Essay: ‘Question Authority’ – and Bumper Sticker Morality
The other day I was driving behind a car with a “Friend of Tibet” Virginia license plate. That’s great and I’d like to be a “Friend” myself, but with the job and the family and cutting the lawn … Can I just become a “Facebook Friend of Tibet?” If so, am I entitled to the same preening as Tibet’s actual Friends? It got me wondering whether we’d see “Free Iran” paraphernalia anytime soon, and…
Ed Schultz Morphs Yet Again Into Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker
Fans of the late great comedian Chris Farley, take comfort -- liberal radio host and MSNBC talking head Ed Schultz often bears an uncanny resemblance to one of Farley's best-known characters on "Saturday Night Live," that of Matt Foley, motivational speaker.Schultz has been on a Foleyesque tear of late, raging at Democrats as "spineless weenies" for not standing up to Republicans, despite holding…
NBC Puffs Al Franken with Softball Questions to New Senator
On Thursday's Today, Meredith Vieira tossed mostly softballs to Senator-elect Al Franken, offering no hard questions about the disputed 2008 election, instead fawning, "...Are you more worried about becoming a target for the GOP or a target for Saturday Night Live, your old stomping ground?" In regards to the post-election wrangling for the Minnesota Senate seat, the best Vieira could do is to…
CNN's John Roberts Omits Guest's Past Resignation Due to Scandal
During an interview of Brookings Institution senior fellow Kevin Casas-Zamora on Wednesday’s American Morning, CNN anchor John Roberts not only failed to mention the liberal political leanings of the fellow’s organization, but omitted any mention of the scandal which led to Casa-Zamora’s resignation from the vice presidency of Costa Rica.Roberts brought on Casas-Zamora to discuss the recent…
CNN's Kyra Phillips Brings Out Kid Gloves for Homosexual Colonel
[Update, 8 pm Eastern: Screen capture, video link to interview added.] CNN anchor Kyra Phillips sympathized with an outed homosexual army officer on Tuesday’s Newsroom program. Phillips questioned Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach about his recent meeting with President Obama, and asked, “What else did you tell him, because I know this has weighed heavily on your heart for a very long time....What…
CBS on Anniversary of Gay Protest: ‘A New Day for Human Rights
Marking the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riot in New York City on Sunday, CBS’s Anthony Mason declared: "A night of violence that led to a new day for human rights... Stonewall triggered the modern gay rights movement." Filling in for Sunday Morning host Charles Osgood, Mason explained: "...it was around 2:00 that morning that young gay patrons started fighting back against police raiding a…
CBS’s Smith Calls Middle America-hating Megan Fox a ‘Nice Person
Teasing an upcoming interview with actress Megan Fox on Tuesday’s Early Show, co-host Harry Smith gushed: "...this woman has jumped from virtual unknown to Hollywood A-lister. It doesn’t hurt she is one of the most beautiful women on the planet...And a very nice young person." Smith failed to make any mention of the "Transformers" star’s controversial comments in a June 5 interview, in which she…
CBS’s Schieffer: Should Republicans ‘Shift’ Away From Social Iss
In an interview with Republican Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour on Sunday, CBS’s Bob Schieffer wondered: "Do you think that Republicans now should sort of shift the emphasis, though, from stressing social and family values and shift to more – to economic issues and be a party of economic conservatives rather than putting so much emphasis on these social issues?"Schieffer began the Face the…
CNN's Toobin: 'Five Conservatives' on Court Ruled for Firefighters
On Monday’s Newsroom program, CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin couldn’t find a consistent argument about the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of New Haven firefighters who accused their city of reverse discrimination. Toobin first reported that Justice Kennedy, “the swing vote in this case, as in so many others,” wrote the decision, but minutes later, he labeled it as a ruling by “the five conservatives on…
Eliot Spitzer on MSNBC: Dems Only Appoint Moderates to Supreme Court
While discussing the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court on MSNBC Monday, guest Eliot Spitzer made a startling observation: "Democratic presidents nominate very centrist justices to the Supreme Court. The Republican presidents over the past 10-15 years have nominated very extremely conservative justices and that’s why the court has eschewed to the right."[audio available here]…
CNN Completely Omits Democrats' Sex Scandals, Zeroes in on GOP
CNN’s Ali Velshi, during a segment on Thursday’s Newsroom program, ignored all the past sex scandals involving Democrats in recent years as he focused on “another sex scandal involving a leading Republican.” When his guest, Tony Blankley, tried to counter with how these scandals are being used to try to get the GOP to abandon social issues, Velshi tried hard to brush this aside.The segment with…
NBC, CBS, and ABC Highlight Sanford’s GOP Label; Downplayed Label Fo
In the wake of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s admission to having an affair, evening and morning newscasts on NBC, CBS, and ABC all immediately identified him as a Republican. In contrast, in March of last year, the networks rarely identified disgraced New York Governor Eliot Spitzer as a Democrat in the wake of his affair with a prostitute. In a 2008 study of evening and morning network…
Maddow and Guest Indignant That Bush Dares Not Speak Glowingly of Dear
This must be what it's like to listen to pundits in a country with state-run media.Former president George W. Bush offers what barely passes as criticism of his successor and Obama's media apologists rush to his defense, as if to stanch a wound.Here's Rachel Maddow and Dallas Morning News political reporter Wayne Slater on Maddow's MSNBC show June 18. In the first portion transcribed below,…
