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With a little nudge from the White House, Sheryl Gay Stolberg partially corrects her faulty story from yesterday on the John Roberts' nomination.

NBC reports that thousands choose to stop smoking yet, they need regulation and government funding to help?

Networks emphasize $3-per-gallon prices when average price is $2.37.

In mostly positive free-market story, anti-industry nutritionist Marion Nestle continues criticism of innovation.

Timbergs rant bypasses poverty, drought, locusts and other causes to blame greedy capitalists.

At 1:41 EDT, CNN's Kyra Phillips interviewed Brooks Jackson, former CNN reporter and current director of the Annenberg Center's Political Fact Check, on his latest issue of Fact Check, which categorizes the anti-John Roberts ad by NARAL Pro-Choice America currently running on CNN during commercial breaks as patently false. Phillips expressed concern over lack of federal laws against false political attacks ads, but failed to ask Jackson whether CNN bore an obligation to cancel the ads altogether.

Jackson noted that NARAL's ad, unlike most campaign ads his group has analyzed recently, was completely false, not just spun here and there to massage the truth to a particular political viewpoint.

Kyra Phillips: “Well, the ad is airing on CNN and other networks and already has some people crying foul. Brooks Jackson of FactCheck.org took a close look at the ad and the facts. He joins us now from Washington. Brooks, great to see you. Well, let’s talk about the ad. You checked the facts, you say it’s false.”

Brooks Jackson, FactCheck.org: “That’s right, and we don’t characterize things as false very often, more often ads are misleading or twisted or distorted or out of context, but, uh, this one is absolutely false...”

The Associated Press is today repeating a mistake that CBS made in May. The AP story which just went out, Fraud Indictment Expected for Abramoff, focuses several times on GOP House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and his relationship with lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Federal prosecutors are seeking bank fraud charges against lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a key figure in investigations involving House Majority Leader Tom DeLay ... DeLay, R-Texas, was not mentioned in any lawsuits involved in the SunCruz deal.

The CBS Evening News on Wednesday devoted a second segment to promoting the vigil of Bush-hater Cindy Sheehan. Bill Plante noted the obvious as he provided more publicity: “She's gotten a lot of media attention by camping out on the road that leads to the President's ranch.” He pointed out that she “understands that it's very difficult for the White House to dismiss anyone in her position” and touted how “she also knows she's not alone. One recent poll shows that one out of three people now say it's time to bring all the troops home." Anchor Bob Schieffer ridiculously asked: "I wonder why the President doesn't meet with her." Plante replied that “you'd think it would be an easy thing to do,” but noted that would lead to him having to “meet with a lot of people.” Plante did point out that Sheehan did meet Bush last year, but “she says that wasn't a satisfying meeting." Plante didn’t note her praise then for Bush.

Full August 11 CyberAlert item follows. For today's MRC CyberAlert, click here.

Newsbusters's own Vinny Fiore yesterday relayed how the New York Times took some hits at New York Republican Senate hopeful Jeannine Pirro, conveniently failing to remind readers of incumbent Senator Hillary Clinton's ethically-tainted, disbarred husband, while raising Albert Pirro's 11-month prison term for tax fraud.

There's an old joke about the New York Times that goes something like this; if the world were ending, the headline in the Times would read "World To End," with a sub-head reading "Women And Minorities Hardest Hit." Today's front page calls that to mind, as the center of the front page is devoted to a story on Entrenched Epidemic: Wife-Beatings in Africa...

Has something gotten into the water at The Today Show? Yesterday, as reported here, Katie Couric's thesis was that W's poll numbers on the economy were unfairly low. This morning, Matt Lauer gave surprisingly deferential treatment to Bernie Goldberg and his book, '100 People Who are Screwing Up America,' which focuses on liberals and the cultural elites as the root of our societal ills.

Lauer began by asking "who is this book for?"

Matt Drudge linked to an article recalling the last ten years of the internet. 2004 was called the "year of the blog."

2004: YEAR OF THE BLOG

I found an interesting article by Laura King of the LA Times a few days ago. Apparently, being a reporter wasn't her first job choice. She'd rather be writing short stories, preferably about Israel's illegal occupation of the Gaza strip.

Excerpt:

U.S. News & World Report's idea of "news" this week is what amounts to another warmed-over press release from the folks at the liberal Southern Poverty Law Center about the far-right threat.