Silly Environmentalists, Getting Upset Over a Little Pipeline
‘Both sides’ are exaggerating the impact of the Keystone XL pipeline, says a Washington Post reporter. He’s half-right.
Jim Naureckas
USA Today Blowing Smoke on Benghazi ‘Smoking Gun’
USA Today’s headline was “GOP Calls New Benghazi E-Mail ‘Smoking Gun.'” What the memo actually proves is that “scandal” is defined as any deviation from the fantasy world jointly created by the Republican Party and its media accomplices.
Let’s Stop Looking at the Downside of Climate Change
New York Times op-ed writers shed crocodile tears over the prospect that climate advocates they have done their level best to undermine might not be getting their message out effectively.
No, Putin Isn’t Following ‘Reagan Playbook’ in Ukraine—Thank God
When the Washington Post’s David Ignatius writes a column headlined “Putin Steals the CIA’s Playbook on Anti-Soviet Covert Operations,” is that supposed to be a criticism or a compliment?
The Point of Limiting Donations Isn’t to Make Elections Cheaper or Less Irritating
The point of contribution limits isn’t to make elections cheaper; it’s to limit the ability of the very wealthy to dominate politics.
Intelligence Sources Play an Early April Fool’s Joke on NBC News
US intelligence claims about a Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border are just that–claims. On NBC Nightly News, however, anchor Brian Williams and Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski not only took these claims as gospel, they used them as the jumping off point for alarmist speculation.
PhRMA’s Money Affects Human Lives—and Journalism Too
Josh Marshall announces that Idea Lab: Impact will be “sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.” Yes, PhRMA, the lobbying group that has helped make the marketing of medicine one of the most profitable industries in America.
WaPo’s Twisted Take on Poor People Eating
The Washington Post describes state efforts to make sure poor recipients remain eligible for food stamp benefits as a “loophole…potentially wiping out billions of dollars in savings Congress agreed to last month.”
Are Charter Schools Really ‘Helping Poor Children’?
The “usual measurement” offered by columnist Richard Cohen as proof of the value of charter schools offers no evidence that charter school students are any better off at all.
Denying the Far-Right Role in the Ukrainian Revolution
To maintain a simple good vs. evil framework, the fact that Ukraine’s neo-fascist movement had a significant role in the opposition to Yanukovych–and the government that replaced him–was downplayed or even outright denied.
New York Times Critic Doesn’t Care What Foreigners Have to Say
New York Times media columnist David Carr (2/24/14) seems to think the relationship between CNN and Piers Morgan was doomed from the start: It’s been an unhappy collision between a British television personality who refuses to assimilate—the only football he cares about is round and his lectures on guns were rife with contempt—and a CNN […]
News From Venezuela—but Where Is It Coming From?
How trustworthy are reports that “state-sponsored paramilitaries” are “shooting at anyone who seemed like he might be protesting” against the government of Venezuela?
Bob Schieffer Is Tired of Your Fancy Talk
Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer had a classic example of anti-populist populism.
What Will 2016 Political Landscape Look Like? USA Today Has No Clue
Because it is a mere 1,000 days until the election, USA Today’s Susan Page tries to predict the 2016 presidential campaign.
Is Cannabis More Dangerous Than Alcohol? Let’s Ask Bigfoot
Unscientific claims about Bigfoot can get published in the Weekly World News. Unscientific claims about cannabis get a column in USA Today.
Kurt Cobain on FAIR: ‘Tries to Expose the Truths’
Kurt Cobain called FAIR “an underground leftist organization that tries to expose the truths,” saying we had “been working for years to expose a lot of injustices.”
The State of AP’s Factchecking Is Sad—as Usual
Why does AP still let Calvin Woodward “factcheck” political speeches? Does no one at the news service know what actual factchecking looks like? (If you’re coming in late, see FAIR Blog, 10/30/08, 2/25/09, 4/30/09, 1/28/10, 8/31/12.) Woodward’s latest venture (1/29/14) into the factcheck genre, following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech, produced […]
Bill O’Reilly Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Bill O’Reilly’s message on Martin Luther King Jr. Day was that blacks “have a much tougher time succeeding in the marketplace” because they don’t “study and work hard.”
Zakaria’s Fantastic Economic Advice
CNN’s Fareed Zakaria– with an assist from the Wall Street Journal–divided Latin American economies into winners and losers. But does it all add up?
NYT Takes Mandela’s Death as a Chance to Mock His Fight to Free His Country
In his obituary for Nelson Mandela, the Times’ Bill Keller went into detail about Mandela’s armed efforts to overthrow the apartheid state–seemingly in an effort to belittle them.
