Pope Francis Obits Omit Focus on Palestine
The obituaries for Pope Francis in the leading US newspapers ignored the late pontiff’s commitment to the Palestinian people.
Jamil Dakwar on US & Human Rights, Matt Gertz on Mike Johnson
Shouldn’t the press corps be actively involved in informing us about the person third in line for the presidency?
‘The Supreme Court Is Burying Its Head in the Sand’
“There is basically no higher authority that tells Supreme Court members what they can and cannot do.”
Nelson Lichtenstein on UC Strike, Marjorie Cohn on Evangelicals’ Supreme Court Lobbying
The struggle for pay and dignity at the University of California is part of a bigger fight about whether educators are actual workers.
‘They Painted a Narrative of This Coach Looking for a Quiet Corner to Pray’
“There is a political movement in this country that’s playing for keeps. They don’t care how nice you’re going to be about it.”
Dave Zirin on Football Prayer Ruling, Howard Bryant on Black Athletes & Social Change
This week on CounterSpin: Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion on Kennedy v. Bremerton that “the Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike.” The case was about whether there was a problem with a Washington […]
Newsweek and the ‘War on Christians’
A cover that declares a “War on Christians” is bound to get some attention. Writing in the February 12 issue of Newsweek, author Ayaan Hirsi Ali‘s argument is just as blunt. Enough with all this talk “about Muslims as victims of abuse,” because really it’s the other way around: A wholly different kind of war […]
Islamophobia Still Rising—With the Right’s Help
Anti-Muslim bigotry has been around in the U.S. for decades, but why the rise now? At least part of the answer resides in the emergence of a highly organized national Islamophobic propaganda network.
Lorne Stockman on Keystone pipeline, Faiz Shakir on ‘Fear Inc.’
[mp3-jplayer tracks=”CounterSpin090211 Lorne Stockman and Faiz Shakir @https://eadn-wc04-3257648.nxedge.io/audio/counterspin/CounterSpin090211.mp3″] Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: Why have more than 700 people been arrested at the White House in recent days? Don’t ask nightly news– they’ve so far yet to find anything newsworthy in the largest environmental action in years: a massive protest against the proposed Keystone […]
Cheering for John Paul’s Sainthood—and Ignoring His Ties to Abuse Scandal
“John Paul II’s Beatification Cheered” was USA Today‘s headline (5/2/11)—followed by 19 paragraphs of cheerleading for the accelerated process of declaring the late Pope John Paul II an official saint: Various sources in Eric Lyman’s article called the event “an important day and a wonderful opportunity to recognize a great man,” “a man of God […]
The Media’s Construction of the ‘Ground Zero Mosque’
How did a local story about a proposal to build an Islamic cultural center in Lower Manhattan turn into a national controversy about whether a “Ground Zero Mosque” would be a slap in the face to 9/11 victims? It started with a small group of anti-Muslim activists who suggested the proposal was a scheme by […]
Rick Steiner on oil spill, Stephan Salisbury on ‘Ground Zero Mosque’
Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: Sighs of relief as BP’s Macondo well appears to be sealed, and some stories are already headlined “After the Spill.” Our guest says it’s no time to celebrate, and “after” isn’t the right word. We’ll hear from marine conservationist Rick Steiner. Also on the show: The right-wing storyline about […]
The Right’s Library of Fake Quotes
Abraham Lincoln despised class warfare, Thomas Jefferson detested bailouts and the founders of the nation were all Bible-believing Christians. These are among the historical “facts” you’ll learn as a regular consumer of talk radio, Fox News and other conservative sources. While non-conservatives have been known to misquote historical figures to add credibility to their own […]
An ‘Ignoble Attempt’ to Smear the Pope?
The Vatican is lashing out at mounting news reports suggesting that, before becoming Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger used his positions to cover up the the church’s sex abuse scandals, with little regard for the child victims of the abusers or the law. A Vatican spokesperson denounced the reporting as an “ignoble attempt” […]
Sonali Kolhatkar on Afghan women and the war, Dedrick Muhammad on Obama’s NAACP speech and ‘tough love’
Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: Some prominent feminist and liberal voices have recently lent their endorsement to the ongoing U.S. war in Afghanistan, based on the idea that the war is an effort to improve the lives of Afghan women and girls. That was a major argument at the war’s onset, but how does […]
Gerald LeMelle on Obama in Africa, Katha Pollitt on Caitlin Flanagan in Time
Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: Barack Obama’s recent trip to Africa gave the press corps a chance to opine predictably on Obama’s “unique role” as a “son of Africa” who was specially suited to “tell African leaders hard truths”. It should’ve also been a chance for a serious look at the substance of U.S. […]
The Bible Tells Me…Something Else
The New York Times‘ Charles Blow writes on the op-ed page (“Heaven for the Godless?,” 12/27/08): “The Bible makes it clear that heaven is a velvet-roped V.I.P. area reserved for Christians. Jesus said so: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life: No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’” He then expresses […]
Making Islamophobia Mainstream
This article is the overview of FAIR’s study, “Smearcasting, How Islamophobes Spread Bigotry, Fear and Misinformation.” A remarkable thing happened at the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) nominations in February 2007: The normally highbrow and tolerant group nominated for best book in the field of criticism a work widely viewed as denigrating an entire religion. […]
‘Secret Muslims,’ Open Bigotry
This article is the overview of FAIR’s study, “Smearcasting, How Islamophobes Spread Bigotry, Fear and Misinformation.” Visit the report’s special micro-site at www.smearcasting.com or click here to download the full report. In the 1990 Polish elections a whispering campaign suggesting that Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, a Roman Catholic, was a “secret Jew” attracted widespread […]
David Cay Johnston on Meltdown/Bailout, Isabel MacDonald & Steve Rendall on ‘Smearcasting,’ FAIR’s Islamophobia Report
[mp3-jplayer tracks=”CounterSpin101008 David Cay Johnston and Isabel MacDonald and Steve Rendall @https://eadn-wc04-3257648.nxedge.io/audio/counterspin/CounterSpin101008.mp3″] Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: The bailout story turns again as Congress passes the White House’s bailout bill. Will reporters give up questioning the plan entirely now that it has that holy grail of “bipartisan support”? We’ll hear from one journalist who’s […]
