Category Archives: Election

Is the Election Over Yet?

Posted on 09/16/2011 by Peter Hart

From Time magazine's Rick Perry cover story (9/26/11): When you look at Perry, it's easy to picture him in an old Western. His late arrival in the primary field in August certainly felt like that moment when the big stranger … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Media Criticism, Time | Tagged | 33 Comments

More on CNN's Tea Party

Posted on 09/13/2011 by Peter Hart

The New York Times reported today (9/13/11) on the controversy, citing FAIR: But the CNN debate on Monday was the first event hosted jointly by a major news organization and a Tea Party group. And their partnership left some questioning … Continue reading →

Posted in CNN, Election, New York Times | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

Action Alert: Why Is CNN Partnering With Tea Party Express?

Posted on 09/12/2011 by Jim Naureckas

Send a message to CNN about the cable network's partnership with the Tea Party Express, a far-right group with a history of virulent racism, to produce a Republican presidential debate: See "CNN Throws a Tea Party," FAIR's latest Action Alert. … Continue reading →

Posted in CNN, Election, Media Activism | Tagged , | 109 Comments

What Do You Call a Guy Like Rick Perry?

Posted on 09/09/2011 by Peter Hart

Frontrunner-of-the-moment Rick Perry is getting a lot of press for his performance at the recent Republican debate–especially because he's standing by his belief that Social Security is a "monstrous lie" and a Ponzi scheme, and that climate change is an … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Election, Media Criticism, Social Security | Tagged , , , , | 41 Comments

The Fading Bachmann 'Momentum'

Posted on 09/09/2011 by Peter Hart

It seems like just yesterday that Michele Bachmann was in the "top tier," thanks to her narrow victory in the mostly meaningless Iowa straw poll. She had "momentum." Then came this week's debate and, well, things are looking different. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Washington Post | Tagged | 18 Comments

NYT TV Critic: Sharpton's Show Could Use More Misinformation

Posted on 08/31/2011 by Peter Hart

New York Times TV critic Alessandra Stanley has a piece (8/31/11) about Al Sharpton's debut as an MSNBC host. It seems his show, like others on the channel, could use more of a debate: On Monday Mr. Sharpton followed the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, MSNBC, New York Times | Tagged , | 24 Comments

Ron Paul in the Post–by the Numbers

Posted on 08/29/2011 by Peter Hart

Washington Post ombud Patrick Pexton dedicated his column this weekend (8/29/11) to addressing complaints about the skimpy coverage of Republican presidential contender Ron Paul. It's hard to argue with the numbers he's gathered: Still, the Postâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s coverage of Paul looks … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Washington Post | Tagged , , , | 31 Comments

Ron Paul Top Tier Shakeup!

Posted on 08/26/2011 by Peter Hart

There is little reason to care about what the polls say right now about who's leading in the Republican presidential nomination. But the media obviously think otherwise, hence this headline in the Washington Post yesterday (8/25/11): Romney Loses GOP Front-Runner … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Polling, Washington Post | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Rick Perry's Jobs 'Swagger'

Posted on 08/19/2011 by Peter Hart

On NBC Nightly News (8/16/11): ANDREA MITCHELL: Perry's Texas swagger is his calling card, bred of a hardscrabble boyhood on the family farm and Aggie roots at Texas A&M. Perry's chief claim to challenging President Obama is the Texas jobs … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Election, NBC | Tagged , , | 43 Comments

Politico's 'Obama to Destroy Romney' Piece Is, Well, 'Weird'

Posted on 08/09/2011 by Peter Hart

There's a lot of chatter–and presumably more to come–about this Politico story today (8/9/11): Obama Plan: Destroy Romney By Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin August 9, 2011 04:29 AM EDT Barack Obama's aides and advisers are preparing to center the … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Election | Tagged , , , | 7 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

Where Does Press Set Bar for Bachmann?

Posted on 07/29/2011 by Peter Hart

Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen wrote a rather apoplectic column about presidential candidate Michele Bachmann this week, lamenting the fact that other GOP candidates aren't calling her out for being completely ill-prepared for the job: Bachmann does not deserve to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Media Criticism, Time, Washington Post | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

The Secret of Rick Perry's Texas Jobs Miracle? Government Jobs

Posted on 07/27/2011 by Peter Hart

The speculation about whether Texas Gov. Rick Perry will jump into the Republican presidential race boils down to one word: Jobs. Perry's state has been generating jobs at an impressive rate–which Perry likes to think is due to low taxes … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Election, Media Criticism, Wall Street Journal | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Tom Friedman's Radical Center, 2012 Edition

Posted on 07/25/2011 by Peter Hart

"Make Way for the Radical Center" is exactly the sort of headline that suggests a story one might want to skip. But this is a Tom Friedman column (7/24/11), so you know it's going to be good for…something. This time … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, New York Times | 17 Comments

Newsweek Touts Palin's Wonky Insights on the Price of Slim Jims

Posted on 07/13/2011 by Peter Hart

Will the outrages ever stop? Newsweek's "I Can Win" cover story about Sarah Palin is awful. But Palin fans will have a hard time trying to figure out how to square this puff piece with the notion that the mainstream … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Media Criticism, Newsweek | Tagged , | 17 Comments