Crediting Obama for Bringing Troops Home–Without Noting He Sent Them Abroad
NPR tells listeners that Obama has cut troop levels in Afghanistan by two-thirds–but doesn’t explain that he massively escalated the war.
The White House and the Awesome Power of Several Bloggers
National Journal reporter James Oliphant has discovered that the Obama White House has a very powerful weapon it can deploy against its critics: bloggers.
FAIR TV: NYT’s Russia Walkback, Obama’s ‘Manhood,’ Innocent Drones
The New York Times has a big exclusive on Russia–and quietly walked it back a few days later. David Brooks offers his thoughts on the Mideast and Obama’s “manhood,” CNN finds a guest who says innocent civilians don’t die in drone strikes.
Obama’s ‘Manhood Problem’—and Media’s Humanity Problem
David Brooks says the Middle East thinks Obama has a “manhood” problem.
Intelligence Sources Play an Early April Fool’s Joke on NBC News
US intelligence claims about a Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border are just that–claims. On NBC Nightly News, however, anchor Brian Williams and Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski not only took these claims as gospel, they used them as the jumping off point for alarmist speculation.
Hawks Want Obama to Be More Like Jimmy Carter
Pundits like Charles Krauthammer have fond memories of the Afghan/Soviet war, and want Obama to be more like Jimmy Carter so that the Ukraine crisis can have a similarly happy result.
Is Putin Delusional—or Is NYT a ‘Megaphone for Propaganda’?
Tracing back the story about Vladimir Putin being out of touch reality, one journalist sees it as a prime example of how media outlets can “become a megaphone for propaganda.”
FAIR TV: Ukraine Hysteria, US Hypocrisy, Keystone Protest
This week: US media go into overdrive over Russia/Ukraine, painting the conflict as proof that Barack Obama isn’t feared enough. Plus pundits laugh at Putin’s delusion–but what about John Kerry’s? And a big anti-Keystone XL rally at the White House hardly makes the news. Watch:
Jonah Goldberg Swings at Obama on Nukes—and Hits Reagan
Right-wing columnist Jonah Goldberg slams Obama for expressing support for a ‘nuclear free world’– which was what Reagan said too.
Russia, Ukraine and ‘US Prestige’
Pundits worry about US ‘prestige’ and the weakness of Barack Obama.
FAIR TV: Pundits Want Social Security Cuts, Troop Cut Panic, Arizona Bill Discriminates—’Some Say’
Pundits were mad about the news that Barack Obama was backing away from “chained CPI” Social Security cuts. An announcement about troop cuts caused some reporters to panic. And Arizona’s discriminatory SB 1062 is given the “some say” media treatment.
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.
FAIR TV: Keystone Bipartisanship, ABC’s ‘Average’ 401K, O’Reilly’s Trust Problem
Big-time journalists think Obama should approve the Keystone pipeline to show that he wants to make Republicans happy. ABC tells us about an “average” family’s 401K plan–which isn’t average at all. And Fox host Bill O’Reilly says he’s trustworthy–take his word for it.
NY Times Covers for Obama’s Move to the Right
President Barack Obama has decided to talk less about income inequality and more about “opportunity.” This shift to a more conservative framework to discuss economic divisions is, according to the New York Times, what the public wants. But that doesn’t appear to be the case. Reporter Jackie Calmes (2/4/14) explained that Republicans think talking about […]
Obama’s Keystone Moment: Will He Finally Be Nice to Republicans?
NBC news personalities Chuck Todd and David Gregory wondered if Obama would seize the Keystone XL decision as an important historical moment. Not to take a stand against climate change and the burning of untapped fossil fuels–but to do something Republicans might like.
The State of AP’s Factchecking Is Sad—as Usual
Why does AP still let Calvin Woodward “factcheck” political speeches? Does no one at the news service know what actual factchecking looks like? (If you’re coming in late, see FAIR Blog, 10/30/08, 2/25/09, 4/30/09, 1/28/10, 8/31/12.) Woodward’s latest venture (1/29/14) into the factcheck genre, following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech, produced […]
AP Distorts Poll to Support Obama’s Inequality Dodge
It’s hard to remember a better time for politicians to talk about the issue of income inequality. But according to the Associated Press (1/24/14), Barack Obama’s State of the Union address will attempt to shift away that issue–too divisive, apparently–and opt instead for some discussion of economic opportunity. As Jim Kuhnhenn writes: The adjustment reflects […]
Bill O’Reilly Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Bill O’Reilly’s message on Martin Luther King Jr. Day was that blacks “have a much tougher time succeeding in the marketplace” because they don’t “study and work hard.”
Erasing Obama’s Record on the Afghan War
In focusing on how Obama might end the Afghan War–which hasn’t ended, of course–media accounts omit the fact that Obama massively increased the number of US troops in Afghanistan
Fox Regular Calls for Assassinating Obama
Unfortunately, advocating and fantasizing about the murder of perceived enemies of the Fox worldview is a line that has been crossed all too commonly in Murdoch-owned media outlets.
