Broadcast networks all led with Kerry's "botched joke," entirely ignored Bush's statement that a Democratic victory means "terrorists win and America loses"
On October 31, all three broadcast networks led their nightly news programs with coverage of the controversy surrounding an October 30 statement by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), which Kerry has said was a botched joke intended to criticize President Bush on his Iraq war policies, but has been misrepresented by Republicans and some in the media as denigrating U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Kerry stated: "You know, education -- if you make the most of it, you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." In contrast, at no point has NBC's Nightly News, ABC's World News, or the CBS Evening News even mentioned* -- much less led with -- President Bush's October 30 statement during a campaign speech that a Democratic victory in the midterm elections would mean that "terrorists win and America loses." Read more
O'Reilly anointed Santorum "the terror warrior
"On the October 31 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly declared Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) to be "the terror warrior" while discussing his bid for re-election against Democratic challenger Bob Casey Jr. During an interview with Santorum, O'Reilly twice referred to Santorum as "the terror warrior" and asked of Santorum, "[W]hy, then, if you're the terror warrior -- and your voting record shows you are -- why is he [Casey] ahead in the polls so big?" Recent polls show Casey leading Santorum by between 10 and 17 percentage points. For his part, Santorum suggested "the danger" from North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela "is now," and asserted that if voters elected "people like Bob Casey, who don't understand the threat ... we're going to be in a world of hurt in a very short period of time." Read more
Mitchell asked Lynne Cheney about Rangel's "son of a bitch" comment, but not about VP telling Leahy to "fuck" himself
During the 11 a.m. ET hour of the November 1 edition of MSNBC News Live, NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell asked Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, about Rep. Charles Rangel's (D-NY) recent comment that Vice President Cheney is a "son of a bitch." Rangel was responding to an October 30 interview Fox News host Neil Cavuto conducted with the vice president, in which Cheney said that Rangel "doesn't understand how the economy works." Lynne Cheney responded to Mitchell by saying that "television during this campaign season is getting so that, you know, I keep my grandchildren out of the room." Read more
Does Miles O'Brien believe CNN Baghdad correspondent Michael Ware is part of the "'grassy knoll' set"?
On the October 31 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, host Wolf Blitzer asked CNN Baghdad correspondent Michael Ware whether the verdict in the Saddam Hussein trial, scheduled to be issued on November 5, two days before the U.S. midterm elections, was "timed to coincide to help Republicans in the elections back here in the states." Ware responded that "officials here on the ground dispute that notion" and say that was a "preordained date chosen by the court itself." But Ware added that "[t]hat may or may not be so. It's very, very hard to tell" and that "the timing certainly is coincidental." Read more
Media ignored context of Kerry's remarks and acknowledgments by prominent Republicans that Kerry did not mean to insult troops
Numerous news outlets have failed to provide the full context for Kerry's recent remarks on Iraq, instead presenting the issue of whether Kerry intended to criticize the troops as a he-said/she-said conflict. These outlets have also ignored comments by several prominent Republicans acknowledging that Kerry did not intend to disparage American soldiers. Read more
NBC's Mitchell hosted segment that falsely asserted Kerry "refus[ed] to apologize" for "botched joke," even while mentioning Kerry's appearance on Imus in which he did
During the 11 a.m. ET hour of the November 1 edition of MSNBC News Live, NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell aired a portion of comments made by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) on that day's edition of Imus in the Morning, but left out the part in which he said he was "sorry." Read more
MSNBC's Crowley: Kerry's remark shows "how lucky we were that he was not elected president" and that "Republicans remain the grown-ups ... on national security"
On the November 1 noon hour ET edition of MSNBC News Live, while discussing the possible effects of an October 30 remark by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) at Pasadena City College in California, MSNBC political analyst Monica Crowley claimed that Kerry's comments "remind the American people, number one, how lucky we were that he was not elected president," and that they confirmed "the fact that the Republicans still remain, after 60 years of the Cold War and in to this war on terror, the Republicans remain the grown-ups, the responsible ones on national security." Additionally, MSNBC political analyst Pat Buchanan suggested that Kerry's comment highlights "the antimilitary, you know, bias that is deeply ingrained in the baby boomers, not this generation and certainly not Jack Kennedy's, but some baby boomers from the 60s and 70s. They seem to be constantly contentious not only of the Vietnam War but of the guys who went over there and fought it." Host Joe Scarborough ascribed Kerry's comments to "elitism." Read more
SF Chronicle purported to present "[a]rguments for and against" Proposition 87, but ignored positive health impact
A San Francisco Chronicle voter's guide purported to provide the "[a]rguments for and against" California ballot initiative Proposition 87 to impose a tax on California's oil producers. But the guide failed to mention one of the major arguments of the initiative's proponents -- positive impact on California's air quality and health. Read more
CNN devoted extensive air time to Snow's briefing on Kerry's "botched joke," but cut away when talk turned to Bush's Iraq policy
CNN's Your World Today devoted 16 minutes to live coverage of a press briefing by Tony Snow, which focused on the controversy over Sen. John Kerry's recent remark about Iraq. When questions turned to President Bush's Iraq policy, however, CNN cut away from live coverage after two minutes. Read more
NY Sun, National Journal repeated falsehoods about Majority Action ad criticizing Walsh on stem cell research
In a recent article, The New York Sun uncritically reported the false assertion by Rep. James Walsh's campaign that a Majority Action ad claims that Walsh "favors a ban on stem cell research." Similarly, the National Journal reported Walsh's claim that the ad is "false and misleading," without noting that Walsh in fact opposes federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Read more
LA Times, network news hyped Kerry comments, downplayed story about kidnapped U.S. soldier
On October 31, the network news led with coverage of the controversy surrounding Sen. John Kerry's "botched joke," downplaying a story on the U.S. military's accession to an order by Iraqi's prime minister to dismantle checkpoints around Sadr City that were part of an effort to locate a missing U.S. soldier. The Los Angeles Times ran the Kerry story on the front page of its print edition, relegating the story on Sadr City to Page 10. Read more
After trumpeting Bush's defense of the troops, media have yet to challenge Bush decision to dismantle checkpoints and downgrade search for missing soldier in Iraq
The media have devoted substantial attention to Republican reactions to Sen. John Kerry's recent remarks on Iraq and the administration's accusations that they could hurt troop morale, but the media have not challenged the administration on its decision to dismantle military checkpoints related to the search for an abducted U.S. soldier or the effect that decision might have on morale. Read more
Time's Tumulty reported as fact that Kerry "insulted" U.S. troops
Time national political correspondent Karen Tumulty, in an October 31 article for Time.com, reported as a fact that Sen. John F. Kerry (D-MA) "insulted" U.S. troops when he said in an October 30 speech at a campaign rally in California: "You know, education -- if you make the most of it, you study hard and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." Read more
Luntz on Pelosi: "You get one shot at a facelift. If it doesn't work the first time, let it go"
Echoing recent attacks by conservatives on House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Republican pollster Frank Luntz stated, "I always use the line for Nancy Pelosi, 'You get one shot at a facelift. If it doesn't work the first time, let it go.' " Read more
ABC, REI respond to Air America blacklist memo
Responding to Media Matters for America's October 31 posting of an ABC Radio Networks memo indicating that nearly 100 ABC advertisers insist that their commercials be blacked out on Air America Radio affiliates, ABC provided Media Matters with a statement in which the company did not challenge the memo's authenticity but instead noted: "It is not uncommon for advertisers and/or agencies to request that their ads run or not run in specific programming environments or dayparts. ABC Radio Networks does not solicit nor encourage these requests from advertisers. If a request is made by an advertiser/and [sic] or agency we make our best effort to comply." Read more
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