Many media outlets — radio, television and print — regularly feature MRC guests on their programs, quote MRC spokespeople in their articles, and cite MRC research in their stories. Below is a sampling of MRC making news in the news media. Links are provided when available, and were active when posted.

New York Post
"Hoist By Their Own Petard," (no byline)
December 31

For 17 years, the Media Research Center has been compiling its list of "notable quotables." The quotes, from prominent members of the mainstream news media, provide a clear window into the leftist mindset that pervades most of America's large news organizations. At the end of the year, the center (helped by a panel of judges) chooses the "best" examples. As usual, this year's crop tellingly reveals the media's perennial contempt for all things conservative. Actually, the winners more or less explain themselves. (The full set of winners and finalists can be found at the center's Web site, www.mrc.org.) Happy New Year!

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KLO - Salt Lake City, UT
December 30

MRC's Free Market Project (FMP) Director Dan Gainor discussed FMP's special report on obesity and the media, "Supersized Bias II."

KKLA - Lost Angeles, CA
December 30

MRC President Brent Bozell spoke about the Best of Notable Quotables.

Agape Press
Commentary and News Briefs, by Mark Creech, compiled by Jenni Parker
December 29

...A media analyst says people should not be surprised that media giant Clear Channel Communications has decided to drop CNN News and carry the Fox News Channel on its 100 news and talk stations. Clear Channel says it made the decision because Fox News was the clear choice from both a listener and a business standpoint, and the broadcasting company's own audience research indicated that Fox is the preferred news brand of its news/talk listeners. According to Rich Noyes, director of research at the Media Research Center, the ratings tell the tale. "Fox has been cleaning CNN's clock all year," he says. "It is now the unquestioned number one in cable news." Noyes predicts that over the next few years, as contracts expire and networks are no longer obligated to carry CNN, many broadcasters "may switch to Fox because it is what their audience wants, and you're going to see Fox's margin over CNN expand even further," he says. It is not Clear Channel's fault, the media expert adds, that "the only successful radio talk shows, nationally, are by conservatives" and their listeners prefer Fox News over liberal CNN. [Chad Groening]

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Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
“The worst of 2004: Media Monday” (no byline)
December 27

By vote of a panel of nationwide media judges, here are some of the Media Research Center's "winners" in its 17th-annual awards for the worst reporting of 2004: 

Blue State Brigade Award (for campaign coverage): "(John Kerry) also could make a virtue, it seems to me, of the so-called flip-flopping.

The greatest flip-flop in American history is Lincoln, (who) in his first inaugural was not for emancipation and then two years later he was. Is that statesmanship or is that a flip-flop?" 
-- Newsweek Managing Editor Jon Meacham, MSNBC, Sept. 30. 

Darth Vader vs. "The Sunshine Boy" Award: "One of the obstacles for Dick Cheney tonight is the fact that he has been a dark figure. ... There are those who believe that Dick Cheney has led this administration and this president down a path of recklessness, that maybe his approach, his dark approach to this constant battle against another civilization, is actually the wrong approach for ultimately keeping America safe." 
-- NBC White House reporter David Gregory, MSNBC, Sept. 1. 

Damn Those Conservatives Award: "You have made so many offensive comments over the years. Do you regret any of them? ... You seem indifferent to suffering. Have you ever suffered yourself?" 
-- New York Times Magazine's Deborah Solomon, July 11.

Rocky Mountain News
“A Year of Media-ocrity,” by Mike Rosen
December 24

In the year of Rathergate and Dan's fall from grace, Americans may be particularly receptive to the Media Research Center's 17th annual awards for the most biased, manipulative or downright goofy quotes from liberals who dominate the elite media. I'm honored to serve, once again, on MRC's distinguished panel of conservatively biased judges. Here are some of the highlights from among the winners and runners up of Best Notable Quotables of 2004:

Captain Dan the Forgery Man Award: "The story is true. The story is true.I appreciate the sources who took risks to authenticate our story. So, one, there is no internal investigation. Two, somebody may be shell-shocked, but it is not I, and it is not anybody at CBS News. Now, you can tell who is shell-shocked by the ferocity of the people who are spreading these rumors."

- Dan Rather in a sidewalk exchange with reporters on Sept. 10, denying rumors that CBS had launched an investigation to determine if the "memos" were forged 

Damn Those Conservatives Award: "You have made so many offensive comments over the years. Do you regret any of them?" "You seem indifferent to suffering. Have you ever suffered yourself?"

- two of the questions posed to National Review founder William F. Buckley by The New York Times Magazine's Deborah Soloman, July 11

Good Morning Morons Award:

Katie Couric: "Time magazine's Person of the Year issue hits newsstands today, and this year it honors the American soldier. Jim Kelly is Time's managing editor and veteran war photographer. James Nachtwey was embedded with the Army's 1st Armored Division in Baghdad and took the remarkable images in this week's issue. Gentlemen, welcome. Tell me why you all decided to honor the American soldier? Wondering why there's no woman on the cover, too?"

Jim Kelly, pointing to cover: "This is a woman."

Couric: "Oh, there you go, oh sorry.I couldn't tell because of her helmet."
- exchange on NBC's Today show, Dec. 22, 2003

Matt Lauer: "Let me talk about this idea that a ragtag group - not well-fed, not well-clothed, completely underequipped as compared to this great British army and the Hessians - could accomplish this. And let me ask you to think about what is going on in Iraq today, where the insurgents - not well-equipped, smaller in numbers - the greatest army in the world is their opposition. What's the lesson here?"
Lynne Cheney: "Well the difference, of course, is who's fighting on the side of freedom."
- exchange on the Nov. 9 Today show where Cheney was promoting her new children's book on General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War

Politics of Meaningless Award for the Silliest Analysis: "I do think one of the factors was we were of different sexes. That doesn't mean I wouldn't have been happy to be married to several friends I had of the same sex. It just never came up in our particular relations."
- former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite, tying himself in politically correct knots, when asked why his marriage to Betsy Cronkite has lasted so long, as quoted in the March 2 San Francisco Chronicle

"Today the government said that America's prison population grew 2.9 percent last year to nearly 2.1 million. That's a record number of people in jail and prison. One out of every 75 American men was incarcerated. The number went up even though the crime rate continued to fall."
- ABC's Peter Jennings on World News Tonight, May 27

(Even though? Apparently, it hasn't occurred to Peter that the crime rate might be falling precisely because we're keeping repeat offenders safely behind bars rather than setting them free to prey on the public.

Quote of the Year: "What drives American civilians to risk death in Iraq? In this economy it may be, for some, the only job they can find."
- Dan Rather teasing a report on The CBS Evening News on March 31, the day four American civilians were killed and mutilated in Fallujah, Iraq

Runner up: "I don't think history has any reason to be kind to him."
- CBS 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer recalling Ronald Reagan on CNN's Larry King Live, June 14

If your stomach is strong enough to handle the complete awards list, you can get it on-line at www.mrc.org.

NOTES:
Mike Rosen's radio show airs daily from 9 a.m. to noon on 850 KOA

Dissident Voice
“Bill Donohue's Jewish Problem,” by Bill Berkowitz
December 24

…"Motivated by the letter and the spirit of the First Amendment, the Catholic League works to safeguard both the religious freedom rights and the free speech rights of Catholics whenever and wherever they are threatened... In essence, the Catholic League monitors the culture, acting as a watchdog agency and defender of the civil rights of all Catholics." 

The League's Board of Advisors is filled with high-powered longtime conservative leaders and activists including Brent Bozell III, the head of the Media Research Center, Linda Chavez, President of the Center for Equal Opportunity, Dinesh D'Souza, the Robert and Karen Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, Alan Keyes, the failed Illinois Republican Senatorial candidate, Thomas Monaghan, the founder of Dominos Pizza and a big donor to various right wing causes, Michael Novak, Kate O'Beirne, and George Weigel. …

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The Washington Times
“Nation; Inside Politics,” by Greg Pierce
December 24

…Safer's quote

"Some in the liberal media still refuse to acknowledge the profound legacy that Ronald Reagan left behind: victory in the Cold War, massive tax cuts that fueled a historic economic expansion, and a resurgence of American pride and optimism," the Media Research Center says at www.mediaresearch.org.

"On June 14, just nine days after President Reagan's death, CBS' Morley Safer lashed out. 'I don't think history has any reason to be kind to him,' Safer fumed on CNN's 'Larry King Live,' a quote that became a runner-up for 'Quote of the Year.' " …

The Washington Times
“Nation; Inside Politics,” by Greg Pierce
December 23

…Trickle-up news

The truth is trickling out on the true state of affairs concerning the armoring of U.S. vehicles in Iraq, the Media Research Center reports.

" 'It now appears that the premise of the question that caused an uproar around Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was, so to speak, off base,' [Fox New Channel's] Brit Hume noted Tuesday night in reminding viewers how two weeks ago National Guardsman 'Thomas Wilson said to Rumsfeld, quote, "our vehicles are not armored, we do not have proper armament vehicles to carry with us north," into Iraq.'

"But, Hume relayed, 'according to senior Army officers, about 800 of the 830 vehicles in Wilson's Army regiment, the 278th Calvary, had already been up-armored' at the time of his widely publicized question.

"Some Hearst newspapers reported that fact last week, and since then it has trickled up the media stream into NewsMax, The Washington Times and FNC, but not the other networks or major newspapers." the MRC's Brent Baker writes at www.mediaresearch.org. …

Agape Press
“Commentary & News Briefs,” by Mark Creech, compiled by Jody Brown
December 23

...A media watchdog organization doesn't believe the liberal bias will change at CBS, even though Dan Rather is stepping aside as the anchor of CBS Evening News. The Virginia-based MediaResearch Center says conservatives are right to be cheerful about the imminent end of Rather's grip on the anchor chair. But MRC spokesman Rich Noyes says it is hard to imagine that any of Rather's protégés would take the liberal bias out of the evening news.

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The Ledger
“Moyers A Liberal’s Hero,” by David Carr
December 22

…"I took it as a natural disaster of the first order, an act of God of the magnitude 8.1 on the Richter scale, when I heard Bill Moyers was retiring from `Now' on PBS after this year," she said in her presentation. "Many people like me have counted on Bill for what often seemed his voice crying in the wilderness -- on behalf of the wilderness -- for decades."

But people who do not share his political views see his body of work, however celebrated, as agitprop. And his departing sermons are not making any new friends, including L. Brent Bozell III, president of the Media Research Center, a conservative media monitoring group.

"I think that if Bill Moyers is trying to go out as the Michael Moore of television, he ought to be congratulated, because he has succeeded," he said. "I think he has gone off the deep end." …

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Media Matters for America
“Conservatives Ignored Soldier's Assertion That He Came up with Armor Question Himself,” by A.S.
December 21

…When news of Pitts's December 8 email first broke, numerous conservative pundits attacked Wilson and Pitts in an attempt to discredit the substance of the question. On the December 9 edition of The Rush Limbaugh Show, Limbaugh said Pitts "planted this question with the National Guardsman. ... [who] was willing to accept the praise that was heaped on him by the media without saying a word about this." On December 10, he attacked Pitts, claiming: "The effort here is to destroy Rumsfeld. The effort here is to destroy the U.S. military. This guy pulled a great sneak trick." On the December 9 edition of FOX News' Hannity & Colmes, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter accused Pitts of formulating the question and then claimed that was "a little bit creepy"; co-host Sean Hannity claimed it was evidence of the media's "anti-military bias." And in a December 15 syndicated column, Media Research Center founder and president L. Brent Bozell III said that Wilson "was actually serving as a ventriloquist dummy" for Pitts, who "whispered that question into the soldier's ear."

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The Washington Times
“‘(Something) of the Year' Time Is Here,” by Jennifer Harper
December 21

…The Virginia-based Media Research Center, meanwhile, named CBS' Dan Rather as a source for the most outrageous "Quote of the Year," which the newsman delivered March 31, the day four American civilians were killed and mutilated in Fallujah, Iraq.

"What drives American civilians to risk death in Iraq? In this economy it may be, for some, the only job they can find," Mr. Rather said.

CBS correspondent Morley Safer was runner-up for this observation about Mr. Reagan: "I don't think history has any reason to be kind to him," made on CNN nine days after the president's passing. …

The Washington Times
“Inside Politics,” by Greg Pierce
December 21

…ABC's slant 

"In a Sunday night ABC story, the brother and mother of soldiers killed in Iraq denounced Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld for having an auto-pen machine sign his letters of condolence," the Media Research Center's Brent Baker notes at www.mediaresearch.org. 

"But while 'World News Tonight/Sunday' anchor Terry Moran portrayed the two as representative of how 'some military families' are 'upset' with Rumsfeld, the two are dedicated Bush and Rumsfeld haters with a political axe to grind," Mr. Baker said. 

"Ivan Medina spoke in June at a pro-'Fahrenheit 9/11' publicity event and in May took part in an anti-Rumsfeld protest where he charged: 'This government lied to the military soldiers. Bush went to war to settle a family vendetta.' Sue Niederer sported a 'President Bush: You Killed My Son' T-shirt when she was arrested for disrupting a September speech by first lady Laura Bush. In an interview with the far-left Counterpunch Web site, she urged harm to President Bush: 'I wanted to rip the president's head off.' " …

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The Frontrunner
“Top People, Stories, And Quotes "Of The Year" Noted” (no byline)
December 21

The Washington Times (12/21, Harper) reports, "Yes, the nation now knows Time magazine picked President Bush as its 'Person of the Year' for 2004. Such things are open to translation, though." 

Naming a "Someone - or Something - of the Year has become the mode of choice for anyone hoping to leave an imprint on history as December ebbs away." The Pew Research Center "cited 'high gasoline prices' as the 'Top News Interest Story of 2004,' based on a poll of 2,000 adults conducted Dec. 1-16. News from Iraq, the Florida hurricanes, the terrorist massacre of Russian schoolchildren and the presidential campaign rounded out the top five stories." Bush's White House victory "appears to be the nation's top story, according to a poll of readers of the online Drudge Report, followed by the death of former President Ronald Reagan." The Virginia-based Media Research Center "named CBS' Dan Rather as source for the most outrageous 'Quote of the Year,' which the newsman delivered March 31, the day four American civilians were killed and mutilated in Fallujah, Iraq." Rather said, "What drives American civilians to risk death in Iraq? In this economy it may be, for some, the only job they can find."

CNN
“Crossfire,” with Robert Novak, Paul Begala, Wolf Blitzer, guests: Vic Kamber, Alex Castellanos
December 20

Highlight: Can President Bush make all of his plans for a second term happen?

… (CROSSTALK)

(BELL RINGING)

NOVAK: Isn't what you're trying to do is to undermine him and undermine his support?

BEGALA: I'm trying to help those soldiers. No, sir.

NOVAK: In a bad year for Dan Rather, the CBS anchor was just honored by the conservative Media Research Center for the worst quote of the year.

When four American civilians were killed and mutilated in Iraq, he said, in explaining why they risked their lives, "In this economy, it may be, for some, the only job they can find" -- end quote. Dan also was a runner-up for the worst quote, when he said, of forged documents used by CBS -- quote -- "We haven't always been right, but our record is damn good."

And then he won the "Captain Dan, the Forgery Man" award. To make full disclosure, I have to tell you, I was one of the judges selecting the winners. But I won't say who I voted for.

(LAUGHTER)

BEGALA: Well, I'm glad you disclosed that. One quote you didn't mention from Dan Rather, when he said: I made a mistake. I'm sorry. I'm responsible for it.

What if George W. Bush actually said that? Now, Dan Rather made a mistake, but he owned up to it. That's the kind of Texas man I admire. That's guts.

(APPLAUSE)

(CROSSTALK)…

The Frontrunner
“Rather Gets Award for "Most Biased Comment" of 2004” (no byline)
December 20

The Washington Times (12/20, Pierce) reports in its "Inside Politics" column, "CBS anchorman Dan Rather has received first prize for the most-biased comment of the year, the Media Research Center reports. Mr. Rather, teasing a report on 'The CBS Evening News' on March 31, the day four American civilians were killed and mutilated in Fallujah, Iraq, said: 'What drives American civilians to risk death in Iraq? In this economy, it may be, for some, the only job they can find.' Mr. Rather, who had a lot of competition for the award, was chosen by 43 media observers, including radio talk-show hosts, magazine editors, columnists and editorial writers."

Pittsburgh Tribune Review
“Media Monday” (no byline)
December 20

Here are some of the latest outrageous, sometimes humorous, quotes from or about the liberal media, courtesy of the Media Research Center: 

Explains a lot: "In my mind and the minds of the people I work with, this is a magical, mystical kingdom -- our version of Camelot. 

And we feel we are working at a kind of round table of King Arthur proportions ...." 
-- CBS Anchor Dan Rather, quoted by the Hollywood Reporter 

Explains more: "Ed Murrow's ghost is here. I've seen him and talked to him on the third floor of this building many times late at night. And I can tell you that he's watching over us." 
-- Dan Rather in the same interview. 

The bullies: "Is it disappointing for both you and your husband that his detractors and critics continue to pursue him?" 
-- NBC's Katie Couric to Sen. Hillary Clinton on "Today." 

North-of-the-border bias: "Fox News, the Canada-baiting house organ of the U.S. right, will come to Canadian digital television next year... . Broadcasting insiders expect CRTC (Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission) to give the go-ahead to the 24-hour-a-day service, often called 'the unofficial official voice of the Bush administration.'" 
-- Reporter James Adams in a front-page Canadian Globe & Mail newspaper story headlined, "CRTC likely to approve abrasive Fox News."

The Washington Times
“NATION; Inside the Beltway,” by John McCaslin
December 20

… Rather's 'award'

CBS anchorman Dan Rather has received first prize for the most-biased comment of the year, the Media Research Center reports.

Mr. Rather, teasing a report on "The CBS Evening News" on March 31, the day four American civilians were killed and mutilated in Fallujah, Iraq, said: "What drives American civilians to risk death in Iraq? In this economy, it may be, for some, the only job they can find."

Mr. Rather, who had a lot of competition for the award, was chosen by 43 media observers, including radio talk-show hosts, magazine editors, columnists and editorial writers. More about "The Best Notable Quotables of 2004: the 17th Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting" can be found at www.mediaresearch.org. …

Africa News
“Nigeria; Need to Rate ADs and Musical Videos' Content,” by Uwadiae
December 19

…The mass media are powerful because they penetrate every segment of modern-day society and effectively influence how consumers view themselves, their neighbours, their communities and the world in general. Mass media denote such vehicles as newspaper, radio, television, video games, cable, satellite, CD and DVD, musicals and movies as well as the Internet.

In developed countries like the U.K, U.S.A and Canada a lot of work has been done in the formulation of laws to correct the violations of consumer rights in the market place. This is to ensure that while the advertiser has a right to make his products and service public knowledge he must do so with a great degree of social responsibility. In those countries, the power relationships between businesses and consumers have tilted more to the consumers favour. Consumers can indeed boast of a certain degree of social justice. Such non-governmental consumer advocacy groups as the Parents Television Council, The National Consumers' League, United Consumers In Action (1994-1997), The Combined Disabilities Association in Jamaica has championed this cause. Other Overseas organizations that have promoted safeguards for mass media consumers, especially children and youths are Center for Media Education (Washington DC), Media Research Center, Media Scope, National Institute on Media and Family, The Vannier Institute of the Family to mention a few. 

In Nigeria, the media messages children are exposed to are not effectively policed by the regulatory authorities. This can be seen from the indiscriminate manner images of intimacy and sexuality as well as immoral language is allowed to constantly fellowship with our children unhindered especially through television programmes/movies, commercials and musical videos. Even in developed countries, indiscriminate viewing of adult materials on Television by children is highly regulated. …

The Right Balance with Greg Allen
December 20

Free Market Project Director Dan Gainor discussed “Supersized Bias II.”

Ventura County Star (subscription)
December 19

“Liberal media the big losers” 

... A Media Research Center study of comments by reporters at ABC, CBS and NBC between 1997 and 2001 found that reporters used the "conservative" tag four times ...

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The Washington Times
“Rumsfeld Gets Pranked,” by L. Brent Bozell, III
December 18

See Story

Agape Press
“Watchdog Groups Challenge Claims of Media's Conservative Bent,” by Chad Groening and Jody Brown
December 17

- A conservative media watchdog group says PBS icon Bill Moyers will retire today by airing an exposé on what he calls the media's "conservative bias."

Moyers recently told Associated Press that his final segment the weekly PBS program NOW will show that America has an ideological press that is interested in the election of Republicans, and a mainstream press that is interested in the bottom line. The program's website describes the segment as a "[look] inside the right-wing media machine" and an examination of "how a vast echo chamber that is admittedly partisan and powerfully successful delivers information -- and misinformation -- with more regard for propaganda than fact."

Rich Noyes is director of public research at the Media Research Center, a Virginia-based group with the objective of bringing "political balance and responsibility" to the media. Noyes claims Moyers' claims are preposterous.

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News Hounds
“Time To Take Back America From The Right,” by Deborah
December 17

…Last week, Hannity and Brent Bozell were ridiculing Bill Moyers on air and thankfully, Danny Schecter, stood up forcefully in Moyer's defense. To think that second rate bullies like Sean Hannity have been given the power to shape this country's political future is unforgivable. It's time to shout out and take back our country from these media monsters. …

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Torontofreepress.com
“Greens Concede Kyoto Will Not Impact 'Global Warming',” by Marc Morano 
December 17

CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer. Buenos Aires, Argentina CNSNews.com - After a relentless attack on the United States ...

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The New York Times
“Moyers Leaves a Public Affairs Pulpit with Sermons to Spare,” by David Carr
December 17

…Meryl Streep, who introduced Mr. Moyers when he accepted the 2004 Global Environmental Citizen Award from Harvard Medical School earlier this month, suggested that his retirement was a calamity.

''I took it as a natural disaster of the first order, an act of God of the magnitude 8.1 on the Richter scale, when I heard Bill Moyers was retiring from 'Now' on PBS after this year,'' she said in her presentation. ''Many people like me have counted on Bill for what often seemed his voice crying in the wilderness -- on behalf of the wilderness -- for decades.'' 

But people who do not share his political views see his body of work, however celebrated, as agitprop. And his departing sermons are not making any new friends, including L. Brent Bozell III, president of the Media Research Center, a conservative media monitoring group. 

''I think that if Bill Moyers is trying to go out as the Michael Moore of television, he ought to be congratulated, because he has succeeded,'' he said. ''I think he has gone off the deep end.'' …

The Frontrunner
“Negative Media Portrayal Of Medal Of Freedom Awards Noted” (no byline)
December 16

The Washington Times (12/16, Pierce) reports in its "Inside Politics" column, "'The awarding Tuesday of Presidential Medals of Freedom to Tommy Franks, Paul Bremer and George Tenet upset some,' the Media Research Center reports at www.mediaresearch.org. 'ABC's Peter Jennings characterized the choices as "controversial." John Cochran twice snidely noted "no mention of that today" by Bush of supposed failures by Bremer and Tenet. MSNBC's Chris Matthews declared himself "aghast" by the selection. On "Countdown," USA Today's Tom Squitieri contended that the awards are "being dubbed by some as 'hush medals.'"' Meanwhile, 'NBC Nightly News' 'devoted two full segments to the attacks on [Defense Secretary Donald H.] Rumsfeld as Jim Miklaszewski relayed comparisons of Rumsfeld to "Robert McNamara, who was accused of micromanaging the Vietnam War." Tim Russert highlighted negative poll numbers for Rumsfeld.'"

Neil Cavuto
December 16

Free Market Project (FMP) National Chairman Herman Cain discussed "Supersized Bias II."

The Washington Times
“Nation; Inside Politics,” by Greg Pierce
December 16

…Media 'aghast' 

"The awarding Tuesday of Presidential Medals of Freedom to Tommy Franks, Paul Bremer and George Tenet upset some," the Media Research Center reports at www.mediaresearch.org.

"ABC's Peter Jennings characterized the choices as 'controversial.' John Cochran twice snidely noted 'no mention of that today' by Bush of supposed failures by Bremer and Tenet. MSNBC's Chris Matthews declared himself 'aghast' by the selection. On 'Countdown,' USA Today's Tom Squitieri contended that the awards are 'being dubbed by some as 'hush medals.' "

Meanwhile, 'NBC Nightly News' "devoted two full segments to the attacks on [Defense Secretary Donald H.] Rumsfeld as Jim Miklaszewski relayed comparisons of Rumsfeld to 'Robert McNamara, who was accused of micromanaging the Vietnam War.' Tim Russert highlighted negative poll numbers for Rumsfeld." …

CNNFN
Dolans Unscripted (10:00AM)-“News Analysis, Did News Media Do A Good Job in 2004?; Farewell To CNNfn; Dolans on Demand,” with Ken Dolan, Daria Dolan, Jay Conroy, Susan Lisovicz and guest Howard Kurtz
December 15

…KEN DOLAN: All right, let`s do a little self rating here. How did the news media do in 2004? Well, our pal Susan Lisovicz turned on the TV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNNfn CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you spent the year watching TV news, you saw a lot of them, a bit of this, and almost none of that. Overseas, it was the end of an era, the continuation of another, and the beginning of something totally new.

And then, of course, there were disasters, from Iraq, from Spain from Russia, from Haiti, images of destruction and despair. Here at home, politics led the way, with two men running for their careers and a nation deeply divided. Some say media coverage of the election became part of the story.

TIM GRAHAM, MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER: I don`t think that we generally see an incumbent president run for reelection get the kind of harsh coverage that President Bush received this year, especially in comparison to the way John Kerry got really remarkably positive press.

LISOVICZ: Others say the so-called liberal bias is a conservative creation.

PETER HART, FAIRNESS & ACCURACY IN REPORTING: A better way of thinking about elections is, were they fair to the voters. In other words, did they give voters the information that we needed to make an informed decision.

LISOVICZ: Biased or not, there`s one thing most can agree on. In 2004, celebrity was the star, and specifically, celebrity wrong-doing. From Martha, to Kobe, to Michael, TV news loved a good courtroom drama. Even Scott Peterson found celebrity status, reaching our homes 24 hours a day from the perch of his defendant`s chair. Why the deluge of crime coverage? We put the question to Peg Tyre, a former CNN reporter and now general editor at "NewsWeek." …

The Washington Times
“Nation; Inside Politics,” by Greg Pierce
December 15

…Zell joins Fox

The Fox News Channel has signed Sen. Zell Miller, Georgia Democrat, as a contributor beginning in January.

"I am excited to be joining Fox News Channel and am eager to contribute to the continuing success of the network," Mr. Miller said.

Mr. Miller served two terms as governor of Georgia before becoming a U.S. senator. He did not run for re-election this year. Mr. Miller, a conservative, outraged his fellow Democrats by giving the keynote address at the Republican National Convention in August.

Conservative = bad

"When it comes to ideological labeling, the media standard is to presume that the bad guys are the conservatives or the ones on the right," the Media Research Center's Brent Baker writes at www.mediaresearch.org.

"How else to explain 'hard right' and 'conservative' communists when communism is on the far left? NPR delivered another example on Monday when reporter Ivan Watson repeatedly asserted on 'Morning Edition' that in Iran, though fundamentalist Islamism is on the left, not right, it is the 'conservatives' who obstruct reform of that nation's theocratic, dictatorial status quo.”

Human Events
“Rumsfeld Gets Pranked,” by L. Brent Bozell, III
December 16

See Story

The story also ran in the following newspaper:

The Washington Times, December 18

Hartford Courant (subscription)
“PBS Minus Moyers” 
December 16

... The conservative Media Research Center last year called him "The Most Outrageously Biased Liberal Reporter." An editorial in the liberal journal Nation this ...

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RenewAmerica.us
“Rush kids: talk radio’s generation,” Hans Zeiger
December 16

When I was younger, I dreamed of someday being a radio talk show host. I distinctly recall the evening in 1993 when, at the age of 8, I turned on the Kirby Wilbur show on Seattle's "Hot Talk" 570 KVI. Talk radio thereafter became a sort of second classroom for me, a weighty counterbalance to the moral neutrality and civic illiteracy of my public school.

I count among my teachers Mr. Wilbur, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Medved, John Carlson, Michael Reagan, Floyd Brown, and others who came over the airwaves at various times during my growing-up years. Rush calls his program the Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies, and this student of talk radio has school spirit. I've never known a time when there wasn't conservative talk radio.

Talk radio grows larger in bandwidth, talent, and influence as time goes on. When Rush first came on the national airwaves in 1988, his Seattle affiliate was an Oldies station. Today, the burgeoning demand that has developed around the Rush Limbaugh Show has brought two conservative radio stations into prime competition in the Seattle market. Twenty million Americans listen to Rush on over 600 stations every week. According to the American Radio News Audience Survey, 30 percent of Americans who listen to radio news can be classified as light or heavy listeners to news through talk radio stations.

But I never truly appreciated the importance of talk radio in American political culture until Rush Limbaugh read one of my columns on his program last March. "This op-ed here by Mr. Zeiger is just an example of the kind of thinking that's going on out there in young people's minds and hearts," he said, "because they're just as frustrated as you are. They're mature beyond their years and they're just as frustrated as you are this stuff is happening, but they look at it: all this stuff has been tried isn't working. They want to fix it, not just talking about it. So there's reason to be optimistic is the point."

Indeed, it is an optimistic time to be a patriot. There are plenty of reasons to be pessimistic too — there always are, and quite literally the world is dying — but pessimism has a funny way of becoming self-fulfilling. We ought to be optimistic about the future of this country, not because everything is going the right way, but because we have the right ideals. We should have such confidence in the strength of our ideals, such faith that they will endure, and such trust in our God, that we never hesitate to partake when a feast of hope is presented before us.

And I am convinced, having grown up on talk radio, that Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Dennis Prager, Laura Ingraham, Larry Elder, G. Gordon Liddy, and all of the others have played a significant part in the battle of ideas in our time. It is largely due to their presence on the AM dials of the big cities and small towns of America that many of the most important advances have been made in the popular revival of conservative ideas. It is because of Rush Limbaugh in particular, that as he said, "there's reason to be optimistic."

ABC News correspondent Carole Simpson is quite pessimistic about the fact that young people are tuning into talk radio. At a post-election National Press Club forum, as transcribed by David Wilmouth of the Media Research Center, Ms. Simpson erupted, "The children are saying, 'Well, I hear Rush Limbaugh,' and I said, 'That's not the news.' And they go, 'But he's talking about news things.' Okay, that's really scary when I hear them say that they think they're getting the news, they can't make the separation between the New York Times and ABC News and NPR and the talk shows Hannity and Colmes or Bill O'Reilly. It's all the same to them. That's all the news, Entertainment Tonight, it's all the news. So it's been a very frightening thing to me. I am scared. I am going to admit to you that I'm scared."

See Story

The story also ran in the following:

ChronWatch (CA), December 19.

Family News in Focus
“Fox News Broadcasts Religious Christmas Messages,” by Terry Phillips
December 15

Critics are wowed and shocked that the network isn't afraid to say anything other than "Happy Holidays." 

In a startling departure from the political correctness on much of network television, the Fox News Channel is running Christmas greetings with Bible verses. One references John 3:16, another displays the prediction of Christ's birth from Isaiah. 

Perhaps even more surprising, critics love them. 

"I think they're beautifully done," said Sherry Gossett of Accuracy in Media. "I'm thinking of one I saw (which) had a painting by the Renaissance artist Botticelli, of Mary and Jesus surrounded by other figures. I think it's a lovely gesture." 

As you might expect, the host of a Web site called hollywoodjesus.com was downright enthusiastic. David Bruce's group monitors movies and television.

"Three cheers for Fox News," Bruce said. "What a wonderful thing to be doing at this time, when there seems to be self-imposed censorship on the 'reason for the season,' Jesus Christ." 

Judging by the reaction, you might wonder why the other networks don't buck the PC trent of ignoring what we celebrate on December 25. Tim Graham, at the Media Research Center, has an idea.

See Story

News Hounds
“Christmas Under Seige,” by Marie Therese
December 15

…"And it has become pretty general. Last Christmas most people had a hard time finding Christmas cards that indicated in any way that Christmas commemorated Someone's Birth. Easter they will have the same difficulty in finding Easter cards that contain any suggestion that Easter commemorates a certain event. There will be rabbits and eggs and spring flowers, but a hint of the Resurrection will be hard to find. Now, all this begins with the designers of the cards."

To whom do these words belong?

Sean Hannity? John Gibson? Jerry Falwell? Pat Robertson? Ann Coulter? Michelle Malkin? Newt Gingrich? Brent Bozell? Mark Hyman? Rush Limbaugh? Davis Asman? John Kasich?

None of the above. …

See Story

Family News in Focus
“Fox News Airs Religious Christmas Messages,” by Terry Phillips
December 15

…Judging by the reaction, you might wonder why the other networks don't buck the PC trend of ignoring what we celebrate on Dec. 25. Tim Graham, at the Media Research Center, has an idea.

"For some reason, in America today, being for the flag is conservative," he said. "Being for John 3:16 is conservative." …

See Story

The Washington Times
“Inside Politics,” by Greg Pierce
December 15

…Conservative = bad 

"When it comes to ideological labeling, the media standard is to presume that the bad guys are the conservatives or the ones on the right," the Media Research Center's Brent Baker writes at www.mediaresearch.org.

"How else to explain 'hard right' and 'conservative' communists when communism is on the far left? NPR delivered another example on Monday when reporter Ivan Watson repeatedly asserted on 'Morning Edition' that in Iran, though fundamentalist Islamism is on the left, not right, it is the 'conservatives' who obstruct reform of that nation's theocratic, dictatorial status quo."

See Story

Tornotofreepress.com
"Ignore Global Warming,' Says Former Greenpeace Member, by Marc Morano
December 15

Buenos Aires, Argentina (CNSNews.com) - A former member of Greenpeace who became disillusioned with what he saw as bad eco-science urged a United Nations climate change conference to "save the world" by ignoring global warming.

See Story

The story also ran on the following website:

SierraTimes.com, December 15

Batteline with Alan Nathan, nationally syndicated
December 15

Free Market Project Director (FMP) Dan Gainor discussed obesity.

KONP, Port Angeles, Washington
Todd Ortloff Show
December 14

FMP Director Dan Gainor discussed the global warming study, "Destroying America to Save the World."

FrontPageMagazine.com
"Adieu to Bill Moyers," Lowell Ponte
December 13

... "In other words," wrote L. Brent Bozell III, head of the Media Research Center, in translating Moyers' statement, "Moyers believes that whatever ... 

See Story

Pittsburgh Tribune Review
“Media Monday” (no byline)
December 13

Here are some of the latest outrageous, sometimes humorous, quotes from or about the liberal media, courtesy of the Media Research Center: 

Clinton worship: "Bill Clinton is the quintessential American, super-sized. ... Dreaming big. 

Flying sometimes too close to the sun. Falling hard and coming back strong." 
-- CNN's Judy Woodruff on "Inside Politics." 

A nation speaking with one voice is bad?: "What (President Bush) is doing is shutting down any kind of dissent, any kind of opposing views. I mean, (Secretary of State-designate) Condi Rice will go and do what she does best, which is to parrot the administration line. ... Incompetence is so rewarded." 
-- Newsweek's Eleanor Clift on "The McLaughlin Group," criticizing the administration's Cabinet shake-up. 

They got smart, Andy: "The (American) labor force is conservative. How in the world did that happen?" 
-- CBS News curmudgeon Andy Rooney, speaking at Tufts University's Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy. 

Bush, the new Hitler?: "People don't realize that by voting Republican, they voted against themselves. ... I worry that some people are entertained by the idea of this war. They don't know anything about the Iraqis, but they're angry and frustrated in their own lives. It's like Germany before Hitler took over. The economy was bad, and the people felt kicked around. They looked for a scapegoat. Now we've got a new bunch of Hitlers." 
-- Singer Linda Ronstadt in USA Today.

WCHS - Charleston, West Virginia
December 10

Free Market Project (FMP) Director Dan Gainor discussed FMP's special report, "Destroying America to Save the World."

Gainor also discussed the issue on the following show:

Chuck Harder Show, December 10

Fox News Live
December 10

MRC President Brent Bozell discussed CBS's investigation.

WMAL 
December 10

MRC President Brent Bozell spoke about the Chattanooga reporter.

Hannity & Colmes
December 10

MRC President Brent Bozell discussed Bill Moyers' comments.

NRA News
December 10

MRC Director of Media Analysis Tim Graham spoke about the Chattanooga reporter.

SierraTimes.com
“Reporter Drafted Soldier's Remarks to Rumsfeld on Troop Safety in Iraq” (AFP)
December 10

…The colleague who released the journalist's e-mail on the Internet said Pitts's fellow journalists are very proud of him. 

However, L. Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center, a conservative watchdog group, declared: "It was sneaky, it was slimy, and he should be fired for it."

2004 Archive