New DNC Chair Schultz Has Had Several 'I Know Nothing' Moments

April 6th, 2011 12:31 AM
In the 1965-1971 comedy series "Hogan's Heroes," prison guard  Sergeant Schultz is a "bumbling, highly unmilitary 325-pound Sergeant of the Guard. Schultz is a basically good-hearted man who, when confronted by evidence of the prisoners' covert activities, will simply look the other way, repeating 'I hear nothing, I see nothing, I know nothing!'" Reviewing past NewsBusters posts featuring or…

NPR's Temple-Raston Carries Water For Holder on Terror Suspect Trials

April 5th, 2011 6:55 PM
NPR's Dina Temple-Raston touted Attorney General Eric Holder's reluctance to give detainees at Guantanamo Bay military trials during a segment on Monday's All Things Considered. Temple-Raston and host Michele Norris only featured sound bites from the Justice Department head, omitting clips from supporters of the military tribunals. Norris began by noting the Obama administration's "major…

McDonald's Hiring 50,000, Media Celebrate. But In Reagan Era, Media Di

April 5th, 2011 3:51 PM
First, let me make something clear. One thing I learned in my first job as a dishwasher back in the Mesozoic Era is that all work conscientiously done can be noble. I don't criticize McDonald's for wanting to grow their business and the businesses of their franchisees, and I surely won't criticize anyone for taking a fast-food job to put food on the table or to gain an employment foothold.…

NBC's Vieira to RNC Chairman: Doesn't Economic Recovery 'Throw a Monke

April 5th, 2011 1:03 PM
On Tuesday's NBC Today, co-host Meredith Vieira grilled Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus on GOP criticism of the massive spending of the Obama administration: "...sixth consecutive month of job growth, unemployment numbers lowest in two years, it certainly appears that there is a recovery. So doesn't that throw a real monkey wrench into your argument?" Priebus pointed…

NPR Highlights 'McCarthyism' Charge Against Wisconsin GOP

April 4th, 2011 6:54 PM
On Monday's Morning Edition, NPR's David Schaper slanted towards a professor and his allies in academia who object to a recent open records request into his e-mails from the Wisconsin GOP, playing five sound bites from them versus only two from a non-Republican source who thought their concerns were overblown. One of the professor's allies labeled the request a "contemporary version of…

NBC Uses Obama Re-election Bid to Pressure GOP Candidates to Announce

April 4th, 2011 12:18 PM
At the top of Monday's Today on NBC, co-host Matt Lauer touted "breaking news" of President Obama announcing his re-election bid: "...the expected announcement comes with a prediction, he could become the first candidate ever to raise a billion dollars." Lauer then added: "Will Republican hopefuls sitting on the sidelines be compelled to dive in as well?" While fill-in co-host Ann Curry…

NPR Slants Towards Advocates of Federal Funding of Birth Control

April 2nd, 2011 4:06 PM
NPR's Julie Rovner lined up proponents of the federal Title X program on Friday's Morning Edition, devoting most of her four-minute report to three employees at a Washington, DC health care clinic who all pushed for continuing the funding of the subsidy for contraceptives. Rovner left only 30 seconds for a conservative advocate of defunding the program. During the bulk of her report, the…

WaPo Story on 40th Anniversary of Congressional Black Caucus Omits Inc

April 2nd, 2011 2:24 PM
In her April 1 Washington Post story, staffer Krissah Thompson explored how the "mission" and "challenges" of the Congressional Black Caucus have "evolved" from its initial aim "to eradicate racism." Yet nowhere in Thompson's 23-paragraph article is any mention of how the CBC has denied entry to prospective members on the basis of skin color, such as liberal Democrats Steve Cohen (Tenn.) and…

MSNBC Host Rants: GOP Budget 'Does Not Respect Women's Rights...the En

April 1st, 2011 4:30 PM
In an interview with Congressman Mike Pence on Friday, MSNBC anchor Contessa Brewer slammed a Republican proposal to cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood and the Environmental Protection Agency: "...what it does not respect are women's rights, what it does not respect is the environment. Is it going to undermine potential success here if you force social issues on to the budget table…

L.A. Times's Oliphant Forecasts Possible Political Peril for GOP in Ma

April 1st, 2011 4:23 PM
The media are hard at work spinning today's jobs report for maximum political advantage for the White House. Witness Los Angeles Times reporter James Oliphant, who has filed an article for publication in tomorrow's paper entitled, "Drop in unemployment doesn't mesh with Republicans' script." Here's how Oliphant opened his April 2 story:

CBS Notices Obama Administration Playing Politics With Nuclear Waste D

April 1st, 2011 12:32 PM
Since Japan's earthquake and following nuclear crisis, the CBS Evening News has done two reports on the Obama administration blocking use of the Yucca Mountain storage facility in Nevada to safely dispose of U.S. nuclear waste. Meanwhile, NBC and ABC have ignored the controversy. The first CBS report on the issue came on March 22, when Evening News anchor Katie Couric declared: "The crisis…

NPR Toes the Line for President Obama's Energy Policy

March 31st, 2011 7:23 PM
On Wednesday's All Things Considered, NPR's Ari Shapiro acted as a stenographer for the Obama administration's energy proposals. Shapiro played four clips from the President's recent speech on the issue, and another from a sympathetic environmentalist. Even the lone clip from an oil industry representative came from someone who "supports the move to invest in biofuels and clean energy." At…

More Violence in Syria, Networks Still Refuse to Mention Clinton 'Refo

March 31st, 2011 3:51 PM
As Syrian President Bashar al-Assad defiantly refused to implement democratic reforms and his security forces fired on protesters on Wednesday, the networks continued to ignore Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Sunday comments labeling the dictator as a "reformer." On Wednesday's CBS Evening News fill-in anchor Erica Hill read a news brief on the latest crackdown by the Syrian government…

Sad, Bizarre Attempt at Humor Reveals Stephanie Miller as Seriously Un

March 31st, 2011 2:21 PM
Never heard of liberal radio host Stephanie Miller? You're about to hear a reason why. Here's an example of Miller sharing with her listeners earlier this week what she considers humorous. Before playing this, you may want to clear any children -- and pets -- out of earshot. Audio clip after page break