After More Than A Year, CBS 'Early Show' Does First Full Story on Tea

April 15th, 2010 12:58 PM
While the tea party movement began to take shape in late February of 2009, the CBS Early Show did not offer a complete story on it until nearly 14 months later, with co-host Harry Smith declaring: "Today is tax day, April 15th. And thousands of tea party activists are headed to Washington...a new CBS News/New York Times poll is showing us just who these passionate conservatives really are."…

Networks Fail to Discuss VAT Tax Since Volcker Call for Tax Increases

April 14th, 2010 4:18 PM
As procrastinators rush to beat the April 15 tax deadline and thousands rally at Tea Parties to oppose out of control government spending, politicians and the national news media are mulling the possibility of a new European-style national sales tax. On April 6, former Federal Reserve chairman and current White House economic adviser Paul Volcker revealed the Obama administration's possible…

CBS 'Early Show' Ignores Astronaut Criticism of Obama's Space Program

April 14th, 2010 12:11 PM
On Wednesday's CBS Early Show, fill-in news reader Betty Nguyen reported on President Obama's new plan to cut back America's space program, but failed to mention sharp criticism by astronauts Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Eugene Cernan in a signed letter sent to the White House.Nguyen noted: "President Obama unveils a revamped plan for America's manned space program....reviving part of a plan…

Media Omits 'Outspoken' Priest's Liberal Dissension From Catholic Chur

April 13th, 2010 11:49 PM
On Monday evening and Tuesday, ABC, CBS, and CNN all highlighted a Catholic priest's call for Pope Benedict XVI's resignation due to his alleged mishandling of the Church sex abuse scandal, labeling him "outspoken," and even going so far to compliment him as "brave" and "gutsy." All three networks, however, ignored the priest's affiliation with a liberal group and his dissension from Church…

CBS's Kroft Whines Over Dick Cheney, Karl Rove Not Appearing on '60 Mi

April 13th, 2010 4:15 PM
While attending the Radio Television Digital News Association conference in Las Vegas on Monday, 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft spoke to a crowd of young journalists and claimed that his dream interview would be with Dick Cheney, but complained how the former vice president and Bush adviser Karl Rove simply "make hay" in criticizing 60 Minutes coverage, but would not go on the show.  If one…

CBS's Rodriguez: 'Young Revolution a la President Obama' Would Boost C

April 13th, 2010 1:05 PM
On Tuesday's CBS Early Show, co-host Maggie Rodriguez described how comedian Conan O'Brien could attract viewers to his new late night show on the TBS cable channel: "if he can get this young revolution, you know, a la President Obama, to follow him, that could be huge."Rodriguez made the comment after guest Dalton Ross, the assistant managing editor for Entertainment Weekly, observed that O'…

CBS's Smith: Obama's 'Historic' Nuke Summit 'Already Yielded Some Quic

April 13th, 2010 12:05 PM
At the top of Tuesday's CBS Early Show, co-host Harry Smith proclaimed: "At an historic summit, President Obama joins world leaders to try to stop terrorists from obtaining nuclear weapons." He later declared: "It's the largest gathering of world leaders hosted by a U.S. President since the 1945 conference that founded the United Nations. And it's already yielded some quick results." White House…

MRC Special Report: How the Media Have Dismissed and Disparaged the Te

April 13th, 2010 7:49 AM
The Tea Party movement launched one year ago, in response to the unprecedented expansion of government by President Barack Obama and congressional liberals, a massive increase in spending that will create economy-crushing fiscal burdens for future generations of taxpayers.In that relatively brief period, the Tea Party has demonstrated it is a formidable political force. The pressure the movement…

CBS's Schieffer: Justice Stevens Example of 'Ability and Independence

April 12th, 2010 1:12 PM
In his end-of-the-show commentary on Sunday's Face the Nation on CBS, host Bob Schieffer cited a Saturday New York Times article celebrating retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens: "that Justice Stevens 'may be the last justice from a time when ability and independence, rather than perceived ideology, were viewed as the crucial qualifications for a seat on the court.'"Schieffer agreed…

Sen. Scott Brown's Daughter Becomes CBS 'Early Show' Contributor

April 11th, 2010 7:24 PM
At the top of the 8:30AM ET half hour of Friday's CBS Early Show, co-hosts Maggie Rodriguez and Harry Smith welcomed a new contributor to the broadcast, the daughter of Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, Ayla Brown. As Smith put it: "she's about to graduate from college and she's agreed to come aboard as a special contributor with us here on the Early Show." Rodriguez led into the…

60 Minutes: 'Bush Did Something Momentous Few of You May Know About

April 8th, 2010 2:58 PM
"As President, George W. Bush did something momentous that few of you may know about, something so momentous that it is saving millions of lives and generating goodwill for America around the world."So astonishingly began a "60 Minutes" segment last Sunday actually praising the former President that likely got worse press than anyone ever to reside in the White House. "Millions of Africans who`d…

Network Morning Shows Trumpet 'Historic,' 'Landmark' Nuke Treaty, Only

April 8th, 2010 12:32 PM
The network morning shows on Thursday trumpeted Barack Obama's nuclear weapons treaty with Russia as "historic" and "landmark," with only Good Morning America allowing that the reduction plan could be "controversial." However, ABC's George Stephanopoulos also enthused, "But, [Obama and Russia's President] are here first and foremost to make history..."Reporting live from Prague, Stephanopoulos…

Media: Pope Benedict Guilty Until Proven Innocent

April 7th, 2010 12:01 PM
The broadcast networks couldn't ignore Holy Week, the pinnacle of the Christian calendar, so instead they used it this year to smear the Catholic Church as a harbor for abusive priests. ABC, CBS and NBC featured 26 stories during Holy Week about Pope Benedict's perceived role in the sex abuse scandal the Catholic Church is now facing. Only one story focused on the measures the church has…

CBS, NBC Skip Conservative Outrage Over Obama Nuke Policy, Today's Mik

April 7th, 2010 12:01 PM
Of the three network morning shows, only Good Morning America has highlighted conservative outrage over Barack Obama's decision to limit the situations in which the America can use nuclear weapons. CBS's Early Show has mostly ignored the development. On Wednesday's Today, reporter Mike Viqueira enthused, "...It was Prague about a year ago when the President made a speech outlining his vision for…