Paper reprises one-sided panel to discuss "Mission Accomplished" The New York Times' May 4 Week in Review section featured a discussion of the state of the Iraq War with advocates of that war—-the same advocates who prompted a FAIR action alert on March 17. The following letter was sent to New York Times public editor Clark Hoyt, Op-Ed page editor David Shipley and Week in Review editor Sam Tanenhaus. Their contact information is listed below, as is FAIR's earlier alert. Clark Hoyt, public editor Sam Tanenhaus, Week in Review editor David Shipley, Op-ed page editor Dear Sirs: On March 16, [...]
Search Results for: John K. Wilson
Mar
17
2008
No Antiwar Voices in NYT 'Debate'
Look back at Iraq features nine hawkish 'experts'
The New York Times offered a look back at the Iraq War in its March 16 "Week In Review" section that leaned heavily towards pro-war voices. The Times explained to readers: "To mark this week's fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, the Op-Ed page asked nine experts on military and foreign affairs to reflect on their attitudes in the spring of 2003 and to comment on the one aspect of the war that most surprised them or that they wished they had considered in the prewar debate." The "experts" who were asked to weigh in all more or less [...]
Jan
10
2007
Debating the Iraq 'Surge' on PBS
NewsHour panel skews against public opinion
(NOTE: Please see the Activism Update regarding this alert.) With public opinion running heavily against the White House's planned escalation of the Iraq War, one might think a debate on the issue on public television's flagship newscast might reflect public sentiment. But the discussion on the January 8 edition of the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer skewed in favor of supporters of the Iraq War, only allowing space for muted criticism of the White House's troop "surge." The show featured Iraq War hawks Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), both of whom support sending additional troops to Iraq—a position [...]
Feb
01
2006
20 Stories That Made a Difference
For better or worse
FAIR was founded on the belief that journalism matters—that getting out the truth can improve the world, while news that distorts or denies reality can have terrible consequences. To illustrate this conviction, we've compiled a list of 20 news stories published since FAIR's 1986 debut that had a major impact on society—for good or for ill. The list is not meant to be a comprehensive collection of the most momentous stories of the past 20 years, but rather to be illustrative of the power of media. Stories that should have led to serious changes, but were underplayed by corporate media, [...]
Oct
01
2005
He's Being as Hateful as He Can
Why can’t John Gibson make the big time at Fox?
By Peter Hart
While talking heads chattered about the Joe Wilson/Karl Rove “Plamegate” scandal (Extra!, 9—10/05), one cable news host staked out a firm position (7/12/05): “I say give Karl Rove a medal. . . . Valerie Plame should have been outed by somebody. And nobody else has the cojones to do it.” The host claimed—inaccurately—that Wilson’s “little wifey” sent him on the fact-finding trip to Niger, only to add days later (7/15/05) that Valerie Plame Wilson “acts like a political hack.” Meet John Gibson, host of Fox News Channel’s afternoon program The Big Story. While some of Fox News Channel’s less strident [...]
Jul
20
2005
SoundBites
James Weinstein, 1926-2005 "Jim Weinstein was a shining example of a truly independent journalist.... In his own way, he was in the tradition of George Seldes and I.F. Stone and Lincoln Steffens--muckraking journalists who challenged the received wisdom. He always asked 'Why?' and 'Who is behind what?' and 'Where are the bodies buried?' More than ever, we need journalists such as Jim, who insisted that we must think things through, that we must remember the past in order to understand the present and prepare for the future." --Studs Terkel on In These Times founder James Weinstein (AlterNet, 6/19/05) A Shining [...]
Feb
01
2005
SoundBites
Journalistic Brown-Nosing: Then.... National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger: Now you know I'm going to be sitting there waiting. ABC's Barbara Walters: You're so full of baloney. How can you be so marvelous, so fantastic, so interesting, so brilliant and so full of.... That's the first question I'm going to ask you. Kissinger: Only if you complete the sentence. Walters (Laughter): I'm glad you're back. --Transcript of a conversation (2/21/73) discussing an upcoming interview (Chicago Tribune, 1/18/05) ...And Now Neil Cavuto, Fox News: But let me talk a little bit about what you think your message is leaving. Many people say [...]
Sep
01
2004
It's the Economy, Stupidly
Jobs reporting protects Bush's job
By Peter Hart
After many months of dismal job creation numbers, three months starting in April produced statistics that George W. Bush could cite positively. With John Kerry having devoted much effort to pointing out the poor economic performance under the Bush administration, the new numbers produced a strong media consensus: The Kerry team would have to change strategy fast. A headline in the Los Angeles Times (6/15/04) suggested that Kerry was ignoring reality by sticking to his focus: "Kerry Sidesteps Job Growth as He Hits Bush on Economy." "Kerry's description of the economic climate ran counter to a substantial pickup in new [...]
