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, [...]
May
05
2008
TV News Blackout on Pentagon Pundits
Two weeks after a New York Times story (4/20/08) revealed a Pentagon propaganda campaign that had been feeding talking points to TV military analysts, many of whom also had ties to military contractors, the cable and broadcast networks that employed these analysts have almost entirely failed to report this crucial news story. Fox has even continued to feature commentary by two Pentagon-affiliated ex-generals without disclosing their conflicts of interest. In the wake of the New York Times story and resulting calls for a congressional inquiry into the Pentagon pundits scandal, the Pentagon has announced that it has temporarily halted the [...]
Apr
08
2008
New York Times Explains Winter Soldier Blackout
Public editor responds to concerns raised by FAIR
New York Times public editor Clark Hoyt has offered a response to media activists who wrote to the paper about its non-coverage of last month's Winter Soldier hearings. Hoyt's explanation is that reporters at the Times had "not been aware of the group or its meeting," but likely wouldn't have covered it if they had been aware of the event. The idea that the Times was unaware of Winter Soldier is remarkable; the paper's D.C. reporters were repeatedly sent press releases about the events, the same ones that other media outlets received that did manage to cover the event, ranging [...]
Feb
12
2008
A Double Standard on Reporters Who Express Opinions?
Letter to NY Times' public editor Clark Hoyt
On February 12, FAIR sent a letter to the New York Times' public editor Clark Hoyt regarding a recent editors' note that suggested that the newspaper has double standards for reporters who publicly express opinions. The letter is below. We encourage others who have concerns to also contact Hoyt at: public@nytimes.com. *** Dear Clark Hoyt, The New York Times recently published an unusual editor's note about the February 4 front-page article, “Time Runs Out for an Afghan Held by the U.S.” The note concerned Andy Worthington, one of the two journalists identified in the article's byline: Mr. Worthington has written [...]
Jan
29
2008
USA Today Responds on Racist Labeling
Paper can't make judgments, editor says
USA Today Reader Editor Brent Jones responded to questions, prompted by a FAIR Action Alert (1/23/08), about the newspaper's failure to identify a white supremacist group by arguing that doing so would have been an illegitimate "judgment" on the part of the paper. USA Today had run two stories on the Nationalist Movement, a group that marched against civil rights in Jena, La. on Martin Luther King Day, that characterized the group only by its self-description of "pro-majority." Jones wrote: Your question -- why don't we call the Nationalists racists? -- is one I'm sure many people would ask. The [...]
Nov
05
2007
NPR Defends Torture-Based Reporting
But network's ombud agrees with critics
Noting that an October 26 report based on torture-based confessions "generated a lot of response," on November 1 NPR's Morning Edition attempted to address the concerns voiced by FAIR activists and others. The explanation offered by reporter Anne Garrels and anchor Steve Inskeep dodged the main issues raised in FAIR's October 30 Action Alert. But NPR's new ombud Alicia Shepard agreed with the main criticisms made by FAIR activists, writing in an email response to listeners that "evidence obtained through torture is not credible, nor is it good journalistic practice." Garrels and Inskeep raised several points irrelevant to the issue--stressing [...]
Aug
31
2007
Times Corrects Obama Anti-War Smear
The New York Times posted the following correction on its website today, responding to a problem pointed out in a FAIR Action Alert (8/24/07): An article published on NYTimes.com on Aug. 21 about Senator Barack Obama's appearance before a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention paraphrased incorrectly from his comment about protests at military funerals. He said: "When men and women who died in service to this country are laid to rest, there must be no protests near the funerals. It's wrong and it needs to stop." He did not say that it was wrong for "anti-war activists" to protest at [...]
