FAIR is the national progressive media watchdog group, challenging corporate media bias, spin and misinformation.
FAIR’s annual survey of think tank sources produced a surprising result for 2006: While total think tank citations decreased for the second year in a row (before then, think tank citations went up every single year), progressive think tanks bucked the trend. Overall, the 27,877 citations that the 25 most-quoted think tanks garnered was a […]
Right after Democrats won back control of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections, pundits from major news outlets had, as one would expect, substantial amounts of political criticism for the party that faced major losses. What was most remarkable was the amount of tactical criticism and caution directed at the party that won major gains. […]
This week on CounterSpin: Robert Parry of ConsortiumNews.com discusses the recent Robert Gates nomination. Also on the show: Barbara Kopple shares about her new film Shut Up and Sing, which explores the astonishing campaign against the Dixie Chicks following the infamous 2003 comment about Bush.
Glen Ford of the Black Agenda Report joins to discuss media coverage of Obama and what is missing. Also on the show: Elite media, the midterm elections, and “free trade” agreements, with Chris Slevin of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch.
Sen. Trent Lott’s return to the ranks of the Senate Republican leadership has been broadly covered as a story of political redemption. In this scenario, the once-fallen Senate majority leader, having apologized and atoned for his sins—in this case, praising the racist 1948 presidential candidacy of the late Strom Thurmond—is restored to the body’s top […]
What is really behind the Democratic victories this midterm election, with the Nation’s John Nichols. Also on the show: Clarissa Martinez of the National Council of La Raza joins to discuss the impact of Latino voters and why we aren’t hearing more about it from the media.
On the day after Election Day 2006, pundits from major U.S. news outlets had, as one would expect, substantial amounts of political criticism for the party that faced major losses. What is more remarkable is the amount of criticism and caution directed at the party that won major gains. Virtually unanimously, the political commentators providing […]
In closely contested districts across the country, voters report getting automated calls that begin, “Hi, I’m calling with information about [name of Democratic candidate].” If you listen to the rest of the message, you hear a litany of negative claims about the candidate. If you hang up–as do many voters, overwhelmed by so-called robocalls this […]
Tomorrow’s midterm elections are surely among the most closely watched and hotly contested in many years. The media coverage has thoroughly discussed the latest polls and approval ratings, as well as the barrage of negative advertising. But when a “botched” joke receives wall-to-wall coverage, it is a good time to ask whether political reporting is […]
Charges of voter disenfranchisement versus charges of voter fraud and how the media handles these conversations, with Justin Levitt of the Brennan Center for Justice. Also on the show: The Nation writer Richard Kim joins to discuss same sex marriage and so-called values voters.
NY1 general manager Steve Paulus has responded to FAIR activists challenging the New York cable news station’s decision to exclude Jonathan Tasini from a debate with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton (FAIR Action Alert, 8/4/06; Activism Update, 8/18/06). Tasini is running against Clinton for the Democratic senatorial nomination, and has 13 percent support in the […]
(NOTE: Please see the related further Activism Update.) On August 4, FAIR issued an action alert calling for New York cable news channel NY1 to allow Democratic antiwar candidate Jonathan Tasini to debate incumbent Sen. Hillary Clinton as part of its series of televised primary debates. NY1, which is owned by Time Warner, had created […]
This week on CounterSpin: What pundits and political reporters are saying about the Lamont victory in Connecticut, with FAIR founder Jeff Cohen. Also on the show: Chuck Collins of the Institute for Policy Studies discusses Mexico and the current drama surrounding the country’s presidential election.
(NOTE: Please see the Activism Update regarding this alert.) There is a heated debate among Democrats about the direction of the party, with centrist party stalwarts facing challenges from the left on issues like the Iraq War. But New York City voters will have a more difficult time seeing this debate play out, as New […]
[Note: This piece is a sidebar to “Subverting, Not Preserving, Democracy.”] One of the many issues raised in Rep. John Conyers’ report on the 2004 Ohio election but not tackled in the press was the accusation that the electronic voting company Triad had provided a “cheat sheet” for election officials participating in the Ohio […]
It’s an article of faith in the elite ranks of journalism: Political virtue and electoral success reside in the ideological center. Though it’s not overwhelmingly popular with the American public, centrism is the dominant message of national political pundits and journalists—at least for Democrats. While few commentators would disagree with the conventional wisdom that Republican […]
[Note: this piece is a sidebar to Move Over—Over and Over: Media’s rightward push for Democrats] So who do political reporters now expect to close the “cultural gap” that supposedly prevents Democrats from winning at the polls? Many look to Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, who represents many of the centrist qualities media insiders prescribe for […]
David Sirota talks his new book Hostile Takeover and what kind of advice pundits will be giving the Democrats this election year. Also on the show: Tim Redmond, the editor of the Bay Guardian, discusses Dean Singleton’s growing monopoly on San Francisco Bay Area newspapers.
