Fear-Mongering ABC: Is There a Sinkhole Underneath Your House?'; It's

Liberal news outlets will sometimes complain about conservative fear-mongering, but ABC sure understands the practice. On Friday night, the announcer for 20/20 teased, "Is there a sinkhole underneath your house?" Referring to a few incidents (and one tragic case in Florida), the program teased, "It's sinkhole season." In a hyperbolic tone that sounded like parody, the 20/20 announcer…
Scott Whitlock
March 11th, 2013 4:37 PM

Breaking Bias: CNN Breaking News Laments Bloomberg's Soda Ban Has Gone

Editors for CNN's breaking news emails delivered subscribers a 50-word alert on how "[a] state judge invalidated a New York City law banning certain venues from selling sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces." But rather than couch the stay on the new regulation as a victory of individual liberty, the editors described the ruling as "a setback for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has…
Ken Shepherd
March 11th, 2013 4:29 PM

NYT on Rand Filibuster: Embraced by 'Liberal Activists and Right-Wing

New York Times reporters Scott Shane and Michael Shear found "right-wing conspiracy" mongering in the aftermath of the unusual 12-hour filibuster by Republican Sen. Rand Paul protesting the White House's failing to rule out the use of drone strikes on American soil or against U.S. citizens: "Visions of Drones Swarming the Skies Touch Bipartisan Nerve." That slightly dismissive headline on the…
Clay Waters
March 11th, 2013 3:59 PM

NY Times Lead Story Warns Sequestration 'Could Put a Stop' to Job Grow

The sequestration may have fizzled out as a national crisis, but it's still killing jobs, apparently. Saturday's New York Times lead story by Nelson Schwartz and Binyamin Appelbaum strongly insisted that last Friday's surprisingly good job numbers from the Labor Department are endangered by the 2.4% federal spending cuts known as sequestration, "Jobless Rate Dips to Four-Year Low – 236,000 Jobs…
Clay Waters
March 11th, 2013 3:22 PM

Joy Behar Claims ‘You Can't Really Stay On TV Unless You're Likable

Following her announcement that she will be departing the cast of ‘The View’, co-host Joy Behar has taken it upon herself to reach into the depths of absurdity in her final few months on the daytime talk show.  On March 11, the five co-hosts were discussing Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s recent book Lean In, and the role women have in the workplace. Following Whoopi Goldberg quoting Sandberg’…
Jeffrey Meyer
March 11th, 2013 3:00 PM

Networks Take a Bite out of Mac and Cheese

Two food bloggers have launched an attack against Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, referring to an outdated study, and ABC and NBC have been quick to rush to their aid. ABC’s “Good Morning America” and NBC’s “Nightly News” both ran stories promoting the crusade. The bloggers claim Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 food dyes used in Kraft Macaroni and Cheese can lead to hyperactivity and other health problems…
Mike Ciandella
March 11th, 2013 1:58 PM

NYT Op-ed Writer Asserts That White-Black Wealth Gap Has Increased in

In a New York Times op-ed which has been receiving deserved criticism from other quarters concerning other matters (e.g., here and here), Ta-Nehisi Coates ("The Good, Racist People") repeated one of those establishment press-induced "everybody knows" mantras which doesn't stand up to scrutiny after considering the available evidence: "New York is a city, like most in America, that bears the…
Tom Blumer
March 11th, 2013 1:57 PM

No Joke: Chris Matthews Asks GOP to Credit Obama for ‘Amazing Econom

In case you missed it, the February jobs report on Friday contained some encouraging news. National Journal’s Michael Hirsh wrote that the BLS numbers gave President Obama “what he’s wanted for four years: an unemployment rate that’s below where he started as president, 7.7 percent.” But Hirsh was guarded in his optimism, also acknowledging that “things are not really as good as the numbers…
Howard Portnoy
March 11th, 2013 1:20 PM

ABC Hyped Sequester 'Vaporizing' U.S. Jobs, But Now Admits President's

For weeks, ABC hyped sequestration spending cuts as a threat that could "vaporize" America and "cripple" travel in the country. On Sunday's Good Morning America, however, George Stephanopoulos admitted that  the President's plan isn't "working." Perhaps helping Obama shift strategies, the GMA segment focused on the Democrat "reaching out" to the Republican Party. Talking with Dan Harris and…
Scott Whitlock
March 11th, 2013 1:00 PM

Former Democratic Detroit Mayor Convicted of Corruption: CNN.com Omits

Disgraced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) is back in the news today with fresh federal convictions on corruption charges. Reporting the story on its website, CNN failed to note the corrupt politician's party affiliation. The same is true of a "breaking news" email alert that it sent to subscribers (see screen grab below page break).
Ken Shepherd
March 11th, 2013 12:30 PM

NBC's Gregory: Would Reagan Be Able to 'Exist' in 'Today's Republican

During an interview with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush for NBC's online Meet the Press Press Pass, which is also aired by some NBC-owned stations following Meet the Press on Sundays, moderator David Gregory referenced Bush being at the Reagan Presidential Library and employed the tired liberal talking point that Ronald Reagan would be too moderate for the modern GOP: "...the president you…
Kyle Drennen
March 11th, 2013 12:23 PM

Barbara Walters Denies Elisabeth Hasselbeck Leaving 'The View

After intense media speculation over the weekend surrounding Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s future on ‘The View,’ on the March 11 edition of the talk show, host and creator Barbara Walters shot down any speculation that Hasselbeck had been fired.  Speaking on Monday morning, Walters denied the rumors and stated that: “The truth is we love Elisabeth. I like her personally, and she's just a wonderful…
Jeffrey Meyer
March 11th, 2013 11:57 AM

University of Oklahoma Touts Plagiarist Fareed Zakaria As Commencement

The University of Oklahoma, like every higher education institution in the country, is opposed to plagiarism.  So why did the home of the Sooners invite admitted plagiarist Fareed Zakaria to deliver the class of 2013's commencement address after the CNN anchor and Time plagiarism scandal? In a statement announcing Zakaria's selection, University of Oklahoma President David Boren insisted…
Matt Vespa
March 11th, 2013 11:00 AM

Voter Fraud is Awful, Ed Schultz Complains, Unless By Him to Stop GOP

Time for Ed Schultz to hire someone to vet what he says to make sure it doesn't embarrass him when juxtaposed with something he's previously said. On a segment during MSNBC's "The Ed Show" last week, Schultz angrily condemned several examples of Republicans engaged in voter fraud over the last few years. (audio clip after page break)
Jack Coleman
March 11th, 2013 10:14 AM