FAIR is the national progressive media watchdog group, challenging corporate media bias, spin and misinformation.
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 […]
Sheldon Rampton, research director of the Center for Media and Democracy, on the upcoming ABC docudrama The Path to 911. Also this week: Wayne Barrett discusses his new book Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11.
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.
Journalist Robert Dreyfuss discusses his new article for the American Prospect on Dick Cheney and his staff. Also on the program: Patrick O’Connor from Palestine Media Watch discusses coverage of Israel-Palestine.
This week on CounterSpin: MediaChannel’s Danny Schechter about the Alito hearings. Also on the show: Stephen Zunes discusses how mainstream narratives have misrepresented Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, incorrectly painting him as a peacemaker.
The October 28 indictment of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby in the CIA leak investigation was major news. Libby–who promptly resigned from his position as Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff–is portrayed in the indictment as repeatedly and deceptively claiming he learned from reporters about Valerie Plame Wilson’s classified status at the CIA. Wilson’s CIA […]
The indictment of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby in the CIA leak investigation was major news. Libby–who promptly resigned from his position as Dick Cheney’s chief of staff–is portrayed in the indictment as repeatedly, and deceptively, claiming he learned about Valerie Plame Wilson’s classified status at the CIA from reporters. This explains why special prosecutor Patrick […]
CBS‘s new Public Eye editor Vaughn Ververs has posted two responses to activists who questioned CBS‘s imbalanced October 2 Face the Nation segment on Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s indictment. As a FAIR Action Alert pointed out (10/4/05), the segment featured a panel of three Republicans and no Democrats. Portions of Ververs’ responses are below. […]
(NOTE: Please see the Activism Update regarding this alert.) It was no surprise that the Sunday morning talkshows would focus on the indictment of Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay on conspiracy charges. But CBS‘ Face the Nation covered the DeLay scandal in an unusual manner: by convening a panel of three Republicans. Congressmembers David Dreier […]
On June 6, a years-long civic battle over plans to build a combined NFL/Olympic stadium atop publicly owned rail yards on Manhattan’s West Side ended with a thud. After a hard-fought lobbying campaign that saw more than $42 million spent on both sides (Newsday, 6/16/05), New York state assembly speaker Sheldon Silver used his power […]
In the paper’s April 24 edition, Washington Post ombudsman Michael Getler responded to FAIR’s action alert regarding the Post’s soft profile of Senator Trent Lott (R-Miss.) Below is Getler’s column, followed by FAIR’s response. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12491-2005Apr23.html FAIR or Unfair Game? By Michael Getler Sunday, April 24, 2005; Page B06 I was inundated with e-mails and phone […]
NOTE: Please see the update to this alert. Mississippi Republican Senator Trent Lott’s efforts to rehabilitate his public image were given a valuable boost by the Washington Post, which ran an uncritical profile in its April 14 edition. Lott lost his position as Senate Majority Leader after comments he made at a December 2002 party […]
Professor Stephen Zunes on US coverage of Syria. And reporter Terry Allen talks candidly about John Negroponte, the Bush nominee for National Director of Intelligence.
George W. Bush’s February 17 nomination of John Negroponte to the newly created job of director of intelligence was the subject of a flurry of media coverage. But one part of Negroponte’s resume was given little attention: his role in the brutal and illegal Contra war against the Sandinista government of Nicaragua in the mid-1980s. […]
NOTE: Please see the update to this alert. In its February 3 edition, USA Today not only failed to challenge a George W. Bush distortion about Social Security— it actually changed Bush’s remarks to make them more accurate. Summarizing Bush’s case for privatizing the program, reporter Judy Keen explained: “Two days after winning re-election, Bush […]
How did media bungle coverage of Yaser Arafat’s death? And a closer, more critical look at Alberto Gonzales and his radical views, with Michael Ratner.
October 22, 2004 On September 30, a FAIR action alert urged the Associated Press and Washington Post not to exercise “false balance” in their reporting on the exaggerations and deceptions coming from the major presidential candidates. By straining to include an equal number of Bush and Kerry statements to “fact check,” news outlets give the […]
Talk of the economy has dominated this election season. However the Bush administration’s changes in overtime rules, which has amounted to a massive pay cut for millions of U.S. workers, has received virtually no attention in the press. Also on the show: freelance journalist Jason Leopold on Dick Cheney’s corporate scandal.
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.
How has media handled the Bush administration’s charges against the likely Democratic nominee for president, John Kerry? Also: a new study from the University of Maryland gives U.S. news coverage of weapons of mass destruction low marks. More on this with the study’s author, Susan Moeller.
