Rich Noyes noted earlier that CNN's Rick Sanchez stated via Twitter what he couldn't say on the air because of the overdone "Balloon Boy" fracas. He was sorry he aired fabricated Rush Limbaugh quotes:

i've know rush. in person,i like him. his rhetoric,however is inexcusably divisive. he's right tho. we didn't confirm quote. our bad.

Our bad? How about "I was inexcusably reckless in airing fabricated quotes?" But this is at least the third time in the last year that Sanchez has required a retraction when attacking a conservative or Republican.

Two months ago, Matthew Balan of NewsBusters forced Sanchez to retract his claim that Sen. John McCain said Republicans needed to recruit "competent" Hispanics, which inflamed CNN analyst Roland Martin. McCain never used that word.

It might go without saying, but "competent" Hispanic anchors don't require regular retractions.

CNN correspondent Jeanne Moos devoted an entire segment to the viral Obama as the Joker image on Tuesday’s Situation Room, and zeroed in on man-on-the-street reactions to it, all of whom expressed leftist horror at the picture. Moos herself suggested that “maybe it’s time to give the Joker joke a rest.” NewsBusters.org and Noel Sheppard's initial post about the posters made a brief appearance during her segment [audio from the entire segment is available here].

The correspondent, who is known for her light and sometimes humorous reports for CNN, chronicled how the Photoshop-style image of the president as Batman’s nemesis is spreading like wildfire on conservative websites, including the Drudge Report and NewsBusters. Throughout the report, she played clips of five men and six women whom the correspondent approached on a New York City street for their reaction to the Joker image. Unsurprisingly, all of the New Yorkers reacted negatively, from an “Oh my goodness” to “shame on them.” The last man stated that he was reminded of racist black-face comedy from the past, and the last woman even shouted, “It’s a right-wing spin- it’s disgraceful, and you shouldn’t even bring any attention to it.”

CNN has corrected a bogus story the network's Rick Sanchez pathetically aired Wednesday about leaders at last Saturday's G20 meeting snubbing President Bush as if he had "cooties."

For those that missed it, Sanchez played a video (embedded below the fold) of Bush seemingly being ignored by most of the leaders of the free world as they lined up to take a group picture:

I want you to look at this video, all right. It seems almost sad. Look at this. This is the president of the United States walking out on stage to take a picture with world leaders invited to the G20 summit over the weekend. Look at him. And he seems like the most unpopular kid in high school that nobody liked -- you know, the one with the cooties? 

Actually, what seems sad, Rick, is that as your colleague Jeanne Moos reported Friday, you didn't know what you were talking about (video embedded right, h/t Hot Air via NBer R D Helms):

CNN, the most trusted name in - doodling?

In a showcase piece of just how far the network has sunk journalistically speaking, they have produced a segment that could only be described as childishly one-sided. The title of the piece - Palin Fantasies Revealed in Doodles.

The reality is that the analysis of these doodles reveals more about CNN's fantasies than anything else. It is a piece so laden with PDS overtones, so bereft of integrity, that one has to wonder how it can possibly be offered up by CNN as news.

Reporter Jeanne Moos compares two doodles, one done by President-elect Barack Obama, and one by Governor Sarah Palin, back when she was running for mayor. She manages to find some people on the street to comment on the two doodles, and the results are incredibly biased toward one side. And guess who gets the positive coverage...

Link and embedded video below the fold.

Since Sarah Palin was tapped as John McCain’s running mate, everything from her family to her hair to her glasses has been scrutinized. Today, CNN targeted her phonetics.

The network pointed out the word “nuclear” was spelled phonetically as “new-clear” in the text of her convention speech. While a camera shot caught the text of Palin’s speech in the prompter, CNN says the script handed out to the press still had the phonetically spelled out word in it.

It is not uncommon for broadcast writers to script words phonetically for talent.  In fact, news personalities are known to get angry at writers and producers who do not phonetically spell out words which are easy to fumble when reading a prompter during a live broadcast.  However, CNN portrayed the phonetically scripted word “new-clear” as a way Palin would spell the word herself.

 Seemingly anxious to connect the Alaskan governor’s pronunciation of the word to President Bush’s famously mocked pronunciation, CNN’s Jeanne Moos showed how Palin could not pronounce “nuclear” correctly either without a phonetic guide.  Anyone who reads a teleprompter needs a little help now and then. Just ask Larry King.

No, it’s not what you might think. We know that CNN’s Roland Martin "dances" to a liberal tune, but the cameras caught him grooving to the music at the Democratic convention, along with CNN frequent contributors (and Democratic strategists) Paul Begala and Donna Brazille, as featured in a report by correspondent Jeanne Moos on Tuesday’s The Situation Room (video at right).

The CNN camera crews caught these lighter moments involving the trio. Martin sang along to the house band’s rendition of Earth, Wind, and Fire’s hit "September," while Begala and Brazile coupled-up and danced together to a slower tune. Not to be upstaged apparently, Martin stopped a passer-by and danced with her. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that they like to let loose when they’re not attacking conservatives and Republicans.

Since Eisenhower first ran for president in 1952, it has been a common strategy for Democrats and media members -- as if there's much of a difference these days! -- to depict Republican presidential candidates as too stupid to hold the office.

On Thursday, CNN's Jeanne Moos made the case that because John McCain is not computer savvy, he's not qualified to be president. She even disgracefully quipped -- as a video of a stripper appeared on the screen! -- "At least John McCain knows the difference between a laptop and a lap dance."

Not surprisingly, she also took the time to demonstrate just how much of a techie Barack Obama is while adding a dash of Bush-bash. Pretty good for a two and a half minute segment, dontcha think?

Sick-making transcript follows, video available here, h/t NBer Jeff Eldred:

CNN correspondent Jeanne Moos, who is known for her light and often humor-tinged reports on a variety of topics, profiled politically-active elderly women in a report which aired on Wednesday’s "American Morning" and "Newsroom" programs, devoting all but six seconds of her two-and-a-half plus minute report to "granny" supporters of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. While the Democratic supporters are seen dancing at rallies and posting YouTube videos, the only McCain supporter who appeared in the segment was McCain’s own 96-year-old mother, who merely stood in a background during a campaign stop.

In recent times, Al Gore has been in the winner's circle. From the Oscar to the Nobel to NBC's adoring Green Week, Al has known nothing but triumph.

Imagine his chagrin, then, to learn that in one important category he has lost out to none other than . . . O.J. Simpson.