CNN

As NewsBuster Dave Pierre reported here, the media are in a bit of a tizzy over remarks that former Education secretary Bill Bennett recently said on his radio talkshow about abortion and crime.  On CNN’s “Live Today,” commentator Daryn Kagan invited Rev. Al Sharpton to offer his views of Bennett’s comments:SHARPTON: I think they're blatantly racist. I think that even after he had said to kill…

Shortly after yesterday’s announcement of Rep. Tom DeLay’s (R-Tex) indictment for alleged campaign finance violations, the mainstream media began doing reports on the subject with largely similar content. A memo written by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean posted at the Democratic Party’s website almost immediately after the announcement was made contained virtually the same “…

On this afternoon’s “Live From...”, CNN’s Candy Crowley did a not-so flattering report on the newly indicted House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay (R-Tex). Crowley interviewed a variety of Democratic foes in the report who have some pretty damning words for the embattled Congressman from Texas. Yet, some of the harshest criticisms came from Crowley herself:“Someone once called him a cross between a…

On CNN's “American Morning” today, host Miles O’Brien and correspondent Aneesh Raman downplayed the significance of the announcement that the number 2 al Qaeda operative in Iraq was killed on Sunday by a joint Iraq/U.S. maneuver.  In fact, their exchange suggested that even if the head of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, was killed or captured, things still wouldn’t improve in that country…

In the weeks that have followed Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans, much of the mainstream media have been pointing a finger of blame at the federal government for not properly funding that city’s levee system.  This morning, CNN did a report that tears some holes in this premise.On “American Morning,” John King visited South Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, a coastal community just thirty-five…

CNN this morning did a series of reports from New Orleans focusing on the problems with that city’s levees. “American Morning’s” Soledad O’Brien first interviewed Joey DIFatta, chairman of St. Bernard Parish, along with New Orleans city council president Oliver Thomas. Later, O’Brien questioned an Army Corps of Engineers colonel. During these discussions, it was suggested that lower quality…

Media reports on scientific findings are often misunderstood, misrepresented or overblown. One such example is a study by Dr. Glenn Wilson, a psychologist at King's College London. CNN and others claimed "workers distracted by phone calls, e-mails and text messages suffer a greater loss of IQ than a person smoking marijuana."Of course, that is not even what the study found. The first clue should…

CNN’s Joe Johns patrolled the halls of Congress this morning asking senators and representatives how America was going to pay for the reconstruction of New Orleans.  His questions normally revolved around two themes:  raising taxes, and cutting funding for the Iraq war (video to follow):To Sen. Cornyn (R–Tex):  Are we talking about scaling back tax cuts to pay for Katrina?Lead-in to Sen. Reid (D–…

On CNN’s “American Morning” today, Soledad O’Brien spent much of her interview with Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff focusing on what happened in New Orleans three weeks ago when Katrina hit rather than questioning the secretary about how prepared the Gulf coast is for the looming Hurricane Rita (video link and full transcript to follow):SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Lots of officials have told…

The NY Times is thrilled with the idea of reporters being red carpet walking stars. Much has been written in the news media as of late about the news media and how all of a sudden they've been acting like the news media. Well, color us nostalgic, but it was with great delight that we went to the 26th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony at the Marriott Marquis on Monday night and…