Scott Whitlock
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Appearing on CBS This Morning on Monday to tout his new book on Sandra Day O’Connor, author Evan Thomas hailed the former Supreme Court justice as a “conservative Republican” because she voted in favor of abortion and affirmative action. Talking to co-host Norah O’Donnell, the former Newsweek editor hyped, “She preserved affirmative action and abortion for 25 years. That is no small thing. You know? Conservatives thought when she got on the Court, those things are gone. Those are the bete noire of the right wing.”
The journalists at CNN on Monday were dazzled by Beto O’Rourke’s habit of apologizing. The CNN on-screen graphic offered a “style contrast,” noting, “O’Rourke Keeps Apologizing, Trump Never Does.” Talking about the 2020 Democrat’s apologizes for “white privilege” as well as for making a self-deprecating joke about raising kids, CNN national political reporter Maeve Reston cheered, “Beto O'Rourke's audience love that he's constantly reflecting, telling people what's in his head. That is his strength.”
Lefty HBO host John Oliver lashed out at Jay Leno on Sunday, trashing the former Tonight Show star after he called for more balance in political comedy. Instead of focusing on Leno’s call for more fairness, Oliver attacked the comedian as a hypocrite. In a segment on public shaming and Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky, the Last Week Tonight host noted that some comics regret their ‘90s jokes about the White House intern: “Many comedians have since publicly expressed regret about things they've said, although one who hasn't, and who was among the most relentless, was Jay Leno.”
MSNBC hosts on Friday enthusiastically touted the demands of high school-aged global warming protesters, cheering their call for the passage of the Green New deal and “a halt to any and all fossil fuel infrastructure projects.” This all seemed normal for host Katy Tur as she recounted her own childhood indoctrination.
It was five years ago this coming Tuesday that CNN's Don Lemon offered ridiculous, tabloid-friendly theories about what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Black holes? Something out of the sci-fi show Lost? The Twilight Zone? No speculation was too crazy for Lemon.
CBS This Morning's Gayle King on Friday devoted almost 12 minutes of air time to Beto O’Rourke in an “exclusive” interview promoting his 2020 presidential launch. At times, the liberal co-host offered some tough questions, repeatedly questioning the Democrat on being a “loser” in Texas. But she also delivered some criticism from the left, suggesting O'Rourke might just be too “white” for the current Democratic Party.
Hours after a white nationalist terrorist in New Zealand murdered at least 49 Muslims at a mosque, CBS This Morning on Friday jumped at the opportunity to hype any connection between the killer and Donald Trump. Reporter Nikki Battiste admitted that “CBS News has not been able to confirm” all the details of a manifesto apparently posted by the shooter. But that didn’t stop her from linking Trump, the Second Amendment and the terrorist: “The manifesto makes several references to the United States. In one portion, the author responds to a self-directed question about whether he supports President Trump. He writes, ‘As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose, sure. As a policy maker and leader, dear God, no.’”
Do facts matter for The Washington Post? The paper on Wednesday deemed 2020 Democrats Joe Biden and Beto O’Rourke to be “centrist,” despite the fact that both are very liberal. In a story by Post national political reporter Matt Viser, the headline declared, “Biden, O’Rourke entries would bring centrist twist.”
The journalists at CBS This Morning on Thursday joined the collective media gush over Beto O’Rourke’s announcement that he is running for president, falsely spinning the far-left Democrat as part of the “center.” Host John Dickerson fawned over the Democrat who is off to a “glowing start.” Reporter Ed O'Keefe even showed pictures of a dental visit O’Rourke put on social media.
Apparently getting arrested is the cool thing to do. Late Late Show host James Corden on Tuesday interviewed actress Piper Perabo and prompted the Coyote Ugly star to brag about protesting Brett Kavanaugh. After gushing about how “exciting” it was, Perabo proclaimed, “And I feel that this president is an unindicted co-conspirator in a felony investigation and he shouldn't be allowed to appoint justices until that matter is cleared up. You shouldn't be allowed to pick your own judges.”
CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King on Tuesday speculated on a “secret” Republican candidate who might oppose Donald Trump in a 2020 GOP primary. Talking to new CBS contributor Jeff Flake, King noted, “You made it clear you were not thinking about running against Donald Trump.”
CBS This Morning co-host John Dickerson on Monday worried that Joe Biden would be too moderate in tone as a presidential candidate, describing the Democrat as a “let us reason together” politician. This, of course, is the same Democrat who had an American Conservative Union score of 12 and who savaged conservative Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork in 1987. Not exactly reaching across the aisle.
ABC and NBC on Monday skipped a brewing scandal over how 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand allegedly mishandled a sexual harassment case in her Senate office. Only CBS This Morning covered the story (for a scant 49 seconds). Co-host Norah O’Donnell briefly explained, “Politico says a female aide to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand resigned last summer in protest over the handling of her sexual harassment claim by Gillibrand’s office."
This week’s NewsBusters Time Machine looks back at a 2013 interview Brian Williams gave in which he laughably insisted that his reporting has been “cleansed of political opinions.” Maybe he meant “cleansed” of facts? The not-yet disgraced journalist also claimed he was “down the middle.”
Disney CEO Bob Iger on Thursday was confronted about media hypocrisy when it comes to blackface. Two of ABC’s hosts, Jimmy Kimmel and Joy Behar, have both used blackface in the past. Yet, Iger insisted that “context” must be considered for these cases. (ABC, as a reminder, is owned by Disney.)
This week, CBS This Morning has explored motherhood around the world, gushing about how other countries do things better than the United States. On Tuesday, the show touted all the free stuff Finland gives out, ignoring the country’s high taxes. On Thursday, the CBS journalists cheered China’s handling of raising children. At no time did reporter Ben Tracy mention the country’s authoritarian government or the millions of forced abortions as a result of its one child policy.
As Democrats fumble about and attempt to grapple with how the party should react to perceived anti-Semitism within the party, there’s another prominent leftist leader who has repeatedly been accused of Jew hatred. Despite the fact that Jeremy Corbyn could easily become Prime Minister of Britain, there has been no network coverage of charges of anti-Semitism against him. The Labour leader is also someone with a connection to socialist Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez here in America.
The journalists at Good Morning America on Wednesday downplayed the latest anti-Jewish outburst by Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar as simply a “family feud” over Israel. And while GMA reported that something happened with Omar and thus admitting that she said *something,* the network didn't define the remarks targeting Jewish supporters of Israel.
CBS This Morning journalists on Tuesday spent an entire segment hyping the glories of Finland and the country's free stuff, chiding the United States for falling behind. With very little discussion on the nation's high taxes, foreign correspondent Holly Williams and the show’s hosts praised the country’s paid maternity leave, hospital care and even supposedly free nannies.
The Democratic Party has been roiled by the latest anti-Semitism charge against Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. As Nancy Pelosi prepares a resolution this week to condemn Jew hatred, one which might mention Omar by name, the network newscasts have remained silent. By contrast, Fox News and MSNBC covered it on Monday.