CNN's Fareed Zakaria: Obama 'Failing' as Leader of Free World

April 3rd, 2009 6:11 PM
In an interview on CNN.com on Friday titled “Zakaria: Obama disappoints as world leader,” author and CNN anchor Fareed Zakaria threw cold water on the media’s laudatory coverage of President Obama’s trip to Europe: “Although he brought a lot of star power -- the talk of the week -- at least in certain circles in Washington, New York and London -- has been that President Obama is failing in his…

CBS’s Smith Praises the ‘Raw Realness’ of Michelle Obama

April 3rd, 2009 3:41 PM
Friday’s CBS Early Show continued its fawning coverage of Barack and Michelle Obama in Europe as co-host Harry Smith gushed over the First Lady: "I mean, there's a kind of just raw realness about her. That session with the schoolgirls yesterday...People were in tears." Smith made the comment while talking to executive editor of thedailybeast.com, Tina Brown, who had her own words of praise: "…

CNN Host Irate Over Limbaugh’s Words for Gordon Brown’s Praise of

April 2nd, 2009 9:21 PM
Throughout George W. Bush's presidency, insults were doled out repeatedly about the commander-in-chief and that was just a fact of life for the highest-ranking public official in the land. However, now there's a new president, there seems to be a different standard on how you talk about a president. CNN's Rick Sanchez, the host of the 3 p.m. hour of "CNN Newsroom" on April 2 took offense to…

More Obama Adulation on CNN, This Time Over Michelle

April 2nd, 2009 6:21 PM
Two journalists appearing as guests on CNN on Wednesday and Thursday praised “mighty Michelle” Obama for being “stylish,” “successful,” and for showing “an interest in wanting to reach out to people who may feel they’ve been disenfranchised or held at a distance from the power structure.” Self-described “political provocateur” Lola Adesioye, who writes for the Huffington Post and the left-wing…

MSNBC’s O’Donnell and Politico’s VandeHei Praise Obama the ‘Ro

April 2nd, 2009 6:01 PM
At the top of the 3:00PM EST hour of live coverage on MSNBC, anchor Norah O’Donnell and Politico executive editor Jim VandeHei were practically tripping over themselves declaring Barack Obama the "rock star" of Europe in the wake of the G-20 summit. O’Donnell began by asking: "Can we gauge this meeting as a success?" VandeHei replied: "I think early indications are it probably was a big success…

CBS ‘Early Show’ Fawns Over Obamas’ Royal Welcome in Britain

April 2nd, 2009 4:05 PM
Thursday’s CBS Early Show offered non-stop gushing over Barack and Michelle Obama in Britain as co-host Julie Chen spoke with royal watcher Ingrid Seward: "Well, what is the buzz so far about Michelle Obama, and is she overshadowing her husband's presence over there?" Seward replied: "No, she's not overshadowing her husband. I think we all find him very charismatic, very handsome, and almost with…

CNN's Alina Cho: Obamas are the 'Royal Family of the United States

April 1st, 2009 6:22 PM
CNN correspondent Alina Cho loaded the regal language into her report on Wednesday’s American Morning about Europe’s “apparent love affair” with Michelle Obama. Besides the obligatory Jackie Kennedy references, Cho gave a preview of the first lady’s tea with Queen Elizabeth II: “On today’s schedule: tea with the queen, and insiders say the queen and America’s queen bee will be fast friends.” The…

WaPo Frontloads Criticism of Israel in Story on New Government

April 1st, 2009 6:08 PM
Israel yesterday "usher[ed] in a government at odds with international expectations that Israel should pursue negotiations that would lead to an independent Palestinian state," Washington Post's Howard Schneider opened his page A11 April 1 story. Leaving aside arguments over the ultimate wisdom of the "two-state solution," resuming diplomatic talks toward a two-state solution is practically…

CBS’s Reid: Obama ‘Showered With Praise’ in Britain

April 1st, 2009 1:13 PM
On Wednesday’s CBS Early Show correspondent Chip Reid reported on President Obama’s first day in Britain: "Arriving at 10 Downing Street this morning, the President and First Lady were warmly greeted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah. They posed for a hoard of photographers who shouted for the President, who is hugely popular here, to give them another wave...Then a short walk…

ABC and CBS Remind Viewers Obama More Popular than Bush

March 31st, 2009 8:37 PM
The day President Barack Obama arrived in London, the broadcast network evening newscasts on Tuesday night noted that he faces some tough challenges from other leaders who are not as enthralled with him as are their citizens, but ABC and CBS went out of their way to point out how Obama is more popular than was former President Bush. From London, ABC anchor Charles Gibson highlighted the American…

CBS ‘Early Show’: Obamas ‘Have An Extra Je Ne Sais Quoi

March 31st, 2009 11:58 AM
In the 8:00AM EST hour of Tuesday’s CBS Early Show correspondent Elizabeth Palmer gave a gushing report on Barack and Michelle Obama’s upcoming trip to Europe, particularly focusing on the popularity of the new First Lady: "In 1961 when Jacqueline Kennedy came to Europe, she enchanted even the crustiest of world leaders. And she's remained a tough act to follow for every First Lady since. But…

MSNBC Skips ID of Lefty Filmmaker; Grilled Conservative Documentarian

March 30th, 2009 1:03 PM
During the 10am hour of "MSNBC News Live" on Monday, host Tamron Hall completely skipped the ideology of a left-wing documentarian as she talked with him about his new movie "Rethink Afghanistan," which claims that "troops are not the answer" in that country. Hall never identified Director Robert Greenwald, who has made documentaries such as "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism," and "…

Award-winning Cartoonist Bashes Obama's New Afghanistan Policy

March 29th, 2009 12:36 PM
President Obama unveiled a new Afghanistan strategy on Friday.As US News reported:The new policy, according to a senior State Department official, places elevated priority on standing up the Afghan government's fledgling civilian capabilities to deliver public services and establish its authority throughout the country.Here's how award-winning British cartoonist Peter Brookes depicted this new…

Hillary's Mexico Visit Blunders Ignored by Old Media

March 29th, 2009 6:59 AM
Thus far, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made two diplomatic blunders during her visit to Mexico that the U.S. Old Media are shockingly uninterested in highlighting. One was a policy blunder and the other a cultural/religious one. Clinton's first mistake was in imagining she is still a Senator that can make pronouncements on pending laws and policy plans instead of a mere envoy of the…