Reading the Headlines When the Left Wins
Two elections, different outcomes, different headlines at the Wall Street Journal (6/6/11). When the left loses: Portugal Decisively Ends Leftist Rule Portugal on Sunday voted decisively to end six...
View ArticleLibya’s Lousy PR
One theme of the coverage of the NATO bombing of Libya is that the Libyan government is lousy at propaganda. It was somewhat jarring, though, to see all of these headlines in the space of two days...
View ArticleThe Strangeness of Afghan Culture
The end of a Wall Street Journal article (7/14/11) on a new report on Afghan deaths highlights the peculiarity of their culture: Of civilian casualties, 2 percent were caused by night raids, slightly...
View ArticleMurdoch’s Journal Defends Bosses on News Corp Scandal
In the wake of the News Corp scandal and the resignation of their own paper’s publisher/CEO, the editors of the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal came out swinging today (7/18/11) against critics who...
View ArticleThe Secret of Rick Perry’s Texas Jobs Miracle? Government Jobs
The speculation about whether Texas Gov. Rick Perry will jump into the Republican presidential race boils down to one word: Jobs. Perry’s state has been generating jobs at an impressive rate–which...
View ArticleO’Reilly as Paul Revere: ‘1 if by Land, 17 if by Sea’
The country is on the brink of bankruptcy, Fox host Bill O’Reilly warned last night–all because Barack Obama is spending too much money. Drastic cuts are required, but “the far-left loons want to...
View ArticleLoose Lips Sink Drones
Barack Obama did something yesterday that government leaders tend not to do: He talked about the CIA drone war in Pakistan. This admission–which, it should be pointed out, happened in a...
View ArticleIran: This Is What Propaganda Looks Like
Alarmist corporate media coverage of the “threat” from Iran is everywhere, thanks to a Senate appearance yesterday by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. But Clapper said very little in...
View ArticleFAIR TV: France vs. Spain, NYT Erases West Bank Occupation, Wall Street...
On the new FAIR TV: The Washington Post says France had better slash wages and benefits in order to be more like Spain. Why would they want to do that? The New York Times erases a headline referring...
View ArticleTed Koppel and Terrorism
On the Wall Street Journal op-ed page (8/7/13), veteran TV journalist Ted Koppel says it’s time to stop overreacting to the threat of terrorism: Terrorism, after all, is designed to produce...
View ArticleFAIR TV: Syria and Skepticism; Crossfire’s War ‘Debate'; WSJ Sees Tea Party...
John Kerry (cc photo: Ralph Alswang) Colin Powell at the UN This week on FAIR TV: Is Syria Iraq all over again? Plus a look at the CNN “debate” over military strikes that didn’t have much debate, and...
View ArticleZakaria’s Fantastic Economic Advice
The Wall Street Journal map that explained Latin America to Fareed Zakaria. Fareed Zakaria presented what he called “another installment of ‘How to Ruin Your Economy in Five Easy Steps'” on his GPS...
View Article‘Troop Buildup on the Border’–We’ve Heard This Before
With all of the unknowns swirling around the Russia/Ukraine story, media seem to agree on one thing: Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops on their border with Ukraine, and this is of intense...
View ArticleIn Corporate Media, Democratic Populism Always a Danger
One of the most consistent rules in corporate media’s political coverage: If you’re talking about Democrats, you should point out that those who drift too far to the left could find themselves in...
View ArticleBotching the Prisoners ‘Returning to the Battlefield’ Story
The prisoner swap that freed US Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has attracted an enormous amount of controversy. Much of it is silly partisanship; Republican Sen. John McCain–remember him, the media’s...
View ArticleWhen ‘Washington Is Broken’ Isn’t the Story
The media fantasy of a dysfunctional Washington helps obscure who actually benefits from the way the capital works. (image: Fallout 3) There’s no real reason to think that the US Surgeon General could...
View ArticleBorrowing a Climate Denial Trick to Erase Rising Inequality
New York Times economics columnist David Leonhardt has a new column (2/17/15) headlined: Inequality Has Actually Not Risen Since the Financial Crisis This is mostly, if not entirely, BS. Leonhardt’s...
View ArticleUS Backing for ‘Moderate’ Syrian Rebels: Long Reported, Continually Forgotten
New York Times map (3/24/13) of arms flowing to Syrian rebels “with help from the CIA.” (graphic: Sergio Pecanha/NYT) That the US is arming and training Syrian rebels has been well-documented for over...
View ArticleWhat Was Missing From Coverage of Netanyahu’s Speech
The Washington Post‘s coverage of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress included “Top 10 Applause Lines From Netanyahu’s Speech.” Reading the lead stories on Israeli Prime...
View ArticleYes, Wall Street Journal, It’s Possible to Be Not Generous Enough
Judge Dredd is an example of the kind of judge who is too severe rather than too lenient. The Wall Street Journal is soon to run a piece on improper denials of disability claims. That’s inevitable,...
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