2017 was a year of incredible change and tension in the world of the liberal media. Whether it was the departure of their beloved Barack Obama, the contentious White House press briefings, media failures, or journalists fired over sexual misconduct allegations, the liberal media are almost definitely looking forward to 2018.
That being said, we at NewsBusters would like to thank you, the readers, for helping to make 2017 (and the MRC’s 30th anniversary) such a fast-paced, fun, and rewarding year. It’s thanks to our donors and readers that we’re able to continue to provide the world with the best analysis and news concerning the liberal media.
Just as I did with 2016, here now are the top ten most-read NewsBusters blogs from 2017:
1. ABC’s Muir Left Speechless After Trump Brings Up March for Life — January 26 by Nicholas Fondacaro
NewsBusters evening and Sunday news analyst Nicholas Fondacaro had a terrific year as the second-most read person on the site and this story featuring ABC’s World News Tonight anchor David Muir and President Donald Trump was one reason why.
Muir scored the first post-inauguration interview with Trump and when Muir tried to bring up the far-left Women’s March on Washington, Trump stopped Muir cold in his tracks when he not only brought up the March for Life, but the media’s repeated refusal to cover that event:
You’re going to have a lot of people coming on Friday. And I will say this, and I didn't realize this. But I was told. You will have a very large crowd of people. I don’t know as large or larger. Some people said it will be larger. Pro-life people and they say the press doesn't cover them.
Fondacaro’s viral hit was chronicled all across conservative media on sites such as but not limited to Breitbart, The Blaze, The Daily Caller, The Daily Wire, and RushLimbaugh.com.
Yours truly clocked in at number two with an item about Chris Matthews dredging up a months-old cruel joke comparing Trump to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
Matthews quipped that Trump was so similar to Mussolini that he could end up having son-in-law/senior adviser Jared Kushner executed like the latter did with his son-in-law in 1944. Of course, Matthews faced zero consequences for his horrid joke.
My blog also saw a plethora of media attention as it was picked up in some form or fashion by The Daily Wire, Real Clear Politics, Red State, The Resurgent, Twitchy, and Weasel Zippers.
MRC Latino analyst Kathleen Krumhansl came on late in the year but it didn’t take long for her to have an impact. In a piece teaming up with MRC Latino director Ken Oliver, the pair chronicled Univision anchor Jorge Ramos complaining on a Spanish radio show that he’s having “the worst time” of his entire life in the United States (largely because of the Trump presidency).
My second appearance on the list came late in 2017, but it didn’t disappoint as MSNBC’s Katy Tur continued her interesting first year as a full-time host after over a year on the campaign trail as NBC’s Trump correspondent.
Just before the House passage of tax reform, she showed her far-left economic views in an interview with conservative Republican Congressman Dave Brat (Va.). Needless to say, it didn’t go well for her.
Fondacaro’s other appearance on the most-read list was thanks to a post by about network coverage of the Susan Rice unmasking story dating back to the spring.
Along with the hundreds of thousands of views, Fondacaro’s piece was cited by Ben Shapiro and cross-posted in FoxNews.com’s Opinion section.
6. Miss America Contestants Asked to Condemn President Trump — September 10 by Karen Townsend
MRC Culture TV bloggers had another excellent year driving conservative media when it came to the most outrageous moments in both scripted and unscripted primetime TV programs. Karen Townsend scored a massive audience with the sixth spot thanks to a piece recapping the Miss America pageant and how contestants were repeatedly asked questions that nudged them to attack President Trump.
Questions from judges Jess Cagle, Tara Lipinski, Maria Menounos, and Jordin Sparks dealt with Charlottesville, climate change, Confederate statues, and Trump-Russia collusion.
News analyst Kristine Marsh had another terrific year at NewsBusters as the third most-read author on the site and her top story concerned actress Jennifer Lawrence lashing out at Trump.
While promoting her movie Mother!, Lawrence told the U.K.’s Channel 4 that the brutal hurricanes that caused billions of dollars in damage on American coastlines were due to “Mother Nature’s rage” at America for having Trump and particularly a President who doesn’t accept climate change.
8. Guests Remind NBC, CNN: Obama Gave Classified Intel to Russia — May 16 by Kyle Drennen
Senior news analyst Kyle Drennen arrived at a number eight thanks to NBC security analyst Juan Zarate and then-CNN political commentator Jeffrey Lord reminding their respective viewers that Obama gave classified information to the Russians in the summer of 2016.
Here’s what Lord told CNN’s New Day co-host and loudmouth Chris Cuomo:
I'm holding two headlines from the Washington Post, one of May 25th, 2014, “White House mistakenly identifies CIA chief in Afghanistan.” The Obama administration put the name of the CIA on the press release, exposed him and endangered his life. The second one, June 30, 2016, “U.S. Offers to share Syrian intelligence on terrorist with Russia,” which is to say the Obama administration wanted to give their intelligence to the Russians. All I'm saying here is there’s perspective. We need to find out the facts and let’s have perspective.
Speaking of Cuomo, NewsBusters associate editor Scott Whitlock penned a hysterical blog providing a summation of an epic debate between Cuomo and Republican Congressman Jim Jordan (Ohio) over the fate of ObamaCare.
Cuomo’s interviews are infamous for their length, but that doesn’t always mean that Cuomo is the one coming out on top. This duel was no exception as, like Tur versus Brat, Jordan annihilated the brother of New York’s Democratic Governor.
My third top ten article aided in cementing my claim to the number one spot as 2017's most read author on NewsBusters. This blog went live a few days before Inauguration Day following Martin Luther King III’s meeting with President-elect Trump.
King wanted to talk about the “very constructive meeting” between the two, but ABC’s Tom Llamas and CNN’s Jim Acosta led the way in begging King to attack Trump and harp on Trump’s tweets blasting Civil Rights icon and Democratic Congressman John Lewis (Ga.).
