Meet the Stenographers
From the Iraq War to the 2004 presidential race, reporters shirked their journalistic duty to take a critical approach to official and partisan claims —to document them when they are true, and debunk them when they are false.
A Different Race
On March 16, 1827, the first African-American newspaper, Freedom’s Journal, began publication in New York. During its short but significant two-year run, Freedom’s Journal established the central role of the independent black press in the United States. In particular, the editors pledged to serve their readers in ways that the white press would not, by […]
Murdoch Exploits 9/11 for Kerry Smear
November 1, 2004 In a naked attempt to exploit the September 11 attacks for partisan political gain, Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post ran a deceptive front-page headline on its October 30 edition that declared that Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden “Urges Bush Defeat.” Of course, the taped message from bin Laden played on Al-Jazeera […]
Robert Jensen on Iraq explosives, Rob Perks on environmental coverage
Recently The NY Times and CBS broke the news of hundreds of tons of explosive materials in Iraq that apparently cannot be accounted for, which stole the spotlight away from Bush and the election. The Bush team is now pushing back, accusing the liberal media of trying to defeat Bush. What can we say about the story, and the media’s response to these charges? Also on CounterSpin: what is the reason for so little environmental coverage during this election cycle?
Missing the Evidence on Missing Explosives
When the New York Times reported on Monday (10/25/04) that over 300 tons of high-explosive materials appeared to be missing from an Iraqi weapons facility, it was no surprise that the Bush administration and conservative pundits would quickly challenge the story. But recent reporting has taken this spin as proof that the facts of the […]
Bush’s Kerry Comments Go Unchecked
George W. Bush‘s new claims about Kerry “flip-flopping” on the war in Afghanistan quickly moved yesterday from the campaign trail to the nightly news. But some journalists who repeated Bush’s charges made no effort to examine the truth behind Bush’s claims– claims which turn out, like many other Bush lines of attack, to be deceptive. […]
Anne-Marie Cusac on voting rights, Dave Lindorff on the military draft
With the election less than two weeks away, allegations of voter suppression are popping up all over– how is the press responding to these allegations? Also: journalist David Lindorff on the possibility of a new military draft.
Viacom Blocking Independent Political Ads
October 18, 2004 In the wake of the CEO of Viacom‘s declaration of support for George W. Bush, the media giant that owns both CBS and MTV Networks is refusing to air political advertising from advocacy organizations on its cable channels (MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central). The independent progressive group Compare Decide Vote produced an […]
Jim Naureckas on debate fact-checking, Ben Scott on Sinclair
The presidential debates are crucial in determining the outcome of an election. FAIR’s own Jim Naureckas on how effectively the media fact-checks the presidential debates. Also on the program: the largest owner of TV stations in the country is forcing its stations to carry an anti-Kerry film, in primetime, commercial-free, during the last days of the election campaign. Ben Scott of media reform group Free Press on this story.
MSNBC’s Rightward Slant on Debate Coverage
After standing virtually alone among mainstream media outlets in declaring Dick Cheney the clear victor in his October 5 debate with Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards, MSNBC made an odd decision about its coverage of the subsequent Bush-Kerry debate: It added more conservative voices to its panel discussion. MSNBC‘s panel for the October 9 […]
Sinclair’s Partisan Ploy Cries Out for Equal Time
October 12, 2004 In an unprecedented move, the Republican-friendly Sinclair Broadcasting company has ordered its 62 television stations to preempt regular prime-time broadcasting to air the anti-John Kerry documentary “Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal” just two weeks before the election. The film is to be shown in several swing states, including Ohio, Florida and […]
Finding Fault on Both Sides Can Be False Balance
While fact-checking is an essential media function, particularly during an election year, it’s a hollow exercise if journalists start with the assumption that both sides must be found equally guilty of falsehoods. It is, in fact, not always the case that both campaigns are responsible for deceptive claims to the same degree; coverage that insists […]
Post-Debate Fact-Checking Is Media’s Main Job
September 29, 2004 Who “wins” the presidential debate on Thursday may well depend on how well media do their job on Friday. In past debates, post-debate commentary has frequently focused on the candidates’ style, body language and other cosmetic issues. The L.A. Times (9/29/04) suggested that these seemingly unimportant details can swing a campaign: “Who […]
60 Minutes: Shelving a Story to Boost Bush?
In an outrageous politicization of journalism, CBS announced it would not air a report on forged documents that the Bush administration used to sell the Iraq war until after the November 2 election (New York Times , 9/25/04). A network spokesperson issued a statement declaring, “We now believe it would be inappropriate to air the […]
Brokaw Broadcasts ‘Bible Ban’ BS
September 28, 2004 (NOTE: Please read the update to this alert.) On the September 24 NBC Nightly News, Tom Brokaw gave this brief report: “The Republican National Committee now has acknowledged sending mass mailings to two states that say liberals want to ban the Bible. Republican Party officials say the mailings in Arkansas and West […]
Media Should Probe Bigger Questions About Bush’s Record
In the past week, a handful of stories have cast doubt on whether George W. Bush fulfilled his National Guard obligations 30 years ago. Reports by the Associated Press (9/7/04), Boston Globe (9/8/04) and U.S. News & World Report (9/20/04) have all raised new questions about Bush’s military service. Though each of these stories has […]
Heidi Boghosian on RNC protests, Ellen Frank on state of the economy
Heidi Boghosian of the National Lawyers Guild on protests against the Republican National Convention and the media tendencies that encourage the stifling of free speech. Also this week: what’s the deal with job creation?
If Only They Had Invented the Internet
It is the function of journalism to separate fact from fiction. In covering the Republican National Convention of 2004, the media made isolated efforts to point out some of the convention speakers’ more egregious distortions, but on the whole failed in their vital role of letting citizens know when they are being lied to. To […]
It’s the Economy, Stupidly
After many months of dismal job creation numbers, three months starting in April produced statistics that George W. Bush could cite positively. With John Kerry having devoted much effort to pointing out the poor economic performance under the Bush administration, the new numbers produced a strong media consensus: The Kerry team would have to change […]
Brian Montopoli on Swift Boat controversy, Kyle Johnson on KNFT
Why have a series of unsubstantiated claims about John Kerry’s Vietnam service become the defining issue of the presidential race? Also: Kyle Johnson, host of “Radio Free Silver” shares what happened when his liberal talk show joined the right-learning radio station, KNFT, in Silver City, New Mexico.
