FAIR is the national progressive media watchdog group, challenging corporate media bias, spin and misinformation.
In the study of interviewees on the network’s signature political news show, Special Report with Brit Hume, FAIR found that of 56 partisan guests in a five month period, 50 were Republicans and six were Democrats. That’s 89 percent Republican, a greater than 8 to 1 imbalance.
The Pacifica radio network has been known for decades as the home of “listener-sponsored free speech radio.” But recent incidents in which Pacifica stations have failed to air regularly scheduled shows featuring discussions of Pacifica have left the network’s listener/sponsors in the dark about the growing Pacifica debate, even as mainstream media outlets are reporting […]
FAIR is pleased to announce our first annual roundup of the year’s most egregious examples of owner, advertiser and government influence on the news: “Fear & Favor 2000: How Power Shapes the News.” A “serious” talkshow turns itself into an infomercial for Campbell’s Soup, complete with a veteran news anchor leading a chorus of […]
Amid a crisis that threatens the future of the Pacifica Radio Network, more than 80 prominent progressives have rallied in support of the six dissidents on the Pacifica Foundation’s board. These board members want Pacifica‘s national leadership to reverse course on its takeover of WBAI, and to “build democratic decision-making structures throughout Pacifica.” A statement […]
In 1999, the discovery of bodies in the Kosovo village of Racak helped push NATO into war. New evidence casting doubt on claims that the bodies were civilian victims of a massacre has stirred debate in the European media—but there has been a virtual blackout on the news in the U.S. press. In January of […]
In a dramatic on-air announcement, Juan Gonzalez, the co-host of the Pacifica Radio Network show “Democracy Now!,” resigned this morning from the network. Citing harassment and muzzling of free speech, Gonzalez said that “the current management situation at Pacifica has become intolerable…the last straw being the Christmas Coup at this station, WBAI, last month”- a […]
John Ashcroft, George W. Bush’s nominee for attorney general, was questioned during his Senate confirmation hearing about his on-the-record endorsement of the white supremacist publication Southern Partisan. Sen. Joe Biden (D.-Del.) asked Ashcroft to respond to a series of quotes from the magazine, each of which had appeared in FAIR’s January 12 media advisory on […]
Concern has been mounting rapidly throughout Europe over the effects of depleted uranium (DU) munitions used by NATO in Bosnia and Yugoslavia during the 1994-95 and 1999 wars. At least 12 soldiers—six Italian, five Belgian and one Portuguese— who served in the Balkans have died of leukemia or other forms of cancer; several Italian, Spanish, […]
A study of ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News in the year 2001 shows that 92 percent of all U.S. sources interviewed were white, 85 percent were male and, where party affiliation was identifiable, 75 percent were Republican. Conducted for FAIR by the media analysis firm Media Tenor, the study […]
In a move reminiscent of last year’s attack on Pacifica station KPFA in Berkeley, the Pacifica Foundation told WBAI-New York’s long-time general manager Valerie Van Isler that it is removing her from her position. On Tuesday, November 28, during what was supposed to be a routine evaluation, Pacifica‘s executive director Bessie Wash informed Van Isler […]
Presidential Debates— Dems & GOP Win, Voters Lose When the Commission on Presidential Debates excluded third parties from the presidential debates, the media generally accepted the terms without questioning the CPD’s corporate funding or the fact that it’s controlled by the Democratic and Republican parties. Because the press failed to act as a watchdog, what […]
In an October 26 Action Alert, FAIR reported that the Associated Press‘ Bolivia correspondent, Peter McFarren, was resigning amid revelations of clear conflicts of interest. McFarren had long had a significant involvement in Bolivian politics– a situation that went unnoticed even after an expose by Narco News Bulletin, until FAIR called the wire service to […]
Media activists, artists and scholars from across the country will gather in San Francisco Sept. 20-23 for a historic demonstration against corporate control of the public airwaves. The non-violent actions and teach-ins are scheduled to coincide with the 2000 NAB Radio Show, a convention of the National Association of Broadcasters, the main lobbying arm of […]
According to new revelations published in the New York Times on July 31, ABC‘s John Stossel may have fabricated evidence and distorted facts in a February 4 “20/20” report on organic food. This is the latest in a long series of controversies over Stossel’s journalistic integrity. In “The Food You Eat,” Stossel stated that tests […]
August 2, 2000 Ms. Ann Cooper Executive Director Committee to Protect Journalists 330 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10001 Dear Ms. Cooper, As longtime supporters of the Committee to Protect Journalists’ mission of defending press freedom worldwide, we are writing to express our disappointment that CPJ chose to exclude the 16 employees of […]
Contact: Rachel Coen, (212) 633-6700 x318 Media Advisory:NADER LEFT OUT OF NEWS WEBSITES According to recent political polls, the Green Party’s Ralph Nader is now the leading third party candidate for president. But you wouldn’t know it from looking at the websites of most mainstream news outlets. In a Gallup poll released June 9, for […]
Contact: Rachel Coen, (212) 633-6700 x318 **PLEASE NOTE CORRECTED VERSION OF EARLIER 6/13/00 RELEASE: Due to an error in calculation, some of the percentages in the release you received earlier today are incorrect. Below is a corrected version. We apologize for the error.** Media rely more on think tanks for “expert” sources than they did […]
At the end of Sesame Street, the show traditionally announces that that the episode has been brought to you by, say, “the letter Z and the number 2”–a daily reminder of the show’s commitment to non-commercial educational programming. But these days, the tradition has been co-opted for profit: Today after the show, you might hear […]
Dear David Westin: We are writing to express concern about the accuracy of John Stossel’s February 4 20/20 report, “The Food You Eat.” FAIR received numerous emails and phone calls questioning the veracity and objectivity of the report. After a preliminary investigation, we have some serious questions of our own about how the segment was […]
Contact: Rachel Coen, (212) 633-6700 x318 MEDIA ADVISORY: For ABC‘s John Stossel, Workers’ Safety Is Regulatory Excess On January 4th, the Washington Post broke a story that soon appeared in countless media outlets: The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) had released a letter in mid-November outlining some guidelines for an employer concerned with providing […]
