Holding a ‘Go Donald!’ Media Accountable for ‘Normalizing Extremism’
Reporters can’t ignore public figures, but is there daylight between covering news of a person and providing them a near-constant, legitimizing megaphone?
GOP’s Nikki Haley Stands Up for an Imaginary America
“When you’ve got immigrants who are coming here legally,” Haley told reporters, “we’ve never in the history of this country passed any laws or done anything based on race or religion. Let’s not start that now.”
Trump Amazes WaPo Columnist by Drawing 60% Fewer People Than Sanders
The Washington Post hypes the “MASSIVE” turnout for Trump a month before the primary, though it’s not even half the size of the crowd Bernie Sanders attracted in the same general area three months ago.
Weirdly, Trump Is as Blase About Russia Killing Journalists as He Is About US Killing Journalists
It’s easy to get outraged by the crimes of official enemies, and to forget or to justify the crimes of the state you identify with. What really sets Trump apart is that he seems lackadaisical about both types of crimes.
Common Dreams: For Democrats, Debate Night Means Being Quizzed From the Right by Corporate Media
Jim Naureckas’ piece on ABC’s right-leaning debate questions (12/22/15) was picked up by Common Dreams.
For Democrats, Debate Night Means Being Quizzed From the Right by Corporate Media
Although primary debates are ostensibly intended to help members of each major party select their nominee, the questions asked by the debate moderators from ABC consistently posed questions from the right.
FAIR Makes Nation’s List of ‘Most Valuable Progressives’
FAIR is on The Nation’s “Progressive Honor Roll 2015,” a list “celebrating progressivism that mattered in 2015 and that—if past is prologue—will matter even more in 2016 and beyond.”
Common Dreams Quotes Jim Naureckas: ‘It’s All About Who We Should Bomb’
“Framing the problem of political violence as a struggle of ‘us’ against ‘ them,’ of creating a demonized other by stoking fear, is a tried and true strategy for building an audience.”
CNN’s Debate on ‘Terror’ Omitted the Kind That Kills the Most Americans
None of CNN’s moderators, nor any of the nine candidates, mentioned the very real threat posed by white political violence.
What Gets Asked at Debates—and Who Gets Asked It?
Establishment media figures who have moderated the debates have thus far focused the discussion on a narrow range of topics, a FAIR analysis of debate questions finds.
NYT: Clinton ‘Unrivaled Leader’
Rather than “emerging” as a leader with no rival, Clinton’s aura of inevitability has faded as Sanders has shown surprising strength in polling, fundraising and ability to attract crowds.
Death-Squad Organizer Is NYT’s Source on Ben Carson’s Lack of Foreign Policy Smarts
In its effort to vet one of the leading GOP presidential candidates, Dr. Ben Carson, the New York Times didn’t properly vet its primary source in this vetting, former CIA officer Duane Clarridge—an indicted liar and overseer of Contra death squads in Central America.
‘We Are in a Whole New Struggle Over the Right to Vote Now’
“In a democracy, we are better off when more people participate and it’s the responsibility of the state, of the government, to get more people involved.”
When Thomas Friedman Ridicules Campaign Economics, the Joke’s on Him
While there is much to ridicule in promises being put forward by the presidential candidates, the items to which Thomas Friedman devoted his column don’t fit the bill.
Ari Berman on Voting Rights, Joanne Doroshow on Forced Arbitration
CounterSpin discusses the first presidential race in 50 years without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act. Plus: Just what do you sign away in those fine print contracts now necessary for everything from buying a cellphone to getting a job?
Only the Right Gets to Pose Questions at CNN’s Debates
At the October 13 Democratic Party debate, CNN did not include a single progressive advocate among its panel of four questioners.
Media Don’t Call Trump on Claim to Have Opposed Iraq Invasion ‘Back in 2004’
Donald Trump has claimed many, many times that he opposed the 2003 US invasion of Iraq in real time. Funny that Huffington Post’s Michael Calderone couldn’t find any evidence of this.
Rubio’s Welfare Idea Seems Newer If You’re Unaware It Was Implemented 20 Years Ago
it wasn’t surprising to see David Brooks praise Marco Rubio, his favored candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, for a welfare reform proposal that was put in place almost 20 years ago.
The Fake News Food Chain
It’s a problem when presidential candidates from a major political party are getting their information about the world from a news outlet that evidently can’t tell the difference between a sub-Onion hoax site and actual news.
ACTION ALERT: NYT Claims Clinton ‘Emerging as Unrivaled Leader’ in Democratic Race
Hillary Clinton, the “unrivaled leader,” leads her closest rival, Bernie Sanders, by 7 percentage points in an average of recent polls in the first caucus state, Iowa. In the first primary state, New Hampshire, she trails Sanders by 2 points;
