CNN Deflects Scrutiny Away From Rapper's Violent Lyrics, Dismisses Con

May 12th, 2011 5:00 PM
On Thursday morning, CNN largely dismissed the controversy over the White House invite of rapper Common, using talking points from the White House and Comedy Central's Daily Show to marginalize conservative critics. Anchor Carol Costello deflected attention away from the rapper's violent lyrics by quoting a rap of his that has a pro-life message. She quoted none of his violent lyrics,…

Eliot Spitzer Presses GOP on Immigration, Fails to Scrutinize Outspoke

May 11th, 2011 6:50 PM
CNN's Eliot Spitzer challenged Congressman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) on the GOP's immigration stance Tuesday, but was content with liberal Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) hitting Republicans as "cold and reactionary" on the issue. The former Democrat governor of New York pressed Royce on Republican opposition to the DREAM Act and pressured him to admit that President Obama has been tougher on border…

CNN Frames GOP as Being On Wrong Side of Tax Hike Debate

May 10th, 2011 4:36 PM
According to a USA Today analysis, Americans are paying a lower percentage of income tax rates now than in the 1970s-1990s – and CNN's Jack Cafferty used this fact Monday to ask if raising taxes should be the first priority in Congress's deficit reduction plan. He hinted that the Treasury could use the extra revenue from higher taxes. Then on Tuesday, CNN Anchor Carol Costello continued the…

Rachel Maddow Accuses Sunday Talk Shows of Being Biased Towards George

May 10th, 2011 11:52 AM
Forget about Bush Derangement Syndrome. According to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, the Sunday morning political talk shows are all biased towards the 43rd president we conservatives all thought they despised (video follows with transcript and lots of debunking commentary):

Cancel the Election Already? CNN Anchor Asks If Obama Is 'Unbeatable

May 9th, 2011 5:55 PM
If CNN's Roland Martin gives the same answer as a tea party conservative, you know you've asked him a pretty bizarre question. On Monday's 10 a.m. EDT news hour, CNN anchor Carol Costello asked the panel if Obama is now "unbeatable" due to the killing of Osama bin Laden, falling gas prices, and a positive May jobs report. Of course, the election is over one year away, not all of the possible…

Howard Kurtz Uses Osama Death to Rerun Charge Media Were 'Too Passive

May 9th, 2011 3:14 PM
On Sunday's Reliable Sources, CNN host Howard Kurtz used the killing of Osama bin Laden to revisit how the media were too deferential to the Bush administration. Kurtz questioned the validity of the terror alerts in the years following 9/11 and wondered if they were used for political gain. Kurtz, comparing the press coverage of the bin Laden assassination and the War on Terror, pondered if…

Michael Moore: You 'Hate Being an American' If You Wanted Bin Laden Ki

May 6th, 2011 4:35 PM
Ever looking to criticize the American populace from his cardboard platform, filmmaker Michael Moore lashed out Thursday on CNN at supporters of Osama bin Laden's assassination. "We've lost something of our soul here in this country," he said of the mission to kill the al Qaeda leader rather than capture him and try him in court. A guest on Piers Morgan Tonight, Moore contrasted the…

Mainstream Media Try to Pour Cold Water on John Paul II Beatification

May 2nd, 2011 7:04 PM
Several media outlets on Sunday did their best to cast doubt on the legacy of Pope John Paul II as the Catholic Church beatified the late pontiff. NPR highlighted how the pope apparently "alienated many Catholics who began leaving the church in droves." CNN brought on a liberal theologian who claimed that John Paul II "led us backwards rather than forward." NBC played up the "avalanche of…

CNN In 2002: 'Al Qaeda Leader Is Dead or Alive

May 2nd, 2011 4:35 PM
CNN is finally vindicated, sort of. Nearly nine years ago, the network emphatically declared of Osama bin Laden: "Experts Agree: Al Qaeda Leader Is Dead or Alive." Which would pretty much cover all of the available possibilities. Now we know -- he was alive back then, and he's dead today. Here's the item from the September 4, 2002 CyberAlert (as written at the time by MRC's Brent Baker)…

Gay Man Charges Jesse Jackson With Harassment and Discrimination: Most

May 1st, 2011 6:59 PM
On April 15, The Chicago Sun-Times reported on its Web site, "Jesse Jackson denies gay worker’s harassment, discrimination claims."  The article began: A spokesman for the Rev. Jesse Jackson on Thursday denied a claim from a man who says he was fired from the civil rights leader’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition because he is gay. Tommy R. Bennett filed a complaint with the city of Chicago’s…

CNN's Holmes: More Divorces Are 'a Sign That the Economy Is Getting Be

April 30th, 2011 9:48 PM
Economic growth in the first quarter was an abysmal 1.8 percent.  Last week, initial jobless claims increased by 25,000 from the previous week, up to 429,000.  The Federal government borrows $188 million an hour, or over $52,000 a second, just to keep up with President Obama's spending demands.  Despite almost a trillion dollars for Obama's and the Democratic Congress's stimulus, unemployment…

Eliot 'I'm Not Biased' Spitzer: 'I Don't Think There Is Any Such Thing

April 28th, 2011 3:36 PM
In an interview with FishbowlNY Wednesday, CNN's Eliot Spitzer dismissed any claim to objectivity in his reporting and answered "I don't know" when asked if he is a commentator or a journalist. This came after he recently told the Media Research Center's Brent Bozell "I don't have a bias," on his CNN show "In the Arena." Spitzer told FishbowlNY that he doesn't know if he is a journalist or a…

Study: MSNBC and CNN Covered 'Birther' Issue Far More Than Fox News

April 28th, 2011 11:29 AM
President Obama chided the news media Wednesday for continuing to focus national attention on the non-issue of his American citizenship. "Fascinating how many of Obama's birther remarks…were aimed at the media for stoking this," tweeted Howard Kurtz shortly after the speech. The birth certificate issue was a distraction, Obama stated, and the White House decision to release his long-form…

CNN Showcases Five Year-Old Victim of Gov. Christie's Budget Cuts

April 27th, 2011 3:56 PM
CNN's Deborah Feyerick took the offensive Tuesday and emphasized the negative effects of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's cuts to education funding. Feyerick highlighted the plight of an illiterate kindergartner from a "high risk" neighborhood as an example of student who could be affected by budget cuts. The segment ran during the 8 a.m. EDT hour of Tuesday's "American Morning" on CNN. CNN…