'Combat Casualties' of Iraq War, 'Civilian Casualties' and Now Blair a
May 10th, 2007 9:06 PM
The broadcast network evening newscasts, reflecting the focus of the media's approach to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's announcement that he will step down on June 27, framed their reviews of his ten-year tenure around the unpopularity of his decision to join the U.S. in the Iraq war. On CBS, however, Elizabeth Palmer uniquely found time to recall how Blair won in 1997 by “dragging Britain'…
Obama Says ’10,000 People Died’ in Kansas Tornado, Media Couldn
May 10th, 2007 2:40 PM
Imagine for a moment that one of the leading Republican presidential candidates said that 10,000 people had been killed by the recent tornado that destroyed Greensburg, Kansas, Saturday. Do you think this would have been easy fodder for the broadcast television news divisions that always seem fascinated with gaffes made by folks on the right?If your answer is an unequivocal “Yes,” then why did…
No Katrina For Clinton: CBS Excuses Feds of Blame on Levee Repairs In
May 10th, 2007 12:12 PM
While the liberal media tries to make over a Kansas tornado to resemble their perfect media bias storm over Hurricane Katrina, the floods in Missouri may be a more analogous comparison. But the CBS Evening News wasn't going to allow local residents to blame the federal government without a rebuttal -- if the president was Bill Clinton. On Wednesday night's newscast, CBS reporter Cynthia Bowers…
CBS Adopts Olbermann-esque Spin and Charges Terrorist Arrests Over-Hyp
May 8th, 2007 9:47 PM
On Tuesday night, following a week in which the CBS Evening News attracted the fewest viewers in decades, the producers decided the Katie Couric-anchored newscast needed an injection of an Olbermann-esque twist: The arrests of six Islamists, for plotting to use automatic weapons to murder troops at Fort Dix, matches the hype around previous captures which fizzled. Armen Keteyian framed his story…
Katie’s Collapse: ‘CBS Evening News’ Viewership Lowest in 20 Yea
May 8th, 2007 8:33 PM
The Katie Couric as “CBS Evening News” anchor experiment appears to be failing, and failing miserably.As TV Week reported Tuesday (h/t TVNewser): “The news is not good for third-place ‘CBS Evening News With Katie Couric,’ which in the week of April 30 hit its lowest total viewership since at least 1987.”According to TVNewser’s Brian Stelter, the “at least 1987” qualifier refers to Nielsen…
Bob Schieffer Says I Didn't Betray Katie Couric, Says Media Not to Bla
May 7th, 2007 6:00 PM
Former CBS Evening News anchor Bob Schieffer told Columbus Dispatch writer Tim Feran that the gossip was untrue that he was trashing Katie Couric in the press. "I was not the source for that story, period. I had nothing to do with it...and I don't know who did." Schieffer also took exception to the Bill Moyers theory that the national media were enablers to President Bush's runup to war in Iraq.…
The NewsBusters Weekly Recap: April 28 to May
May 5th, 2007 10:05 AM
You’ll Miss Me When I’m GoneNow that Rosie O’Donnell has announced she’s leaving "The View," her left-wing rhetoric seems to have gotten even more extreme. This week, the liberal comedienne smeared U.S. troops by saying they only join the military because they’re mostly uneducated and poor. (This isn’t true, but why bring facts into the debate?)Meredith Vieira in: The I WordWhile discussing the…