FAIR is the national progressive media watchdog group, challenging corporate media bias, spin and misinformation.
After a police officer shot Carlo Giuliani in the head, Time magazine published a requiem of sorts — explaining that the 23-year-old Italian protester pretty much got what he deserved. “One man died in Genoa; a man, we must presume, who was swayed by the false promise that violence — not peaceful protest, not participation […]
Some time before he committed suicide 38 years ago, leaving the Washington Post Co. in the hands of his widow Katharine, publisher Philip Graham described journalism as "the first draft of history." In recent days, Katharine Graham’s death has prompted a flood of media accolades. But history — no matter how early the draft — […]
Like many other news items that have ballooned to huge national proportions in recent years, the story that made Gary Condit infamous has been largely propelled by cable television. It’s the media scandal of the season. Eager to rev up their ratings, the networks are now in salacious overdrive. Reporters, pundits, forensic experts, police officers […]
A few summers ago, baseball’s All-Star Game inspired me to compile a roster of the nation’s foremost media players. Now it’s that time of year again; I’ve reviewed my lineup of media stars — and guess what? Except for the designated hitter, they’re all still at the top of their games! So, here is America’s […]
I dreamed I saw George Orwell last night. Alive as you or me. He’d been watching the news, and he was quite irate. "All this doublespeak about war crimes is appalling," he said. "That chap Milosevic — I see the U.S. government wants him tried for war crimes." "Yes," I replied. "All the pundits agree." […]
What we see is what we get, or so the adage goes. But when we see the designs of mass media, what do we truly get? That’s a troubling question for those who wonder what the constant barrages of media-generated images are doing to our lives. Journalists who use words on the job are not […]
When they challenged the power of the White House by claiming the right to publish the Pentagon Papers, the nation’s two most influential newspapers took a laudable stand. During the three decades since then, praise for their journalistic courage has become a time-honored ritual in the media world. Thirty years ago, the New York Times […]
Minutes after a federal judge ruled that the execution of Timothy McVeigh should proceed on Monday as scheduled, CNN was airing live interviews with people who lost relatives in the Oklahoma City bombing. When an anchor asked one woman whether she planned to attend the closed-circuit telecast of the execution, her reply was unequivocal: "I’ll […]
Today, departing from an institution steeped in modernity, you say farewell to a fine journalism school. Honored to address this graduating class, I will speak with uncommon candor about the wisdom of your training and the opportunities that lie ahead. You have studied how to write news articles and contrive news releases; how to dig […]
Few media eyebrows went up when the World Bank recently canceled a global meeting set for Barcelona in late June — and shifted it to the Internet. Thousands of street demonstrators would have been in Spain’s big northeastern port city to confront the conference. Cyberspace promises to be a much more serene location. The World […]
Now that Italy’s voters have given the job of prime minister to media magnate Silvio Berlusconi, others may wish to follow his example on this side of the Atlantic. Later in the decade, we could see something like this: MODERATOR: "Welcome to a nationally televised debate between the leading contenders for the presidency of the […]
For half a century, we’ve been watching rituals of retribution. Countless entertainment shows on TV have presented certain vengeance as dramatic justice. In time for the last commercial, the designated bad guys got what was coming to them. These days, news coverage — or what passes for it — tends to edge out fictional concoctions. […]
Media commentators are split about Bob Kerrey and what happened 32 years ago in the Vietnamese village of Thanh Phong. Some journalists seem eager to exonerate the former senator. Others appear inclined to turn him into a lightning rod for national guilt. Syndicated columnists have been a bit unpredictable. "This is a murder story that […]
As police fired rubber bullets through tear gas in Quebec City, many reporters echoed the claim that “free trade” promotes democracy. Meanwhile, protesters struggled to shed light on a key fact: The proposed hemispheric trade pact would give large corporations even more power to override laws that have been enacted — democratically — to protect […]
When the New York Times finally printed the name of a 12-year-old organization called Rabbis for Human Rights, the mention had to be bought — in a full-page ad expressing support for actions by the group, which is "the only Israeli rabbinic association that includes Orthodox, Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative rabbis." Days before the advertisement […]
Their courage was something to behold. During the 11-day ordeal, a few prominent men showed no fear, only valor, as they took up positions in one network TV studio after another. How they must have perspired underneath the fine suits, tight collars, silk ties and heavily starched shirts! Yet their intrepid fervor did not waver. […]
It’s not easy to look at ourselves as others might see us. For a country, the need is especially acute in times of international crisis — but that’s when nationalism and other reflexive biases are most likely to become pivotal. One of the ways to test for media slant is to put the shoe on […]
WASHINGTON — During the first days of spring, cold winds blew through the nation’s capital. The weather was an apt metaphor for the chilling effects of a perennial news industry desensitized to its own numbing. Don’t worry, we’ve been told countless times: Media outlets are diverse enough to maintain vigilance. “I have yet to see […]
Many Americans have seen the digital dream of global communications vividly expressed on TV commercials for Cisco Systems. Eager to promote its theme of "empowering the Internet generation," the giant high-tech firm paid for a lot of lovely ads with adorable children from different countries asking: "Are you ready?" By now, we understand that our […]
When the Ameritrade company launched a $200 million marketing drive to explain the joys of online trading in autumn 1999, a barrage of TV commercials invited viewers to join in the fun. The news was bullish, and the firm’s motto — "Believe in yourself" — provided an upbeat message. Tech stocks led advances in self-affirmation. […]
