Broken Masterpieces

June 22, 2006

Why Did Dan Rather Do It?

Rather's CBS exit 'sad,' Mike Wallace says - Netscape News

"It's a sad, sad story. He's a good man, a hell of a reporter, (he) made a mistake," Wallace said. When asked about why Rather would go ahead with a report that seemed shaky, he said: "I don't know. Ask him."

Mr. Wallace, the reason Dan Rather ran with that story was that he wanted Bush to lose the 2004 election. Mr. Rather abused his position as anchor of a network newscast and has had to pay a heavy yet just price for that act.

Posted by Tim at 05:03 AM | Comments (0)

April 02, 2006

Drudge Reporting That Couric Will Anchor CBS News

The Drudge Report is headlining that Katie Couric will be named the anchor of CBS news. I thought CBS wanted to be serious about this. Why the heck would they hire "perky" Katie? At least she can continue the Dan Rather legacy of an obvious case of media bias. She's an easy and clear example of why the MSM shouldn't be considered very worthwhile anymore.

Posted by Tim at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)

March 09, 2005

Bye Dan

FOXNews.com - Foxlife - Rather Era at 'Evening News' Comes to End

You just wonder, would Dan still have his job if it weren't for the blogosphere? I think he still would.

Posted by Tim at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)

January 20, 2005

Rolling Stone Won't Run Ad For Bible

MSNBC - The book that's too hot for Rolling Stone?

On Tuesday, USA Today quoted Kent Brownridge, general manager of Wenner Media, as saying his staff first saw the ad copy last week, and "we are not in the business of publishing advertising for religious messages."

So, Rolling Stone, the magazine that runs all sorts of articles that glorify so many things bad in this world won't run an ad for the Bible? They'll push hard liquor but not the Bible. It actually makes sense. Most of what Rolling Stone publishes these days is barely suitable for any reader.

Rolling Stone used to, at least, be interesting but I rarely even browse it anymore. It used to focus on rock music but has mostly sold out to pop, rap and gossip. Too many of their covers are closer to a porn magazine and they've become a cartoon character of themselves. And, yes, I used subscribed to RS for quite a few years, back in the day, when they were relevant.

Posted by Tim at 04:13 AM | Comments (1)

November 29, 2004

O'Reilly Gets It Wrong On Rather

Tip to Drudge.

New York Daily News - Home - Bill O'Reilly: Dan got smeared

Right-wing talk radio in particular pounded Kerry and also bludgeoned Dan Rather for his role in another smear incident - the charges against President Bush about his National Guard service. Again, Rather was found guilty without a fair hearing. Charges that he intentionally approved bogus documents that made Bush look bad were leveled and widely believed. It was chilling.

Rather was not being accused of knowing the documents were fake when he reported it. He was accused of being sloppy.

Dan Rather is guilty of not being skeptical enough about a story that was politically loaded.

O'Reilly gets it right, here. Mr. O'Reilly cannot let his friendship get in the way of his judgement of Dan Rather. To this day, Rather doesn't think the documents are forgeries. Rather went with a story because he wanted it to be true. Even in his "retraction" he barely retracted. Rather has let his bias affect his reporting for too long.

Posted by Tim at 12:53 PM | Comments (1)

November 23, 2004

Rather is Gone

MSNBC reports that Dan Rather is stepping down as news anchor in March 2005. One of the best parts of the last few elections is to watch Rather squirm as Republicans win election after election. That will be missed but at least we'll have Peter Jennings.

Posted by Tim at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)

November 09, 2004

Scarborough Smacks The Media Elites

MSNBC -

Never in my life as a practicing attorney, a newspaper publisher, a Congressman or a news host have I witnessed America's cultural elite become so unglued over any historical event. And most distressing is the fact that these opinion leaders are singling out a group of Americans for no other reason than the God they worship.

To paint all Republican Christians as angry, hate-filled, science-loathing, right wing beasts only helps explain why the Mainstream Media continues to lose market share and why those Democrats who take solice in their bigoted anti-Christian screeds remain out of power for another four years.

It leads me to wonder, can we only be good Americans if we turn our backs on our faith, or become champions of abortion on demand, stem cell research without reservation, and marriage defined in a way that conflicts with the spiritual beliefs of a majority of Americans?

Folks, make sure you watch and support Scarborough Country on MSNBC. He's worth it.

Posted by Tim at 06:26 AM | Comments (6)

October 30, 2004

Cronkite Inclinations on UBL Tape

Tip to The Corner

CNN.com - Transcripts

KING: OK, Walter. What do you make of this?

CRONKITE: Well, I make it out to be initially the reaction that it's a threat to us, that unless we make peace with him, in a sense, we can expect further attacks. He did not say that precisely, but it sounds like that when he says...

KING: The warning.

CRONKITE: What we just heard. So now the question is basically right now, how will this affect the election? And I have a feeling that it could tilt the election a bit. In fact, I'm a little inclined to think that Karl Rove, the political manager at the White House, who is a very clever man, he probably set up bin Laden to this thing. The advantage to the Republican side is to get rid of, as a principal subject of the campaigns right now, get rid of the whole problem of the al Qaqaa explosive dump. Right now, that, the last couple of days, has, I think, upset the Republican campaign.

This liberal hack had such influence on this country for years. Very sad that this is the type of journalist that is respected. This blog has ZERO respect for Cronkite when he starts throwing out these types of theories. Welcome to the world of Michael Moore.

Posted by Tim at 07:50 AM | Comments (3)

October 26, 2004

CNN Headline News - Picking Their Polls

Despite having their own polling via Gallup, CNN Headline News decides to highlight the American Research Group polls that favor Kerry. I wonder why.

Posted by Tim at 09:17 PM | Comments (1)

October 23, 2004

O'Donnell Failed As A Human Being Last Night

Top to Michelle Malkin: LAWRENCE O'DONNELL AND LIBERALS UNHINGED

Based on reading Michelle Malkin's entry I watched a replay of Scarborough Country to see how bad Lawrence O'Donnell behaved towards John O'Neill of the Swift Vets. My goodness, he was such a jerk. After O'Neill was done then the pollster Frank Lunz came on. He was pretty shaken and visibly upset at O'Donnell's behavior and pretty much called him on it. Good for Lunz. The shrillness of the left is horrible and nothing on the right is close to it. We aren't perfect but DANG! Does the left realize what they are doing do this country? They are going scorched earth. I hope we don't respond is such a shrill way. Keep plugging away on the issues but don't forget to highlight some of the Kerry idiocy (goose hunting, Lambert Field, etc).

UPDATE: Forgot to mention that I watched the whole show hoping that O'Donnell would at least have some kind of apology but he didn't.

Posted by Tim at 01:11 AM | Comments (11)

September 20, 2004

Rathergate Scapegoat Found

Yahoo! News - Kerry Aide Talked to Retired Guard Officer

Joe Lockhart denied any connection between the presidential campaign and the papers. Lockhart, the second Kerry ally to confirm contact with retired Texas National Guard officer Bill Burkett, said he made the call at the suggestion of CBS producer Mary Mapes.

There's no way Rather will take the fall but it looks like producer Mary Mapes will.

UPDATE: Looks like Neophyte Pundit and I are on the same page (of course, it looks like he beat me to the punch).

Posted by Tim at 08:44 PM | Comments (0)

September 05, 2004

Here They Go Again - Bush Military Records

MSNBC - Bush's National Guard file incomplete

Since the MSM won't dig too much into their guy's records they go after Bush again. Anyone surprised, especially after a convention that was effective?

Posted by Tim at 10:33 PM | Comments (2)

August 31, 2004

Alerting the MSM: What This Election Is About

It's funny watching much of the Mainstream Media wonder how "moderates" like Guiliani, McCain and Arnold could be speakers the the Republican convention. Here's the simple answer; this election is not about abortion, gay rights, campaign finance, deficits or even taxes... IT'S ABOUT TERRORISM AND PREVENTING THE NEXT 9/11 OR WORSE!

OK, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Posted by Tim at 10:16 PM | Comments (0)

Showing Media Bias Towards Kerry

Tip to PowerLine.

TCS: Tech Central Station - A Media Meltdown?

An amazing article that brings all the media bias together related to John Kerry.

Posted by Tim at 06:32 AM | Comments (2)

August 25, 2004

Fair & Balanced Examples

In comparing the stories of the lawyers who advise the Presidential campaigns and 527s compare the headlines of Fox News, MSNBC/WP, CNN and CBS. Only the Fox News headline represents any type of fairness.

Posted by Tim at 07:42 AM | Comments (0)

August 20, 2004

Malkin and Matthews: Read It For Yourself

Michelle Malkin: AMBUSH JOURNALISM...OR MY EVENING WITH CAVEMAN CHRIS MATTHEWS

WOW! Kind of sickening that the MSNBC bullies can get away with this. I used to think Matthews was a pretty balanced guy but he's been showing his stripes lately. Olbermann was good on ESPN.

UPDATE: Contact information for Chris Matthews:

The feedback e-mail for Hardball is hardball@msnbc.com.

Chris Matthews' phone number is listed in the Spring 2004 News Media Yellow Book as 202-885-4600.

Posted by Tim at 06:53 AM | Comments (1)

August 18, 2004

Dynamist Blog Calls Out Political Reporters

Tip to Instapundit.

Dynamist Blog: Dear Campaign Journalists: Please do your jobs

This story would be a lot easier on news reporters--who, after all, are supposed to write history's first draft, not to figure out what happened long ago and far away--if Douglas Brinkley were a better (I'm tempted to say "real") historian.

Hint to Douglas Brinkley, your credibility is at risk.

Posted by Tim at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)

August 16, 2004

Coulter Strikes - Media and DNC Hypocrisy on Swiftboat Vets

In typical fashion (and not in ways I always approve of) Ann Coulter holds lots people accountable in the whole Kerry/Swiftboat Vets controversy. The complete article is here. Here are some of the nuggets:

Kerry is demanding to be made president on the basis of spending four months in Vietnam 35 years ago. And yet the men who know what he did during those four months don't think he's fit to be dogcatcher. That seems newsworthy to me, but I must be wrong since the media have engineered a total blackout of the Swift Boat Veterans.

If the 254 veterans against Kerry got one-tenth as much media coverage for calling Kerry a liar as Clown Joe Wilson did for calling Bush a liar, the veterans wouldn't need to buy ad time to get their message out. (Wilson, you'll recall, was a media darling for six or seven months before being exposed as a fantasist by Senate investigators.)

With their commitment to free speech and a robust exchange of ideas (i.e., "child pornography" and "sedition"), the Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) is threatening to sue TV stations that run the Swift Boat Veterans' paid ads. Sue? Can you tell already that there are two lawyers at the top of the Democratic ticket? These are the same people who accuse John Ashcroft (news - web sites) of shredding the Bill of Rights. WHY ISN'T THE PRESS COVERING THIS??? Wait, now I remember. OK, never mind. (To contribute to the Swift Boat Veterans go here: https://coral.he.net/~swiftvet/swift/ccdonation.php?op=donate&site=SwiftVets)

Ann makes some great points in pointing out the absolute hypocrisy and inconsistencies of the media and the DNC. This is a story that doesn't seem to be going away. Kerry should just authorize the release of all his military records and this should go away. If he has been exagerating then it will damage him a lot. Remember Al Gore?

Posted by Tim at 05:48 PM | Comments (2)

June 26, 2004

Moore: Americans are 'The Dumbest People on the Planet'

NewsMax.com: Moore: Americans are 'The Dumbest People on the Planet'

Maybe Michael Moore should just leave this country and yes, I do question his patriotism.

UPDATE: David Brooks' article in NYT.

Key quote from Michael Moore that really makes me wonder who he's rooting for:

"The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not `insurgents' or `terrorists' or `The Enemy.' They are the REVOLUTION, the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow — and they will win."

Posted by Tim at 07:43 AM | Comments (8)

Labash on Moore's "Documentary"

Un-Moored from Reality

In reading Matt Labash's (he was against the Iraq war) review of Michael Moore's "documentary" it came to me that if Moore wanted to make a documentary he'd have shown more than just one point of view. It's not a documentary but sound just like a propaganda film. This is one film that won't get anymore of my time, energy and will never get my money.

Posted by Tim at 07:35 AM | Comments (1)

June 18, 2004

Newsmax: Media Distortions of 9/11 Commission

NewsMax.com: 9/11 Chair Hamilton Slams Media Distortions

"The sharp differences that the press has drawn [between the White House and the Commission] are not that apparent to me," Hamilton told the Associated Press, a day after insisting that his probe uncovered "all kinds" of connections between Osama bin Laden's terror network and Iraq.

Really great to see the media doing it's best to report "truth". Nothing like putting politics before country. These elite media folks are doing a disservice to the country by distorting the truth.

UPDATE: Check out the take from Real Clear Politics.

Posted by Tim at 06:52 AM | Comments (2)

June 16, 2004

RCP: Myth - Questioning Cleland's Patriotism

RealClearPolitics: CBS NEWS & THE CLELAND URBAN MYTH

I'm with RCP here. Is CBS and the other elite media willing to do their homework on the Democratic Party myths or do they just accept them at face value. Excuse me CBS, your bias is showing.

Posted by Tim at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)

June 07, 2004

President Bush Needs To Listen To Kondracke

RealClear Politics - Media Bias Keeps 'Good' Iraq News From U.S. Public

President Bush needs to realize the elite media won't give him a break so he needs to stop trying to please them. Go to the people, they'll listen.

Posted by Tim at 05:56 AM | Comments (3)

March 14, 2004

CNN Showing Its' Liberal Colors

Just got watching a long segment on CNN about families who've lost loved ones in Iraq and are now against the war. Carol Lin was reporting and it was the most slanted piece I've seen in a long time. There wasn't one ounce of perspective from the other side. I don't blame the families for their perspective but CNN should try and at least attempt to be fair to the other side.

Posted by Tim at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)

November 20, 2003

An Example of the Tolerant Left

So, the tolerant Paul Krugman's new book has VP Cheney on the cover with a Hitler mustache. Here's the Newsmax story. So, the left gets all in a snit when their patriotism is questioned but they tolerate this type of behavior? That's just their typical response (Hitler, Nazi, racist).

UPDATE: PrestoPundit has a picture of the book here.

Posted by Tim at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)

October 08, 2003

Thoughts on the Media

So, just in the last few weeks and months we've seen the media totally misjudge the main action in Iraq, blast Arnold at the last minute of a campaign with few bits of hard evidence (and totally distorted what he said about Hitler), Jayson Blair, ignore most of the Kay Preliminary Report, ignore the progress in rebuilding Iraq, branding Rush a racist and much more. I think all they are doing is trying to please each other. These "insiders" know nothing of the real world that most of us live in.

The best part is that people are learning that you just cannot trust the old media much. There are some exceptions but the Internet and talk radio is proving over and over again that the old media is hardly worth trusting. It's a new paradigm and they just aren't keeping up.

Posted by Tim at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)

May 31, 2003

Eleanor Clift Displays Her Knowledge and Bias

Fiction and the Tax Cut
Newsweek Web Exclusive


Under the glittering chandeliers of the East Room of the White House, President Bush signed into law the most wealth-oriented tax bill in history.

Here she goes

THE INTERESTS OF the invited guests, mostly prosperous looking men in dark blue suits, were well-represented when congressional leaders put the finishing touches on the bill, preserving Bush's dividend tax cut while a $400 child credit for millions of low-wage families was eliminated.

OK, now she's starting. What is the purpose of this tax cut.... to get the economy rolling.

It was one of those nuggets that exposes the truth. Bush's tax cut was never about economic stimulus, or the rebate would have been directed toward the people who will spend it, not the rich who just get richer. Senate and House conferees brushed away the crumbs slated for those making barely more than minimum wage in order to maintain the fiction that the bill comes in under the Senate's $350 billion cap. In a bill already loaded with gimmicks, couldn't they have found one more phony accounting device to preserve the one tax break that makes economic and social sense?

See, all Bush wants to do is give more money to his millionare buddies. He doesn't care about the economy.

When I put that question to a Republican staffer, he said there was no one in the room who cared, not the principals, not the staff, and they didn't need Democrat Blanche Lincoln's vote anymore. She was the lawmaker who pressed the Senate to expand the child credit to include more low-income parents. Almost half the taxpayers in Lincoln's home state of Arkansas report taxable incomes of less than $20,000. Under the bill's formula, families earning between $10,500 and $26,625 will not benefit. The GOP staffer went on to say he didn't know whether his party was moved more by hubris or money, but he did know the people who just got screwed weren't at the president's dinner last week when Bush raised $22 million for Republican campaigns.

So, she wants to GIVE money back to people who don't pay federal taxes anyway? Yep, that will make the ecomomy grow.

Bush's critics inside and outside his party are suffering from outrage exhaustion. How much can Bush get away with before the public and the media hold him accountable? If this shameful provision is not repealed, 11.9 million children, or one of every six children under 17 ,will be shortchanged according to The Center on Budget and Priorities, an admittedly liberal group, but whose facts are not disputed. Keep an eye on the media and whether the networks pick up the story, first reported in Thursday's New York Times. If the Times story resonates, Karl Rove and his tag team of compassionate conservatives will do damage control, pledging perhaps to correct the omission with another tax bill in the fall, which they will see as an opportunity to push through still more cuts for upper-income voters.

Hey, if they want to have a GIVE AWAY then bring it up in another bill. That is not a tax cut. If we are going to give money to people that don't pay federal taxes then there must be corresponding cuts in spending. The people receiving the tax credit PAY FEDERAL TAXES.

Republicans on Capitol Hill are upset about the administration's arrogance. They're tired of getting the brush-off when they ask what happened to the weapons of mass destruction allegedly in Iraq and where's the administration's plan for the war's aftermath? Negative sentiment is growing as Congress comes to grips with the length of time (years, not months) and money (billions) and manpower (hundreds of thousands) it will take to rebuild Iraq. Just as Bush dissembled on the cost of the war, refusing to put a price tag on it until the bombs were falling, he hasn't come clean with Congress or the American people about the war's aftermath, or how it will squeeze domestic programs.

Now she really gets down to it. She's against the war with Iraq and is still trying to justify her opposition. Look, it's better to admit you are wrong. How soon we forget that this is a war on terror. Iraq is just one battle. Yes, it's all about domestic programs (for Clift that just means more spending on social programs). Sorry, no domestic program will stop terrorists. About WMD, they've found many labs and facilities that are capable of processing chemical weapons. What are those MOBIL labs for? Pesticides? Don't think so. My guess is that all the delay time allowed Saddam to hide the weapons real well or they are in Syria.

The economic rationale for this tax cut is dubious, but its political impact is clear. It's a cynical device to re-elect the president and put the country in hock. One Senate Republican dubs it "The Rangers Relief Act," after the newly created category of Bush donors who contribute at least $200,000 to his re-election. (The Pioneers used to be the high-rollers at $100,000 plus; now the Rangers, named after the baseball team Bush owned, are the heavy hitters.) "The tax cut reimburses the donors before they've given," says the Senate Republican, noting the added benefit of starving the government of resources to support the programs that Democrats typically champion, like Social Security and Medicare.

Sorry, wrong again. Sure there are some high rollers but most of what Bush built up was from individuals who were limited to giving $1,000. Also, please show me where Social Security and Medicare are being cut. Which bill is that?

More than 2 million jobs have been lost since Bush became president, yet it feels in Washington as if we're living in a second Gilded Age. Worries about income inequality or imbalance are treated like quaint notions from another era. A report touts a new casino opening in Atlantic City that will feature thousand-dollar coins for slot machines. The clientele it hopes to attract won't be spending the milk money. Richer Americans send their children to private schools, so who cares if Bush's much heralded "No Child Left Behind" education bill is woefully underfunded. There is no counterbalance to the corporate priorities of the Bush administration and the shifting of the tax burden to lower-earning Americans in order to free up the capital of the rich. Still, it is a gamble for Bush. If the economy doesn't recover sufficiently, can he blame it on the Democrats for not giving him everything he wanted?

This recession started in 2000 before Bush was even in office. He caught the downside of the economy. Would somebody please show me how the tax burden is being shifted to lower Americans? This is just a lie. In the last 2 tax cuts EVERYBODY who pays federal taxes gets a tax cut. Sorry Eleanor Rodham Clift, it's the people with money that spur the economy and provide jobs. They also pay for most of the taxes. 98.09% of all taxes revenue comes from the top 50% wage earners, 67.3% is paid by 10% of the top wage earners and 56.47% is paid by the top 5% earners based on Y2K IRS data. (The IRS: Individual Income Tax Returns Each Tax Year 1986 - 2000). A few years ago it was that Republicans wanted to poison the water and let old people die of starvation. Now it's more class warfare. For people to get and keep jobs, the people with the money need less of a tax burden.

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Posted by Tim at 12:24 AM | Comments (0)