Category Archives: Taxes

Obama Plan=Class Warfare? NBC Asks a Billionaire

Posted on 09/26/2011 by Peter Hart

At the top of Meet the Press yesterday (9/25/11), NBC anchor David Gregory announced one of the topics to come: Is the president's plan basic fairness or class warfare? As with too many other media debates, an absurd proposition–that returning … Continue reading →

Posted in NBC, Taxes | Tagged , , , , , | 21 Comments

Krauthammer, the Real Obama and a Fake Question

Posted on 09/23/2011 by Peter Hart

Charles Krauthammer's column today in the Washington Post ("Return of the Real Obama," 9/23/11) reveals the Barack Obama, who's apparently been hidden away for the past few years: In a 2008 debate, Charlie Gibson asked Barack Obama about his support … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, Barack Obama, Taxes, Washington Post | Tagged , | 22 Comments

Tax Facts About Millionaires–and Bill O'Reilly's Threat

Posted on 09/21/2011 by Peter Hart

Yesterday's AP "factcheck" (9/20/11) of Barack Obama's speech about raising taxes on the super-wealthy cleverly debunked an argument that Obama didn't make. No one is saying that all millionaires pay a lower rate than their secretaries–Warren Buffett drew attention because … Continue reading →

Posted in AP, Fox News, New York Times, Taxes | Tagged , | 21 Comments

AP's Mangled Tax Factcheck

Posted on 09/20/2011 by Peter Hart

Yesterday Barack Obama made a speech outlining his deficit reduction plan–focusing attention on a variety of spending cuts and tax increases. The Associated Press, as is their habit, issued a "factcheck" piece by Stephen Ohlemacher that managed to bungle the … Continue reading →

Posted in AP, Barack Obama, Taxes | Tagged , | 19 Comments

Protest Seen and Not Heard

Posted on 09/16/2011 by Peter Hart

There's a category of media criticism we've often called "Seen and Not Heard." It's usually a protest that's covered via a photo and caption, with no accompanying story to inform readers about what seems like an important issue. I came … Continue reading →

Posted in Taxes, Washington Post | Tagged , | 24 Comments

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

NYT's Imaginary GOP Tax Shift

Posted on 07/05/2011 by Peter Hart

"2 Republicans Open Door to Increases in Revenue" reads a headline in Monday's New York Times. The suggestion is that a few Republicans are walking away from the the party's no-tax-hike orthodoxy. That much is clear from John Broder's lead: … Continue reading →

Posted in New York Times, Taxes | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Connecticut Lurches Left–From the NYT's Center-Right POV

Posted on 06/09/2011 by Jim Naureckas

"Connecticut is closing out its most activist, liberal legislative session in memory," Peter Applebome reports in the New York Times (6/8/11), with "the largest tax increase in Connecticut history" as the centerpiece of his case. "They decided to tear up … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, New York Times, Taxes | Tagged , | 9 Comments

To WaPo, Popular Tax Hikes for Wealthy Are Political Dynamite

Posted on 05/16/2011 by Peter Hart

Corporate media coverage of tax/budget issues often seems to be an argument between right-leaning Democrats and conservative Republicans. In the midst of a national discussion of budget deficits, raising taxes on the wealthy is considered a non-starter–even though most Americans … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Taxes, Washington Post | Tagged | 6 Comments

NYT's Sorkin Hasn't Heard of the People's Budget

Posted on 05/16/2011 by Peter Hart

New York Times business reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin wrote a piece on Sunday (5/15/11) that tried to advance the argument that $250,000 actually isn't that much money to make in a year. The complaint is that politicians who advocate raising … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, New York Times, Taxes | Tagged , | 15 Comments

'Courageous,' 'Bold,' 'Serious' Paul Ryan–Booed?

Posted on 04/22/2011 by Steve Rendall

Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan (R.-Wisc.) is used to being celebrated by pundits for his "courageous," "bold," "serious" budget proposals (even though his numbers don't add up). Indeed, Ryan has become a genuine media darling. So it must have been a … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Taxes | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Dana Milbank Red-Baits the People's Budget

Posted on 04/14/2011 by Peter Hart

Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank seems to like to mock progressives almost as much as he likes to go after Glenn Beck. So it's no surprise that he turned out to "cover" the unveiling of a budget plan by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Taxes, Washington Post | Tagged , , | 29 Comments

NBC Viewers Finally Learn About GE's Tax-Dodging–Sort Of

Posted on 04/01/2011 by Peter Hart

There's been plenty of talk about NBC's decision to skip the news about General Electric's ability to make huge profits and pay zero taxes. Now, it's possible that everyoneat NBC misplaced theircopies of the March 25 New York Times, but … Continue reading →

Posted in NBC, Taxes | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

NYT's Labor Reporter Pits 'Swaggering' Public Workers Against 'Taxpayers'

Posted on 04/01/2011 by Steve Rendall

In a mostly informative "news analysis" ("Ohio's Anti-Union Law Is Tougher Than Wisconsin's," New York Times, 4/1/11) comparing new anti-union laws that restrict collective bargaining rights in Ohio and Wisconsin, New York Times labor and workplace correspondent Steven Greenhouse seems … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor, New York Times, Polling, Taxes | Tagged , , | 42 Comments

WaPo Looks at NBC's Noncoverage of GE

Posted on 03/30/2011 by Peter Hart

The Washington Post's Paul Farhi has a piece today (3/30/11) about NBC's non-coverage of the revelation that part-owner General Electric is making piles of money–and paying no federal taxes.I'm quoted in it. Farhi breaks it down, and gets an NBC … Continue reading →

Posted in NBC, Taxes, Washington Post | Tagged , | 6 Comments