top
|
1. Couric Celebrates 'Stimulus' Deal by Giggling Along with Pelosi Katie Couric teased Wednesday's CBS Evening News by excitingly trumpeting: "Tonight, they've got a deal! Congress reaches agreement on an economic stimulus plan." She soon shared her enthusiasm in a taped interview with a triumphant House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Couric giggled along with Pelosi while asking if she was "surprised how intimately involved" President Obama "is in the whole process?" And, acting like a teenage girl gossiping about a friend's boyfriend, "Can you tell us anything he said to you, like 'get cracking'?" 2. Chris Matthews Charmed: Obama is 'Fred Astaire Out There!' When Hardball guest and former John McCain adviser Mark McKinnon suggested Barack Obama, in his first few days in office, is discovering what George W. Bush found out, that being President is "a hard job," Chris Matthews, on Wednesday night's show, vehemently disagreed, saying Obama "doesn't look he's having a hard time...he's Fred Astaire out there...he still moves around with incredible alacrity." 3. ABC's Terry Moran to Obama: Why Don't You Just Fire Bank Execs? Nightline co-anchor Terry Moran on Tuesday interviewed Barack Obama and pressed him from the left, wondering why he didn't simply fire the executives whom the journalist blamed for "wreck[ing] these banks in the first place." The two were discussing the stimulus bill and the current economic problems on Wall Street. As Wednesday's CyberAlert noted, Moran had also seriously wondered: "Why not just nationalize the banks?" After the President suggested that such an idea was unworkable and didn't make sense, the host persisted. Moran challenged: "People are angry." Going further, the ABC journalist queried: "Why shouldn't you just fire the executives who wrecked these banks in the first place and tanked the world's financial system in the process?" 4. On PBS Two Leftists Indict Media for Aiding and Abetting GOP Last Friday night, PBS star Bill Moyers took up the question of the media's coverage of President Obama. It was not a liberal vs. conservative debate. His panel was two left-wing bloggers: Glenn Greenwald of Salon and Jay Rosen of PressThink. Unsurprisingly, they felt the media weren't "progressive" enough. But Greenwald went far beyond that, making claims that "establishment media venues" forged a political "partnership" with the Republican Party and "the right wing" during the Lewinsky affair that continued and "translated into the media being blindly supportive and reverent of the Bush administration." He also claimed -- against all evidence -- that massive demonstrations against the Iraq war in 2003 were almost ignored: "The media virtually excluded those demonstrations from the narrative." 5. CBS: Netanyahu Win Means Rise of 'Right Wing Fringe' in Israel On Wednesday's CBS Early Show, correspondent Richard Roth reported on the outcome of the Israeli election and a possible victory for the conservative parties led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "So, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims victory, too, with fewer votes, but it's believed more support from his traditional allies in right wing parties...there's a clear sign Israel shifted to the right. It may take weeks to create the next government here, but whoever leads it, is likely to have obligations to parties on the fringe of Israeli politics." Roth also pointed out that conservative victories may hinder Obama foreign policy: "And that could be a setback for the White House, eager to restart a peace process in the Middle East." 6. Tickets Available for MRC's March 19 'DisHonors Awards' and Gala Every year, we sell out. So don't procrastinate. One of the biggest and best conservative events -- the Media Research Center's annual gala -- is fast approaching. Join us for this year's gala featuring the "DisHonors Awards for the Worst Reporting of the Year" and the annual "William F. Buckley Award for Media Excellence," this year to be presented to Brit Hume. It will take place on Thursday evening, March 19th, at the Grand Hyatt Washington. The MRC gala is one of the most fun events of the year. Rush Limbaugh called it "a terrific show...a great, great, great assemblage of people....Everybody just had a blast!" Sean Hannity exclaimed: "I love this event!" Couric Celebrates 'Stimulus' Deal by Giggling Along with Pelosi Katie Couric teased Wednesday's CBS Evening News by excitingly trumpeting: "Tonight, they've got a deal! Congress reaches agreement on an economic stimulus plan." She soon shared her enthusiasm in a taped interview with a triumphant House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Couric giggled along with Pelosi while asking if she was "surprised how intimately involved" President Obama "is in the whole process?" And, acting like a teenage girl gossiping about a friend's boyfriend, "Can you tell us anything he said to you, like 'get cracking'?" The giggle-filled exchange, which matches the accompanying video:
KATIE COURIC: Are you surprised how intimately involved he is in the whole process? Couric proceeded to quiz Pelosi on how soon the House-Senate agreement will be passed. "When do you think this will come to a vote?" And: "What about the Senate? Any idea?" Before viewers were treated to Couric's chat with Pelosi, reporter Chip Reid assured viewers Obama had put the people ahead of his own desires: "He [Obama] certainly did not get everything he wanted. For example, the bill falls short by billions on health care and education. But in the end, the President decided it's much more important to get this bill passed quickly and put people back to work than to get it exactly right." [This item, by the MRC's Brent Baker, was posted Wednesday night, with video, on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] Couric's interview with Pelosi, as shown on the Wednesday, February 11 CBS Evening News:
KATIE COURIC: One of the key players in getting this deal approved is the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. I talked to her this afternoon as Senate negotiators were announcing the agreement and we spoke right after she had been on the phone with the President. CBSNews.com online version of the interview: www.cbsnews.com
Chris Matthews Charmed: Obama is 'Fred Astaire Out There!' When Hardball guest and former John McCain adviser Mark McKinnon suggested Barack Obama, in his first few days in office, is discovering what George W. Bush found out, that being President is "a hard job," Chris Matthews, on Wednesday night's show, vehemently disagreed, saying Obama "doesn't look he's having a hard time...he's Fred Astaire out there...he still moves around with incredible alacrity." [This item, by the MRC's Geoffrey Dickens, was posted Wednesday evening, on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] The following exchange was aired during the February 11 edition of Hardball:
MARK MCKINNON, FORMER JOHN MCCAIN ADVISER: But I'll tell ya he's discovering one thing that President Bush did early on and that, that's this is a hard job Chris. It's a really hard job.
ABC's Terry Moran to Obama: Why Don't You Just Fire Bank Execs? Nightline co-anchor Terry Moran on Tuesday interviewed Barack Obama and pressed him from the left, wondering why he didn't simply fire the executives whom the journalist blamed for "wreck[ing] these banks in the first place." The two were discussing the stimulus bill and the current economic problems on Wall Street. As Wednesday's CyberAlert noted, Moran had also seriously wondered: "Why not just nationalize the banks?" After the President suggested that such an idea was unworkable and didn't make sense, the host persisted. Moran challenged: "People are angry." Going further, the ABC journalist queried: "Why shouldn't you just fire the executives who wrecked these banks in the first place and tanked the world's financial system in the process?" [This item, by the MRC's Scott Whitlock, was posted Wednesday afternoon on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] Moran, who spent the day with Obama at a campaign rally in Florida, began the segment by effusively describing the "stoked" crowds at the President's events. Moran rhapsodized, "It's a wildly friendly crowd here. They cheer him on. They amen him. They're ready to vote for him again in four years." The day after the 2008 election, on November 5, Moran sounded a similar theme on the emotion of Obama crowds at the moment of victory. Back then he enthused, "No one who was in Grant Park in Chicago last night will ever forget it. The jubilation. The emotion. The pride." See a November 6 NewsBusters posting for more: www.newsbusters.org On Tuesday, Moran also conducted a brief joint interview with Obama and Florida's Republican Governor, Charlie Crist, who supports the stimulus bill. The journalist prompted Crist to bash his GOP colleagues in Washington, observing, "What's the disconnect between you as a Republican governor here in Florida and Washington Republicans?" When the governor ignored the question, he tried again: "How do you account for the difference?" To be fair to Moran, he did offer two somewhat tough questions that weren't from the left. Pressing Obama to explain exactly how much this spending bill will cost, he asked, "Can you say how much, ballpark figure, that will cost the American taxpayer? A trillion, a trillion-five, two trillion?" Later, acknowledging the view of the GOP in the House, Moran charged: "The Republican argument is that you and Nancy Pelosi are using the need for a stimulus bill as an excuse to jack up spending under a traditional liberal Democratic agenda." For more on Moran's interview, as shown on Tuesday's World News, check the February 11 CyberAlert which detailed how Moran whined to Obama that he "got no honeymoon. Not a single Republican vote in the House on your first major piece of legislation." The host also suggested: "I wonder in coming into the presidency, maybe you were too nice?" For details, and a video clip: www.mrc.org A partial transcript of the February 10 Nightline:
TERRY MORAN: In Fort Myers, the big plane comes in for a landing. A sleek symbol of the power and reach of the presidency. People gather to wave at the motorcade en route. This is one economically hard-hit town though. The Fort Myers area has the highest home foreclosure rate in the country. The unemployment rate has tripled in two years to nearly 10 percent. The big crowd downtown waiting for him is stoked. Backstage, President Obama is joined by Florida Governor Charlie Crist, a Republican. Given the partisan scene in Washington, that's unusual. And we'll talk to them both about it later. Right now though, it's show time. ...
TERRY MORAN: So, Treasury Secretary Geithner today has laid out the plan for the banks and judging by the reaction in the markets, Wall Street really doesn't like your plan. ...
MORAN: You have been sounding some very dire warnings about the economy in recent days. How close do you think the country is to the kind of economic catastrophe that you're warning about? ...
MORAN: In Florida today, President Obama is working together with Republican Governor Charlie Crist, who was a top contender to be John McCain's running mate. We talked to both of them just after our interview with President Obama. So, why? Why are you here, governor?
On PBS Two Leftists Indict Media for Aiding and Abetting GOP Last Friday night, PBS star Bill Moyers took up the question of the media's coverage of President Obama. It was not a liberal vs. conservative debate. His panel was two left-wing bloggers: Glenn Greenwald of Salon and Jay Rosen of PressThink. Unsurprisingly, they felt the media weren't "progressive" enough. But Greenwald went far beyond that, making claims that "establishment media venues" forged a political "partnership" with the Republican Party and "the right wing" during the Lewinsky affair that continued and "translated into the media being blindly supportive and reverent of the Bush administration." He also claimed -- against all evidence -- that massive demonstrations against the Iraq war in 2003 were almost ignored: "The media virtually excluded those demonstrations from the narrative." [This item, by the MRC's Tim Graham, was posted Thursday on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] These strange theories erupted without Moyers really demanding an attack on the media elite:
MOYERS: The Rasmussen Poll this week shows an eight point drop in support for the stimulus plan, what do you make of that?
CBS: Netanyahu Win Means Rise of 'Right Wing Fringe' in Israel On Wednesday's CBS Early Show, correspondent Richard Roth reported on the outcome of the Israeli election and a possible victory for the conservative parties led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "So, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims victory, too, with fewer votes, but it's believed more support from his traditional allies in right wing parties...there's a clear sign Israel shifted to the right. It may take weeks to create the next government here, but whoever leads it, is likely to have obligations to parties on the fringe of Israeli politics." Roth also pointed out that conservative victories may hinder Obama foreign policy: "And that could be a setback for the White House, eager to restart a peace process in the Middle East." Back in 1996, when Netanyahu first served as Israel's Prime Minister, CBS had similar concerns about his "right-wing" leanings. On the May 31 Evening News of that year, then anchor Dan Rather described Netanyahu's election: "Right-wing hardliner Benjamin Netanyahu is declared Israel's new Prime Minister." During CBS's This Morning that same day, then co-host Harry Smith asked: "Let's talk about his words for a second. Because it's not that many months ago that a lot of people were accusing Bibi Netanyahu of fanning the flames of the Israeli right, of setting the rhetorical tone for [Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak] Rabin's assassination." See the 1996 Notable Quotables featuring CBS labeling of Netanyahu here: www.mrc.org [This item, by the MRC's Kyle Drennen, was posted Wednesday afternoon on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] Here is the full transcript of the February 11 report:
7:11AM SEGMENT:
Tickets Available for MRC's March 19 'DisHonors Awards' and Gala Every year, we sell out. So don't procrastinate. One of the biggest and best conservative events -- the Media Research Center's annual gala -- is fast approaching. Join us for this year's gala featuring the "DisHonors Awards for the Worst Reporting of the Year" and the annual "William F. Buckley Award for Media Excellence," this year to be presented to Brit Hume. It will take place on Thursday evening, March 19th, at the Grand Hyatt Washington. The MRC gala is one of the most fun events of the year. Rush Limbaugh called it "a terrific show...a great, great, great assemblage of people....Everybody just had a blast!" Sean Hannity exclaimed: "I love this event!" The DisHonors Awards winners will be announced "Oscar-style," with videos played of each nominated hilariously-biased quote followed by surprise guests on hand to accept each award in jest on behalf of a media figure. Cal Thomas will serve as Master of Ceremonies with awards presented by Ann Coulter, Joe Scarborough and Ken Cribb. And, as always, we'll have a fantastic cast of conservatives joining us to roast of the liberal media. "Joe the Plumber" and Andrew Breitbart are amongst the many who have already confirmed. DisHonors Awards categories: "The Media's Messiah Award," "The Obamagasm Award" "Half-Baked Alaska Award for Pummeling Palin" and the "Dan Rather Memorial Award for the Stupidest Analysis." Plus, there'll be lots of funny video clips as we mock the media's infatuation with Barack Obama. It's sure to be an entertaining evening. Tickets for the Gala are $250 per person. If you are interested in joining us or for more information, e-mail Sara Bell at: sbell@mediaresearch.org Or call, 9 to 5:30 PM EST weekdays: (800) 672-1423. We have limited space and this event fills up quickly, so please make your reservation soon. The MRC has a reduced rate for the Grand Hyatt Washington, but the deadline to reserve your room is February 18. To book your room, please call the hotel at (800) 233-1234. We hope you can join us! Online page with information: www.mediaresearch.org For a look at all the fun at last year's event, with videos: www.mediaresearch.org DisHonors/Galas from earlier years: www.mediaresearch.org
-- Brent Baker
Home | News Division
| Bozell Columns | CyberAlerts |
|