'Today' Rehabilitates Eliot Spitzer, Forgets Democratic Label

April 6th, 2009 4:42 PM
NBC's Matt Lauer invited on former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, on Monday's "Today" show, to help restore his reputation after he lost his governorship due to solicitation of prostitute and while the former governor expressed regret for hurting his family, it was Lauer who suggested the greatest loss was that Spitzer missed a chance to regulate Wall Street. Lauer also failed to mention the…

Enviro-Elmo Gives Green Gospel to Terrible Twos

April 3rd, 2009 8:49 AM
If the recession has been as hard on Madison Avenue as on other sectors, a lot of marketing types are probably free to watch daytime TV. And if marketing’s your game, that’s time well-spent. You can surf the kiddy shows and learn from the true masters of your art: environmentalists.Their latest coup? Elmo, the most popular character on PBS’ “Sesame Street,” has gone “green.” Literally.The…

Media Ignore Abortion Connection in Montana Plane Crash Coverage

April 2nd, 2009 4:56 PM
Loss of human life is a tragedy. Media outlets rightly treated the recent Montana plane crash that killed seven adults and seven children as such. But correctly reporting the deaths of fourteen people as a tragedy doesn't mean the media necessarily did their job. If they feel compelled to note that victims were "ultrarich," they should also note the business that made them that way.…

'Today' Can't Get Enough of 'Michelle's Magic' in the UK

April 2nd, 2009 1:32 PM
NBC's Dawna Friesen, reporting from London on Thursday' "Today" show relayed how "Michelle's Magic," has "dazzled everyone," in the United Kingdom and co-anchor Matt Lauer joined in, as he loved the tacky gift of an iPod to the Queen: "I like this idea. I think it's a, it's a very creative idea to bring her the iPod." Friesen also played down Michelle Obama's gaffe of contact with the Queen, "…

Democratic President Goes to Europe, So ABC Touts Past GOP Goofs

March 31st, 2009 6:13 PM
"Good Morning America" reporter Yunji de Nies on Tuesday touted supposed gaffes of past Republican presidents in a segment on Barack Obama's trip abroad. De Nies intoned, "But one unlucky misstep and everyone remembers." As she said this, video of George W. Bush's 2005 trip to Beijing appeared onscreen. (In the footage, the then-President can be seen trying to go out the wrong door.) More…

Eco-Friendly and Endorsed by Media -- CFLs Responsible for House Fire

March 31st, 2009 5:43 PM
Remember all those TV segments and magazine articles that had a list of 10 things you can do to save the planet from the perils of global warming? More likely than not, one of things you were urged to do was to switch all you incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). And, if you didn't heed their advice, the government's forcing you to through the legislative process.…

NBC's Friesen Hero Worships Michelle Obama on 'Today

March 31st, 2009 1:10 PM
As the song "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You," played over slow-motion video of Michelle Obama, NBC's Dawna Friesen, on Tuesday's "Today" show, eagerly awaited the arrival of the Obamas in London, for the G20 summit, as she gushed: "Yes, her husband is, of course, the big star of the show, but this is Michelle Obama's first foray on to the global stage as First Lady. And you can bet that her every…

NBC's David Gregory, Unintentional Comedian

March 30th, 2009 4:03 PM
File this one in the "When I Need a Laugh" folder: David Gregory, host of NBC's "Meet the Press," told this week's Parade Magazine, "I don't accept the proposition that I have an ideological point of view that comes through. I work very hard to avoid that." Gregory must have adopted a new attitude toward his work after taking over "Meet the Press" following the death of his colleague, Tim…

NBC's Lewis Shuns Global Warming Skeptics

March 30th, 2009 3:40 PM
NBC climastrologer and all-around nice guy George Lewis said on Sunday's "Today" show that global warming is at least partly the fault of mankind. More disturbing, however, is the fact that exactly zero consideration was given to actual scientific criticism of such a viewpoint. CARTER ROBERTS, World Wildlife Fund: We're definitely asking people to do a couple things. To turn off the lights, but…

Report: Gore’s Lights Left on for Media-Hyped 'Earth Hour

March 29th, 2009 5:26 PM
We're nearly 24 hours out of Earth Hour and the media are already proclaiming it a success as Michael Bates pointed out for NewsBusters in a blog post earlier today. However one prominent global warming alarmist reportedly didn't fully participate in the Earth Hour festivities. According to Drew Johnson, president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, global warming activist and former…

On 'Today': Actor Ed Norton Compares His 'Earth Hour' to March On Selm

March 27th, 2009 3:40 PM
NBC's resident Queen of Green, Ann Curry, welcomed actor Ed Norton and Carter Roberts of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to come on Friday's "Today" show to champion their cause to combat "global climate change" by getting everyone to turn off their lights for an hour as a symbolic move that actor Norton compared to the march on Selma, Alabama. Co-anchor Curry called Norton's cause, "really cool,"…

NBC's Mitchell Pushes Hillary to Bring Back Assault Weapons Ban

March 26th, 2009 12:51 PM
NBC's Andrea Mitchell, in a taped interview from Mexico with Hillary Clinton on Thursday's "Today" show, partially blamed the Bush administration for Mexico's current drug cartel violence as she charged that "90 percent of the guns used by gangs," were available because the Bush White House and Congress let the assault weapons ban lapse. Mitchell even went as far to push the Secretary of State to…

'Fox And Friends' Exclusive: Notre Dame In Uproar Over Obama Speech

March 24th, 2009 6:05 PM
Major media began shielding Barack Obama from criticism early in the presidential primaries. It's no surprise, then, when they continue to do so today. However, the media's collective, instinctive tone-deafness in regard to grassroots activities continues to stun and amaze.NewsBusters has so far noted several grassroots efforts that have been ignored – despite similar left-leaning efforts…

Cramer Flip-Flops on Obama's Anti-Wall Street Rhetoric: 'The President

March 24th, 2009 2:17 PM
Could this be another case of a chastened CNBC succumbing to criticism from the left to improve its image? Just a day after CNBC named former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean a CNBC contributor, an uncharacteristically soft-spoken CNBC "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer, appeared on NBC's March 24 "Today" along with CNBC "Squawk on the Street" co-host and "Street Signs" host Erin…