Does Grayson Owe Rather Royalties? Signs Off Fundraiser With 'Courage

March 31st, 2010 2:24 PM
Does Alan Grayson owe Dan Rather royalties for borrowing his famous sign-off?As a loyal member of the Democracy For America [Howard Dean's old organization] email list, I just received a fundraising message from Grayson.   The Dem congressman from Florida who sprang to national attention with his stunt on the House floor accusing Republicans of wanting Americans to "die quickly" has death on the…

No Time for a Real Threat as ABC and CBS Skip Arrest of Man Targeting

March 30th, 2010 1:12 AM
NBC on Monday night squeezed in a few seconds for the arrest of “a Philadelphia man for threatening the life of the number two Republican in the House of Representatives, Eric Cantor of Virginia.” Yet after the networks led last week with less-immediate threats against Democrats, they weren’t so interested in a real case of a death threat against a Republican as neither CBS nor ABC aired a word…

Victim Advocates Outnumber Church Defenders 13 to 1 in Evening News Co

March 26th, 2010 5:15 PM
All three broadcast networks reported allegations of abuse by Catholic priests during their nightly news programs on March 25. But none of them provided an objective report.ABC, CBS and NBC ran a combined total of 13 sound bites from victims and victim advocates, who claimed the Catholic Church, and Pope Benedict XVI in particular, covered up sexual abuse by Father Lawrence Murphy. They…

Nets Not So Excited About Violence and Threats Aimed at ObamaCare Oppo

March 25th, 2010 9:07 PM
An evening after all three broadcast network newscasts led by advancing the Democratic narrative of violent ObamaCare critics, a storyline intended to discredit conservatives as all gratuitously named Sarah Palin as a culprit, on Thursday night the same programs weren't so interested and only stumbled into the suddenly “bipartisan” victims – despite fresh revelations of threats and violence aimed…

Nets Lead with ‘Ugly’ and ‘Menacing’ ObamaCare Opponents Fuele

March 25th, 2010 9:48 AM
Sounding more like MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann than impartial newscasts, ABC, CBS and NBC all led Wednesday night by legitimizing Democratic talking points meant to discredit critics of the just-passed health care bill. “Opposition to health care turns menacing,” ABC’s Diane Sawyer warned. CBS teased with audio clips -- “Baby-murdering scumbag,”“You are a dirtbag” and “I hope you die…

Sawyer Claims Everyone Will Be Covered & Shows Kennedy's Grave, CBS Di

March 23rd, 2010 8:07 PM
Getting carried away with her enthusiasm, Diane Sawyer opened ABC's World News on Tuesday night by proclaiming: “As of today, it is the law of the land that every man, woman and child in America will have health care coverage.” CBS's Harry Smith, however, filling in for Katie Couric, led by reporting the bill President Obama signed “will ensure that 94 percent of Americans have health insurance,…

CBS as 'Giddy' as Democrats Over 'Certified Price Tag' from 'Trusted

March 18th, 2010 9:05 PM
“Democrats used the word 'giddy' to describe their reaction when they got the cost estimates from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO),” NBC's Kelly O'Donnell relayed Thursday night, but she could have been talking about CBS's Katie Couric and Nancy Cordes who  shared the giddiness in touting the CBO numbers, favorable to Democratic spin on the health bill, without any caveats or…

CBS Evening News Distorts Public Sentiment on Embryonic Stem Cell Rese

March 17th, 2010 5:58 PM
The CBS Evening News’ latest installment of “Where America Stands” failed to mention that some Americans actually stand opposed to embryonic stem research. Instead, last night’s program only featured medical professionals and industry experts who support the controversial research method. Setting the stage for the segment, "Evening News" anchor Katie Couric emphasized the potential promise…

Double Standard: Networks Hyped GOP E-mailer Mark Foley, Minimized Dem

March 17th, 2010 4:45 PM
With a disparity of five-to-one, the same network morning and evening news programs that displayed an eager interest in Republican Mark Foley's E-mail scandal minimized the groping and tickling of Democrat Eric Massa. In 2010, these shows offered a scant 30 stories to Democrat Eric Massa and details of how he engaged in naked shower fights. Over a 12 day period in 2006, 152 segments were devoted…

CBS Charged Anti-ObamaCare Protesters Acted in 'Ugly' Manner, But Poli

March 17th, 2010 3:34 PM
“Based on some mild and indiscernible shouts by people in a hallway outside the office of a House member,” NewsBusters noted Tuesday night, “CBS's Chip Reid tried to discredit anti-ObamaCare protesters,” claiming the Tea Party activists “tried to lobby undecided Democrats. At times, it got ugly.” (Watch the video to assess the commotion Reid characterized as “ugly.”)But in today's Politico…

In 'Angry' and 'Nasty' Atmosphere, CBS's Reid Contends Anti-ObamaCare

March 16th, 2010 7:58 PM
Based on some mild and indiscernible shouts by people in a hallway outside the office of a House member, CBS's Chip Reid on Tuesday night tried to discredit anti-ObamaCare protesters, claiming “at times, it got ugly.” Reid recounted: “Outside the Capitol, a few hundred members of the conservative Tea Party movement called on Congress to kill the Democratic health care reform bill as Republicans…

CBS 'Early Show' Paging Dr. Katie Couric

March 10th, 2010 11:18 AM
On Wednesday's CBS Early Show co-host Harry Smith underwent a live colonoscopy in order to raise awareness of colon cancer. Hosting the momentous occasion was CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, who dressed the part, wearing green scrubs, a white lab coat, and a stethoscope around her neck as if she was a medical doctor. (Click on photo for larger size)Couric famously taped herself undergoing…

ABC and CBS Pass Along Sympathetic Anecdotes from Left-Wing Anti-Insur

March 10th, 2010 10:20 AM
ABC and CBS on Tuesday night picked up on the cause of a small anti-health insurance industry protest in DC organized by left-wing labor groups, but instead of denigrating them as the networks did with much larger Tea Party and anti-ObamaCare rallies, the two newscasts empathized with their cause, each relaying an anecdote about a victim of the current system. Both ABC’s Jonathan Karl and CBS’s…

CBS Touts Soda Tax As 'Good for Waistline and Bottom Line

March 9th, 2010 5:57 PM
Concluding a report on proposed soda taxes across the country on Monday's CBS Evening News, correspondent Michelle Miller gleefully proclaimed how such a tax would help fight obesity and fill local government coffers: "New York's mayor estimates a tax would raise a billion dollars, suggesting what's good for the waistline could be good for the bottom line."Miller began the segment by touting: "…