People

Obamas Pioneer Recycling Christmas Ornaments – After the Bushes, Clintons, Reagans, Nixons, and Kennedys
By Rusty Weiss | December 4, 2009 | 12:05 AM EST

People Magazine practically slipped over their drool-laden piece yesterday involving First Lady Michelle Obama's decision to recycle ornaments for the White House Christmas tree.  The opening statement of this piece is so very complimentary of this novel decision, you'd think it was a decision that qualifies Mrs. Obama as a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize next year.  (Cause that's a little ridiculous, no?) 

It reads:

"It used to be that Christmas at the White House dazzled visitors with the glitter of thousands of fairy lights. But not this year. Not in this economy and not with this practical-minded first lady."

Apparently, first ladies of years past had celebrated Christmas in the White House with a total disregard for the economy and the environment. 

Not so, however...

Shortly after the opening paragraph's praising of the current White House Christmas tree, the People article takes a swipe at the Clintons and Bushes for not being more like the Obamas:

People Mag Falsely Claims Palin Refused To Appear On Oprah Last Year
By Noel Sheppard | October 20, 2009 | 11:36 PM EDT

As NewsBusters reported a few hours ago, Oprah Winfrey has finally decided to allow former Alaska governor Sarah Palin on her highly-rated daytime talk show.

Shortly after it was announced, People magazine's web article on the matter falsely informed readers that Palin refused Oprah's invitation during the campaign last year (h/t NB reader Christy Ellsworth):

Oh, what a difference a multimillion-dollar book deal makes.

About a year after Sarah Palin famously turned down a campaign season appearance with talk show host – and major Barack Obama supporter – Oprah Winfrey, the former GOP vice presidential candidate has agreed to take her turn on the couch. 

Actually, as ABCNews.com reported last September, it was Oprah that refused to have Palin on her show: 

People Mag Values P.C. Over Factual Correctness: Chastity Bono Is Now 'He' Because 'He' Says So
By Tim Graham | June 22, 2009 | 1:40 PM EDT

In its latest edition (dated June 29), People magazine piled up the praise for Chastity Bono’s decision to be "Chaz," declaring herself to be a male. This leads to the kind of journalism that ignores all the hard-to-obscure physiological facts and goes with the feelings of the celebrity it’s celebrating:

'People': Elizabeth Edwards Authorized Friend to Attack John Over Nightline Interview
By Mark Finkelstein | August 13, 2008 | 11:24 PM EDT

Elizabeth Edwards authorized a friend to attack John Edwards over his infamous "she was in remission" interview on Nightline.  That's the stunning assertion of Sandra Westfall, the "People" magazine writer who authored the article [excerpt here] containing the friend's crticism. Westfall was a guest on tonight's Verdict with Dan Abrams.

DAN ABRAMS: Sandra, let me start with you. Is it fair to say that the story that you guys have in this week's magazine is effectively Elizabeth Edwards' side of the story?

SANDRA WESTFALL: You know, she authorized her brother and her best friend to speak to me on her behalf.

View video here.

Michelle O: 'I Could Be Very Competent Putting in 70%'
By Mark Finkelstein | July 30, 2008 | 12:01 PM EDT

Rush Limbaugh likes to joke that he has "half my brain tied behind my back, just to keep it fair." But there's no sign Michelle Obama [file photo] was anything but serious when she said something similar in a current People magazine interview, h/t Michelle Malkin. Mrs. Obama claimed she could be "very competent" on policy putting in only a 70% effort. 

Throw in a few more statements from Mrs. Obama during the interview attesting to her own intellect, and a picture emerges of a woman either very sure--or insecure--about her smarts.

Excerpts [emphasis added]:

ABC Again Touts Tale of Man Who 'Kept His Female Reproductive Organs'
By Scott Whitlock | July 23, 2008 | 4:47 PM EDT

"Good Morning America" on Wednesday continued to aggressively promote the story of the pregnant "man," featuring the show's sixth story since March 26. Once again, GMA co-host Chris Cuomo confusingly described the story of Thomas Beatie, a woman who took testosterone and had her breasts removed in a gender reassignment surgery in order to become a man.

On Wednesday, Cuomo explained, "The pregnant man, Thomas Beatie. He made headlines across the globe. Well, now, Beatie, who is biologically still a woman, has delivered a healthy baby." So, in other words, a woman gave birth to a baby? Perhaps describing the situation that way wouldn't have allowed GMA to devote six stories (thus far) to the topic. The segment was full of such puzzling statements. An ABC graphic screamed, "Pregnant Man's Baby: First Pictures of Susan Juliette." At one point, reporter Andrea Canning stated that Beatie, born Tracy LaGondino, had her breasts surgically removed and then, "...Still hoping to one day have a child, Thomas kept his female reproductive organs." His female reproductive organs?

CW's 'Provocative' Ad Campaign Targets Teens and Blasphemes God
By Kristen Fyfe | May 6, 2008 | 1:18 PM EDT

“OMFG” is text-speak for the unspeakable. It's also the tag line for a new ad campaign aimed at teens and featuring a jumble of sexual situations, including teens undressing each other and two girls kissing. The campaign blitz is appearing in print and television, all aimed at drumming up eyeballs for the CW network's teen-themed soap "Gossip Girl."For the uninitiated, “OMG” translates to “Oh My God” in the language of email and text messaging. The addition of the “F” means … well, it’s the word that can cost broadcasters a hefty government fine if someone actually says it on TV. Now, of course, executives at the CW could never admit that they were actively targeting teens with such a "provocative" ad. Nor would they ever admit they were intentionally dodging an FCC fine by using the letter "F" instead of the unspeakable word. Nor would they ever consider that "F" used next to "G," which stands for "God" would be blasphemous. In fact they've gone out of their way on these subjects. But reality has a way of well, keeping it real.

Hillary Tells People: Whip Inflation With Women's Magazine Tips!
By Tim Graham | May 6, 2008 | 12:24 PM EDT

Jody L. Wilcox at The Contemporary Conservative blog mocks People magazine for a "really lame" puffball interview with Hillary Clinton in their 100 Most Beautiful People edition (Hillary was not on that list). There were the usual annoying pop-culture questions: "American Idol or Dancing With the Stars"? (Both.) "Tina Fey or Amy Poehler?" (Both.) Most Clinton critics would hone in on the usual soften-up-the-marriage questions. "When was the last time you and Bill had some quality time?" "What was the last present he gave you?...Your last present to him?" "What does he do around the house that drives you crazy?" You want to pen in answers like, "He also answers 'both' to Tina Fey or Amy Poehler." But the biggest pandering line came when she cited women's magazines as the solution to tough gas economics:

Military BansYouTube, MySpace, MTV and Other High-Trafficked Sites
By Lynn Davidson | May 15, 2007 | 6:28 PM EDT

Updates at bottom: 

I want my MTV! Somewhere a soldier or sailor in Iraq or Afghanistan is probably thinking that today. According to the AP, on May 14, the Department of Defense blocked “worldwide” the US troops who use its networks and computers from accessing 12 popular websites that include, YouTube, MTV, MySpace, Blackplanet and Photobucket. The Defense Deparmene which the DoD said“take up a large amount of bandwidth, and others that can open up department computers to hackers and viruses.” (emphasis mine throughout)

US Forces Korea Commander (USFK) Gen. B.B. Bell explained in a memo sent out Friday that the new policy will not impact the military's ability to send and receive email, but the “Department of Defense has a growing concern regarding our unclassified DoD Internet, known as the NIPRNET. The Commander of DoD's Joint Task Force, Global Network Operations has noted a significant increase in the use of DoD network resources tied up by individuals visiting certain recreational Internet sites.”

The AP delved into some of the issues involved:

People Magazine Highlights How Al Gore Is 'Saving the Planet'
By Tim Graham | June 4, 2006 | 10:37 PM EDT

People magazine, another publicity engine of the Time Warner empire, gives a box to Al Gore (page 35, I believe) to explain "How I'm Saving The Planet." People asked: "His film 'An Inconvenient Truth' warns about global warming. So what is Gore doing about it?"

Here are Gore's answers for the publicity box:

"1. I turn off lights in my house [to conserve energy]. We're getting sensor switches that automatically turn them off when the room is empty.

2. We got a hybrid car recently.