Rosie O'Donnell: Rev. Wright 'Made Sense to Me'; People 'Confuse Passi
Rosie O'Donnell appeared on the May 5 "Today" show in its fourth hour, claiming that many have confused her "passion for rage" much in the same way as they've misunderstood Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Indeed, claimed the former "The View" co-host, Obama's former pastor "made sense to me." [Audio available here.] O'Donnell also defended Wright's conspiracy theory view on AIDS, chalking that up to Wright…
Hedgehog Hillary Hatin' on Oil Companies
The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.—Archilochus (7th-century BC)Mark Penn might not be appearing before the cameras on Hillary's behalf nowadays, but bet that he is beavering away behind the scenes on his polling. And judging from Hillary's dogged [to mix an animal metaphor] performance on this morning's Today, it's obvious the pollster's turned up one big thing: Dem…
Stumped: Hillary Can't Name One Economist Who Supports Her Gas-Tax Hol
My two cents say George Stephanopoulos gave Hillary a harder time than Tim Russert did Obama during their respective appearances on This Week and Meet the Press today. Russert never pinned Obama down on exactly what he knew of Rev. Wright's most controversial assertions and when he knew it.Over on ABC, Stephanopoulos twice challenged Hillary to name a single economist who supported her proposal…
Shameful: 'Today' Plays Heart-Rending 911 Tape of DC Madam's Mother
What legitimate journalistic purpose did this serve? In a segment narrated by Pete Williams on the apparent suicide of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called DC Madam, this morning's Today played the tape of the 911 phone call made by Pelfrey's 76-year old mother, who had discovered her daughter's body. Of all the 911 calls I've heard, this was the most anguished and heart-rending.
Matt Lauer Tours Amsterdam with America-Belittling Dutch TV Host
On Tuesday's installment of the "Today" show's "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?" viewers were treated to Lauer strolling by an Amsterdam canal as he talked Dutch politics with a Netherlands' TV host who looked down on America's health care system and the views of "hardcore Republicans" about Holland's legalized prostitution and drugs.The following exchange occurred on the April 29, "Today" show…
LiveBlog: Bush Press Conference on the Economy
President Bush is holding a press conference on the U.S. economy. I'll be blogging the questions to the president below. Video of Bush/Raddatz clash here (audio available here).Video of Stolberg and Ryan on recession here (audio here)My bottom line analysis (11:25): The two R's of bias from this Rose Garden presser: Martha Raddatz on Syria and numerous reporters on the dreaded R-word, recession.…
Wherever in the World Matt is He's Worrying About His Carbon Footprint
NBC's Matt Lauer appeared live from Buenos Aires, Argentina as part of the latest installment of the "Today" show's "Where In The World Is Matt Lauer?" ratings gimmick and he went out of his way to assuage viewers that NBC News was doing their part to stay "green" in his travels.Prompted by an e-mailer's question, read by co-host Meredith Vieira, Lauer assured the "Today" audience that they were…
Who Had the Fairer Panel: Meet the Press or Fox News Sunday
For a moment, let's step away from the commentary, per se, and focus on the commentators. Liberals love to chide Fox News for its alleged conservative bias. So why don't we see, when it comes to being fair and balanced, how this morning's Fox News Sunday panel stacked up against that of its main competitor, Meet the Press?Here are the line-ups—you be the judge.MEET THE PRESS Host–Tim Russert…
Former NBC Analyst Confirms He Quit Due to Network's Move to the Left
Last February, NewsBusters reported the resignation of retired Col. Ken Allard from NBC News as a result of the military analyst's view the network was undergoing a "precipitous retreat from journalistic and ethical standards."On Sunday, Allard was more specific, claiming, "I thought they really had moved very slowly to the left, and I also thought that when they had the chance to clarify to the…
Cramer Blames Inflation on Ethanol: 'Drop the Mandate, Prices Plummet
In the past couple of weeks, NewsBusters has reported the media's sudden negative opinion of ethanol as a result of rising food prices and rationing of rice by certain retailors.You can now add NBC to the list, and, in particular, the host of CNBC's "Mad Money," Jim Cramer, who on Friday's "Today" show actually blamed ethanol for the current crisis while stating emphatically, "You drop the…
Green Is Universal: Corporate Shilling at Its Finest
As you pretty much have to know by now due to the fact that they won't shut up about it, NBC Universal's "Green Is Universal" campaign is winding down. Begining next week, we'll no longer be hearing the media giant's numerous television properties spreading feel-good environmentalism to viewers and promoting allegedly earth-friendly policies (ethanol, anyone?). I, for one, couldn't be more happy…
