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…
Trump Calls Spitzer To Correct Him On The Air About His Net Worth
April 23rd, 2011 5:02 PM
Media members better get their facts straight when reporting about Donald Trump or they just might end up biting off more than they can chew.
On Friday, while CNN's Eliot Spitzer was doing a report contradicting Trump's claims about his net worth, the real estate mogul called into the studio to set the record straight (video follows with transcript and commentary):
CNN's Yellin: Are Celebrities Disappointed With Obama Because They're
April 22nd, 2011 4:00 PM
CNN's Jessica Yellin, filling in for host John King on Thursday's "John King, USA," delved into the mystery of Hollywood's disenchantment with President Obama – and wondered if it isn't due to celebrity liberals being "spoiled."
Yellin's guest was outspoken liberal Joy Behar, host of HLN's "The Joy Behar Show" and co-host of ABC's "The View," who believes Obama has more charisma than Lady…
Penitent CNN Anchor Confesses 'Eco-Sins' for Earth Day
April 22nd, 2011 11:14 AM
In a bizarre wrap-up to the 2 p.m. EDT hour of CNN "Newsroom" Thursday, anchor T.J. Holmes confessed his "eco-sins" to the audience. Commemorating the eve of "Earth Day," Holmes admitted to his "green" faults which included driving an SUV by himself to work daily, blasting the heat in his house during winter, and using "less efficient" incandescent bulbs for lighting.
"These are my eco-…
CNN's John Avlon Spins 'Birther' Issue Into 'Very Concerning' Problem
April 21st, 2011 3:47 PM
CNN contributor John Avlon, labeled an "independent," was all but sounding the death knell for 2012 Republican presidential hopes on CNN Thursday. Avlon took Republican criticism of notable figures such as Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, and Michele Bachmann and spun it to tout that the GOP is in trouble.
"This is the sound of Republicans getting nervous," Avlon ominously sounded. "It really…
CNN Anchor 'Shocked' Congress Working to Open Up Offshore Drilling Wit
April 20th, 2011 5:50 PM
They may not be officially celebrating "Green Week," but CNN was fully in the spirit of the week Wednesday morning. Anchor Carol Costello expressed her dismay that Congress has not acted in the last year to prevent another disaster like the BP oil spill, and seemed to want more safety regulations and laws for oil companies to follow in a disaster.
"Congress doesn't seem to be in charge,"…
MRC’s Notable Quotables: Evil Republicans Making War on the Poor
April 18th, 2011 2:07 PM
This week’s edition of MRC’s Notable Quotables newsletter is chock full of liberal media quotes showing reporters’ slanted approach to the tax and budget issues now at center stage. In fact, there’s so much bad material, we had to add an extra page to our usually three-page newsletter (you can view/download the PDF here).
The whole issue is up over at www.MRC.org. Here’s a baker’s dozen of…
CNN Lets Audible 'Bulls--t' Go Totally Unedited
April 17th, 2011 10:52 PM
Vulgarity sure seems to be more and more commonplace on cable these days.
On CNN's "Reliable Sources" Sunday, CNN not only let an audible "bulls--t" go totally unedited, but host Howard Kurtz didn't even acknowledge that it had occurred (video follows with transcript and commentary):