FAIR is the national progressive media watchdog group, challenging corporate media bias, spin and misinformation.
The war coverage is becoming routine. Missiles fly, bombs fall. Live briefings from the Pentagon — featuring talkative generals, colorful charts and gray videos — appear on cable television like clockwork. The war on Yugoslavia is right in front of us and very far away. The media atmosphere is numbing. Early this month, the anniversary […]
Ever since the start of NATO ‘s bombing blitz more than two weeks ago, the regime in Belgrade has maintained total control of Serbia’s press — and American journalists have scornfully reported on the propaganda role of Yugoslavian news media. But no one should be smug about freedom of the press in the United States. […]
While bombs keep exploding in Yugoslavia, a fierce media war is raging on television. The real war has little to do with the images squeezed into the TV frame. On the ground, in Yugoslavia, the situation is all about terror, anguish and death. On the screen, the coverage is far from traumatic for the viewing […]
WASHINGTON — Listen up, future leaders of America. If you want to develop the necessary skills for promoting a war agenda in our country’s news media, recent events are instructive. Going to war is not simply a matter of ordering soldiers to fire missiles and drop bombs. There’s a lot more involved. The public must […]
Spring is often a time of renewed hopes and fresh dreams. So, let’s visualize some media breakthroughs — however unlikely — for the last seasons of this century. In the spirit of Mad Magazine’s old feature "Scenes We’d Like to See," here’s a new version for American media. FLUFF TV CORRESPONDENT RECANTS CAREER "The Monica […]
Who’s the leader of the club that’s paid for you and me? S-E-N-A-T-O-R L-O-T-T! And you know what, boys and girls? Thanks to Trent Lott and others in the Senate club, the big people at the Walt Disney Co. don’t have to worry about Mickey and his pals getting lost in a scary place called […]
A new full-page ad says plenty about the pretenses of major TV networks at the end of the 20th century. Reaching millions of readers across the country, the advertisement declares: “NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. Monday through Friday. It’s all you need to know.” Whether this daily dose of enlightenment includes the commercials is […]
You may be tired of hearing about a “culture war,” but such talk is just getting started. On the media battlefield, righteous warriors are lining up to fight the infidels in the first big political conflict of the 21st century. With the 2000 presidential campaign beckoning, some conservative crusaders see a new chance to sweep […]
This year has already given us plenty of material for “Media Jeopardy!” You probably remember the rules: First, listen carefully to the answer. Then, try to come up with the correct question. The first category is “Spinning the Foreign News.” American media outlets often point out that the Iraqi government has a history of torturing […]
It was fitting that the announcement of Academy Award nominees came just days before the climax of President Clinton’s trial in the Senate. The top contenders for an Oscar were unable to compete with the intrepid actors inside the Beltway. For the past year, the dramatic capital of the nation has been Washington, not Hollywood. […]
During the past year, many liberal pundits have condemned efforts to oust Bill Clinton from the White House. After countless denunciations of Kenneth Starr and congressional Republicans, we certainly know what those pundits are against. But what are they for? The reality is grim. With few exceptions, liberals in the mass media — and in […]
Step right this way for a thousand thrills! A thousand chills! Under the Capitol big top, you’ll see blow-dried fire eaters! Oratorical snake charmers! A white-maned lion tamer from Chicago! And hired guns, eager to rescue the death-defying pioneer from a backwoods town called Hope! Venture to the secret chamber, where 100 voices are mysterious […]
On network television, some pundits are always ready for prime time. After the president’s State of the Union speech, they were all over the airwaves — smooth and glib — mostly lauding Bill Clinton’s boffo performance. But many commentators are never eligible for prime time. Political analysts outside the conventional range of media wisdom are […]
When Alice returned from her journey, she was visibly shaken. "Frightful," she said. "You were going to visit Medialand for all of 1999," I reminded her, "so why —" "Forget it," Alice interrupted. "When I was a kid, I found Wonderland to be strange — but Medialand is something else. I was lucky to get […]
There’s no doubt that America Online has become one of the most important media outlets in the country. At the end of last year, AOL’s membership topped 15 million. Now, AOL is joining forces with CBS for an unprecedented alliance. “CBS News will be guaranteed a major and ongoing presence throughout AOL,” a joint announcement […]
The media spotlight is now on the Senate as it follows up on the impeachment of President Clinton. Journalists tell us that senators tend to be restrained, deliberative and steeped in tradition. But one important detail gets left out: The Senate is extremely undemocratic. Right now, eight states — Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, Rhode […]
After a year that has culminated with the bombardment of Iraq and the impeachment of President Clinton, we can draw some important conclusions about America’s news media. For instance: Euphemisms are as common as ever in American reporting of U.S. military actions. Typically, on the third night of the bombing, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour repeatedly told […]
For the seventh year in a row, I have worked with Jeff Cohen of the media watch group FAIR to sift through the many entries for a P.U.-litzer Prize-the annual award that pays tribute to this nation’s smelliest media offerings. The competition to win a P.U.-litzer was never more fierce. Now, after long and careful […]
How important is the pain of the past? Should people strive to confront it or try to forget it? Such questions routinely underlie news stories and media debates. Depending on the spin, history can seem crucial or irrelevant to the present. In deep ways, the past is far from over. But commentators often claim that […]
For many years, across the United States, huge quantities of tax breaks and subsidies have been going to corporations. Occasionally, the media spotlight falls on an example of how government policies stand Robin Hood on his head — shaking down the poor and middle class while handing over the proceeds to wealthy individuals and big […]
