Politico Plays With Polling to Manufacture ‘Trump-Resistance Fatigue’
A recent Politico article gave readers an excellent lesson in how not to report on a poll—unless the goal is to push politicians to the right.
Politico Airs Flimsy Case Against Abrams and Voting Rights
The right-wing press jumped on the Politico report as a way to sully Abrams as she runs to the electoral finish line.
Politico Paints Gen X as ‘Trumpiest Generation’—on Flimsiest Evidence
On Biden’s and Trump’s favorable ratings, Gen Xers find themselves mostly in the middle among generations.
Politico Doesn’t Have ‘Woke Police’—It Has Staffers Calling Out Bad Journalism
Apparently a disgruntled minority opposed to changes at Politico knew they’d find a sympathetic ear at the Daily Beast.
Politico’s Staff Must Toe New Owner’s Line—Including Endorsing Israel
The fear is that Axel Springer will weaponize its US presence against criticism of Israel and pro-Palestine perspectives as it has in Germany.
Even After January 6, Some in Media Can’t Kick Their Addiction to False Balance
If editors learn anything from the events of the last four years, it should be that “balance” is a dangerous substitute for fairness and accuracy.
For Politico, ‘Objectivity’ Means Asking Only Arms Industry Sources About an Arms Industry Endorsement
Election Focus 2020: The obvious questions the endorsement raises are how it might influence Biden’s military policy, and perhaps whether such an endorsement would be demotivating for antiwar voters in Biden’s voter base.
‘Bernie Speaks’—and Politico Hears Deviations From Cold War Orthodoxy
It’s very possible that Bernie Sanders said something “startling” in the 51 episodes of Bernie Speaks–but if he did, Politico didn’t find it. Instead, the publication showed us its own failure to dislodge from the corporate media’s anti-Communist, neo-Cold War worldview.
Corporate Media’s Soft Spot for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner
Almost as soon as Donald Trump won the election last November, corporate media began to concoct a collective narrative that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner would exert a strong moderating influence on the new president.
Soundbites October 2015
Democrats: Pro-Bombing Softies Under the headline “The Ultimate Argument in Favor of the Iran Deal: The Agreement Would Make It Easier to Bomb Iran,” Politico (8/24/15) reported that “the pact would make it easier to bomb Iran, administration officials have told lawmakers.” Two days later, in a story on Senate campaigns, Politico (8/26/15) was reporting […]
Politico Helps O’Reilly Get Away With Falklands Fabrications
Politico media reporter Dylan Byers explores the supposedly mysterious question of why Fox News executives let their most lucrative on-air personality get away with blatantly misrepresenting his journalistic history.
Obama’s ‘Hot Anti-Wall Street Rhetoric’?
Politico says bankers are fond of Hillary Clinton, in part because of “Obama’s hot, anti-Wall Street rhetoric.” What are they talking about?
Will NYT’s New Editor Stand Up for Investigative Journalism?
The New York Times announced that Jill Abramson, who has the top editorial job there of executive editor, is being replaced by current managing editor Dean Baquet. Whether Baquet will be good for investigative reporting at the Times remains to be seen.
Media Lean Left, Say Journalists Who Don’t Really Say That
When establishment journalists were asked about whether media leaned left, so little in their responses addressed what would seem to be the fundamental question: Does what is actually in the media suggest a liberal bias?
Politico’s Pay-to-Play
The Chamber of Commerce and other powerful corporate interests like oil giant BP pony up to sponsor Politico–and just so happen to get glowing coverage in the very same outlet.
Michael Hastings, Bridge-Burning Journalist (1980-2013)
What Tim Dickinson called Hastings’ “enthusiastic breaches of the conventions of access journalism” were what enabled him to report the unguarded assessments of the officers running the occupation of Afghanistan.
Politico Reveals Shocking Economic Truths
Politico has discovered the perfect fix for the American economy–a set of policies that would create a jobs boom,if our political leaders would summon the courage to act. What’s the plan? Cut Social Security and Medicare, lower corporate taxes, and encourage more fracking.
Mittmentum: Reporters Thought He Might Win Because He Said So
Asked about the pre-election sense that Mitt Romney might win the election, CNN reporter Candy Crowley told viewers (11/7/12): There was an optimism in the Romney camp. But it wasn’t based on the numbers. It was based on the feel of things. And one thing you know when you cover a campaign, the feel of […]
Politico Makes You Glad Election Is Almost Over
The gossipy, horse race-obsessed outlet Politico ran a story on October 29 about the credibility of polling expert Nate Silver, whose 538 blog at the New York Times is a must-read for people interested in election forecasting. What Silver does isn’t, on one level, all that tricky–his model combines national and state polls and generates probabilities […]
Noise and Nonsense on Benghazi Attack
Over the past few weeks of the presidential campaign we’ve been hearing a lot—maybe too much—about the September 11, 2012, attack on a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. It’s been turned into a campaign issue by the Romney team, which has used the incident to charges […]
