NYT Front-Page Item Frets Over 'Anti-Immigrant Sentiments' in Europe

At 4:45 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, the New York Times, teasing an item entitled "‘Dangerous Moment’ for Europe, as Fear and Resentment Grow," tweeted that "The Paris terror attack seems certain to accelerate the growth of anti-Islamic sentiment in Europe." Consistent with a long-established nasty habit, the opening sentence of the report by Steven Erlanger and Katrin Bennhold has since been…
Tom Blumer
January 8th, 2015 1:38 AM

ABC, NBC, Others Decline to Show Cartoons of Muhammad (UPDATED)

Following the deadly Islamic terrorist attack in Paris on Wednesday, major broadcast networks ABC and NBC joined other news outlets in not showing any of the controversial cartoons of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad from the Charlie Hebdo magazine during their evening newscasts. Despite initially telling Buzzfeed that they would not be showing any of the cartoons, CBS News did go forward and…
Curtis Houck
January 8th, 2015 12:15 AM

Blogger Blasts Fellow Liberals For Pussyfooting Around Radical Islam

Chait writes that “the Muslim radical argues that the ban on blasphemy is morally right and should be followed; the Western liberal insists it is morally wrong but should be followed. Theoretical distinctions aside, both positions yield an identical outcome.”
Tom Johnson
January 7th, 2015 9:44 PM

Networks Ignore Obama’s Shaky Footing on Depictions of Muhammad

On Wednesday night, the “big three” of ABC, CBS, and NBC ignored the contradicting statements made by President Obama in condemning the terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris as an attack on free speech, but stating in a 2012 speech at the United Nations that “the future does not belong to those who slander the Prophet of Islam.” When it came to discussing the terrorist attack…
Curtis Houck
January 7th, 2015 9:33 PM

Politico's Byers at 4 PM: Paris Murderers May Be Islamic Terrorists

In an item time-stamped 4:11 p.m. ET at his "On Media" blog at the Politico, Dylan Byers wrapped up a post primarily about the Associated Press removing its "Piss Christ" photo from its image library by claiming, in reference to the Charlie Hebdo Magazine murders in Paris, that "Though there (sic) identity is as yet unknown, the masked gunmen are believed to be Islamic terrorists." Here's most…
Tom Blumer
January 7th, 2015 9:28 PM

Dying for a Cigarette in New York City

If you're wondering why New York City police officers keep turning their back on Mayor Bill de Blasio, let's review parts of the mayor's recent speech on the Eric Garner case that have been removed from the "Official Website of the City of New York."
Ann Coulter
January 7th, 2015 9:10 PM

Matthews Bucks MSNBC's Political Correctness on Paris Terror Attack

Hardball host Chris Matthews is no rightie, but when it comes to Islamist terrorism, he takes a decidedly more conservative posture than others on his network. Witness Matthews's opening tease to Hardball tonight.
Ken Shepherd
January 7th, 2015 8:49 PM

MSNBC Guest Equates Jerry Falwell Suing Hustler to Paris Attack

On Wednesday's Now With Alex Wagner on MSNBC, Eric Bates raised the specter of censorship by Christian conservatives during a panel discussion on the past Muslim backlash against Charlie Hebdo magazine – the target of an Islamic terrorist attack in Paris earlier in the day. Bates, a former executive editor for Rolling Stone magazine, cited Jerry Falwell's lawsuit against porn magazine Hustler in…
Matthew Balan
January 7th, 2015 7:27 PM

FT.com Editorial Refutes Editor Who Criticized Magazine's 'Baiting'

This afternoon, Matt Balan at NewsBusters covered Tony Barber's disgraceful evening (London Time) column at the Financial Times. In the wake of the terrorist attack at the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo which killed 12, Barber argued that "some common sense would be useful at publications such as Charlie Hebdo, and Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten." In other words, after sifting out the…
Tom Blumer
January 7th, 2015 6:14 PM

Daily Beast Writer Laments GOP 'War' On Michelle Obama's School Lunch

"Obama agenda, meet the wrecking ball," the Daily Beast's Patricia Murphy groused as she opened her January 7 piece, "The Republican War on Kale." Murphy took issue with Senate Republicans setting their sights on a wildly unpopular element of the Obama agenda: the federal overhaul of school-lunch programs all over the country.
Ken Shepherd
January 7th, 2015 5:15 PM

Vanity Fair Failed to Report Clinton Pal's Sexcapades in '03

Correction: This post originally referred to Variety as the publication involved. It was Vanity Fair, and the text below has been corrected to reflect that. At the Daily Beast on Tuesday, Vicky Ward, who profiled Jeffrey Epstein for Vanity Fair Magazine in early 2003, revealed that she and Graydon Carter, the publication's editor, were aware of and had specific details about the convicted…
Tom Blumer
January 7th, 2015 4:29 PM

MSNBC: In Europe, 'Extreme Right' Exacerbates Conflict With Muslims

On the day that 12 people were murdered for publishing satirical cartoons about Islam, Daily Beast foreign editor Christopher Dickey on Wednesday fretted about how the "extreme right" of Europe played a role in increasing the conflict with Muslims.
Scott Whitlock
January 7th, 2015 3:47 PM

PBS Airs Anti-NRA Special: ‘Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA’

On Tuesday night, PBS aired its latest Frontline documentary aimed at attacking the NRA entitled "Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA." On multiple occasions, the program did its best to promote the activities of anti-gun activists while discrediting the efforts of the NRA to protect the Second Amendment. Throughout the hour long special, Frontline reporter Jim Gilmore highlighted several mass…
Jeffrey Meyer
January 7th, 2015 3:39 PM

Michael Keaton Bizarrely Starts 'Today' Interview By Mocking GOP

Appearing on Wednesday's NBC Today to promote his new film Birdman, actor Michael Keaton oddly started the interview by taking a jab at the new Republican Senate Majority Leader: "...let me just read something. This is just too good. Mitch McConnell – this is from our boy, Mitch...Here's what he says, 'We all know that one of the things the Senate is best at doing is not doing much,' he said. '…
Kyle Drennen
January 7th, 2015 2:52 PM