Open Thread

NB Staff

Lauer to Bill's Defense: 'Nothing to Do With Race

To know what's on a morning-show anchor's mind, it's often easy to read between the lines. Katie Couric famously employed the "some say" technique to put her own views in the mouths of unidentified others. But it's relatively uncommon to hear an anchor flatly express an opinion in the way Matt Lauer did this morning. The topic was whether there were racial overtones to Bill Clinton's "fairy…
Mark Finkelstein

CNN Implies Bloomberg Is a Republican

Bill Hobbs

Brian Williams Lauds Obama's 'Beautiful, Soaring Concession Speech

On a Wednesday blog entry on The Daily Nightly, NBC anchor Brian Williams candidly admitted the media screwed up in expecting a massive Obama wave, but then said "virtually everyone got it wrong." He also said "Give us a few weeks – we will promptly forget the lessons of this debacle in polling, predictions and primary politics" and "live to screw up another day." But then, Williams went back to…
Tim Graham

Barack Oba-moderate

It's one of the great MSM rituals of presidential politics: the labeling of leading Dems as "moderates" or "centrists." Gail Collins honors the tradition in her New York Times column of today. Now it's true that Collins ostensibly speaks more of Obama's tone than of his politics. But, ultimately, as you'll see, she melds the two to portray a thoroughly moderate man. We'll do a reality check…
Mark Finkelstein

Couric Encourages 'Humanized' Clinton to 'Reveal More of Yourself

Telling Hillary Clinton “some observers believe” that when she got “emotional” -- as “your voice cracked and your eyes welled up” -- that “humanized you and made you much more attractive to women voters,” CBS's Katie Couric on Wednesday night cooed: “Will you be willing now to reveal more of yourself and be less reserved?” As if the “emotional” moment Monday in New Hampshire exposed the real,…
Brent Baker

Brian Williams Admits NBC Undercovered GOP Side in NH

Brad Wilmouth

MSNBC Team Mock, Laugh at McCain Victory Speech

Brad Wilmouth

CBS Uses Teen Pregnancy Stats to Promote Midwest Teen Sex Show

Calls explicit internet program a popular health podcast.
Kristen Fyfe

Poll: Character of Candidates is Key to Voters

Media virtually ignore survey results.
Brian Fitzpatrick

The NBCs of Blasphemy

Unrepentant comedienne Kathy Griffin to be showcased on Dateline
Robert Knight

F is for Falsehood, Not Feminism

CosmoGirl tries to rally young women to the feminist movement, using propaganda long ago debunked.
Colleen Raezler

‘Early Show’ Misrepresents Bloomberg Survey on Recession Chances

This is worse than a case of calling a glass "half-empty" when it is "half-full." This is like taking the glass and pouring it out. Deirdre Bolton, an anchor for Bloomberg TV, appeared on CBS's January 9 "The Early Show" to report on a survey of economists Bloomberg conducted January 3-8 about whether or not a recession is in the immediate future of the U.S. economy. "[W]ell, as you said the…
Jeff Poor

Carville's Canine Comparison: Obama Like Hit 'Dog

Let's play a Wednesday night game of WIARHSI: What If a Republican Had Said It? What if a top GOP consultant compared Barack Obama to a "dog"?James Carville, who acknowledged he was serving as an unpaid consultant to the Clinton campaign, used the metaphor on tonight's Larry King. View video here.
Mark Finkelstein