Conventional Wisdom
Coverage of the 1992 Democratic convention often drew sharp contrasts with earlier conventions–that were covered in almost exactly the same terms.
Clarence the Credible
News media repeatedly told the U.S. public that Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas were two equally credible people with conflicting stories. And if we believe the polls, most of the country found his version more persuasive. But if the press had given the public more information, would they have doubted Thomas? Numerous stories that raised […]
The Arab Stereotype: A Villain Without a Human Face
Portrayed as either billionaires, bombers, or belly dancers, Bedouin bandits or bundles in black—Arabs are hardly ever seen as ordinary people practicing law, driving taxis or healing the sick. Featured since the early 1900s in more than 500 feature films and scores of television programs, Arabs still lack a human face. The typical screen Arab can […]
Sex, Polls and Campaign Strategy
To see how papers were following through on their promise of more substantive reporting, FAIR surveyed all news articles on the presidential election in three national papers.
Study of Bias or Biased Study?:
The Lichter Method and the Attack on PBS Documentaries
The Center for Media and Public Affairs, a conservative media research group, timed the release of its study of public TV programming to coincide with the congressional debate over public broadcasting reauthorization. The group’s report lends what appears to be empirical support to those who claim that PBS is biased to the left: “On the […]
Friendly Fascism: National Media Give David Duke a Face-Lift
News media consistently deferred to David Duke when framing his candidacy for governor of Louisiana, calling him a “former Ku Klux Klan leader” and an “ex-Nazi.” Such descriptions are deceptive, for there is little that is “former” or “ex-” about Duke’s white supremacist beliefs.
Finding Gold in Grey Hair
The New York Times was up to a bit of demagoguery recently (11/3/91), under the headline “Why Older People Are Richer Than Other People.” Reporter Iver Peterson began by presenting a well-established fact—”the notion that some Americans will be the first generation to live at a lower level than their parents”—as a campaign slogan being […]
Uncritical Coverage of the ‘2nd Russian Revolution’
The enormous press coverage generated by the recent coup attempt in the Soviet Union soon resolved itself into several recurring themes: the lionization of Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin that obscured his troubling political history; a misrepresentation of the history of the Baltic states coupled with a shallow explanation of resurgent nationalism in the Baltic […]
Real Estate Sections: Where Advertisers Find a Home
Many newspaper sections exists solely to serve specific types of advertisers—what Sunday paper would be complete without a Car or a Travel section? But in few sections of the paper does the advertiser have as much power as in the Real Estate pages.
The Tyranny of the Media Correct
The latest trend in intellectual (and not-so-intellectual) magazines, lest you have been asleep, is a widespread denunciation of the Tyranny of the Politically Correct.
Gulf War Stories the Media Loved—Except They Aren’t True
“Even though a story can be incredibly preposterous in the Western mind, it can resonate deeply in other parts of the world,” Todd Levanthal, a U.S. Information Agency specialist on disinformation, told the New York Times (9/16/90). “The key is predisposition to believe, not the crudity of the charge.” While the point of the article […]
Chomsky Appears on MacNeil/Lehrer; Western Civilization Survives
For years, FAIR wondered what would happen if he were actually interviewed by Robert MacNeil. On September 11, 1990, the mystery ended.
Lost in the Margins
The lives of 100 million working people—those who make the US economy and society run—are being routinely ignored, marginalized or inaccurately portrayed in the media.
Press Distortions in the Battle Over Abortion
For years, the anti-abortion movement has pressured the media to adopt its terminology and worldview. Recent months have shown this pressure is working. In the renewed war over abortion coverage, the pro-choice side is on the defensive. The first shots were fired by Richard Harwood, the Washington Post‘s conservative “ombudsman.” On March 25, Harwood’s […]
The New Republic: The Center as Left
After the New Republic was purchased in 1974 by Martin Peretz, it moved sharply to the right, becoming conservative on foreign policy, and centrist or moderately liberal on domestic issues.
Television’s Political Spectrum
Right: Pat Buchanan, Fred Barnes, John McLaughlin, David Gergen, Robert Novak, William F. Buckley, George Will. Center: Sam Donaldson, Mark Shields, Michael Kinsley, Morton Kondracke, Al Hunt, Jack Germond, Hodding Carter. The power to define the political spectrum is an awesome one — determining who gets to speak and who gets censored, which positions gain […]
Polluters’ PBS Penance
The following are a few of the companies who have used the PBS penance to say “I’m sorry” to those who are touchy about the environment.
CIA Chief Bush Suppresses the News
Documents obtained by FAIR, released through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), show that George Bush, as head of the CIA in 1976, tried to bottle up a news story that exposed the apparent duplicity of another former CIA chief, Richard Helms. The story, broken on October 1, 1976, by David Martin (now CBS Pentagon […]
Post-Mortem on Nicaragua’s Election
Not everyone was unprepared for the Nicaraguan election results. In his 1985 book Turning the Tide, Noam Chomsky predicted that the US would not overthrow the Sandinistas through an invasion as long as “the dream that there might be a more just and decent society remains.” “A wiser strategy,” Chomsky wrote, is first to kill […]
The Washington Post: The Establishment’s Paper
Don’t get too far from the establishment. —Walter Lippmann to Katharine Graham File Lippmann’s remark under the category of superfluous advice. Graham and the company of which she is “chairman”—she lists herself in the D.C. phone book as “Graham, Philip L. Mrs.”—have never entertained a thought of straying from the establishment. In 1933, when Graham’s […]
