and the wealthy have too much power. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, MSNBC, Politics | Tagged , | 16 Comments

Do as Bill O'Reilly Does and He'll Hit You With His Umbrella

Posted on 12/09/2011 by Steve Rendall

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly claims he was accosted by a "screaming" man "armed with a cell phone camera" on December 7 while walking to a media party at the White House in Washington, D.C. On his show the next … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News | Tagged , | 29 Comments

Fox News Goes to the Middle (and Other Fantasies)

Posted on 12/06/2011 by Peter Hart

Is Fox News Channel going soft? In an election year? Some media figures seem to think the hard-right channel is going to the "middle," but this seems to be a figment of the centrist imagination. New York magazine's Gabriel Sherman … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Fox News, Immigration, New York | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

A Fox News Blacklist?

Posted on 11/23/2011 by Peter Hart

Conservative David Frum writes in the new issue of New York: Back in 2009, I wrote a piece for Newsweek arguing that Republicans would regret conceding so much power to Rush Limbaugh. Until that point, Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢d been a frequent guest … Continue reading →

Posted in Fox News, New York | Tagged , , | 12 Comments