New York’s Chait Quietly Defended Charter Program That Benefited His Spouse’s Employer
It’s getting harder for New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait to argue he’s exempt from ethical disclosure norms when writing about education.
Eoin Higgins
Corporate Media Celebrate Criminal Justice System—While Differing on Outcomes
The jury’s decision was framed as the correct call by the justice system, a verdict that upheld the right to self defense,
Media Praise ‘Mavericks’ for Blocking Aid to American People
Corporate media disparaged attempts by left-leaning Democrats to stay the course on two bills as divisive behavior by fringe actors.
Blaming BLM for Homicide Rise—and Excusing Massive Spike in Gun Sales
Media show a striking lack of interest in the massive increase in gun sales as a driver of shootings and homicides.
Greenwald Splits With Intercept Over Visions of Editing
Both sides appear to have irreconcilable visions of the role of editors in the journalistic process.
New York‘s Chait Boosts Charter Schools—but No Longer Mentions Spouse’s Policy Role in Charter School Industry
As FAIR has reported on numerous occasions going back decades, nondisclosure of conflicts can easily lead to a lack of trust in media—earned or not.
‘Violent’ Becomes ‘Unruly’ When It’s Sports, Not Civil Rights
Despite the fact that the property destruction in the aftermath of the Philadelphia Eagles was similar in scope to the damage caused by protests against police killings of young black men over the past three years, only the latter were described as “violence.”
‘Violence’ Becomes ‘Unruliness’ When It’s Sports Fans, Not BLM Protesters, Breaking Rules
Despite the fact that the property destruction in the aftermath of Sunday night’s unrest was similar in scope to the damage caused by protests against police killings of young black men over the past three years, only the latter is regularly called “violence.”
Russia or Corporate Tax Cuts: Which Would Comcast Rather MSNBC Cover?
At the beginning of December, liberal TV hosts Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow—the anchors of MSNBC‘s primetime schedule—were confronted with ever-escalating breaking news. In the span of a week, from December 1 through December 7, President Donald Trump shrank two national monuments, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saw his travel ban upheld by […]
Spinning E-Commerce as Rust Belt’s Salvation
Times are tough in Middle America, but the New York Times says there’s hope on the horizon — conveniently packaged in the economic boom of e-commerce.
Maria’s ‘Other’ Victims: Puerto Rican Bondholders
The argument that “everyone” owns a piece of Puerto Rican debt is gaining steam in the mainstream news media. It’s corporate media’s attempt to spread the pain that the wealthy would feel from debt forgiveness.
While US, North Korea Both Make Threats, Only One Has Killed Millions of the Other’s People
The reasons for North Korea’s militarization and the historical context for its conflict with the United States are seldom honestly discussed in US corporate media.
Media’s Instinct to Rehabilitate the Powerful Has Not Changed Under Trump
For all the outrage over Sean Spicer’s appearance at the Emmys, and for all the distaste over Spicer’s relatively quick public rehabilitation, the fact is that it’s par for the course in how the corporate media—both in news and entertainment—treat those in power when they leave Washington.
‘Let’s Get Back to Russia’: Media’s Interest in Narrowing the Trump Story
By placing the Russia story at the head of reporting about the Trump administration, CNN, MSNBC and other major news outlets have fostered the impression that they view other stories affecting real people’s lives—including climate, healthcare cuts and the travel ban—as being of lesser importance.
Eager for World War III on MSNBC
The US hasn’t done “a very good job pushing Russia out of the way,” said MSNBC’s Jeremy Bash, implying it would be a good idea to target a country that only months ago was reported by Newsweek to have a bomb that could flatten Texas.
Threats to Campus Speech Don’t Alarm Media When They Come From the Right
Threats to “free speech” are treated differently in the media when you’re on the left—and particularly so for campus speech.
Is Hannity, the Last of the Longtime Fox Stars, Looking for the Door?
With former CEO Roger Ailes and star anchor Bill O’Reilly gone, attention at Fox News Channel is shifting to Sean Hannity—the last of the channel’s big stars who have been with the network from the Clinton years to Trump.
George W. Bush Now on Right Side of Press Corps’s Nostalgia Machine
Post-presidency image rehabilitation is nothing new in American politics; US news media have been massaging the images of Oval Office alumni for decades.
Fox News Going All-In on Trump in the New Era
Beck’s hire signaled to the network’s base and the country at large the direction Fox would take as a reaction to Obama’s election. Eight years later, after a very different election result, at a different moment for the country and the network, Fox is once again signaling its priorities to an incoming administration
When Media Learned Killer’s Ethnicity, Then They Knew to Call It ‘Terrorism’
Once the shooter was identified as Omar Mateen, a US citizen of Afghan descent, the narrative changed. After this South Asian ethnicity was revealed, news media began calling the attack an act of terror.
