Time's Glowing Obama Person of the Year Story -- By David Von Drool

With the level of surprise set firmly at zero – Time magazine routinely chooses the presidential election winner as Person of the Year – Time gave that honor to Barack Obama on Wednesday. But the first peek at David Von Drehle’s cover story shows that Time’s gooey valentines to Obama know no end. The headline is "Why History Can't Wait."The President-elect has that "Obi-Wan Kenobi calm," and yet…
Tim Graham

CBS Examines Caroline Kennedy’s Qualifications, Promotes Celebrity S

At the top of Wednesday’s CBS Early Show co-host Julie Chen declared: “Caroline Kennedy gets a boost in her quest to become a Senator from the woman she hopes to replace.” Later, co-host Harry Smith introduced a segment about Kennedy’s qualifications: “There are reports this morning that Senator Hillary Clinton has told her supporters to stop questioning if Caroline Kennedy is qualified to…
Kyle Drennen

WaPo Ignores Obama EdSec's Controversial Push to Open Gay High School

It's hardly a secret that Chicago public schools chief executive Arne Duncan was the architect behind a failed plan to open a "gay-friendly" high school in the Windy City. But for some reason Washington Post staffer Maria Glod decided to keep that skeleton in the closet, leaving the fact out completely from her page A3 December 17 story, "Education Pick Is Called 'Down-to-Earth' Leader."Glod set…
Ken Shepherd

'Lost' In America

In 2008, we've lost a lot more than mere wealth.
Dan Kennedy

FishBowlDC: WaPo Not Taking Inaugural Ads Criticial of President-elect

Ken Shepherd

Macabre Soda Ad Finds Suicide Funny

Erin R. Brown

CNN Plays Scrooge in Credit Card Hit Piece

John Roberts and Carol Costello attack 'warm and fuzzy' ads, promote greater regulation of plastic.
Julia A. Seymour

Taking the Federal Government to Kindergarten

Education reporter Sam Dillon only talks to liberals who argue that massive pre-school spending by the federal government would be a wise investment: "...experts are debating how best to improve America's early childhood system, which they call fantastically fragmented, unconscionably underfinanced and bureaucratically bewildering."
Clay Waters

Bozell Column: What Democrat Scandal

Brent Bozell

Big Media's Many Similarities to the Big Three

As media company after media company fall on hard times, the amount of handwringing within the journalistic community is reaching epic proportions. One point not often noticed, however is that there are many similarities between the American media business and our auto manufacturing industry as Tony Hopfinger points out in an excellent Alaska Dispatch post:There are many reasons for the downturn…
Matthew Sheffield

Obama Lap Dog du Jour: CBS's Cynthia Bowers

The first of just three questions asked of Barack Obama at his December 17 press conference [audio available here]:CYNTHIA BOWERS, CBS News Chicago correspondent: I have a question. You ran on a platform of transparency. How difficult is all this having to wait to release your inquiry business when the American people expect transparency?Yes, you read that correctly. Bowers prompts Obama for an…
Ken Shepherd

MRC's Bozell Discusses Kennedy/Palin Double Standard, Iraqi Shoe-throw

Appearing live in the D.C. studio of Fox News this morning, MRC President Brent Bozell talked with the "Fox & Friends" gang about the media's lack of concern about Caroline Kennedy's lack of experience in elected office [audio excerpt here]:Caroline Kennedy, God love her, has zero public experience, and I'm putting every single one of my liberal friends out there who spent the last four…
NB Staff

Open Thread

NB Staff

So Now It's Cool For Presidents To Dodge Questions

What a difference an administration makes. During the Bush years, if a spokesman or the president himself attempted to dodge a tough question, the media would go into their Sam Donaldson impressions and pundits would see a conspiracy of silence.But now that it's Obama, the dodging that was once denounced is suddenly celebrated.  Thus, appearing on today's Morning Joe, Larry O'Donnell declared "…
Mark Finkelstein