NBC

If there was one thing the 'Today' show wanted its viewers to know about comedian, turned failed Air America radio host, turned Senate candidate, Al Franken, it's that he's really "smart." Profiling his Minnesota Senate seat run, the Today show cast went out of their way to prove the Saturday Night Live alum's candidacy was serious by emphasizing Franken was, indeed, "smart."Not once, not twice…

Is Barack Obama really running for president, or is he not-so-subtly positioning himself to be Hillary's running mate? I seemed to sense that 'subliminable' message on 'Today' this morning. At about 7:10 am EDT, the NBC show kicked off its "Today on the Trail" series, which will join the leading presidential contenders out on the campaign trail, with a feature on Obama. Meredith Vieira spent time…

It’s been a full 48 hours since antiwar icon Cindy Sheehan publicly announced that she was leaving the Democrat Party due to Thursday’s bipartisan agreement on an Iraq war funding bill.Yet, Google News and LexisNexis searches have identified that not one major media outlet has covered her announcement.Not one.Given the media’s fascination with this woman since she traveled to Crawford, Texas, in…

If the Senate released a major study on Friday with information suggesting that a key Republican might have committed perjury, would the media report it?Probably every hour on the hour, with front-page headlines Saturday morning, correct?Well, the Senate issued a lengthy analysis on pre-Iraq war intelligence Friday, and in it was information contradicting Valerie Plame Wilson’s sworn testimony…

"Get the Hint? Wink Wink? Nudge Nudge?" Katie Couric may be many things (don’t call her perky), but she’s not subtle. The "CBS Evening News" anchor touted a new special on Walter Cronkite, a journalist who "stood up to the Commander in Chief" during an "unpopular war." "We Can Dream, Can’t We?" Former Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos, now the anchor of ABC’s "This Week," took time out of his…

Critical Update and Correction at End of PostA headline at NewsBusters Thursday asked, “Will Media Report Al Qaeda Torture Manual With Same Zeal as Abu Ghraib?”The answer: No!In fact, from what I can tell by looking at LexisNexis, Google News, and closed-captioning dumps, the only media outlet in the nation that covered this story was Fox News’ “Hannity & Colmes.”This is despite the fact that…

You're Hillary Clinton [work with me here] tuning into "Today" the morning after you've voted against funding the Iraq war . What's the one image you dread seeing pop up? But there it was.This isn't shaping up as Hillary's favorite day. As the Washington Post reports here, two books about Clinton have hit the shelves, and neither paint a flattering portrait of the former First Lady. What's…

Imagine for a moment that a high-ranking Republican was accused by a Democrat of violating House rules in order to get a $23 million earmark approved for his district. Would the media report it?Probably on front-pages all across the country, and on morning and evening network newscasts for days, right?Well, last Thursday evening, Politico reported (emphasis added throughout):

By now you’ve probably heard about former President Jimmy Carter’s absurd comments to the BBC regarding President George W. Bush’s foreign policy being the worst in American history.You may even have seen Carter on the “Today” show Monday morning saying that his statements were “maybe careless or misinterpreted” (video available here).However, did you read the following absurd double standard…