A Protest in the Capital and a Media Blackout
What happens when hundreds of Keystone activists get arrested in front of the White House? Not much, judging by the lack of media interest.
Peter Hart
The Good Kind of Protesters—and the Bad Kind
The complex anti-government protest movements in both Venezuela and Ukraine were boiled down by US corporate media to send a clear message to their domestic audience: These are the good guys.
Leaving Beltway Journalism, Revealing Its Shortcomings
Leaving the Washington Post, Robert Kaiser revealed his frustration that the “rules” of elite journalism do not allow one to call out lying politicians. He also demonstrated another key Beltway tendency: pretending that both sides are equally guilty of similar offenses.
Russia, Ukraine and ‘US Prestige’
Pundits worry about US ‘prestige’ and the weakness of Barack Obama.
WaPo on Paul Ryan’s Poverty Plan: News Article or Press Release?
Paul Ryan apparently has some big, bold ideas about how to fight poverty–mostly what the government is doing is all wrong. But why does the Washington Post fail to cite any critics of Ryan, and spend so much time quoting him and other Republicans?
Time’s Minimum Wage Math: Triple = ‘Just as Many’
The new issue of Time magazine (3/10/14) takes a look at the debate over raising the minimum wage, in a piece by Eliza Gray. But the very first paragraph just doesn’t make much sense: If you want to make some new friends and just as many enemies, here’s a helpful shortcut: take a position on […]
NYT Corrects Venezuela TV Falsehood
Activists call on the New York Times to correct a faulty report on Venezuela– and they do.
The Question of US ‘Democracy Promotion’ in the Newspaper of Record
Today’s New York Times has a piece about whether the Obama administration is as committed to a policy of “democracy promotion” as the Bush administration had been. To anyone familiar with US history of inhibiting and undermining democracies, the whole concept must seem rather absurd.
Heritage Foundation: Where Have All the Scholars Gone?
Is the Heritage Foundation really drifting away from its scholarly roots–or has it always been more of a corporate-funded right-wing lobby?
Pundits Bemoan Failure to Cut Social Security
Media comments after the Obama administration backed off attempts to cut Social Security benefits exhibited a curious notion about where the “middle” is and what “majority support” means.
FAIR TV: Climate Change False Balance, MSNBC Cheers Its Boss, Apology-Free O’Reilly
David Gregory seemed to say that the science on climate change was settled. So why did he have a debate about whether climate change is happening? Plus MSNBC’s Morning Joe cheers on its corporate parent, while Bill O’Reilly gives us one more example of why Fox News is so special.
Time Puffs Mexico’s President
Time cheers Mexico’s president for ‘saving’ the country. But why is it that most Mexicans don’t seem to care for his brand of market ‘reforms’?
Our Boss Is Great! How MSNBC Covered Comcast Merger
How did MSNBC cover the mega-merger between its parent company and Time Warner cable? Hardly at all–except for a segment glorifying their boss.
Meet the Press Meets Climate Change
Think the days of climate change ‘false balance’ are over? Think again.
What Does Tom Friedman Know About TPP?
New York Times columnist Tom Friedman once declared that he doesn’t really bother understanding international trade agreements. But that doesn’t stop him from writing about them.
The Bias of ‘Both Sides Do It’
The New York Times had a great piece of reporting about how a phony think tank can turn dollars into political influence. Unfortunately, the piece also included the usual but-the-other-side-does-it-too routine.
Good Leaks and Bad Leaks
Politicians go out of their way to denounce whistleblowers and “leakers” whose revelations of classified data, they claim, have harmed national security. But it’s always worth pointing out that the outrage is selective.
ABC on Food Stamp Cuts: Hey, It Could Be Worse
Are cuts in food stamp benefits really good news to those receiving them?
What DC Won’t See Tonight on Public TV
A timely documentary about government surveillance of the civil rights movement is airing on PBS stations tonight–but not in Washington DC.
Do Respectable Journalists Want to Be Associated With Bill Keller?
A Daily Beast piece wonders whether journalists don’t want to work with Jeremy Scahill and Glenn Greenwald because they’re very critical of corporate journalism.
