Nets Bolster Accusers of Christine O’Donnell, Ignore Liberal Nature

December 31st, 2010 1:39 AM
 As the broadcast network morning newscasts on Thursday each interviewed former Delaware Republican Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell regarding allegations that she misused campaign money, in the setup piece on each network, the correspondent failed to inform viewers of credibility weaknesses on the part of O’Donnell’s accusers and omitted O’Donnell’s contention that she did not use campaign…

CBS Highlights Armed Shop Owner Who Fought Back Against Robbers

December 30th, 2010 9:15 PM
 While it is unusual for the mainstream media to give attention to armed citizens who use guns to defend themselves against criminals before police can arrive, on Thursday’s CBS Evening News, anchor Harry Smith highlighted a smoke shop owner in Texas who fought back when he was the victim of two armed robbers, as he shot and apparently wounded one of them. Smith related to viewers:

Gas Prices Back Above $3, Networks Don't Question Obama Policies

December 30th, 2010 9:31 AM
Gas prices are "soaring" again, crossing the $3-a-gallon threshold on Dec. 23 for the first time since Oct. 17, 2008. Back then the benchmark was a relief as prices plunged from the highest price ever of $4.11. Pump prices have been climbing all month, yet network reports downplayed the pain and suffering of consumers. Jim Axelrod of CBS called it "bad news" after reporting some positive…

In Show-Ending Poem, CBS's Schieffer Spins Christmas Classic Into Crit

December 27th, 2010 5:25 PM
Ending Sunday's "Face the Nation" in poetic fashion, CBS's Bob Schieffer gave a year-end commentary where he portrayed John Boehner as the flustered "orange-faced" leader of a divided House GOP. Schieffer also snidely criticized the Arizona immigration law. "His face was bright orange, a sun-tan hall-of-famer. / I knew in a flash – it must be John Boehner," spoke Schieffer, painting the…

Time Reporter: Obama Running for Reelection Is as Surprising as Playbo

December 27th, 2010 4:02 PM
Time magazine's Michael Scherer on Monday constructed one of the odder political metaphors when he compared the likelihood of Barack Obama running for reelection to the recent announcement that Playboy founder Hugh Hefner is engaged. Appearing on Monday's Early Show, he joked, "This is about as surprising as Hugh Hefner getting married again." The weird comparison makes even less sense when…

Best of 2010: Media Scolded Americans as Anti-Islamic, Anti-Immigrant

December 26th, 2010 12:06 PM
Condemning everyday Americans as racist, anti-immigrant Islamophobes was a favorite media theme in 2010, as documented by the Media Research Center's year-end Best Notable Quotables of 2010. Polls showed most Americans supported Arizona's effort to curb illegal immigration and opposed building an Islamic center near the site of the destroyed World Trade Center towers — but on both scores the…

Kathy Griffin Says She Bashes the Palins to Get Attention from Bill O

December 24th, 2010 12:46 PM
As NewsBusters readers are well aware, vulgarian comedienne Kathy Griffin spends a lot of time bashing the Palins. On Thursday's "Late Late Show," she told Craig Ferguson, "Half the fun is knowing I will irritate Elisabeth Hasselbeck and then maybe the other ladies at “The View” as well as hopefully Fox News's Bill O'Reilly (video follows with transcript and commentary):  

Gainor Column: Time to Focus on Real Star of Christmas

December 24th, 2010 7:33 AM
More than nine out of 10 Americans celebrate Christmas - even atheists, agnostics or believers in other faiths, according to surveys by LifeWay Research and USA TODAY/Gallup. They might be roasting chestnuts over an open fire, decking the halls with boughs of holly or trying to get the Chipmunks Christmas song out of their heads, but they are celebrating.

Enthralled White House Press Corps Pose Sycophantic ‘Questions’ to

December 22nd, 2010 8:38 PM
“There weren’t a lot of hard questions in this news conference,” FNC’s Bret Baier observed on Special Report in the understatement of the night. Indeed, in the first question posed at the late Wednesday afternoon session, Caren Bohan of Reuters reflected the collective glow of the White House press corp basking in Barack Obama’s glory: You racked up a lot of wins in the last few weeks that…

CBS Mistakenly Airs Mocking Cover of Bush's 'Decision Points' on Sunda

December 22nd, 2010 12:05 PM
Word has spread across the Internet of an embarrassing gaffe by CBS News Sunday Morning – the airing of a mock cover of President Bush's memoirs, "Decision Points."

CBS's Plante: Palin Starts A 'Food Fight,' Takes 'Pot Shot' At Michell

December 21st, 2010 3:19 PM
In a report at the top of the 8AM ET hour of Tuesday's CBS Early Show, senior White House correspondent Bill Plante ridiculed Sarah Palin for daring to criticize First Lady Michelle Obama's weight loss campaign: "Palin has never been at a loss for an opinion on anything, including taking a pot shot at the First Lady's campaign to eat healthy." Fill-in news reader Betty Nguyen introduced…

CBS Repeats: Obama 'On A Hot Streak' As He 'Scores Political Victories

December 21st, 2010 12:25 PM
On Tuesday's CBS Early Show, substitute co-host Russ Mitchell announced that "the lame duck session of Congress could hand President Obama yet another victory" with possible passage of the START nuclear arms treaty. Moments later, Mitchell declared that "The President seems to be on a hot streak." Mitchell got analysis from Republican strategist Dan Bartlett and Democratic strategist Jamal…

CBS 'Early Show' Touts Obama's 'Big Win;' Claims He's 'The Comeback Ki

December 20th, 2010 6:15 PM
On Saturday's Early Show fill-in co-host Russ Mitchell saw passage of the tax deal as a possible "turning point for Mr. Obama's presidency" and speculated that it was "perhaps setting the stage for another victory as the Senate takes up the repeal of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law." In the report that followed, correspondent Whit Johnson declared that with the deal "President Obama could…

CBS: Gay Community 'Celebrated The End of An Era' With DADT Repeal

December 20th, 2010 3:23 PM
At the top of a report on CBS's Sunday Morning, correspondent Whit Johnson proclaimed: "In San Francisco yesterday, they celebrated the end of an era. After nearly two decades, the policy of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' which bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, is all but history." The one-sided segment focused almost exclusively on supporters of repeal. Of the ten sound…