Media Matters for America March 09, 2007

American Press editor tells Media Matters his paper "dropped Ann Coulter on Monday"

Media Matters for America has learned that the American Press of Lake Charles, Louisiana, has dropped right-wing pundit Ann Coulter's nationally syndicated column from its opinion pages, apparently in response to her March 2 remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), referring to Democratic presidential candidate and former Sen. John Edwards (NC) as a "faggot." Read more

Blitzer's suggestion that Obama "cash[ed] in" on stock deal proved wrong by CNN's own report

In teasing a report on Sen. Barack Obama's purchase of stock in two companies whose investors included Obama campaign donors, CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked: "Did the Democratic presidential candidate cash in on his relationship with some big political donors?" The ensuing report, however, made clear that Obama did not "cash in"; rather, he took a net loss of $13,000 when he sold the stock after first learning he owned it. Read more

Ignoring media's treatment of Kerry, Will asserted that "[t]he journalistic rule is that conservatives pander, liberals 'grow' "

In his March 8 column, titled "Three Good Options for the Right," Washington Post columnist George F. Will asserted that, when reporting on politicians' shifting positions on issues, "[t]he journalistic rule is that conservatives pander, liberals 'grow.' " Will claimed that when Democrats "[former Vice President] Al Gore, [Rep.] Dick Gephardt [MO], [Rev.] Jesse Jackson and [Rep.] Dennis Kucinich [OH] changed from being pro-life to pro-abortion, their conversions, a price of admission into Democratic presidential politics, were often described as conscientious 'growth.' " By contrast, Will argued, when Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) reversed his opposition to President Bush's 2001 tax cuts, the media "called [it] pandering," presumably to conservative voters. But in arguing that the media have not previously criticized Democratic presidential candidates for allegedly changing their positions, Will ignored the media's repetition of the Republican smear of 2004 Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John F. Kerry (MA) as a "flip-flopper" on a variety of issues. Further, contrary to Will's assertion, Gore, Gephardt, Jackson, and Kucinich have all been assailed in the media for allegedly "flip-flopping" on abortion in order to get elected.
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Even as Giuliani proclaims his conservative credentials, Blitzer called him "moderate Republican"

On the March 6 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, during a discussion of whether California could be in play in the 2008 presidential election, host Wolf Blitzer asked California Attorney General Jerry Brown (D): "Is it possible that Governor [Arnold] Schwarzenegger, who's popular right now in California, as you well know, could help carry that state for a moderate Republican, let's say like Rudy Giuliani, maybe even [Sen.] John McCain [R-AZ], in 2008? Is that possible?" Contrary to Blitzer's characterization, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has posted on his website numerous statements from supporters calling him a "conservative" and citing his dedication to conservative causes: Read more

NY Sun headline: "Could Edwards Become First Woman President?"

A March 8 article in The New York Sun, headlined "Could Edwards Become First Woman President?" reported that former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) was endorsed by Kate Michelman, described in the article as "a veteran of the abortion-rights movement." The article noted that "Toni Morrison famously dubbed President Clinton America's 'first black president,'" and added that "the comments of a prominent feminist" --Michelman -- "are provoking debate about who may lay a similar claim to the title of America's first woman president." Read more

Coulter's "Macaca moment" spurs newspapers to drop column

In the wake of right-wing pundit Ann Coulter's recent remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference about Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, at least three newspapers -- The Lancaster New Era (Pennsylvania), The Oakland Press (Michigan), and The Mountain Press (Sevierville, Tennessee) -- have decided to drop Coulter's nationally syndicated column from their opinion pages, according to an article on Editor & Publisher's website. Read more

Chicago Tribune, The Hill ignored lack of evidence of impropriety in Obama stock deal

In reporting on Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) purchase of stock in two companies whose investors included donors to Obama's 2004 Senate campaign, the Chicago Tribune and The Hill failed to note that a New York Times article highlighting the 2005 purchase did not include any evidence of ethical impropriety by Obama. Read more

Beck: A "sick part of me ... would just love to see" Al Sharpton and Strom Thurmond related

On the March 7 edition of CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck, host Glenn Beck and Rev. Al Sharpton discussed the recent discovery by a team of genealogists that Sharpton's ancestors were slaves owned by relatives of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC), who ran for president in 1948 on a segregationist platform. During the segment, Sharpton questioned suggestions that Thurmond "moderated his segregationist views in his older age," asking, "Well, when did he denounce it?" Beck then told Sharpton: "There's part of me -- a sick part of me -- that would just love to see you two related in DNA." Read more

The Times of Shreveport, LA, drops Coulter

As noted by Editor & Publisher, The Times of Shreveport, Louisiana, has dropped right-wing pundit Ann Coulter's column "effective immediately" as a result of her remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Editor & Publisher linked to a statement in which Times executive editor Alan English said that Coulter's "recent 'joke' about John Edwards being considered a 'faggot' " was "the back-breaking straw for a decision we've openly discussed for some time." English's statement also said that Coulter's "repeated use of hyperbole in the call for the death of some journalists and politicians was beyond the pale" and that "her 'shock-jock' writing style is no different from Howard Stern's practical jokes and bathroom humor that aims to draw a school-yard snicker." The statement added that Coulter's columns "rarely" "raise the level of discourse." Read more

Print reports leave out DOJ rules, which would preclude Libby pardon by Bush

In March 8 articles on the speculation regarding whether President Bush will pardon I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who was convicted on March 6 of perjury, lying to the FBI, and obstructing justice, the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today all left out any mention of the Justice Department regulations setting out the process for petitions for clemency or Bush's recent suggestion that his policy on issuing pardons is rooted in those regulations. Assuming Bush does adhere to those rules, Libby would not be eligible to be considered for a pardon during the remainder of Bush's presidency. Read more

CNN's Malveaux falsehood: "Libby is the only [Bush] administration official to be convicted of a crime"

In a March 7 report on former vice presidential chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's March 6 conviction by a federal jury, CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux asserted that "Libby is the only administration official to be convicted of a crime --lying during the CIA leak investigation." In fact, since President Bush took office in 2001, several others in his administration have been convicted of criminal charges. From the March 7 edition of CNN's Lou DobbsTonight: Read more