National Journal's Fournier (Formerly of AP) Offers Novel Obama Excuse
October 4th, 2012 1:45 AM
Having seen the candidate the press corps so obviously favors perform poorly while his opponent shined, Ron Fournier at National Journal, an Associated Press alum, dove so deeply into excuse-making that I half expected him to claim that the dog ate President Obama's debate prep.
The primary culprit, according to the forlorn Fournier, is something over which Obama has no control, as seen in…
Politico Pair: 'If (Cooked) Polls (With 91% Non-completion Rates) Hold
October 3rd, 2012 9:48 AM
In an item which talks about a "secret retreat" planned by eight senators which is so "secret" that it's getting a two-page story, the Politico's John Bresnahan and Jake Sherman write that "If polls stay steady, (House Speaker John) Boehner will be at the helm of a House filled with Republicans disappointed that Obama will have another four years in the White House."
Uh, last time I checked,…
Daily Beast Headline Link to Eli Lake's Story About Pre-9/11 Benghazi
October 2nd, 2012 5:59 PM
The headline writers at the Daily Beast are either dumber than a box of rocks, or really, really don't like the content of Eli Lake's story today. The smart money should be on the latter.
As of 5:20 p.m., Lake's story concerning previous attacks on Benghazi, numerous security warnings, and the State Department's refusal to beef up protection was Number 2 in the rotation on the Daily Beast's…
No Coverage at the Wires as Univision Exposes Wider Scope, Sickening C
October 2nd, 2012 2:44 PM
As of 2 PM ET, various searches at the national web site of the Associated Press, aka the Administration's Press (on "furious"; on "Univision"), Reuters ("furious"; "fast and furious"; "univision"), and United Press International ("furious"; "Univision") indicate that the three wire services have given no coverage to reports from Univision exposing the wider geographic scope and far more fatal…
Politico: Romney's the One With an Adviser-Related Libya Problem
September 30th, 2012 11:35 PM
Let's see. Who has the bigger problem with Libya and the Middle East? Is it the guy who's in charge with a foreign policy in disarray who has described the first murder of a U.S. ambassador in 33 years a "bump in the road"? Or his presidential campaign challenger Mitt Romney?
If we're to believe Mike Allen, Jim Vandehei, and Politico, it's Romney, where "Romney advisers at odds over Libya"…
Steven Rattner: 'We Need Death Panels'; Will PolitiFact Reverse 'Lie o
September 30th, 2012 10:38 PM
For those who want the short answer to the question in this post's title, the answer is almost definitely "no." But in a New York Times op-ed piece in mid-September, former Obama "car czar" Steven Rattner effectively said that the so-called "fact-check" site known as PolitiFact should make amends to former Alaska Governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
In December 2009,…
AP's Coverage of Calif. Dairies' Peril IDs Price Controls as Culprit
September 30th, 2012 6:46 PM
At the Associated Press on Saturday, Gosia Wosniacka did something one rarely sees any more in wire service coverage, actually blaming a government policy for an industry's financial problems -- in this case, state-imposed price controls on the California dairy industry.
But price controls in the highly tarnished Golden State, while very relevant, have been around for decades. Ms. Wosniacka…
NY Times Ignores Muslim Day Parade Call for 'Blasphemy' Law, State Sen
September 30th, 2012 10:06 AM
Note: This post has been revised to reflect the Times's 2012 coverage. The original version erroneously linked to a 2010 article. I sincerely regret the error.
The New York Times's coverage of year's annual Muslim Day parade in Manhattan appears to have consisted of a photo at This Week in Pictures and another at the City Room blog.
At the end of the parade, in news not relayed by the…
More Obama Reelect-Presumptive Coverage at the Politico: 'America's Ne
September 30th, 2012 8:55 AM
Does anyone remember anybody in the establishment press speculating over who might hold Cabinet positions during a second Bush 43 term in the fall of 2004 without qualifying it with "if Bush is reelected"? Neither do I.
But at the Politico on Thursday, the closest Josh Ragin got in an item found at the web site's "The Cable" section speculating on whether John Kerry or Susan Rice is better…
Put This in Your Polling Pipe and Smoke It: Big Drops Since '08 in Vot
September 29th, 2012 7:16 AM
Rush Limbaugh brought up an important matter relating to polling Friday, which even beyond what is already known about party affiliation from Rasmussen and Gallup, further supports the notion that performing presidential preference polls based on 2008 presidential turnout is fundamentally flawed.
Read it below, because you can virtually bet what's left of the value of your home that you won't…
‘Record’ Volt Sales? Not Really -- GM Counts $159 Leases for an
September 26th, 2012 8:46 AM
The Jurassic Press have long had a field day puffing up bailed out General Motors (GM) and their electric automotive windmill - the Chevrolet Volt.
When it came to August Volt sales numbers, the Media were Justin Bieber-excited.
CNN Money Absurdly Headlines Case Shiller Housing Index Hitting 'Highe
September 25th, 2012 7:45 PM
One really wonders if there is any adult supervision in the department where CNNMoney's business headline emails originate.
There certainly isn't much knowledge of the general business environment or of the recent history of the housing market present, because if there were, the following email would almost certainly never have been published -- or if the message had somehow escaped by…
Romney Refers to Benghazi as a Terrorist Attack; AP Treats as News, Ac
September 25th, 2012 6:03 PM
There is clearly no embarrassment threshold at the Associated Press, aka the Administration's Press.
In a dispatch today, an unbylined AP report headlined "Romney: Benghazi a 'Terrorist Attack'" seems to act as if this is some kind of revelation to the GOP nominee even though everyone except Obama administration insiders desperately trying to bring life to the corpse formerly known as the…
Spiering: Media Took the Word of Dem Milwaukee Mayor Barrett on Saturd
September 25th, 2012 12:30 PM
On Saturday, President Obama spoke at a campaign rally in Wisconsin. As I noted on Sunday, contradicting a local Milwaukee Sentinel crowd size estimate of 5,000, Politico, the Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press reported that 18,000 were on hand, with the AP further claiming that the event was "the largest yet of Obama's reelection campaign."
Charles Spiering at the Washington…