USA Today had a remarkable headline (4/29/09) on a story about Pennsylvania's Sen. Arlen Specter switching from the Republican to the Democratic Party: Leaving GOP, Specter Gives Dems a Boost in Stifling Dissent The headline writer does not seem to understand the meaning of the word "dissent," which is the expression of opposition to reigning policies, not the ability to prevent policies from being enacted even when they're supported by a majority of elected representatives. This same misunderstanding is found in the article itself, which reports, "As a minority in the House and without the votes to filibuster the Senate, [...]
Apr
29
2009
Al Neuharth and 'What You Do for Children'
We're not in the habit of linking to Accuracy In Media–and here's an Extra! article that explains why–but I thought this piece, by the apparent though unacknowledged daughter of USA Today founder Al Neuharth, deserved an exception. Writing in response to a USA Today column by Neuharth (3/20/09) celebrating his six adopted children, Rosamunda Neuharth-Ozgo writes: My mother, Betty Moore, met Mr. Neuharth in St Paul, Minn., in 1962, at an Associated Press convention. At the time, he was a young editor with the Detroit Free Press and my mother was a Paris-based translator in town on business. I am [...]
Mar
17
2009
USA Today's Afghan Poll
People dislike the Afghan war more than ever, according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll; 42 percent of Americans now think invading that country was a mistake. For some reason,the paper'sfrontpage write-up of the poll (3/17/09) quotes two experts: John Naglof the Center for a New American Security and Thomas Donnellyofthe American Enterprise Institute. Both of them support sending additional troops to Afghanistan. USA Today is showing, once again, that it's very difficult for them to entertain debate over the Afghanistan war in their news pages.
Mar
11
2009
Immigrants Stealing the Stimulus?
By 1 Comment
That's what USA Today seems to think–and it's a message that CNN anchor Lou Dobbs unsurprisingly latched on to as well. The factoid was born at the right-wing Center for Immigration Studies, which released a report saying that 300,000 construction jobs created by the stimulus package would go to undocumented immigrants. That report found its way to USA Today on March9 ("Illegal Immigrants Might Get Stimulus Jobs, Experts Say"). The paper made it seem like this conclusion was not at all controversial– "experts on both sides of the issue" agree. But that seemed a stretch: The pro-immigrant source, Jorge-Mario Cabrera [...]
Feb
18
2009
USA Today: Obama's War, No Critics Allowed
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USA Today's "Obama's War" cover story today (2/18/09) is long by that paper's usual standards, but can't seem to find any space for critics of the plan to send 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. Quoted in the piece: –Barack Obama –Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution –political scientist Richard Eichenberg of Tufts University –White House press secretary Robert Gibbs – Joe Biden –Robert Gates, Pentagon –Sen. Joe Lieberman, "a leading hawk on both wars." –Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special adviser on Pakistan and Afghanistan –Anthony Cordesman, Center for Strategic & International Studies –U.S./NATO commander David McKiernan USA Today does note, however, [...]
Jan
16
2009
Still Getting the Simplest Gaza Facts Wrong
By 1 Comment
Two newspaper stories today provide a false account of the context of the Israeli attacks on Gaza. The Washington Post: Hamas and its allies have fired thousands of rockets into Israel in the past eight years. The pace accelerated after the Islamist movement, which won Palestinian elections in 2006, routed forces loyal to the rival Fatah party in June 2007 and seized control of the narrow coastal strip. Since then, Israel has implemented a crushing economic blockade and carried out regular military raids that it has said were a response to rocket fire. This is an extremely selective history. The [...]
