Open Thread: Media Coverage of Troy Davis's Execution

Late last night, Georgia executed inmate Troy Davis for the murder of Mark McPhail in 1989. MacPhail, who was working as a security guard at the time, rushed to help a homeless man who prosecutors said Davis was hitting with a gun. When MacPhail came to the homeless man's aid, Davis shot MacPhail to death. Davis's case sparked controversy around the world, with many declaring Davis was…
NB Staff
September 22nd, 2011 10:18 AM

NBC's 'Today' Allows Sharpton to Slam GOP 'Cheering' Death Penalty

Update: Full transcript added below. Discussing the execution of convicted cop-killer Troy Davis on Thursday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer asked left-wing activist and MSNBC host Al Sharpton if he was "surprised" by most Americans supporting the death penalty. Sharpton declared: "When I'm watching Republican debates and see people cheering...that 234 people were killed in Texas under…
Kyle Drennen
September 22nd, 2011 10:08 AM

Cop Killer Troy Davis Is Media's Latest Baby Seal

For decades, liberals tried persuading Americans to abolish the death penalty, using their usual argument: hysterical sobbing. Only when the media began lying about innocent people being executed did support for the death penalty begin to waver, falling from 80 percent to about 60 percent in a little more than a decade. (Silver lining: That's still more Americans than believe in man-made…
Ann Coulter
September 22nd, 2011 10:04 AM

No Obama Softballs: MRC Study Finds Morning TV Hits GOP Candidates Wit

For most Americans, the 2012 presidential campaign will be experienced on television, and voters will evaluate the candidates based on their performances at televised debates, daily news coverage, and in long-form interviews. Even with all of the changes in the media landscape over past several years, the most-watched regular forums for candidate interviews are the broadcast network morning…
Rich Noyes
September 22nd, 2011 9:43 AM

Media Ignore Palestinian Talk of No Jews Allowed in Palestinian State

As attention has turned to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the Palestinian Authority planning to seek recognition for a Palestinian state by the United Natinos on Friday, the media have almost universally ignored last week's prediction by Maen Areikat, the Palestine Liberation Organization envoy to the United States, that Israelis - presumably referring to Israeli Jews rather than Israeli…
Brad Wilmouth
September 22nd, 2011 8:49 AM

CBS Paints Palestinians as Victims of 'Extreme,' 'Hardline' and 'Milit

As the morning and evening newscasts on CBS have reported on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's upcoming plan to seek statehood recognition from the United Nations on Friday, correspondent Mark Phillips has appeared three times filing reports which have portrayed Palestinians as victims of Israeli extremism and "militant" Jewish settlers, while ignoring Palestinian extremism and…
Brad Wilmouth
September 22nd, 2011 8:21 AM

Katty's Complaint: Why Doesn't USA Have 40-Year Plan Like China's

Move over, Tom Friedman--there's another MSMer looking longingly at Communist China.  In an infamous column, Friedman wrote of his envy of the power of the Chinese despots to impose "critically important decisions."  He's been at it again lately Now comes Sino-Commie-phile Katty Kay.  On Morning Joe today, the BBCer criticized the USA for not having a "40-year plan for medical innovation"…
Mark Finkelstein
September 22nd, 2011 8:07 AM

NPR Devotes 27.5 Minutes to DADT Repeal, All of It Gay Interviews

The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 contained language that the liberals inside PBS and NPR have rarely tried to observe, to seek "fairness and objectivity in all programming of a controversial nature." Apparently, there was no controversy about gays in the military, since NPR's coverage of the end of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy consisted of five segments adding up to almost 27 and a…
Tim Graham
September 22nd, 2011 7:12 AM

Alec Baldwin Goes Nuts on Twitter After Davis Execution: Attacks Chene

Like many Americans, actor Alec Baldwin took to his Twitter account Wednesday evening to express his feelings about the execution of Georgia cop killer Troy Davis. Rather strangely, the objects of his derision included former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and conservative author Michelle Malkin:
Noel Sheppard
September 22nd, 2011 1:19 AM

As Its Execs Say They'll Take the Fifth, AP Calls Solyndra an 'Embarra

Let's note the likely reason why what Julia Seymour observed earlier today is the case -- namely, that network news reports have taken to calling the Solyndra situation an "embarrassment." The use of that term probably dates back to September 16, which is as far as I can tell the first time the Associated Press filed a beyond-perfunctory report about now-bankrupt Solyndra, the beneficiary of…
Tom Blumer
September 22nd, 2011 1:09 AM

FNC’s Baier Airs Video of Obama’s UN ‘Photo Fail

The picture of President Barack Obama putting his hand in front of the head of state next to him during a UN photo shoot Tuesday night has circulated on the Internet, and FNC’s Bret Baier on Wednesday evening ran video, of what he described as Obama’s “photo fail,” taking place. Baier explained how “Obama’s hand completely obscured the man standing next to him who happened to be the…
Brent Baker
September 22nd, 2011 12:21 AM

AP National Story Criticizes Walker's Jobs Website For Out-of-State Jo

UPDATE: BizzyBlog commenter "Rich in Iowa" notes that what the AP is criticizing is "a clearinghouse for employers and job seekers hosted by the State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and  this site pre-dates Walker’s Governorship by, oh, maybe a decade." Boy, Scott Bauer and the Associated Press have really, really nailed Scott Walker this time -- not. Bauer found that some…
Tom Blumer
September 21st, 2011 11:03 PM

Liberal Think Tank Inadvertently Undermines Media Spin: Almost All Mil

While most of the media continue to obsess about millionaires supposedly not paying their "fair share" of taxes, the liberal Brookings Institution has let the cat out of the bag concerning just how absurd this whole thing is. According to the Washington Post's Dana Milbank, he discussed this issue with Brookings' William Gale, and disclosed his findings to Chris Matthews on MSNBC's "Hardball…
Noel Sheppard
September 21st, 2011 8:05 PM

NPR Slams Perry on Abortion with Objections of 'Family Planning Advoca

On Tuesday's Morning Edition, NPR's Wade Goodwyn carried water for pro-abortion activists who are targeting Governor Rick Perry and the Texas legislature for cutting the state funding of "women's health clinics." Goodwyn didn't give an ideological label for the activists, referring to them merely as "family planning advocates," and highlighted their objection that some of the cut funds were now…
Matthew Balan
September 21st, 2011 7:41 PM