Category Archives: Economy

Jonathan Karl Plays the Freddie/Fannie Blame Game

Posted on 11/21/2011 by Peter Hart

News that Newt Gingrich was receiving millions of dollars to advise Freddie Mac has to be a little unsettling for at least some conservative voters, who are accustomed to demonizing the government-sponsored entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for causing … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, Economy | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Media Get 'Lazy' Factchecking Rick Perry's Ad Claim

Posted on 11/18/2011 by Peter Hart

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry's new TV commercial is based on a lie. Will reporters say so? The ad starts with a Barack Obama quote: "We've been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades." To … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, CBS, Economy, Election, New York Times, Washington Post | Tagged , , , , | 24 Comments

Public TV's Biz Show Now Owned By….

Posted on 11/18/2011 by Peter Hart

The public TV show Nightly Business Report has gone through some serious changes over the past year or so–sold by the public station that had produced it for years to a somewhat mysterious private company run by an entrepreneur whose … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Media Business, PBS | Tagged | 2 Comments

Paul Krugman and the Ghost of the Supercommittee

Posted on 11/18/2011 by Peter Hart

Paul Krugman argues in the New York Times today (11/18/11) that the failure of the Congressional supercommittee might be a good thing, and that public understanding of what's really happening is hampered by a familiar media problem. He also makes … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Budget, New York Times, Taxes | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

GOP's Amazing Revenue-Reducing Tax 'Hike'

Posted on 11/16/2011 by Peter Hart

The general line in corporate media coverage of the so-called "Supercommittee" tasked with coming up with a long-term budget plan is that both sides aren't willing to budge: Republicans won't agree to raise taxes, and Democrats want to protect "entitlements" … Continue reading →

Posted in NBC, Taxes, Washington Post | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Tom Friedman: Wall Street Will Save Us From Wall Street

Posted on 11/09/2011 by Peter Hart

New York Times columnist Tom Friedman (11/9/11) went to India in order to appreciate how the grassroots movement to stamp out political corruption there is superior to Occupy Wall Street. Still, he sees a common thread: The world's two biggest … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, New York Times, Polling, protest | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

ABC Exclusive: Greek Fatcat Retirees Stealing From American Workers!

Posted on 11/04/2011 by Peter Hart

The November 1 broadcast of ABC World News couldn't have been any clearer about what's happening in Greece: Their pampered, early-retiring workforce is stealing from Americans. Anchor Diane Sawyer explained: If you were watching your stocks today, you saw a … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, Economy, Social Security | Tagged , , | 26 Comments

It's All Greek to Them

Posted on 11/02/2011 by Peter Hart

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou's call for a referendum on the EU bailout package seems to have prompted media outlets to rummage through their store of Greek cliches. The Washington Post's editorial against "Mr. Papandreou's ill-advised announcement of a referendum" … Continue reading →

Posted in CBS, CNBC, Economy, Europe, NBC, Washington Post | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

What Would Steve Jobs Do?

Posted on 11/01/2011 by Peter Hart

On the Meet the Press roundtable on Sunday (10/30/11), talk turned to Steve Jobs. And, as one might expect from the avalanche of hero worship that accompanied news of his death, the chatter concerned how we might all one day … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor, NBC, Taxes | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments

To WaPo, Social Security Is a Treacherous Money Sucker

Posted on 11/01/2011 by Peter Hart

On its Sunday front-page, the Washington Post published an incredibly dishonest attack on Social Security. Under the headline, "Social Security Adding Billions to U.S. Budget Woes," reporter Lori Montgomery reported that "Social Security passed a treacherous milestone"–a moment where the … Continue reading →

Posted in Social Security, Washington Post | Tagged , | 15 Comments

NYT: Trade Deals Are Big Job Creators

Posted on 10/28/2011 by Peter Hart

A New York Times story today (10/28/11) by Jennifer Steinhauer on the state of bipartisanship in Washington noted: Outside of a few recent flashes of light–the passage of three trade bills this month, and an agreement on patent reform–there have … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, New York Times, Trade | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

NYT Misses News in New NYT Poll

Posted on 10/26/2011 by Peter Hart

The New York Times has a fascinating new poll out today (10/26/11); too bad the paper doesn't emphasize the most newsworthy findings. The headline is: New Poll Finds a Deep Distrust of Government That's based on the poll's finding that … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, New York Times, Polling, Taxes | 14 Comments

A Tax Plan Favoring the Wealthy? That Would Never Fly

Posted on 10/26/2011 by Peter Hart

When he's not sharing his thoughts about Barack Obama's birth certificate, Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry is apparently unveiling a tax plan. It's a flat tax, with a few other details explained by the Washington Post (10/26/11): Perry also would … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Taxes, Washington Post | Tagged , | 15 Comments

Conservative Pundit Thinks Listeners Deserve Someone More Conservative

Posted on 10/21/2011 by Peter Hart

Conservative writer/commentator David Frum–the man responsible for writing the Bush "axis of evil" speech–has been doing left/right debates for the public radio show Marketplace. Until now, that is. This week (Marketplace, 10/12/11), Frum came to the conclusion that while he's … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, radio | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

O'Reilly as Paul Revere: '1 if by Land, 17 if by Sea'

Posted on 10/19/2011 by Peter Hart

The country is on the brink of bankruptcy, Fox host Bill O'Reilly warned last night–all because Barack Obama is spending too much money. Drastic cuts are required, but "the far-left loons want to spend more." And he's got the number … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Budget, Fox News, Taxes, Wall Street Journal | Tagged | 7 Comments