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1. MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell Denies Anti-Palin Media Bias During the Monday 12PM EST hour on MSNBC, anchor Norah O'Donnell interviewed conservative film maker John Ziegler, creator of Media Malpractice, a documentary on media bias against Sarah Palin, and denied any such bias: "Well, let me ask you, you called the treatment of Sarah Palin and her family a, quote, 'media assassination, one of the greatest public injustices of our time.' Is that a little strong? Are you and her a little thin-skinned?" Ziegler responded by pointing out O'Donnell's own anti-Palin bias: "The evidence is overwhelming. It's continuing today. I mean, just a few weeks ago, Norah, you incorrectly stated on the air Sarah Palin called Barack Obama a terrorist during the campaign." 2. Defensive Matt Lauer Forced to Admit Sarah Palin Not an Idiot Confronted by Sarah Palin documentarian John Ziegler on Monday's Today show, NBC's Matt Lauer was forced to admit that the media perception of the Alaska Governor as an "idiot" was "a lie." However, Lauer displayed some disbelief that the media heavily pushed that line during the campaign as he professed: "I don't think that everybody in the media ran out saying, 'Sarah Palin is an idiot.'" Ziegler got the confession from Lauer, while promoting his film Media Malpractice: "Is it not a lie that she's an idiot? You know it Matt." Lauer: "Of course it's a lie." When it came to contrasting Palin's coverage with then vice presidential candidate Joseph Biden, Lauer insisted, "Joe Biden has been lampooned by, by members of the media." After Ziegler pointed out the media just merely laughed off Biden gaffes, he then urged Lauer to "Come clean," and "Be the A-Rod of the media!" on liberal bias. 3. Matthews Calls Limbaugh and Republicans 'Trolls Under the Bridge' What's with Chris Matthews' fixation with comparing Republicans to trolls? Back in September he called then-presidential candidate John McCain "troll-like" after one of his debate performances, and then over the weekend, on the syndicated Chris Matthews Show, he applied the monstrous term to Republicans in the following intro to his show: "And finally trolls under the bridge. Is that what Washington Republicans have become? Gremlins hiding along the pathway, nipping at the Democrats. And are Republican governors saying, 'That's not my job.'" A little later, going to a break, Matthews teased the upcoming segment with video of Rush Limbaugh, with an on-screen headline reading: "Trolls Under The Bridge." 4. Networks Presume Obama's Tax Hike Will Increase Revenue ABC, CBS and NBC reporters over the past two days have relayed how the Obama administration proposes to cut the annual federal deficit from $1.3 trillion to $533 billion in four years by cutting spending on the war in Iraq and raising the income tax rate for those earning more than $250,000. Not considered: How since the Bush tax cuts the revenue paid by the richest -- and their share of total income taxes collected -- have been rising year-by-year. So will a tax hike, from 35 to 39.6 percent, really increase the amount the wealthiest pay, or will they find ways to avoid reporting income and thus the government will see little, if any, additional revenue -- to say nothing about the wisdom of alerting investors during an economic downturn that their tax rate will soon jump? Monday night, CBS's Chip Reid reported: "Most of the savings would come from winding down the war in Iraq, ending the Bush tax cuts for people making over $250,000 a year and cutting spending." Jake Tapper, also Monday night, on ABC: "Another source of revenue being proposed -- allowing the Bush tax cuts for a family earning over $250,000 a year to expire in 2011, increasing that tax rate from 35 percent to 39.6 percent." 5. CBS's Smith 'Wept Openly' Over Sean Penn's Performance in Milk On Monday's CBS Early Show, co-host Harry Smith played a clip of himself talking to left-wing actor Sean Penn following the Oscars Sunday night: "In a night full of first-time winners, Sean Penn took home his second Oscar as best actor for his emotional performance as slain gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk in Milk. I caught up with him and other big winners at the Governor's Ball." During the interview, Smith admitted to Penn: "As I sat watching the film, seems to happen to me more rare these days, but I wept openly during several scenes in the film because it really is a film about a civil rights movement." On December 10, Smith interviewed Penn's Milk co-star, James Franco, and called the film "a must-see."
Media Bias During the Monday 12PM EST hour on MSNBC, anchor Norah O'Donnell interviewed conservative film maker John Ziegler, creator of Media Malpractice, a documentary on media bias against Sarah Palin, and denied any such bias: "Well, let me ask you, you called the treatment of Sarah Palin and her family a, quote, 'media assassination, one of the greatest public injustices of our time.' Is that a little strong? Are you and her a little thin-skinned?" Ziegler responded by pointing out O'Donnell's own anti-Palin bias: "The evidence is overwhelming. It's continuing today. I mean, just a few weeks ago, Norah, you incorrectly stated on the air Sarah Palin called Barack Obama a terrorist during the campaign." The January 30 CyberAlert reported on O'Donnell's smear of Palin: www.mrc.org [This item, by Kyle Drennen, was posted Monday afternoon on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] O'Donnell criticized part of Ziegler's documentary: "Let me ask you, in your documentary you cite examples of media bias by Saturday Night Live, that that's media bias. Aren't those comedians?...How's that media bias?" Ziegler explained: "Poll after poll shows that more people get their news from comedy shows because the line between entertainment and news, as this network has shown time and time again, has virtually evaporated...MSNBC used to be a news organization, now it's an advocacy organization, and SNL is actually thought to be a news organization." Later, Ziegler argued: "You don't think that Tina Fey had a major impact on that past -- in this past election?...Tina Fey clips were used by news organizations constantly. Andrea Mitchell made a habit out of using SNL clips in her Nightly News stories as if they were news." O'Donnell concluded the segment by declaring: "We are equal opportunity when it comes to Democrats or Republicans. We play the SNL clips that make fun of them here on MSNBC..." Ziegler replied: "Really? I'd like to see a study on that, in fact." In fact, on September 29, MSNBC played an SNL clip mocking Palin seven times between 6AM and 12 noon. Meanwhile, on November 2, MSNBC failed to give any air time to an SNL clip mocking MSNBC host Keith Olbermann. That same day, the network replayed a clip of John McCain's appearance on the show poking fun at himself a total of eleven times. See the September 30 CyberAlert on MSNBC coverage of the Palin SNL skit: www.mrc.org See the November 4 CyberAlert on a lack of MSNBC coverage of the Olbermann SNL skit: www.mrc.org Here is the full transcript of O'Donnell's February 23 exchange with Ziegler:
12:53PM SEGMENT:
Sarah Palin Not an Idiot Confronted by Sarah Palin documentarian John Ziegler on Monday's Today show, NBC's Matt Lauer was forced to admit that the media perception of the Alaska Governor as an "idiot" was "a lie." However, Lauer displayed some disbelief that the media heavily pushed that line during the campaign as he professed: "I don't think that everybody in the media ran out saying, 'Sarah Palin is an idiot.'" Ziegler got the confession from Lauer, while promoting his film Media Malpractice, in the following exchange as aired during the 7:30 am half hour of the February 23 Today show:
JOHN ZIEGLER: Oh wait a minute I, I urged people and I urge you Matt because you've been up to Wasilla. You, you know Sarah Palin. You know that this is a lie that she's some sort of an idiot or a moron. [This item by Geoffrey Dickens, was posted Monday afternoon, with video, on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] When it came to contrasting Palin's coverage with then vice presidential candidate Joseph Biden, Lauer insisted, "Joe Biden has been lampooned by, by members of the media." After Ziegler pointed out the media just merely laughed off Biden gaffes, he then urged Lauer to "Come clean," and "Be the A-Rod of the media!" on liberal bias as seen in this exchange:
LAUER: Well I'm just saying did you think any of the questions were unfair? Or were, are they questions that would fall in line with what you would want someone seeking the second highest elected office in the land to answer?
'Trolls Under the Bridge' What's with Chris Matthews' fixation with comparing Republicans to trolls? Back in September he called then-presidential candidate John McCain "troll-like" after one of his debate performances, and then over the weekend, on the syndicated Chris Matthews Show, he applied the monstrous term to Republicans in the following intro to his show: "And finally trolls under the bridge. Is that what Washington Republicans have become? Gremlins hiding along the pathway, nipping at the Democrats. And are Republican governors saying, 'That's not my job.'" [This item, by the MRC's Geoffrey Dickens, was posted Monday morning on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] A little later, going to a break, Matthews teased the upcoming segment with video of Rush Limbaugh, with an on-screen headline reading: "Trolls Under The Bridge." MATTHEWS: Anyway when we come back Rush Limbaugh wants Barack Obama to fail. He's honest about it. Are Republicans letting Limbaugh speak for them? At the opening of the segment Matthews drew guffaws from guest panelist Norah O'Donnell of NBC when he mocked Limbaugh again:
MATTHEWS: Welcome back. That was Saturday Night Live's take on the Republicans these days. They're not sure what to do about Obama's popularity. One guy, Rush Limbaugh, says just pray for failure. To read about Matthews calling McCain "troll-like," during the presidential campaign, see: www.mrc.org
Increase Revenue ABC, CBS and NBC reporters over the past two days have relayed how the Obama administration proposes to cut the annual federal deficit from $1.3 trillion to $533 billion in four years by cutting spending on the war in Iraq and raising the income tax rate for those earning more than $250,000. Not considered: How since the Bush tax cuts the revenue paid by the richest -- and their share of total income taxes collected -- have been rising year-by-year. So will a tax hike, from 35 to 39.6 percent, really increase the amount the wealthiest pay, or will they find ways to avoid reporting income and thus the government will see little, if any, additional revenue -- to say nothing about the wisdom of alerting investors during an economic downturn that their tax rate will soon jump? Monday night, CBS's Chip Reid reported: "Most of the savings would come from winding down the war in Iraq, ending the Bush tax cuts for people making over $250,000 a year and cutting spending." Jake Tapper, also Monday night, on ABC: "Another source of revenue being proposed -- allowing the Bush tax cuts for a family earning over $250,000 a year to expire in 2011, increasing that tax rate from 35 percent to 39.6 percent." On Sunday's NBC Nightly News, Chuck Todd explained how the Obama advisors plan to cut the deficit by more than half: "They believe they can do it because of two big changes: The Iraq war, winding that down, the cost of that obviously goes down; and then getting rid of those Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans. That will bring in more revenue." [This item, by the MRC's Brent Baker, was posted Monday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] For 2006, it took an Adjusted Gross Income of $153,542 to be in the to five percent of earners and an AGI or $388,806 or more to be in the top one percent. A Tax Foundation report from last July listed revenue trends in what the IRS has collected: Total revenue received from the top one percent: 2003: $256 billion 2004: $307 2005: $368 2006: $408 Share of total income taxes collected which were paid by the top one percent: 2003: 34.27% 2004: 36.89% 2005: 39.38% 2006: 39.89% Looks like the richest are already pay more each year. Let's hope future coverage, as Obama unveils his actual budget plan, explores the topic. Tax Foundation's report: www.taxfoundation.org
Performance in Milk On Monday's CBS Early Show, co-host Harry Smith played a clip of himself talking to left-wing actor Sean Penn following the Oscars Sunday night: "In a night full of first-time winners, Sean Penn took home his second Oscar as best actor for his emotional performance as slain gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk in Milk. I caught up with him and other big winners at the Governor's Ball." During the interview, Smith admitted to Penn: "As I sat watching the film, seems to happen to me more rare these days, but I wept openly during several scenes in the film because it really is a film about a civil rights movement." On December 10, Smith interviewed Penn's Milk co-star, James Franco, and called the film "a must-see." [This item, by the MRC's Kyle Drennen, was posted Monday morning on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] Earlier in the broadcast, a clip was played of Penn describing his feeling's about the Oscar win during a press conference after the award show: "That means a lot to myself and to everybody involved, not only in the movie, but to anybody who believes in equal rights for other human beings." However, no clip was played of Penn's actual acceptance speech, in which he declared: "I think it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect, and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way of support. We've got to have equal rights for everyone."
-- Brent Baker
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