Archive for the ‘Biased Media’ Category
The morning and evening news shows on ABC, CBS, and NBC haven’t been just reporting consumer discontent about higher gas prices but also actively stoking public outrage. A new study by the Media Research Center, released today, shows that the three networks combined broadcast 183 stories about rising gas prices from April 12 through May 2 yet most of these stories were geared to fueling public fears with hyperbole, no evidence and hysterical claims. Among the findings:
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The networks’ used loaded language in their promotional teases, e.g., “pain at the pump”; “skyrocketing” prices; “soaring” prices; and “sky high” prices.
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Ignoring supply and demand, many of the networks’ stories blamed “Big Oil” for higher prices and discussed “gouging” by gas companies without evidence.
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ABC showcased a woman who claimed she pawned her wedding gifts for gas money.
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CBS, relying on an outdated AARP poll, reported that the elderly were skipping food and medicine to pay for gas.
Research conducted by the MRC’s Free Market Project only amplifies the networks’ anti-Big Oil mindset. For instance, the Free Market Project has previously found:
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NBC and CBS repeatedly reported that gas prices are at a “record high,” but gas prices have not topped inflation-adjusted highs. Gas prices are actually lower than in 1981.
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During the Hurricane Katrina gas scare, the networks repeatedly broadcast gas prices on screen that were 75 cents per gallon higher than average.
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After the Hurricane Rita peak, gas prices fell 45 cents but CBS, NBC, and ABC continued to report on high gas prices four times as often as falling prices.
Source: Media Research Center
To schedule an interview with MRC President Bozell or an MRC spokesperson, please contact Tim Scheiderer (x. 126) or Colleen O’Boyle (x. 122) at 703.683.5004.
Accuracy in Media is calling on the Washington Post and New York Times to return the Pulitzer Prizes they recently won for stories about the war on terrorism. AIM is also urging that Post Pulitzer winner Dana Priest resign from the paper for misleading the public about her "sources."
Priest’s main source for her prize-winning story on CIA "secret prisons" has been exposed as a John Kerry supporter in the agency and former Clinton aide who contributed financially to the Kerry presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee. That source, CIA officer Mary O. McCarthy, was fired after she acknowledged illegally leaking classified information to Priest and other journalists.
As noted by AIM editor Cliff Kincaid in his column on the scandal, posted on the AIM website, Priest had publicly denied that her sources for the story included critics of the Bush Administration from within the CIA.
What’s more, the Priest story has never been confirmed and the evidence indicates that the main essence of her story – that the CIA operated "secret prisons" abroad – is false.
Kincaid says the Pulitzer Prize given to the New York Times for the story about the NSA monitoring the international communications of al-Qaeda operatives here and abroad should be returned as well. He says the story was twisted in such a way as to suggest that ordinary Americans were at risk because of an illegal "domestic spying" program. There is absolutely no evidence that this is the case, he notes. The story, Kincaid suspects, was also based on CIA and other sources that were determined to undermine the foreign policy of the Bush Administration.
Accuracy in Media (AIM) is a non-profit, grassroots citizens watchdog of the news media that critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that have received slanted coverage.
To schedule an interview with AIM Editor Cliff Kincaid, contact Carisa Bergen at (202) 364-4401 ext. 110.
“(The Jewish state was) a creation of the Jewish community of New York and London … For me, the Jewish state of Palestine is a missing star in the American flag. You are the head of the snake for me. If I want to destroy the Jewish state of Palestine, I have to destroy you." – Zacarias Moussaoui
by Sharon Hughes
The American people have heard so many conflicting stories about the attitudes of the Iraqi people towards America, as well as our soldiers’ attitudes about the war effort, that reporting such stories has become a battleground in and of itself.
There is no doubt that negative feedback about the war is emphasized by the mainstream media which, while accusing legislators of politicizing the war, in fact are as guilty, if not more, of doing the same. Case in point: Cindy Sheehan. Who would argue that the air and print time given to this anti- war poster-mom of the left wasn’t exhaustive? Yet hardly a mention has been given to the Blue Star Moms and others who have also lost sons in the war, and have something to say, but from a different point of view than Sheehan. Let’s not forget, the media made Cindy Sheehan.
The headlines of major print media, especially online where articles are grouped by topic, could be enough to make the less informed think we are losing the war, that the effort and sacrifice paid already by our troops have been in vain. However, when you read the stories themselves, very often there’s little substance to support the headline accusations, once you get past the spin.
That’s why I like to read and hear it from the Iraqi people, our soldiers, and others who are not interested in politicizing the war.
Such as Franklin Raff who reported in his article, "Media treachery in Iraq exposed!" for WorldNetDaily, about the Iraqi officer of significant rank who asked:
"Why do you people not tell our story? Why do you not say what is going on? Why do you come to our country and see what is happening, you see the schools and the hospitals and you see the markets and you eat with Sunni and Shia soldiers – everybody eats together, everybody works together –you see that Saddam is gone forever and we are free to speak and complain. You see we are working and eating together and fighting together – Sunni and Shia – you see what we are building here, you see the votes we make as one people. Then you say to the world about a great war and horrible things and how we are all killing each other? We are not animals! We are Iraqis. Look around you! Look!"
And Officer Dan Maher of the New York Police Department, who recently spent a year helping to train an Iraqi police force. He took a tape recorder with him to record his experience, and NPR radio recently interviewed him, also playing short clips of what he captured on tape, which you can hear HERE. He tells his experience straight, just like it is. And many others have and are doing the same, but their voices are rarely heard.
I’ve interviewed several soldiers, officers and journalists who have been in Iraq, on my show since the war began and they all echo Dan Maher’s attitude.
No one wants to go to war, except aggressors who want to dominate the world. Not soldiers. Not officers. Not presidents. Not Americans. Not our allies. Not any civilized people or freedom-loving country. Nevertheless, when the safety of the people is at risk, both imminent and in the foreseeable future, the brave and understanding are willing to enter the fray when necessary.
There have always been, and always will be, the bullies of the world who will not stop, unless they are stopped. That’s why war is a reality. And that’s why the great majority of us, who stay at home while our troops defend us, are so grateful for their effort on our behalf. That’s why "supporting our troops" fighting the war on terror is alive and well.
Oh, I know I’ll get a ton of mail for saying these things from those who disagree. But I comfort myself with the knowledge that the vast majority of Americans wish there was no such thing as war, but understand the consequences of not standing up to the bullies of the world. If you can say anything about America, you can say this…we will not be beaten in the school yard of the world.
To those who think my comments are ridiculous, let me ask you, what do you think then of 9/ll terrorist, Zacarias Moussaoui’s statements in court on Thursday, April 13th, 2006, in answer to Prosecutor Rob Spencer’s questioning? …
Spencer: "So you would be happy to see 9/11 again?"
Moussaoui: "Every day until we get you. I’m glad there was pain, and I wish there will be more pain."
Spencer: "So, you have no regret, no remorse?"
Moussaoui: "No regret, no remorse. We have an obligation to be the superpower. You have to be subdued."
Is war a seamless operation? No. Is the war in Iraq running smoothly? What does that mean? War is hell! But, in the midst of it all, because of the bravery and sacrifice of our soldiers, much good is happening to defend us at home and to extend freedom in countries that have not known freedom.
Who is telling the truth about the war in Iraq? Those who don’t have an axe to grind. Those who are saying it like it is…like it really is.
© Sharon Hughes 2006
Sharon Hughes is President of The Center for Changing Worldviews and a radio talk show host heard on KDIA AM1640 in San Francisco, RIGHTALK.com, and online at Oneplace.com. Her column appears in many recognized news sites in addition to the ConservativeVoice, most recently FRONTPAGEMAG, and she writes analysis for the international blog Publius Pundit and the Media Research Center’s NewsBusters.org. For further information visit Changing Worldviews www.changingworldviews.com,
WOMANTalk www.womantalk.us, and Sharon’s Blog changingworldviews.blogspot.com .Contact: sharon@changingworldviews.com.
WASHINGTON, DC – Reacting to news that White House press secretary Scott McClellan is resigning, AIM editor Cliff Kincaid said today that obnoxious members of the White House press corps such as David Gregory of NBC News and columnist Helen Thomas should leave as well. In fact, AIM is currently conducting a postcard campaign to McClellan, telling him:
"When NBC News reporter David Gregory called you a ‘jerk,’ millions of Americans realized how rude and obnoxious the White House press corps can be. You maintained your cool while Gregory engaged in what John Gizzi of Human Events called classless behavior and bad manners. Like a student who acts up in class and has to be punished by the teacher, we suggest that you move people like Gregory to the back of the press room — or out of the room entirely — when they make a spectacle of themselves or engage in an unbecoming feeding frenzy. The American people would salute you!"
Kincaid said he hopes McClellan’s replacement will get tough with the White House press corps and put an end to their bad manners and obnoxious behavior. "Rude reporters should get the boot," Kincaid said.
Accuracy In Media (AIM) is a non-profit, grassroots citizens watchdog of the news media that critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that have received slanted coverage.
To schedule an interview with AIM Editor Cliff Kincaid, contact Carisa Bergen at (202) 364-4401 ext. 110.
Source: http://www.aim.org/
DisHonors also go to Chris Matthews, Jack Cafferty and Rosie O’Donnell
WASHINGTON D.C.–The Media Research Center today announces the worst liberal reporting awards from their 6th annual DisHonors Awards gala held last night at the Grand Hyatt Washington. Ted Turner, Chris Matthews, Jack Cafferty and Rosie O’Donnell “won” for their superlative bias. Judges included Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Steve Forbes, Brent Bozell and other distinguished conservatives.
Quote of the year was chosen by the 950 guests in attendance and was awarded to Ted Turner for his ridiculous analysis of North Korea. Below is a full list of the 2006 awards, winners and the quotes that earned them their respective DisHonors. Audio and visual clips are available at http://www.mrc.org/.
Excerpts from 2006 DisHonors Award Winners’ Quotes
Aaron Brown Memorial Award for the Stupidest Analysis and Quote of the Year winner – Ted Turner, for declaring his faith in the good intentions of North Korea’s despotic communist dictatorship.
Turner: “Well, hey, listen. I saw a lot of people over there. They were thin and they were riding bicycles instead of driving in cars, but …”
Blitzer: “A lot of those people are starving.”
Turner: “I didn’t see any, I didn’t see any brutality …”
— Exchange on CNN’s The Situation Room, September 19.
Cindy Sheehan Media Hero Award – Chris Matthews for claiming Sheehan is more informed than Congress.
Cindy Sheehan: "We’re not going to cure terrorism and spread peace and good will in the Middle East by killing innocent people … I see Iraq as the base for spreading imperialism…."
Host Chris Matthews: "Are you considering running for Congress, Cindy?"
Sheehan: "No, not this time…."
Matthews: "Okay. Well, I have to tell you, you sound more informed than most U.S. Congresspeople, so maybe you should run."
— Exchange on MSNBC’s Hardball, August 15.
WASHINGTON, DC – Cliff Kincaid, editor of Accuracy in Media, released the following statement on NBC Today Show co-host Katie Couric’s decision to join CBS News as anchor of the CBS Evening News:
"The decision suggests there will be less emphasis on hard news on the network that employed Edward R. Murrow, considered a hero to the old CBS News crowd. On the Today Show, Couric had to deal with some hard news, but a lot of celebrities and fluff. She has been hired by CBS, apparently, because she is a liberal who projects a pleasant, warm and friendly appearance. That may be enough to raise the ratings. CBS Evening News has been mired in third place among network news shows, with 8.1 million viewers. ABC World News Tonight is second, with 8.7 million, and NBC Nightly News is number one, with 9.7 million. It’s like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic. They’re competing for a dwindling audience. It’s because of AIM — and those who have followed in our wake — that the network news shows are in such trouble. They still don’t understand that it is liberal bias that is driving away viewers. Putting a pretty face and a sweet voice on liberal bias won’t fool viewers for long."
Accuracy In Media (AIM) is a non-profit, grassroots citizens watchdog of the news media that critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that have received slanted coverage.
Alexandria, VA—The Iraq war is now three years old and the bloody ex-dictator of Iraq, Saddam 
Hussein, is on trial for crimes against humanity and genocide. Yet the evidence behind these charges — and the gripping testimony of Saddam’s victims — has garnered little coverage from the broadcast network evening newscasts.
A new study by the Media Research Center, Covering Saddam’s Shenanigans, Not His Crimes, found that Saddam’s trial has received only light coverage on the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts, and much of that has focused on Saddam’s courtroom antics, not the details of his crimes:
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Saddam’s trial has been mentioned in just 64 stories over the last 5 months. In contrast, the first 6 months of the O.J. Simpson murder trial garnered 431 stories from those same networks.
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ABC, CBS, and NBC devoted nearly three times as much airtime on Saddam’s outbursts as on the testimony and documentary evidence of his orders to kill 140 people in Dujail.
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Total network airtime devoted to showing viewers the evidence and testimony against Saddam Hussein: just 11 minutes, 35 seconds over a five-month period.
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In spite of a record equal to some of the worst tyrants in history, reporters found Saddam’s personal reactions and orchestrated antics more compelling than the testimony against him.
“Toppling Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime and bringing the brutal dictator before a court of law is unquestionably a major achievement of the U.S. and our allies,” said Rich Noyes, director of research for the Media Research Center. “But TV coverage has minimized the historic significance of this case. Instead, the network’s Iraq news has been a depressingly dour drumbeat of terrorist attacks, U.S. casualties and dark warnings that Iraq is on the verge of ‘civil war.’”
“Saddam’s theatrics are meant to distract from the evidence of his terrible crimes. Reporters should have resisted the impulse to reward this cynical strategy. Instead, they’ve played right into his hands.”
For a review of the media’s reporting record on the Iraq War, please see MRC’s Special Report "TV’s Bad News Brigade: ABC, CBS and NBC’s Defeatist Coverage of the War in Iraq"
WASHINGTON, DC — While Bill Sammon’s new book reports that President Bush is lauding the rise of the conservative alternative media, Accuracy in Media (AIM) notes in a column released today that the Bush Administration’s deal to let an Arab company take over some port operations has been exposed and undermined by the same forces of new media.
"The conservative blogs and talk radio are why the issue has become a national controversy, even a scandal," says AIM editor Cliff Kincaid. "The alternative media exposed the anti-Bush CBS Memogate documents as phony," Kincaid noted, "But they have also exposed the holes in the administration deal that is becoming known as Portgate."
The Sammon book, Strategery, quotes President Bush and adviser Karl Rove as saying that the Memogate scandal, initially uncovered by conservative bloggers during the heat of the 2004 presidential campaign, badly hurt CBS and the mainstream media and backfired in favor of the Bush campaign. "I think what’s healthy is that there’s no monopoly on the news," Bush told Sammon.
"This is also why people are starting to talk about Portgate," Kincaid commented, "and why polls now show that 70 percent of the public opposes the deal. Conservative talk radio, led by Michael Savage, and the blogosphere have demonstrated their independence of thought and action by going after the Bush Administration in this case."
Kincaid noted, however, that not all of conservative talk radio criticized the deal. After dilly-dallying, Rush Limbaugh jumped on board, favoring the deal by saying that the U.S. should be encouraging capitalism in Arab states.
Kincaid commented, "The UAE does have a free market economy. But it is also a Sunni Islamic authoritarian regime, with less political freedom than the new Iraq."
In his column, posted at www.aim.org, Kincaid noted that "the democracy we’re fighting for in Iraq does not exist in the UAE."
Accuracy In Media (AIM) is a non-profit, grassroots citizens watchdog of the news media that critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that have received slanted coverage.
To schedule an interview with AIM Editor Cliff Kincaid, contact Anne Tyrrell with Shirley & Banister Public Affairs at (703) 739-5920 or atyrrell@sbpublicaffairs.com
Last week former vice president Gore gave a very anti-American speech in Saudi Arabia that bordered on treason. He charged that the U.S. had committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after 9/11. He stated that since 9/11, Arabs living in the U.S. have been rounded up and sometimes charged with minor offenses such as over staying a visa or lack of green cards. And he said that most Americans agree with him.
After the unprecedented attack on 9/11 our country was gripped in terror not knowing what would be coming next. No wonder many Arabs with questionable overstays on visas or no green cards would be suspected.
If there were terrible abuses against the Arabs in our country, why did he not turn the evidence over to Congress for an investigation?
Apparently, his evidence of these abuses came form the same source as his part in the invention of the internet: a total lie!
His speech was completely ignored by all main- stream liberal media. According to a recent post on News Busters:
By checking with our network watchers and double-checking with Nexis, ABC, CBS, and NBC have all completely ignored Al Gore’s speech in Saudi Arabia, where he denounced the U.S. government for committing "terrible abuses" against Arabs after 9/11, and that Arabs had been "indiscriminately rounded up" and held in "unforgivable" conditions.
And Gore was not the first high profiled American to recently speak out in a tone that nears treason against the United States and its foreign policy.
In response to the left-biased media, I am posting this press release from The New Media Alliance.
Shelton, CT., Jan. 19/06 – In a growing trend of increasing organization and consolidation within the new-media, a new company has been formed which brings together grass roots writers, journalists and media outlets into a single organization.
The “new media”, a term typically used to refer to the unorganized collection of blogs, on-line magazines and talk radio shows, has had some impact in on public awareness of issues that have affected public perceptions and even influenced politics such as the Lewinsky “scandal” and “Rathergate”. However, What is different about the New Media Alliance is that it represents a more formal coming together of these new-media players.
According to a company spokesperson, the New Media Alliance (http://www.thenma.org/ – NMA) has developed a growing network of “some of the most talented grass-roots” writers, media outlets and organizations who have all agreed to partner together in the origination and national distribution of daily news, commentary, research and analysis covering current political and cultural issues.
Gary Schneider, Founder and President of the New Media Alliance, Inc., says that: “…Americans are increasingly seeking out alternatives to the traditional sources of news and perspective on today’s issues for a number of reasons, and we are well positioned to satisfy that growing demand.” Schneider further states that "…through our vast and growing network of contracted writers and media partners, we plan on supplying information and context on today’s important issues that would probably not otherwise have a chance to be heard.”
The NMA is owned and operated by Heritage New Media Partners, Inc. which also publishes the conservative on-line magazine “TheRealityCheck.org” (http://www.therealitycheck.org/) and directs the up-start campus watchdog and student empowerment group dubbed "The Reality Check On Campus" (www.oncampus.therealitycheck.org).
ABOUT THE NEW MEDIA ALLIANCE, INC.
The New Media Alliance (http://www.thenma.org/) is a non-profit (501c3) national coalition of writers, journalists and grass-roots media outlets .