Open Thread Friday

Today's starter: Will the media report charges of plagiarism against Democratic senate candidate Jim Webb or is the "get Allen" motif too important?
NB Staff

CBS's "FreeSpeech" Gives Conservatives Almost Equal Time; Vanishes Fro

Rich Noyes

Chris Matthews Lambasted as 'Windbag' for Lousy Debate Moderation in F

This is too good, folks: “Hardball” anchor Chris Matthews is getting lambasted for doing an abysmal job moderating a recent debate between gubernatorial candidates in Florida (hat tip to TVNewser). The St. Petersburg Times published an editorial on Tuesday that was highly critical of the MSNBC host (emphasis mine throughout):The last debate between Florida's candidates for governor Monday night…
Noel Sheppard

Will Media Report Kerry’s History of Revising What is ‘Misinterpre

Noel Sheppard

With Minimum Wage on State Ballots, PBS Pushes Increases

'Now' features worker who makes more than minimum, leaves out facts about economic impact of proposed increases.
Rachel Waters

Tony Snow Battles CNN; Rips Network For Showing Sniper Video

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow appeared on Thursday’s "American Morning" in a feisty mood, ready to battle CNN’s liberal agenda. Co-anchor Miles O’Brien offered Snow a loaded question about Republican opposition to Donald Rumsfeld. The press secretary fired back by mentioning the cable network’s infamous "sniper video:" Miles O’Brien: "The President with a show of support for Defense…
Scott Whitlock

WP Pronounces Kerry 'Joke' a Worthless 'Freak Show Story' After Giving

Clay Waters

Lauer: Shame On Dems For Not Sticking Up For Kerry

Inured as we are to MSM bias, this one was still stunning. A leading MSM member uses the airwaves to scold Democrats for being insufficiently loyal to a leading party light. Former Bush Chief of Staff Andy Card was Matt Lauer's guest on this morning's 'Today.' Matt was intent on wangling from Card an admission that the Kerry comments were a mistake:Lauer first offered his personal analysis: "He…
Mark Finkelstein

Olbermann Slams MRC's Bozell for Criticizing the MSNBC Host's Anti-Bus

For daring to criticize Keith Olbermann's Wednesday night “Special Comment” rant against President Bush for inspiring “domestic terrorism,” the MSNBC host on Thursday night named Media Research Center President Brent Bozell his “bronze” nominee in his daily “Worst Person in the World” segment. Olbermann, who misidentified the MRC as the “Media Research Council,” proceeded to claim that Bozell…
Brent Baker

NYT: Saddam Was a Year Away From Atomic Bomb

In a story apparently designed to attack the Bush administration less than a week away from the midterm elections, the New York Times has instead delivered a stunning November Surprise to the Democrats: Saddam Hussein's regime was perhaps only a year away from developing nuclear weapons at the time of the US invasion.
Al Brown

Williams Uses NBC News Time to Dismiss Flimsy Charge of Liberal Bias

On Thursday's NBC Nightly News, anchor Brian Williams gave air time to dismissing a flimsy charge of liberal media bias based not on any content, but simply on the planned location of the newscast. From Memphis, Williams noted that “emotions are running so high,” in the Tennessee Senate contest between Republican Bob Corker and Democrat Harold Ford, “that we must tell you, even our choice of…
Brent Baker

Cafferty Indicates Bush Deserves Impeachment, Showcases 'Amazing

CNN's Jack Cafferty listed a litany of supposed Bush misdeeds and how Bill Clinton “was impeached for telling a lie” before posing his “Cafferty File” question in the 7pm EST hour of Thursday's The Situation Room: “If the Republicans lose the election Tuesday, what should happen to President Bush?” Naturally, Cafferty's strong suggestion that President George W. Bush deserves the same generated…
Brent Baker

USA Today Pronounces Iraq War Not 'Right' Vote

Warner Todd Huston

US Military Spokesman: Press Shouldn't Pry Into Soldiers' Private Conc

Mark Finkelstein