Update: Still No Movement on Ayers-Obama Annenberg Papers

In my post on Tuesday, I wrote about Stanley Kurtz's efforts to access the Annenberg Challenge files housed at the University of Illinois-Chicago. These files documented an educational initiative started by Bill Ayers and chaired by Barack Obama.At that point, only AP writer Pete Yost had written anything about the story. Additionally, U of I rep Bill Burton issued a press release. Since that…
Jacob S. Lybbert

Obama Attacks Fox News, 'Fox and Friends' Responds

Justin McCarthy

SI’s Selena Roberts Predicts Olympic Softball Might Be Saved by Obam

Sports Illustrated’s Selena Roberts, when asked during an interview on the SI website about the future of softball as an Olympic competition on Thursday, added some liberal commentary into her prediction about the sport’s redemption: "One other wildcard for 2016 is the exit of the Bush administration. The undercurrent of anti-Americanism within the IOC, which some say has hurt the U.S. because of…
Matthew Balan

ABC Touts Gun-Toting Granny's Self Defense; CBS Ignores

On Thursday's "Good Morning America," the ABC morning show provided a detailed account of an 85-year old great grandmother who thwarted a burglar by pulling a gun on him and then kept the criminal at bay while waiting for police. CBS's "Early Show," however, has thus far ignored the story. On NBC, "Today" provided a scant 15 second news brief on Wednesday. GMA co-host Robin Roberts appeared…
Scott Whitlock

Networks Ignore Story of Publisher Caving to Fear of Radical Islamist

Two weeks ago, my colleague Matthew Sheffield noted an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about a publishing company going back on its agreement to publish a historical fiction/romance novel centered around Aisha, a wife of the Prophet Muhammad. As of August 21, the mainstream broadcast media networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) are ignoring the controversy, even as more print outlets cover the developing…
Ken Shepherd

Late Night Comedians Bash McCain, Lay Off Obama

Apparently, the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama is no laughing matter.Mimicking their so-called serious counterparts in the so-called serious press, late night comedians have comedically bashed John McCain far more this year than the junior senator from Illinois.So says a new study about to be released by the Center for Media and Public Affairs as reported by the LA Times Thursday (h/t Hot…
Noel Sheppard

Open Thread

NB Staff

CNN's Henry: Republicans Hoping for Hillary as Obama VP

Is it "wishful thinking" for Republicans to imagine that Obama will take Hillary as his running mate?  CNN's Ed Henry thinks so.  He made the comment to anchor Heidi Collins in a report on the veepstakes during CNN's 9 AM EDT hour today.HEIDI COLLINS: Another name keeps bubbling up: Hillary Clinton.  Ed Henry is on the VP watch yet again today. Alright, so what do you think today, Ed?  Because I…
Mark Finkelstein

Maher to King: Religion is 'Detrimental' and 'the Ultimate Hustle

It’s no secret that Bill Maher, the host of the HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher," loathes religion. He came under fire earlier this year for slandering Pope Benedict XVI. On Tuesday night, CNN’s Larry King gave Maher another chance to smack Christianity, which Maher called “detrimental” and “the ultimate hustle.”  Maher was on "Larry King Live"  to promote his latest vehicle, the film "…
Kristen Fyfe

November Election: Overconfident HuffPo Blogger Changes Tune

P.J. Gladnick

How Did Reporter's Tough Line on Illegal Immigration Make It Onto CNN

Were the apparatchiks of CNN asleep at the PC wheel? Not only did the network air a balanced segment on medical care for an illegal immigrant. It surprisingly let slip by the reporter's line contrasting the illegal's use of the American legal system now with his disregard for it when he snuck into the country!Aired at 6:22 a.m. EDT today, the segment focused on the case of Francisco Pantaleon,…
Mark Finkelstein

Orlando Magazine 'Duped,' Publishes Artist's Fake Biography as Fact

Orlando Magazine (FL) published the amazing life's story of Florida artist Mark Pulliam in their August issue. It was an amazing story of a man who seemingly did everything. Played Major League Baseball, hobnobbed with the likes of Paul McCartney, Madonna, and Tiger Woods as well as finding great success as a local artist. Oh, it seemed a whirlwind life. One little problem. Little of it was true…
Warner Todd Huston

CNN Producer Pitched 'Video Strategy' to Obama Campaign, Got Job

Kate Albright-Hanna, who runs the Obama campaign's online video operations, got the job after she pitched the campaign “a proposal on video strategy” -- while she was still a CNN producer. A Wednesday Washington Post “Style” section feature on the key members of the “Triple O: Obama's online operation,” recounted the how and when of her pitch to Joe Rospars, a Howard Dean campaign veteran in…
Brent Baker

CNN's Dobbs Chides CNN's Cafferty

This evening on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, the host expressed amusement at something he'd heard earlier today on his own network.  Ironically, the source of his merriment was a question posed by anchor Jack Cafferty on CNN's The Situation Room:
Mike Bates