Brian Stelter of the New York Times has noticed a disturbing trend in news reporting from Iraq: Quietly, as the United States presidential election and its aftermath have dominated the news, America’s three broadcast network news divisions have stopped sending full-time correspondents to Iraq. The story documents the shift in priorities from Iraq to Afghanistan, [...]
Monthly Archives: December 2008
Dec 31
Dan Rather’s Suit Against CBS Will Be Fun
Dan Rather is suing CBS for breach of contract related to his firing in 2004. The suit revolves around the reporting of George Bush’s evasion of service in the Texas Air National Guard. As the case gets closer to a trial date, new stirrings are emerging from Rather’s camp that offer a tantalizing preview of [...]
Dec 24
How Green? Is Fox News?
The folks at Fox News have published a new environmentally focused web site called “How Green?” The site appears to be in the early stages of development with just a few articles posted, mostly re-posts from Associated Press. Once again, Fox News is demonstrating a measure of hypocrisy that flies off the scale. The right-wing [...]
Dec 23
Sarah Palin: Conservative Of The Year
The uber-conservative Human Events Magazine has named Sarah Palin its “Conservative of the Year,” and I couldn’t agree more. Palin exemplifies the vacuous philosophy of Republican politics. Her strident anti-intellectualism, blind faith, and personal corruption are the hallmarks of her Party and stand as testimony to her worthiness for this honor. The tribute paid to [...]
Dec 21
Why Christmas Matters To Bill O’Reilly
In his Talking Points Memo this week, Bill O’Reilly endeavored to describe a matter that must be very dear and personal for him: Why Christmas Matters. So with an earnestness that befit the occasion, he began by talking about his TV ratings and why his viewers, who are insufficiently alarmed by the War on Christmas, [...]
Dec 17
Fox Greetings: May Your What Be What?
The corporate headquarters for the War On Christmas is sending out their seasoned greetings, but the message may be getting somewhat muddled. First of all, the wishes being conveyed are not for Christmas at all, but for some vague, unspecified “holiday.” And the graphic treatment of the message makes clear that what Fox is really [...]
Dec 16
The Wall Street Journal And Network Neutrality
An article in the Wall Street Journal is reporting that prominent advocates of Network Neutrality are reversing or softening their positions on the concept of treating all Internet traffic equally. The authors go into some depth in support of their contention that the movement is losing steam. And they name names. “Google Inc. has approached [...]
Dec 14
George W. Bush: Lame. Duck!
On what George Bush must think is his victory lap, the president surprised the country he destroyed with one last visit before he slips off into irrelevancy. However, during a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki, one of the reporters slipped off his shoes and hurled them at Bush. After the incident, Bush dismissed [...]
Dec 13
The Wall Street Journal After A Year With Murdoch
It was one year ago today that the Dow Jones Company, parent of the Wall Street Journal, agreed to be acquired by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. That transaction marked another step in the shrinking universe of media ownership. Specifically, it was the consumption of a revered publishing institution by a voracious international megalopoly. So what [...]
Dec 10
Deception And Distrust: The FCC Under Kevin Martin
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce just released a report on the activities of Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin. The report, titled “Deception and Distrust” (PDF) chronicles an agency rife with abuse, manipulation, intimidation, and incompetence. The level of corruption would be shocking if it hadn’t come from the same administration that gave [...]
Dec 08
Dismembering George W. Bush
As the administration of George W. Bush at long last comes to a close, the historical record of his presidency will begin to take shape. And like everything else that touches this president, the outlines of his legacy will be distorted by his accomplices and apologists. They will seek to recast in the public mind [...]
Dec 05
The Real Reason Bill O’Reilly Bailed On His Radio Show
It was announced today that Bill O’Reilly is leaving his radio program, the Radio Factor. In the press release from Fox News, O’Reilly cites the strain of the workload for opting out of his lucrative radio deal: “It is with great regret that I’ve come to the decision to leave the Radio Factor, but with [...]
Dec 03
Chris Wallace Defends His Hero George Bush
At a Washington screening of Ron Howard’s new movie, Frost/Nixon, Howard slipped into a bit of uncharacteristic politicking. The Washington Times reports that… Mr. Howard was the first to comment about the film’s connection to Mr. Bush, saying that he had told friends in 1977 that an abuse of power similar to Mr. Nixon’s would [...]
Dec 03
Karl Rove’s Backup Dancer To Host Meet The Press
The official announcement may not come until Sunday, but it appears that David Gregory has been tapped to permanently replace Tim Russert on Meet The Press. Gregory is currently the host of MSNBC’s “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” a dreary collection of monotonous pundits that barely registers a blip in the ratings. Gregory is probably best known [...]
