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1. NBC Notes Lack of Economic Confidence; Blames "Record" Gas Price NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams on Tuesday night wondered, "with many of the numbers and many economists saying the economy is in good shape in this country, the question is: Why isn't President Bush benefitting from that?" Reporter Kelly O'Donnell inadvertently provided part of the answer when she suggested the lack of public confidence in the economy is "fueled most notably by record gas prices, an issue the White House concedes overshadows other economic successes." But while gas prices are rising, they are far short a "record" high price. NBC isn't alone in spreading this canard. On Monday's CBS evening News, anchor Bob Schieffer asserted that "the government reported today that gas prices jumped eight cents in the past week to a record high of $2.37 a gallon. And oil soared to another record high, today just short now of $64 a barrel." The same night, ABC anchor Charles Gibson falsely cited how the cost of gas and oil "hit new highs." 2. Good Morning America Features "Exclusive" Interview with Sheehan Over video of Bush-hater Cindy Sheehan yelling at a Sheriff's deputy near Bush's Texas ranch, Charles Gibson opened Tuesday's Good Morning America by touting: "Standing her ground. She lost her son in Iraq, she opposes the war, now she's camped out at President Bush's ranch and says she won't leave until he meets with her. An exclusive interview on Good Morning America." Gibson at least forced her to react to a parent who wants the U.S. to complete the mission in Iraq and raised how she already had a meeting with President Bush, though he didn't point out how at the time, in June of 2004, she praised Bush. 3. Koppel & Brown Deny Jennings Had Bias, Brown Tags Critics "Silly" ABC's Ted Koppel and CNN's Aaron Brown on Monday night insisted that the late Peter Jennings displayed no bias in his reporting, and Brown even used a tribute to Jennings as a chance to slam "silly" critics who saw bias. "Peter was no ideologue of the left or the right," Koppel declared on Nightline. Earlier on MSNBC's Hardball Koppel had complained that "he was often and unfairly portrayed as being anti-Israeli." On CNN's NewsNight, Brown asserted: "I never once saw him look at a story, treat a story with anything other than complete fairness and demand the same from us. The silly little Web sites on the left and the right will spend days saying otherwise, but they are wrong." 4. Update on the Radical Leftism of "Raging Grannies" Touted by NBC Update to the Tuesday CyberAlert item on the Today show's celebrating of the anti-war and anti-Bush "Raging Grannies." In a Tuesday posting on the MRC's new blog, NewsBusters, "How Radical Are NBC's Grannies?," the MRC's Tim Graham directed readers: "For more on the Raging Grannies that Brent 'The Scourge of Media Bias' Baker posted, see additional lame leftist song lyrics here [link]. The Grannies' official page at the Tucson chapter of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (even more lame lyrics) is here. Are they radical lefties? A look at their Spring newsletter shows they chant 'Free Lori Berenson,' who is an American leftist convicted of aiding a Marxist terrorist group in Peru. That's not so peaceful..."
Blames "Record" Gas Price NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams on Tuesday night wondered, "with many of the numbers and many economists saying the economy is in good shape in this country, the question is: Why isn't President Bush benefitting from that?" Reporter Kelly O'Donnell inadvertently provided part of the answer when she suggested the lack of public confidence in the economy is "fueled most notably by record gas prices, an issue the White House concedes overshadows other economic successes." But while gas prices are rising, they are far short a "record" high price. NBC isn't alone in spreading this canard. On Monday's CBS evening News, anchor Bob Schieffer asserted that "the government reported today that gas prices jumped eight cents in the past week to a record high of $2.37 a gallon. And oil soared to another record high, today just short now of $64 a barrel." The same night, ABC anchor Charles Gibson falsely cited how the cost of gas and oil "hit new highs." In fact, adjusted for inflation -- which is the only way to accurately measure any cost trend -- to match the record price of 1980, gas would have to exceed $2.97 a gallon and a barrel of oil would need to go over $90.
Williams set up the August 9 NBC Nightly News piece: "And as for President Bush today, he was talking about the economy, talking up some recent economic indicators that are showing the country on solid footing. Those recent numbers were one of the reasons behind today's decision by the Federal Reserve Board to raise a key interest rate by a quarter point to 3.5 percent, the tenth increase since June of last year. Wall Street was happy with what the Fed did. The Dow gained almost 79 points, NASDAQ composite was up just under 10 points on the day. All year the networks have been pushing the erroneous "record high" gas and oil price line. Previous CyberAlert items:
# March 17 CyberAlert: The futures price for a barrel of oil and the cost of a gallon of gas at the retail pump have been soaring, but they are far from record highs, yet the networks make that false assertion. On Wednesday night, Peter Jennings teased: "On World News Tonight, the price of oil is at another record high." Betsy Stark soon issued an inaccurate prediction that "gas prices are now within a penny of their all-time record." On CNN, Erica Hill referred to how "crude oil prices hit a record high today closing" and the "AAA predicts U.S. gas prices could reach an all-time high tomorrow." CBS's Bob Schieffer insisted that "the price of oil hit a record $56 a barrel today." NBC's Brian Williams declared that "the price of oil set a new record high -- $56 a barrel." PBS's Jim Lehrer maintained that "the price of crude oil rose to an all-time high today." FNC's Shepard Smith warned: "The cost of oil hitting an all-time high. It looks like the cost of gas is not far from behind." In fact, adjusted for inflation, oil will have to hit $90 a barrel to set a record high and gasoline would reach a record not at $2.07 per gallon but at a $2.97. See: www.mediaresearch.org
Interview with Sheehan Over video of Bush-hater Cindy Sheehan yelling at a Sheriff's deputy near Bush's Texas ranch, Charles Gibson opened Tuesday's Good Morning America by touting: "Standing her ground. She lost her son in Iraq, she opposes the war, now she's camped out at President Bush's ranch and says she won't leave until he meets with her. An exclusive interview on Good Morning America." Gibson at least forced her to react to a parent who wants the U.S. to complete the mission in Iraq and raised how she already had a meeting with President Bush, though he didn't point out how at the time, in June of 2004, she praised Bush. The MRC's Ken Shepherd on Tuesday posted on the MRC's NewsBusters.org blog how the June 24, 2004 The Reporter newspaper in Vacaville, California quoted Sheehan after a meeting with President Bush: "I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis...I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith."
For Shepherd's blog posting: newsbusters.org Back to the August 9 Good Morning America, Robin Roberts set up a taped piece, as caught by the MRC's Brian Boyd: "The mother of another Marine killed in Iraq is on a desperate mission this morning. Cindy Sheehan is demanding to speak to the President about her son. So, she's camped outside Mr. Bush's ranch in Texas. ABC's John Yang joins us from there in Crawford, Texas, this morning."
Yang began: "Good morning, Robin. Cindy Sheehan has already been visited at her campsite here by two of the President's top aides, but she says that's not good enough." A bit later in the 7am half hour, GMA played back a taped interview Charlie Gibson conducted earlier with Sheehan who appeared in the dark from beside the road to Bush's ranch. Gibson's questions: -- "More now on that mother that Robin was talking about who lost a son in Iraq and is camped out on the road to President Bush's Texas ranch. Cindy Sheehan is her name. She says she's not moving until the President meets with her. And I had a chance to speak with her a few moments ago."
-- "Cindy Sheehan, bottom line, what do you hope to accomplish with all this?"
-- Gibson: "Do you really expect the President to see you?"
-- "You did have a meeting with the President just after Casey had died and he came to console the family. Why didn't you make the points to him then?"
-- "I want to play for you a brief soundbite from a man named Jim Boskovitch, who was interviewed by George Stephanopoulos this past Sunday and whose son just did die, as well, in Iraq. Want you to listen to what he had to say."
-- "And you stay where you are camped on the road to Crawford?"
-- "Do you anticipate there's a possibility of arrest?"
Brown Tags Critics "Silly" ABC's Ted Koppel and CNN's Aaron Brown on Monday night insisted that the late Peter Jennings displayed no bias in his reporting, and Brown even used a tribute to Jennings as a chance to slam "silly" critics who saw bias. "Peter was no ideologue of the left or the right," Koppel declared on Nightline. Earlier on MSNBC's Hardball Koppel had complained that "he was often and unfairly portrayed as being anti-Israeli." On CNN's NewsNight, Brown asserted: "I never once saw him look at a story, treat a story with anything other than complete fairness and demand the same from us. The silly little Web sites on the left and the right will spend days saying otherwise, but they are wrong." We'd presume the MRC is amongst the groups he considers "silly." And while the MRC and CyberAlert did regularly document examples of what we considered to be Jennings' liberal tilt, and that record of reporting remains detailed in the MRC's archives, since he revealed his illness in April we ceased our criticism. At our April 21 DisHonors Awards our Master of Ceremonies, Cal Thomas, wished Jennings well and we removed from the program quotes from him.
On Monday morning, MRC President Brent Bozell wrote this statement: "The Media Research Center offers its condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Peter Jennings upon learning of his passing. His was as full a career as any network journalist could hope to have in an industry that is known for constant turnover. Mr. Jennings' journalistic accomplishments and longevity at the height of his profession will always command honor and respect." On the August 8 Hardball on MSNBC, in an interview taped at the ABC News Washington bureau, Koppel told David Gregory: "He was often and unfairly portrayed as being anti-Israeli. He was not. He really was not."
At the very end of Monday's Nightline, delayed 40 minutes in the Eastern and Central time zones by Monday Night Football, Koppel maintained:
On CNN's August 8 NewsNight, Aaron Brown, a former colleague of Jennings' at ABC News, recalled his work relationship with him:
Grannies" Touted by NBC Update to the Tuesday CyberAlert item on the Today show's celebrating of the anti-war and anti-Bush "Raging Grannies." In a Tuesday posting on the MRC's new blog, NewsBusters, "How Radical Are NBC's Grannies?," the MRC's Tim Graham directed readers: "For more on the Raging Grannies that Brent 'The Scourge of Media Bias' Baker posted, see additional lame leftist song lyrics here [link]. The Grannies' official page at the Tucson chapter of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (even more lame lyrics) is here. Are they radical lefties? A look at their Spring newsletter shows they chant 'Free Lori Berenson,' who is an American leftist convicted of aiding a Marxist terrorist group in Peru. That's not so peaceful..." For the blog posting with promised links: newsbusters.org Here's one of the links, to the Tucson chapter of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom: www.wilpftucson.org
The August 9 CyberAlert article: Monday's Today on NBC devoted over seven minutes of its last half hour to a friendly story and interview with "raging grannies," some elderly women in Tucson who hold small rallies outside military recruiting offices where they don big, colorful hats and sing song parodies such as "we're here to stop the war machine, don't get in our way!", "Halliburton profits from war," "taxes unending, military spending, what a waste, what a waste!" Reporter Paul Alexander trumpeted their efforts: "With their will and their words as their only weapons these grannies from 53 to 93 years of age protest on this downtown street corner every Wednesday." As they sang, "Down with the one who would drive the country under," the camera showed a George W. Bush doll decked out in a black and white striped prison shirt with an American flag draped on his shoulder. Four of the grannies then sat for an interview with a delighted Natalie Morales who hailed their "witty lyrics" and sounded in awe as she wondered: "Tell me what it's like to be able to, to speak and to be a voice for a demographic that, generally we don't hear that much from, especially as activists?" See: www.mediaresearch.org
-- Brent Baker
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