Larry King Wasn't Opinionated on CNN? Remembering His Shots at the 'Fa

June 30th, 2010 2:15 PM
Larry King's announcement that he's stepping down from his perch at CNN has been declared an end to a cable news era. On The Early Show on CBS Wednesday morning, Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz wondered “Is there still room in an increasingly partisan cable television universe for this kind of variety show, where you talk to a president one day and Lady Gaga the next? I mean, Larry…

CNN's Yellin Cites Her Own Liberal Harvard Days in Defense of Kagan

June 30th, 2010 1:07 PM
On Tuesday's Rick's List, CNN's Jessica Yellin harkened back to her college days at Harvard as she defended Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan against charges by conservatives that she is anti-military: "When I was at Harvard, a full decade before she was dean of the law school, there was already institutional opposition to 'don't ask, don't tell'....it steeps the whole university."Yellin,…

Larry King Explains Decision to End CNN Show -- Says It Wasn’t Press

June 30th, 2010 12:58 AM
First it was long-time anchor Lou Dobbs, who retired last fall from CNN. Now another fixture of the network will soon be playing another role in the cable news universe. On CNN's June 29 "Larry King Live," host Larry King, who had never been terribly friendly with conservative guests, announced his decision he would be giving up his show this fall. "Before I start the show tonight, I want to…

VIDEO: Media Routinely Used 'Conservative' Label on Bush Nominees to S

June 28th, 2010 11:13 AM
When President Bush nominated John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court in 2005, the media did not hesitate to describe both men as "very conservative," but when President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor in 2009 and Elena Kagan this year many in the press couldn't seem to identify any liberal ideology. The Media Research Center has produced a video compilation of examples to further…

'Crossfire' Creator Slams New CNN Spitzer-Parker Show

June 26th, 2010 9:34 AM
The former CEO of CNN and the creator of its Crossfire show, Reese Schonfeld, has slammed the new CNN show that will be hosted by Kathleen Parker and Client Number Nine aka Eliot Spitzer. In his Huffington Post blog, Schonfeld not only blasts the proposed new show but provides some interesting background on the original Crossfire in its early years:As the former CEO of CNN, and the creator of…

CNN's Acosta and Costello Parrot Obama Talking Points on Offshore Dril

June 25th, 2010 4:45 PM
CNN's Carol Costello and Jim Acosta revealed their disdain for a federal judge's decision to overturn the Obama administration's 6-month moratorium on offshore drilling when the expert they interviewed on the June 25 "American Morning" made a convincing case against the moratorium.Tom Bower, an author who has written extensively on the oil industry, tried to explain the devastating economic…

(Updated) MRC’s Dan Gainor Responds to Gay Parenting TV on CNN

June 24th, 2010 4:23 PM
If you’ve noticed more gay characters with children on television and in movies, you’re not alone. CNN has noticed too, and they’re calling it “the new normal.” In a June 24 segment, Kareen Wynter featured two gay dads, Rich Vaughn and Tommy Woelfel, who “hope TV shows like ‘Modern Family,’ ‘Glee’ and the new film ‘The Kids are All Right’ represent a growing trend in Hollywood storylines: gay…

CNN's Carol Costello Hypes Up Greenpeace, Sierra Club, and Liberal Env

June 24th, 2010 3:28 PM
On the June 24 "American Morning," CNN's Carol Costello trumpeted a "revitalized" environmental movement that is hoping the Gulf oil spill will "change the way we feel about oil" and is aggressively lobbying Congress to pass radical climate change legislation.Previewing the "Gut Check" segment, Costello gleefully teased, "Coming up next, environmentalists are revitalized and it's over the Gulf…

Jon Stewart: Media 'Kind of Suck' for Getting Scooped by Rolling Stone

June 24th, 2010 3:26 PM
Comedian Jon Stewart Wednesday pointed out an inconvenient truth about this week's General Stanley McChrystal incident: the media "kind of suck" for getting scooped by Rolling Stone magazine.As "The Daily Show" host addressed the day's events involving the General and President Obama, he showed clips of various press members expressing disgust that Rolling Stone would get such access to…

MRC Study: Media Blackout of Supreme Court 'Battle

June 24th, 2010 10:32 AM
When President Obama picked Elena Kagan to replace Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, the broadcast networks referred to the upcoming Senate confirmation process as “contentious” a “meat grinder” and a “battle,” warning Kagan was “in for a fight.”But a Media Research Center analysis of the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts in the six weeks since Kagan was nominated shows the broadcast…

Greta Van Susteren Says Spitzer-Parker Show 'Bad News for Keith Olberm

June 23rd, 2010 10:13 PM
Fox News host Greta Van Susteren says the just-announced new CNN show pitting former New York governor Eliot Spitzer against faux conservative Kathleen Parker is bad news for MSNBC's Keith Olbermann.Writing at her Greta Wire blog Wednesday, Van Susteren said, "[I]f CNN is to be successful, it will have to draw viewers from Keith Olbermann's viewers."  She continued, "The total number of cable…

CNN Mocks Obama Golfing During Oil Spill: 'Just Plug the Darn Hole Mr

June 23rd, 2010 4:45 PM
CNN on Tuesday actually noticed the absurdity of folks bashing BP CEO Tony Hayward for yachting on the same day President Obama was golfing.National correspondent Jeanne Moos surprisingly began her "American Morning" piece, "It's the yachting versus golf smack down, round one."After showing average Americans complaining about Hayward's R&R, Moos quipped, "But before you could spell BP CEO,…

Media Praise Obama's 'Brilliant' Handling of McChrystal Controversy

June 23rd, 2010 3:38 PM
President Obama's decision to relieve General Stanley McChrystal of command in Afghanistan and replace him with General David Petraeus was met with a chorus of praise in the media, as anchors and pundits on CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC all sang in unison that it was a "brilliant" move. [Audio available here]  During live special coverage leading up to the announcement in the 1PM ET hour on CBS, White…

CNN Fails to Label Liberal Group Poised to Sue McDonald's Over 'Happy

June 23rd, 2010 2:56 PM
As NewsBusters sister company CNSNews.com reported, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a liberal consumer advocacy group, is threatening to sue the McDonald's Corporation for "unfair and deceptive" marketing practices unless the fast food company stops giving away toys in its "Happy Meals." CNN's "American Morning" on June 23 covered the story half-jokingly, but failed to…