Recession Skeptics – The Side Unheard in the Media

January 29th, 2008 9:18 AM
Recession stories have a lot in common with global warming stories - there are a lot of them and you hear only one side. And like global warming, recession is the subject of a Newsweek cover story, appearing on the front of the magazine's February 4 issue. The story, "The U.S. Economy Faces the Guillotine," written by Daniel Gross, takes a one-sided gloomy approach to reporting on the U.S.…

Where Are Bernanke’s Critics in the Media after Disclosure of the So

January 25th, 2008 9:01 PM
You've probably heard about the French trader who has managed to stash away $7 billion before going on the lam. What's the big deal with sticking it to some French bank for $7 billion? This $7-billion loss by the French bank Societe Generale (SocGen) (EPA:GLE) might have caused the sharp plunge in some European stock markets on January 21 - which spurred the Federal Reserve to make an…

Jon Stewart Mocks Financial Networks: 'Hot Ladies Talk Money with Bald

January 24th, 2008 8:33 PM
It's really frightening to imagine that people who get the bulk of their news from Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" will be making what they probably think are educated decisions at the ballot box come Election Day. Stewart, who is now a self-proclaimed economist, said on his January 23 show, "Our economy is tanking." And now you can add financial media critic to Stewart's…

Soros Calls for Government Control of Markets, Even If It Means ‘Wip

January 23rd, 2008 5:11 PM
Billionaire investor George Soros called for more government monitoring and involvement in markets in an interview on CNBC January 23."Now we really have to reconsider the whole policy, which has been in my opinion misplaced, of relying on the markets to police themselves," Soros told Maria Bartiromo in Davos, Switzerland, "to recognize the risks. And there are risks which it is the job of the…

CNBC’s Cramer Still Bearish Despite 'Emergency' Rate Cut; Questions

January 22nd, 2008 2:50 PM
After the Fed made an "emergency" 75-basis-point rate cut this morning, CNBC's "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer, who has gone from bull market cheerleader to bear market doom and gloomer in the last six months, said it was too little too late. "[T]his is obviously the kind of action I was most fearful of - which is that they would have to go panic and that they would get way behind the curve,"…

John Harwood on Fred Thompson: 'It's Over

January 19th, 2008 8:22 AM
H/t David Shuster. What's that? David Shuster, liberal MSNBC avenger, now a NewsBusters source? Not exactly, but read on . . . Watching a special Saturday-morning edition of Morning Joe, I was surprised by CNBC chief DC correspondent John Harwood's willingness to pronounce Fred Thompson's political epitaph even before voters went to the South Carolina primary polls today. Shuster was similarly…

CNBC’s Burnett Reveals Cramer 'Certifiably' Crazy; Why She Called Bu

January 18th, 2008 4:05 PM
CNBC "Street Sweetie" Erin Burnett revealed what some might have suspected about "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer all along. "[H]e's crazy - certifiably," Burnett said on the January 18 "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." Of course, Cramer is a regular on NBC's "Today" and "Nightly News" as an expert on the economy. On December 19, Cramer appeared on "Today" and was very critical of Fed Chairman…

‘Nightly News’ Takes Protectionist Tone for Foreign Investment Sto

January 17th, 2008 5:43 PM
American capitalism - it's so great even the Chinese Communist government loves it! That's sounds like it ought to be a bumper sticker, but the January 16 "NBC Nightly News" advised it is something we should be cautious of. Foreign investors have been on a buying spree in the U.S. stock markets - as stock prices have fallen with all the skittishness in the wake of the credit crunch. "…

Cramer Says There’s a Recession, but We Still Need Media Balance

January 17th, 2008 11:30 AM
CNBC host Jim Cramer acknowledged on the January 17 "Today" show that the media's consistently negative reports about the economy contribute to the possibility of a recession by lowering consumer confidence and spending."Today" anchor Matt Lauer told Cramer, "People come up to me and say on the street ... they say, ‘Why don't you stop talking about recession? Because simply by talking about it,…

WSJ/CNBC Question Greenspan’s Integrity for Post-Fed Career

January 15th, 2008 3:58 PM
You might disagree with how he slashed the Fed funds rate during times of economic turmoil as Federal Reserve chairman. You might have even disavowed him after showing his coziness with the Clinton administration throughout the 1990s. But after 18 years of public service, you can't deny that Alan Greenspan should have a shot in the private sector. However, despite media accolades through…

Cramer Says He Won’t 'Kiss Up' for Bernanke Interview and Fed Wants

January 11th, 2008 4:51 PM
CNBC “Mad Money” host, resident ranter and stock-picker extraordinaire Jim Cramer can now add “media critic” to his list of duties. Over the past six months, Cramer has become a YouTube sensation for taking shots at Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, including his infamous “They know nothing” rant on CNBC’s August 3 “Street Signs.” Today Cramer used his “Stop Trading” segment on CNBC’s “…

CNBC’s Faber Assumes Recession Inevitable

January 7th, 2008 4:25 PM
Got some hot stock plays for 2008? CNBC's David Faber thinks you should factor in the recession that hasn't yet happened when you adjust your portfolio for this New Year. CNBC "Squawk Box" contributor Faber warned investors on the January 7 "Squawk on the Street" that stocks reliant on business spending could hurt since a recession, he said, is imminent. "Business spending, concerns about…

Weak Job Data Cause Media to Forget the Definition of a Recession

January 4th, 2008 4:49 PM

Cramer Blasts Fed for ‘Punishing’ Borrowers, Later Compares Fed to

January 2nd, 2008 6:02 PM