Maybe the Public—Not the Press—Has a Leftist Bias
Either the press corps does not have a leftist bias against big business—or the public has an anti-corporate bias even more extreme than that of journalists.
‘Greed’ Is Bad Reporting
Nobody, but nobody, gets to use network news as a soapbox to proselytize for his personal ideological views like ABC‘s John Stossel does. His messianic fervor for the “free market” has often been displayed on his regular 20/20 gig as well as on several ABC Newsspecials–but never with as heavy a hand as on his […]
Death, Taxes and Media Distortion
“The inheritance tax now has a lot of enemies and almost no friends,” Tom Brokaw declared on the April 14 NBC Nightly News. At least, it has no defenders that NBC was willing to let viewers see. Correspondent Mike Jensen opened his report with the statement that “thousands of farmers and small business owners face […]
We Feel Your Pain
“As corporate America looks beyond downsizing,” began an item in March 19’s Wall Street Journal, “executives search for smart ways to handle virtual offices, telecommuting and team environments.” As part of “corporate America,” corporate-owned media also appear interested in “looking beyond” mass layoffs–but certainly not in challenging them. It’s true that coverage like the New […]
Let Them Eat Baguettes
For three and a half weeks last December, hundreds of thousands of workers and students took to the streets all over France. Thousands of nonunion workers and citizens joined the protests against government “austerity” proposals that would slash benefits, increase health care costs and cut funding for education. Something important was happening, but the mainstream […]
Wild in Deceit
In previous decades, American politicians and social scientists predicted waves of violence stemming from “impulsive” blacks, volatile Eastern European immigrants, “hot-blooded” Latin Americans, and other groups “scientifically” judged to harbor innately aggressive traits. In each case, the news media joined in vilifying whatever temporarily unpopular minority that politicians and pseudo-science had flocked to blame. And […]
Newsweek Puts On a Happy Face
Newsweek‘s January 8 cover featured a piece headlined “Cheer Up America: It’s Not as Bad as You Think.” In the article, economics reporter Robert J. Samuelson argued that the source of Americans’ current dissatisfaction is our utopian notion of a society in which problems like poverty and job insecurity can be solved. These ideals should […]
Limbaugh Out to Lunch in Budget Debate
“Today, my friends, we’re going to do everything the media accuses us of doing, that we never have done, but we’re going to do it,” Rush Limbaugh announced on his March 10 radio show. “Yes, ladies and gentlemen, today we’re going to give you marching orders, and today we will ask you to follow us […]
The Mexican ‘Miracle’
On May 22, 1993, soldiers from the Mexican army accidentally ran across a guerrilla training camp in the jungles of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. One army officer and one civilian were killed in the clashes that followed, according to the military. The incident was given prominent coverage in La Jornada, a popular, moderately […]
The Way Things Aren’t
From dioxin to Whitewater, from Rodney King to Reaganomics, Rush Limbaugh has a finely honed ability to twist and distort reality.
Lifestyles of the Rich and Fatuous
ABC News‘ Diane Sawyer, who reportedly had her annual salary doubled from $3 million to approximately $6 million, once lectured a single mother who illegally worked two low-paying part-time jobs to supplement her monthly welfare check of $600 (Primetime Live, 9/17/92): “You know, people say you should not have children if you can’t support them.” […]
Are All Yeltsin Critics ‘Hard-Line’ — Or Is That Just the U.S. Media’s Party Line?
When the Russian crisis began, CBS anchor Dan Rather suggested (9/21/93) that Boris Yeltsin “didn’t go far enough” in getting rid of the “hard-liners.” But how does a president legally get rid of elected members of parliament? President Yeltsin did it by simply dissolving parliament on Sept. 21, a blatantly unconstitutional move that won immediate […]
News Flash: Poor Mothers on Crime Spree!
“PrimeTime goes undercover to investigate welfare fraud, and the mess of a system that entices people to break the rules and gouge the taxpayers,” Diane Sawyer announced last year, introducing a segment of ABC‘s PrimeTime Live (9/17/92). “With so much money up for grabs,” Sawyer declared, “investigators in the field say it’s even better than […]
Family Leave Debate Leaves Families Out
News reports in September on the Senate’s vote to override George Bush’s veto of the Family Leave Bill focused primarily on one question: Did this help or hurt the president? “Congress Bruises Bush,” reported the Minneapolis Star Tribune (9/25/92), concluding that the legislative attempt to mandate unpaid maternity and family emergency leave was a setback […]
U.S. Environmental Reporting: The Big Fizzle
Another Year of the “environmental decade” is upon us: Acid rain and ozone depletion are household words; nature calendars, dolphin-safe tuna and neighborhood recycling programs are a part of everyday life; and the “environmental president” is running for reelection. Surely, since Time magazine named the Earth “Planet of the Year” in 1989, the environment has […]
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 […]
B.C.C.I.: The Scandals Behind the Scandal
A New York Times editorial (7/24/91) typified much of the coverage of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal when it chastised “the sluggish reaction of Attorney General Dick Thornburgh and his Justice Department,” which failed to respond to mounting evidence of corruption in “what may well constitute the biggest banking scandal in […]
S&L Coverage Ignores Root Causes and Progressive Options
The average taxpayer, curious to know how and why an estimated $1,000 per household will be handed to the Savings & Loan industry, won’t get much help from the news media. Thus far, coverage of the S&L crisis has offered little analysis of how the multi-billion dollar boondoggle relates to broader economic questions and little […]
