Appearing on the May 13 "Hannity" program for a "Media Mash" segment, NewsBusters publisher Brent Bozell tackled the media coverage of the Elena Kagan nomination. After the Fox News host played some clips of network anchors focusing on how the Obama Court nominee loves opera, softball, and poker, Bozell noted it was par for the course.
While "from the moment he was nominated, [Clarence Thomas] was savaged," whenever a liberal is nominated by a Democratic president, the media label him or her a moderate and focus on humanizing them, Media Research Center President Brent Bozell noted.
[MP3 audio available here]
Also of note, Bozell argued, was how the media have been largely quiet about a promotional video the White House produced to gin up positive PR for Kagan:
If a liberal were here right now, he'd say, "Now, wait a minute! This is what all administrations try to do. They try to control the message and Ronald Reagan was superb at doing it." But the difference is this: Number one, although the Obama administration has the right to do it, the question is, where are the media? The media savaged Ronald Reagan for trying to control the message. They savaged him!
And number two, Ronald Reagan never tried to produce the news. They're actually producing video. And what I think is really the most shameful thing, and the saddest thing, excuse me, is that this Supreme Court justice nominee would consent to play such crass political games. She should have declined it...
The coverage of the Arizona immigration law was also discussed:
BOZELL: The media are in opposition to this by 12-to-1, and then they turn around and they tell you that they're only reflecting reality. No, no, no, no, they're reflecting the opposite of reality. This is a leftist agenda if ever there was one.
