NBC's Vieira To Gingrich: Is A Strong Tea Party Good for GOP

May 18th, 2010 1:23 PM
NBC's Meredith Vieira, on Tuesday's Today show, in a segment breaking down today's primary races with Newt Gingrich, cited a possible Rand Paul win over Trey Grayson in the GOP Kentucky Senate primary fight as an example of the Tea Party's strength and actually wondered if that was a cause of concern for the GOP. Vieira pressed the former Speaker of the House: "If Rand Paul wins, that's good news…

CBS Skips Any Mention of Dem Senate Candidate's Military Scandal, NBC

May 18th, 2010 12:29 PM
CBS's Early Show on Tuesday completely ignored the front page New York Times story on Democratic senatorial candidate Richard Blumenthal and his claims to have "served in Vietnam," despite having never done so. NBC's Today mentioned the subject once in a news brief, but anchor Ann Curry described the Connecticut Democrat only as a "U.S. Senate candidate." On ABC's Good Morning America, co-host…

Arlen Specter Embattled; Media Long Used Senator as Club to Bash 'Far

May 17th, 2010 6:25 PM
Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter could find himself out of a job Tuesday night, if his newly-adopted Democratic Party refuses to renominate the 80-year-old incumbent for a sixth term. For the establishment media, Specter’s chief value was as a Republican Senator they could quote espousing anti-conservative talking points usually uttered by liberal Democrats.It will be interesting to see whether…

Today Show Takes Cheap Shot at George Allen in YouTube Anniversary Cel

May 17th, 2010 1:04 PM
During a segment where the Today cast celebrated the fifth anniversary of YouTube, in which they highlighted such clips as the Numa Numa Kid and other faves, Meredith Vieira, on Monday's show, threw an unexpected cheap shot at former Senator George Allen's way. Noting how YouTube has launched careers of those like Justin Beiber, Vieira -- right before a clip of Allen making his "macaca" quip -- …

Newsweek's Alter on Today: You Have to 'Respect' Obama for His 'Though

May 14th, 2010 11:43 AM
If Jonathan Alter's interview segment, on Friday's Today show with NBC's Meredith Vieira, is any indication of what to expect from his new book on the Obama presidency, readers should not look forward to an insightful, hard-hitting treatment of the President as the Newsweek columnist praised Obama as not "a phony" who has a "psychological health to him." On to plug his book, The Promise, Alter…

On NBC, Vieira Sputters at Laura Ingraham's Charge That Kagan Was 'Ant

May 12th, 2010 5:06 PM
NBC’s Today offered a conservative counterpoint on the Elena Kagan nomination on Wednesday: conservative radio talker and author Laura Ingraham. Co-host Meredith Vieira suggested Republicans were hypocrites to suggest Kagan was inexperienced. The top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, has said that her lack of experience to him is troubling. Yet when Harriet…

Double Standard Anyone? Ten Times More 'Conservative' Labels for Alito

May 12th, 2010 11:44 AM
As the MRC’s Tim Graham documented yesterday, ABC and NBC's morning and evening newscasts have so far refused to tag Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan as a “liberal,” with CBS’s Jan Crawford offering the sole ideological label of the nominee on Monday's Evening News: “Her career has put her solidly on the left.”In contrast, all three networks made a major deal out of the last person nominated by…

Big Three Nets' Evening News Dives Deepen

May 11th, 2010 11:18 PM
Five weeks ago (covered at NewsBusters; at BizzyBlog), the Big Three Networks' combined evening news audiences dropped to below 20 million -- an audience about 5% less than what Matt Drudge in the summer of 2006 headlined as “TV’s Lowest Week.” Three weeks ago (at NewsBusters; at BizzyBlog), their combined audience came in at 19.61 million, down over 12% from the previous year. For the week of…

'Law and Order' Pushes For Gay Marriage

May 11th, 2010 3:47 PM
NBC’s “Law and Order” has been known to promote a liberal agenda and the May 10 episode was no exception. “The Taxman Cometh” followed the New York City detectives as they tried to prove that three wealthy families purposely allowed an ailing member of their family to die during 2010, since the inheritance tax isn’t in effect. But the twisted plotline included blatant support for gay marriage.…

Surprise! Lauer to Biden: Isn't Job of Justice Only to Interpret Const

May 11th, 2010 11:07 AM
In what may be a sign of the media's confidence that Elena Kagan will be easily confirmed to the Supreme Court, NBC's Matt Lauer, on Tuesday's Today show, didn't feel the need to sell Kagan to viewers and actually asked somewhat tough questions to Vice President Joe Biden. Lauer even hit Biden from the right when he asked the following: "When we say maybe does she or does she not understand the…

SNL: Times Square Bomber Unhappy With His Press Coverage

May 9th, 2010 10:48 AM
NBC's "Saturday Night Live" last evening did a sketch wherein Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad complained about his press coverage."I have suffered, and continue to suffer, injustices at the hands of the United States government, which has unfairly accused me of crimes that I did not commit," began Shahzad played by Fred Armisen with help from translator Maya Rudolph."And worse, injustices at…

Out of Touch Lauer Wonders if Wall St Glitch Caused by Someone Pushing

May 7th, 2010 10:16 AM
When was the last time any one used a typewriter? Well on Friday's Today show, in talking with CNBC's Jim Cramer and Maria Bartiromo, in what has to be a classic out of touch moment, Lauer flashed back to the '70s when he asked if yesterday's market drop was caused by someone hitting the "wrong key on a typewriter." Later on, after perhaps being informed by his producer that no one is using an…

MRC Study: By 12 to 1, ABC, CBS, and NBC Rip Arizona's Immigration Law

May 6th, 2010 5:06 PM
When political scientists compare populism and elitism, they could certainly find a test case in the new Arizona law on immigration enforcement. While Rasmussen found 70 percent of Arizonans favored the crackdown on illegal aliens, and new national media polls found majority support as well, ABC, CBS, and NBC denounced the popular will as short-sighted and discriminatory. From April 23 to May 3,…

Networks Fail to Expose GM's Misleading Commercial

May 6th, 2010 9:37 AM
Have you seen the new General Motors commercial? In it, CEO Ed Whitacre highlights the taxpayer-funded bailout GM received and then brags: "We have repaid our government loan, in full with interest, five years ahead of the original schedule." That advertisement (Watch it here) gives the impression that A) GM is financially stable and able to repay its debts B) the government bailout was…