Military
Tom Hanks: America Wants to ‘Annihilate’ Terrorists Because ‘The
March 9th, 2010 4:06 PM
Over the weekend, Time Magazine published a long, glowing profile of Tom Hanks to help promote his upcoming HBO miniseries “The Pacific.” And as with all things entertainment media, the subject is never challenged or even made to shift uncomfortably in his seat. The push to ascend Hanks to “national treasure” status is clearly on. Hanks does seem to be a genuinely nice man and the work he’s done…
Chris Matthews: 'Acts of War Are Not Bad In Themselves
March 5th, 2010 6:05 PM
The September 11 attacks apparently were merely "criminal acts of terrorism" to the mind of MSNBC host Chris Matthews. They were not acts of war. What's more, according to the "Hardball" host, "acts of war are not bad in themselves." [audio available here]"We never said that in our country's history," Chris Matthews insisted on the March 5 "Hardball" program."Well, of course acts of war are bad,…
War in Iraq Low on Obama’s Agenda; Compliant Media Move On, Too
March 4th, 2010 9:42 AM
“Despite persistent violence and a critical election coming up, President Obama hardly ever mentions the war in Iraq,” Joseph Curl reports in today’s Washington Times, and the news media are largely aiding in this neglect. Curl discloses that “the last time a White House reporter asked about the Iraq war was June 26,” while ABC, CBS and NBC aired just 80 minutes of coverage in all of 2009.The…
AP Misses Likely Reason Why Pew Poll Shows 'Millennials' Abandoning th
February 25th, 2010 3:28 PM
Earlier this afternoon, NB's Tim Graham noted how NPR's Robert Siegel and Pew Research pollster Andrew Kohut spoke approvingly of "Millennials" as being "less 'militaristic' and less religious" than their elders.At end of his post, Graham noted that Siegel and Kohut "somehow" forgot to discuss the key political finding in the poll, namely that the demographic's 32-point favoritism towards…
WaPo’s Marcus Doesn’t Get Opposition to Repealing 'Don’t Ask, Do
February 24th, 2010 2:54 PM
It’s one thing to advocate for the repeal of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" (DADT). It’s altogether another to maintain that you find the other side of the argument “incomprehensible.” But that’s what Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus did in her Feb. 24 column, “The Inevitable Backlash on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’” While stating that DADT should be repealed, Marcus professed to be perplexed at why…
Brian Williams: Most Decorated Modern War Hero Colonel Robert Howard L
February 24th, 2010 3:18 AM
On Monday’s NBC Nightly News, anchor Brian Williams updated viewers on possibly the most decorated American war hero of the modern era, Colonel Robert Howard, as the Vietnam War veteran was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetary. Williams had taken a moment on his show in December to commemorate his passing. On Monday, Williams recounted:
Is There NB Commenter-Inspired Journalistic Improvement in Latest AP I
February 21st, 2010 11:11 AM
Between its January 31 and February 20 reports on developments in the "interrogation memos" saga, the Associated Press may have learned a lesson in basic journalism from a NewsBusters commenter. I'll describe; readers can decide. The wire service's unbylined report three weeks ago opened with this paragraph: NB commenter "TE" took justifiable umbrage at that opening:
Kid Rock: I Have ‘Nightmares’ Everyone Will Be Driving Priuses, Wi
February 17th, 2010 6:38 PM
“I have nightmares sometimes you know. I’m gonna wake up and everyone’s gonna be driving Priuses…living in a condo…we’re all getting health insurance,” musician Kid Rock lamented during an interview with Fox News. Kid Rock has been a constant presence overseas, offering his talent and support to lift U.S. troops in war. Always loath to discuss or pontificate upon politics publicly, the rock…
With Bush Gone, NYT More Concerned With National Security Than Freedom
February 16th, 2010 8:00 PM
The New York Times has apparently discovered its inner patriot. The paper decided after a request from the White House to hold off publishing key information about the war effort in Afghanistan for fear of alerting the enemy to key U.S. intelligence.The Times and its executive editor Bill Keller, who defended the decision, have left the nation collectively uttering, "It's about time." Now that's…
Politico Glosses Over Murtha's Haditha Smear
February 9th, 2010 10:14 AM
David Rogers glossed over the late Rep. Jack Murtha's (D-Pa.) Haditha Marines smear in an obituary published yesterday and updated this morning at Politico:Rather than lie low, Murtha further made himself a target with public comments in the spring of 2006 pressuring the Marine command to investigate allegations of civilian casualties at Haditha, Iraq. This infuriated many Marines, and critics…
UPDATED: Post Acknowledges Oversight, Adds Graf | WaPo Publishes Obit
February 8th, 2010 4:29 PM
Updated: Washington Post adds mention about Murtha's Haditha comments, thanks me for me pointing out omission (see bottom of post). Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.) passed away earlier today, and the Washington Post has already published a 26-paragraph obituary. Post staffers Martin Weil and Carol Leonnig don't gloss over some of Murtha's political controversies, such as his penchant as a pork barrel…
Post's Milbank Gushes Over Admiral's Plea to End Ban on Gays in Milita
February 4th, 2010 8:44 AM
Dana Milbank of The Washington Post couldn't contain his glee over Joint Chief of Staffs chairman Admiral Mike Mullen's Feb. 2 testimony in favor of overturning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." "Mike Mullen's 42 years in the military earned him a chest full of ribbons, but never did he do something braver that what he did on Capitol Hill on Tuesday," began Milbank's Feb. 3 ode to the admiral. "In…
CNN Boosts Repeal of 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' 11 to
February 3rd, 2010 11:08 AM
There are at least two sides to every argument, unless the issue is homosexuality. Then, according to CNN, there's only one side and it's the homosexual activists who get to tell it. CNN advocated a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy in 12 different reports between Jan. 28, the day after President Barack Obama reiterated his pledge to end the current military policy of banning…
ABC Cheers 'Dramatic' and 'Truly Historic' JCS Opposition to 'Don't As
February 3rd, 2010 10:05 AM
ABC, CBS and NBC all aired full stories Tuesday night on Admiral Mike Mullen’s testimony against “don’t ask/don’t tell” before the Senate Armed Services Committee, but only ABC led with the comments from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) as anchor Diane Sawyer called it “a dramatic day on Capitol Hill” and reporter Martha Raddatz trumpeted: “This will be dramatically-debated for…