FAIR is the national progressive media watchdog group, challenging corporate media bias, spin and misinformation.
How did news outlets report on the Democratic convention? Also this week: Kim Crenshaw discusses Al Sharpton’s speech from the Democratic convention and how it was covered by the media.
August 4, 2004 Every four years , journalists complain about the same thing: Political conventions are dull, scripted and almost entirely devoid of any “real news.” Though the argument is illogical at best– most events in a political campaign are “scripted,” but journalists still find a way to cover them– it probably explains why the […]
July 30, 2004 ABC commentator and anchor John Stossel holds a rare position in television news: His commentaries air unopposed on a network news show. But after Stossel’s July 23 “Give Me A Break” segment on 20/20 about Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards, ABC viewers might be wondering what the network will do to […]
The Nation Magazine’s John Nichols joins CounterSpin this week to sort through a flurry of important elections stories. Also: discussion with George Farah of Open Debates on what changes could be implemented to actually make the Presidential debates a helpful forum for the public.
“Like a caged hamster, Senator John Kerry is restless on the road,” wrote the New York Times ‘ Jodi Wilgoren (6/13/04), beginning a piece that promised “authentic insights” into the Democratic presidential candidate. Aside from the banalities (Kerry dislikes wearing suits on hot, humid days, and uses a cellphone more than John Glenn did when […]
With John Kerry having emerged as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, prominent TV and print pundits are peddling the same campaign advice they give Democratic candidates every four years: Move to the right, abandon progressive stances and occupy the political center. At Newsweek, political reporter Howard Fineman (4/12/04) counseled Kerry to craft “a coherent, centrist […]
May 20, 2004 Recent media coverage of Democratic presidential contender John Kerry has often focused on alleged gaffes or misstatements, ranging from convoluted explanations of his Senate voting record to whether or not he owns a sports utility vehicle. But while these relatively trivial aspects of John Kerry’s record have come under intense and prolonged […]
The White House is pushing a sanitized version of what happened to Iraqi prisoners while in US custody, and journalists are following suit. Also: discussion on John Kerry and the charges against him.
If mainstream media outlets had devoted as much ink and airtime to electronic voting machines as they had to O.J. Simpson, Monicagate or even Janet Jackson’s breast, the outcome of our next presidential election might not depend on machines that can be programmed to favor one candidate over another without anyone ever knowing. As it […]
Every four years, loud voices in the media advise the Democratic presidential candidate to abandon progressive stances and occupy the political center. With Sen. John Kerry having emerged as the presumable nominee, the pundits are once again issuing the same prescription. Time magazine’s Joe Klein wrote (4/12/04) that Kerry needs to be bold: “The ideal […]
After John Kerry emerged as the likely Democratic nominee for president, the Republican National Committee (RNC) began criticizing his record on military spending. The campaign against Kerry’s record escalated on February 22 when the RNC released a list of weapons systems that Kerry allegedly “voted against.” Republican spokespeople used this list to make sweeping claims […]
If you accept the “horserace” metaphor beloved by campaign pundits, it seems like media looked to disqualify former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean even before he left the starting gate. Once thought to be a long-shot contender for the Democratic nomination, Dean found himself anointed as the media front-runner weeks before any voters had their say. […]
The controversy over comparisons between George W. Bush and Adolf Hitler in two ads submitted to the anti-Bush ad contest run by the online activist group MoveOn.org says less about the state of left discourse than it does about the double standards at Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. News Corp‘s Fox News Channel started the controversy […]
In response to critics of ABC News‘ decision to pull the journalists traveling with three presidential campaigns, ABC has addressed the issue in its online daily political journal, the Note (12/12/03). Under the headline “Fairness: It’s What We All Want,” the response addressed itself to supporters of candidate Dennis Kucinich, who have been the most […]
NOTE: Please see the update to this action alert: “ABC Responds to Critics of Campaign Coverage” (12/12/03) A day after ABC‘s Ted Koppel moderated a debate between the Democratic presidential contenders, the network decided to withdraw three off-air producers from the campaigns of Dennis Kucinich, Carol Moseley Braun and Rev. Al Sharpton. ABC‘s decision […]
Media coverage of the nine Democratic candidates for their party’s nomination presents some as valid contenders, others as ineffective has-beens or laughable distractions.
