WaPo TV Critic Pans Chelsea Clinton's Debut on 'Rock Center

December 13th, 2011 11:47 AM
"Either we're spoiled by TV's unlimited population of giant personalities or this woman is one of the most boring people of her era," observed Washington Post TV critic Hank Stuever regarding Chelsea Clinton's television journalism debut on last night's Rock Center. "It's no surprise whatsoever that Chelsea Clinton didn't electrify broadcast journalism with her debut" on last night's Rock…

NBC's Nancy Snyderman Declares Romney Bet 'A Disastrous Move

December 13th, 2011 11:41 AM
During a panel discussion on Tuesday's NBC Today, NBC chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman decried Mitt Romney proposing a $10,000 bet in the latest Republican debate: "I watched it live, and it was one of those moments where I immediately went [gasp] and you could just – even in your own living room, everything came to a halt. It was a disastrous move." Advertising executive Donny Deutsch…

NBC: 'God's Quarterback' Tebow Introduced to Americans in 'Controversi

December 12th, 2011 3:28 PM
In a report for Monday's NBC Today, correspondent Peter Alexander described the rise of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, noting how the NFL player's devout Christian faith has earned him the nickname of "God's Quarterback." Alexander went on to declare: "Many Americans were first introduced to Tebow during this controversial anti-abortion ad that aired during the 2010 Super Bowl." While…

Nets Play Up Lowe's 'Outrage' For Pulling Ads From 'All-American Musli

December 12th, 2011 2:56 PM
ABC, CBS, and NBC's morning shows on Monday all used news briefs to highlight how home improvement giant Lowe's is "facing a backlash" after it pulled its ads from TLC's "All-American Muslim" reality TV series. All three noted that the company reacted to a complaint from a "conservative" or "Christian" group who threatened a boycott. CBS's Early Show played up how Lowe's "critics call that…

NBC's Lauer and Koppel Discuss 'Very Controversial' and 'Reckless' New

December 12th, 2011 12:27 PM

On Monday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer asked new NBC special correspondent Ted Koppel about the success of Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign: "He has said some very controversial things over the last month....Is being outspoken – and some would even say a little bit reckless – necessarily a bad thing in this election cycle?" Koppel lamented how Gingrich had not been damaged by scandal…

Leno: Perry Wore Same Jacket in Anti-Gay Ad as Heath Ledger in Brokeba

December 10th, 2011 1:54 PM
Jay Leno on Friday took what many might think was a double entendre poke at Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry. After playing the Texas governor's new ad dealing with gays serving openly in the military, the Tonight Show host quipped, "It's the same jacket Heath Ledger wore in 'Brokeback Mountain,' but we won't go there" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

NBC Sets Up Obama to Run Against 'Do-Nothing Congress,' Lumps in

December 10th, 2011 11:19 AM
Friday's NBC Nightly News ran a report touting the prospect that President Obama could portray the current Congress as a "Do-Nothing Congress," based primarily on the number of bills passed rather than delving into the issues addressed, even making a comparison with the 1995 Republican Congress as if it could be similarly described as unproductive. Correspondent Kelly O'Donnell's piece put…

NBC's Chuck Todd Asks: 'Is This the Single Best Week in the Obama Re-E

December 9th, 2011 3:03 PM
On Friday's The Daily Rundown on MSNBC, host Chuck Todd posed this question to guests Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post and Jonathan Martin of Politico: "Is this the single best week in the Obama re-election effort?" Todd elaborated on his hyperbolic question by announcing: "The argument I've already heard from team Obama is yesterday that they were giddy that the first line of attack…

NBC's Chuck Todd Declares: Obama Would 'Love' to Debate GOP on Foreign

December 9th, 2011 10:58 AM
On Friday's NBC Today, following a sound bite of President Obama attacking Republicans for using the word "appeasement" to describe his foreign policy, chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd proclaimed: "I think [Obama] would love to have a foreign policy conversation. That's why you're not going to hear this much." Substitute co-host and Meet the Press moderator David Gregory raised the…

ABC and CBS Skip Label of Jon Corzine as Democrat

December 9th, 2011 8:09 AM
As the three broadcast network evening newscasts on Thursday reported former New Jersey Democratic Senator Jon Corzine's testimony before Congress on the billion dollars in investor money that went missing from the financial firm he once headed, only the NBC Nightly News took the time to label him as a Democrat.

ABC, NBC Omit Blagojevich's Party ID; CBS: Is Sentence 'Too High

December 8th, 2011 12:35 PM
ABC, NBC, and CBS all reported on former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich receiving a 14-year prison sentence for corruption on their evening news programs on Wednesday and their morning shows on Thursday, but only CBS's Early Show gave his Democratic affiliation. ABC devoted only 3 news briefs total to the conviction, while NBC Nightly News and The Early Show aired full reports. News…

NBC's Lauer to Dan Quayle: Wasn't Romney 'Wrong' and Obama 'Right' on

December 8th, 2011 11:14 AM
In an interview with former Vice President Dan Quayle on Thursday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer pushed Quayle to admit that Mitt Romney was wrong to oppose Obama's auto bailout: "[He] said, 'You know what? Let Chrysler fail.'...There would have been thousands of jobs lost. Did he get it wrong? Did President Obama get it right by bailing out the auto industry?"   Quayle endorsed Romney on…

BMI's Top 10 Economic Myths of

December 8th, 2011 10:46 AM
Each year the Business & Media Institute looks back on the year's news and selects the top 10 worst economic myths. This year the media's myths were wide-ranging: from conspiracy theories about economic sabotage, to overpopulation panic and Occupy Wall Street's mantra "We are the 99 percent." Here is our 2011 list:

NBC: Obama Casting Himself As 'Protector' of 'Middle Class Under Repub

December 7th, 2011 4:08 PM
On Tuesday's NBC Nightly News, chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd promoted the President's speech in Osawatomie, Kansas calling for an extension of payroll tax cuts as "the Obama version of prairie populism" and touted how the commander in chief, "cast himself and the Democratic Party as the protectors of a middle class under Republican assault." Throughout the report, Todd…