FAIR is the national progressive media watchdog group, challenging corporate media bias, spin and misinformation.
The Washington Post has never been fond of left-wing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. As serious questions mount about the state of Chavez’s health, the paper’s editorial page found it a good time to take another swipe.
Barack Obama nominated Republican ex-Senator Chuck Hagel to be his next Defense secretary today. The story can seem a little bit confusing–often because of misleading recaps of Hagel’s career, which can make him sound like more like Dennis Kucinich than like the Republican who voted in favor of the Iraq War.
The problem with liberal cable channel Current TV being sold to Al Jazeera isn’t that American TV viewers might be subjected to news with a point of view. It’s news with what many elites might consider the wrong point of view that is the problem.
Today’s episode of FAIR TV– please share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
It’s bad enough to treat a unsubstantiated claim by a partisan news outlet, with a record of sensational misinformation on the same subject, as a relevant fact in a story. But how do you justify using this junk journalism as a chance to let a source give free rein to his fantasies of how Occupy might take a turn towards violence?
The use of cluster bombs against civilians is newsworthy depending on who is using them. If it’s an enemy state, like Syria or Qaddafi’s Libya, you can expect to read about it, and in clear language on the front page. And an article like this will mention, almost in passing, that our own government does the same.
The December 30 episode of Meet the Press was, of course, devoted to discussion of the “fiscal cliff.” And NBC veteran Tom Brokaw was on hand to recycle some of the most tiresome talking points about wealth and taxes.
If the country were to fall off the fiscal cliff, we were told, there were going to be some winners and losers. But CBS Evening News found a different kind of of fiscal cliff victim: people who inherited land worth millions of dollars.
It’s that time of year: When FAIR presents the P.U.-litzers, the “awards” for some of the stinkiest media moments of the year. Smearing Occupy Wall Street? Praising Paul Ryan’s wonkery? Phony factchecking? It’s all here. So, without further ado…
In the wake of the Newtown massacre, media are talking about the Second Amendment. But are they getting it right? Also: The New York Times magazine covers fracking– but mostly the upside–and David Ignatius thinks Syria as mobile weapons labs. Tune in–and spread the word.
“Both sides” made objectionable comments after the Newtown massacre, writes Campbell Brown. Right-wing bigots on the one hand, and on the other… Diane Ravitch? For praising heroic teachers? This is “false balance” of the most absurd kind.
If you were concerned that the Syria WMD stories didn’t already feel enough like the Iraq WMD reports, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius had one just for you. It’s not that Ignatius doesn’t know that this story sounds, well, familiar–but it’s important to recall more of the journalism from the Iraq invasion era.
There is no serious discussion of environmental costs borne by the public, and there is not one word about climate change–a pretty shocking oversight when one considers the potential ramifications of a massive new investment in a fossil fuel industry.
When we draw comparisons between a particular event and other similar tragedies, it is not to say that they all matter equally, but to remind ourselves that we’re conditioned to feel that some matter quite a bit more than others.
Are John Boehner’s ideas about tax cuts evidence of his “philosophy”? Or are they just misleading?
One issue that comes up in much of the coverage of the Newtown massacre is the notion that the public’s view on gun control has shifted towards the “pro-gun” side in recent years. It’s important to look at that assumption.
Syria’s chemical weapons threat– is it Iraq all over again? With all the talk about the budget, why won’t media talk about taxing Wall Street? And ABC breaks big “news”… about a Disney theme park. All of that on FAIR TV this week.
The New York Times updates readers today (12/13/12) on the health status of left-wing Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, and the political implications for his country. But the paper starts out by suggesting that the people who keep electing him must have some kind of problem. According to the Times‘ William Neuman, life in Venezuela is […]
We’re told that the “fiscal cliff” requires spending cuts and more revenue. But there’s a simple way to get more tax dollars– a small “Robin Hood” tax on financial transactions. So why won’t the press talk about it?
Fox host Bill O’Reilly has had with the incivility in public life. He’s ready to name names, calling the “haters” on the left and right. Funny, his list doesn’t include many on the right. Of course, he could start with himself….
