I suppose it was inevitable. Former Poppa Bush speechwriter, current Fox News commentator and Fox Radio talk show host, Tony Snow, been appointed White House Press Secretary. Since Snow has been shilling for the president for years in his current job, a guest on Keith Olbermann’s Countdown recently asked if he would be getting back [...]
Monthly Archives: April 2006
Apr 25
The Fox Befouling Of MySpace Has Begun
It was inevitable. Rupert Murdoch’s purchase of MySpace was going to destroy it. Everyone knew that. Now the evidence is at hand and on display in the New York Times. The decline begins with monetizing everything that moves. With Fox as the parent company, MySpace becomes just another mainstream vehicle to inject advertising into the [...]
Apr 24
Astroturfing Network Neutrality
I was going to write a story about how the big telephone companies have launched a web site to deceive people about the impact of network neutrality. But Blue Meme has already done the work so well, I’m gonna link to it and go watch TV. Thanks, Blue Meme. Oh yeah, go to Free Press [...]
Apr 22
Moody Disorders: Fox VP Fesses Up
Listening to John Moody, Sr. Vice President at FOX News, you may get the idea that all your worst fears about Fox were too restrained. In this interview with AlterNet, he speaks candidly about the press operation he controls. The Highlights On media critics: “Most of the world envies us and our news media, because [...]
Apr 19
Did The FBI Murder Jack Anderson?
In one of this year’s most under-reported stories, there lies one of this decade’s most ominous threats. Veteran journalist, Jack Anderson, who died last December, is undoubtedly resting uncomfortably while the FBI is seeking access to his files. The FBI contends that certain documents in Anderson’s files are secret and that their release would jeopardize [...]
Apr 19
Wanted: White House Mouthpiece
White House Press Secretary, Scott McClellan, is rumored to be amongst the next wave of administration officials to be spending more time with family. The Washington Times already has an ad for his replacement. Click to view full size ad This skill set describes a a vast pool of potential successors. At the top of [...]
Apr 14
Keep Your Dissidents
Reporters Without Borders has just released its Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-dissidents (pdf). It’s mostly a how-to manual for setting up a blog, along with some tips for anonymity. But this group really understands the need for promoting citizen media: “Bloggers are often the only real journalists in countries where the mainstream media is censored [...]
Apr 13
Red Media, Blue Media
Leo J. Shapiro and Associates has conducted a study that highlights some interesting distinctions between consumers of various news products and their political affiliations. Here’s the breakdown by percentage of Dems vs. Repubs for each type of media: Red Media: Preferred by those inclined to vote Republican. Repub Demo TV News: 87% 83% News Radio: [...]
Apr 06
Fake News – Corporate Edition
The Center for Media and Democracy has conducted a study that documents the use of Video News Releases from corporations seeking to promote their products through positive news coverage. These VNRs are produced by corporate PR firms and designed to look like actual news reports. The stations that air them do not disclose their origin [...]
Apr 05
A Bad Year For Journalists
The International Press Institute has released its World Press Freedom Review for 2005. It presents the details of what is a particularly bad year for the press. “The high death toll for journalists continued in 2005 with 65 journalists killed. Iraq, where 23 journalists died, remains the world’s most dangerous country for the media. Journalists [...]
Apr 04
FCC Chief: Too Many Voices In The News
The Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Kevin Martin, told an audience of newspaper publishers that he supports repealing the ban on cross-ownership that prohibits owning a newspaper and television station in the same market. These rules promote greater diversity for news consumers, but Martin would prefer to pander to the media conglomerates he is [...]
Apr 04
Chris Matthews: Chowderhead
Yesterday, Chris Matthews interviewed Gen. Anthony Zinni and pressed him on the administration’s planning for post-invasion Iraq. Matthews: Who believed there would not be resistance? What fool thought that a third world country would let us march into their country and start calling the shots without resistance? I mean, I am just saying. Who believes [...]
Apr 04
Feds Fix Fines For Radio Friends
Payola in radio is an old story but, like everything else in the age of new media, it has been made over by technology and a regulatory environment that curtails competition. Now the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is actively running interference for the radio corporations who have been playing the payola game. New York Attorney [...]
