February 26, 2005

Our nation’s governing classes aren’t happy with the news media. At first glance, it’s hard to believe they aren’t satisfied with the coverage they receive. The major media with few exceptions (Wall Street Journal, Fox News) are populated with leftists who reveal their bias in their news reporting choices as well as in their opinion pieces. The recent discovery of the “journo-list” e-mails exposed a national press corps not only sycophantically supporting candidate Obama for the presidency but actually strategizing among themselves how to influence the election.

Police officers worth their salt know that failing to read a defendant his rights or follow proper procedures in gathering evidence can get an otherwise solid criminal case thrown out of court. And the Arizona Supreme Court last week ruled that racial profiling can also poison a case.

Award-winning network TV reporter Bernard Goldberg first hit pay dirt in the book world with “Bias,” his 2001 best-seller exposing how the news we saw was distorted by the liberal bias of the journalists he worked with during his long career with CBS News.

Bill Steigerwald: Sure, Walter Cronkite was a great print and electronic journalist and a historic TV broadcaster. But Uncle Walter was never objective or even particularly fair or balanced. As his friends and enemies could tell you, he was a typical East Coast liberal journalist who remained a typical East Coast liberal till the end of his life.

Floyd and Mary Beth Brown: A new documentary movie by courageous filmmaker John Ziegler entitled “Media Malpractice” made its theatrical début Thursday in Seattle. The movie systematically proves how corrupt and dishonest the American media were during the campaign of 2008.

Floyd and Mary Beth Brown: With the secret filming in ACORN offices by twenty-something journalists James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, they have caught America's attention. These brave young people have done the type of gutsy journalism that used to be the domain of once-powerful "60 Minutes" on CBS. 

February 9, 2005

We were greatly amused by the call last week from a coalition of "consumer" and "public interest" groups to "protect public broadcasting from politically motivated bureaucrats and lawmakers." They’re especially anguished about political string-pulling on the Public Broadcasting System, which feeds at the federal trough.

February 7, 2005

Arizona got a “two thumbs up” this week from Time magazine, which in its selection of the 10 best U.S. senators included both John McCain and Jon Kyl.

Sadly, instead of imparting truthful information about the Colorado shooting, our TV and newspaper media has gone into full liberal attack mode. Right after the name of the accused shooter, James Holmes, was made public the blame game started. On ABC’s hugely popular Good Morning America program, reporter Brian Ross, told George Stephanopoulos that a James Holmes was a member of the Tea Party.

“We have not been called by Christ to be a doormat,” said Cass, executor director of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission and author of “Christian Bashing: The Last Acceptable Bigotry.”

Last week the American people got yet another lesson in why their government should not be in the media business. Kenneth Tomlinson, board chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, was grilled by a Senate committee on what political influences are at play in his realm.

In response to Patrick Shepherd's letter claiming media bias by ABC News regarding the flap between Obama and Brewer. Patrick, I would suggest you watch Fox News exclusively, to get the story just the way you want it, every time.

With Joe Biden and Paul Ryan’s debate behind us, the nation is still asking, “what happened to Obama in the first debate?” and “can he fix it in the next round?”

"It was as though President Obama thought he would lecture me and I would learn at his knee," Gov Brewer said. "He was patronizing." No, Jan. In response to your writing a book called "Scorpions for Breakfast, My Fight Against Special Interests [getting kickbacks from friends who run privately managed state prisons] Liberal Media [who report on those kickbacks] and Cynical Politicos [who call you out for your brain freezes]" you got a lecture on Constitutional Law from a Constitutional Law professor. The President did you a favor. Enroll in law school and you'll get such lectures on almost a daily basis. Getting that lecture in private beats getting it on the tarmac or through the liberal media!

With Biden and Ryan’s debate behind us, the nation is still asking, “What happened to Obama?” in his first debate and can he fix it in the next round?

For some reason, this election season seems to be more emotionally charged than is normal (as if anything is normal in presidential elections). Maybe it's that neither of the major tickets for the nation's top spot are the usual pairings of middle-age white guys. Perhaps it's conservative talk radio providing handy sound bites and throwing around accusations of media bias. The growing influence of the Internet and bloggers can't be discounted, either. In any case, newsrooms around the country are more aware of charges of attempting to influence elections at all levels. Hardly a day goes by, it seems, that the Tribune doesn't receive letters or e-mails accusing us of liberal or conservative bias. Can it be both?

"When Bibi Netanyahu says he is ‘willing to make painful compromises to achieve' peace with the Palestinians, why is it that the pain is generally felt most directly by the Palestinians?"

The eight-count murder trial for suspected Serial Shooter Dale Hausner will take place in the Valley after all.

February 10, 2005

The National Football League has picked another fight this year with the news media that have helped make it the world’s most profitable sports franchise.

March 10, 2005