Category Archives: Network TV

ABC and the (Still) Growing Iran Threat

Posted on 03/06/2012 by Peter Hart

ABC World News was responsible for a flagrantly propagandistic report about Iran on January 31. They're still at it. At the top of the March 5 report, anchor Diane Sawyer announced that Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, Iran | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

Rush and the Right: The 'Clown' GOP Leaders Fear

Posted on 03/05/2012 by Peter Hart

Rush Limbaugh's attack on Georgetown student Sandra Fluke–calling her, among other things, a "slut" for advocating for contraceptives coverage–has caused some stirrings on the right that are worth looking at. One outcome is the idea that Limbaugh's an outlier who … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, Gender, Healthcare, Media Criticism, Washington Post | Tagged , , , , | 28 Comments

No Fracking Way, CBS Evening News

Posted on 02/28/2012 by Peter Hart

The February 23 CBS Evening News segment on hydraulic fracturing gas drilling, better known as fracking, revealed how journalists can cover a highly controversial subject by removing the controversy. The report started off with references to high gasoline prices; the … Continue reading →

Posted in CBS, Environment | Tagged , , | 32 Comments

Apple's ABC Friends Get China Exclusive

Posted on 02/21/2012 by Peter Hart

With all the recent critical attention to Apple's manufacturing policies, it was perhaps only a matter of time before the company decided to push back.One way Apple might do this is by granting an "exclusive" to a media outlet that … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, China, Labor | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

ABC and the 'Family Budget' Fallacy

Posted on 02/14/2012 by Peter Hart

Last year New York Times columnist Paul Krugman (7/8/11) wrote a sharp critique of those who argue that the federal government's budget should be compared to a family. He called it one of the "right's favorite economic fallacies," pointing out: … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, Budget, Economy, Media Criticism | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Do TV Networks 'Practice' for War?

Posted on 02/13/2012 by Peter Hart

Alexander Cockburn's latest piece at CounterPunch (2/10/12) included this from a tipster: I was visiting ABC News the other day to see a friend who works on graphics. When I went to his room, he showed me all the graphics … Continue reading →

Posted in CBS, Iran, Media Criticism | Tagged , | 25 Comments

Meet the Press Turns to Billionaire Mayor as 'Independent Voice'

Posted on 02/06/2012 by Peter Hart

On the one hand, NBC's Meet the Press gives us Republican Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (2/5/12): DAVID GREGORY: Governor Daniels, one of the things you hear from the campaign trail, Mitt Romney said it just the other day, is that … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Economy, Election, NBC | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Iran: This Is What Propaganda Looks Like

Posted on 02/01/2012 by Peter Hart

Alarmist corporate media coverage of the "threat" from Iran is everywhere, thanks to a Senate appearance yesterday by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. But Clapper said very little in his remarks that would justify the propagandistic coverage we're seeing. … Continue reading →

Posted in ABC, Iran, Media Criticism, NBC, Wall Street Journal | Tagged , , , | 45 Comments

NBC's Curry on What 'Everyone' Knows About Iran

Posted on 01/30/2012 by Peter Hart

During an interview with Zbigniew Brzezinski (1/25/12), NBC's Today host Ann Curry said this: Well, one of the key topics that we have been hearing a lot about is all of this concern about Iran. You know what's been happening, … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, NBC | Tagged | 34 Comments

Shameless Self-Promotion on NBC Nightly 'News'

Posted on 01/30/2012 by Peter Hart

No comment. NBC Nightly News (1/29/12) LESTER HOLT: And a sign of the times tonight on a football field in Hawaii. The NFL is relaxing its strict social media policy and allowing players to use Twitter to interact with fans … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet, Media Criticism, NBC, sports | Tagged | 5 Comments

David Gregory's House of Pain

Posted on 01/30/2012 by Peter Hart

At a time when millions of Americans are are experiencing massive unemployment, a painfully slow economic recovery, wage stagnation and the after-effects of the bursting of a multi-trillion dollar housing bubble, isn't it time someone demanded that they suffer a … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Economy, NBC, Social Security | Tagged , | 29 Comments

Pentagon Budgets and Fuzzy Math

Posted on 01/27/2012 by Peter Hart

By the tone of some of the media coverage, you might have thought Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced a plan to slash military spending yesterday. On the front page of USA Today (1/27/12), under the headline "Panetta Backs Far Leaner … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, McClatchy, New York Times, PBS, USA Today, War/Military, Washington Post | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Dubious Pipeline Assertions Become USA Today Headlines

Posted on 01/19/2012 by Peter Hart

Today's front page of USA Today: The paper adds that "Obama was putting politics ahead of jobs and the nation's energy security by rejecting the pipeline now, Republicans and oil industry leaders said." It closes with this: Business leaders and … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, CBS, Economy, Environment, USA Today | Tagged , , , | 46 Comments

PBS, NPR Try to Defend Iran Distortions

Posted on 01/17/2012 by Peter Hart

Evaluating reporting and commentary about Iran could be reduced to one simple rule: There is no evidence that Iran is working on a nuclear weapon. Statements that suggest otherwise are misleading. Reports that fail to point this out are doing … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, NPR, PBS | Tagged , , , , , , , | 52 Comments

PBS's Dishonest Iran Edit

Posted on 01/10/2012 by Peter Hart

As if tensions between the United States and Iran weren't high enough, here's PBS NewsHour anchor Margaret Warner (1/9/12): The Iranian government insists that its nuclear activities are for peaceful energy purposes only, an assertion disputed by the U.S. and … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Media Criticism, PBS | Tagged , , | 57 Comments