FAIR
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Media Advisory: Media and the Keystone March
Tens of thousands of climate activists marched in Washington D.C.on February 17. Did the corporate media notice them? Continue reading
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NYT Rewrites a (formerly) Accurate Occupation Headline By Peter Hart
Non-violent protesters came up with a novel way to protest Israeli plans to build more settlement colonies in the occupied West Bank: They occupied the land themselves. The Bab Al Shams tents went up on Friday on privately owned Palestinian land in what Israel designates as the E1 part of the West Bank. Israel’s announcement… Continue reading
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An 'Informal Arrangement' to Not Report the News By Peter Hart
Today the Washington Post (2/6/13) reported some news that it’s known for years, but had decided not tell us until now: The CIA has a drone base in Saudi Arabia. Continue reading
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Where Are They Now? The Reporters Who Got Iraq So Wrong By Peter Hart
Ten years ago today, Colin Powell made the Bush administration’s case for going to war against Iraq. Much of what he said about Iraq’s threats to the United States was false. But the media coverage gave the opposite impression, and most of the pundits and journalists who promoted the justifications for the war paid no… Continue reading
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When It Comes to Drones, Trust the Churchgoing CIA Director By Peter Hart
Chris Matthews (MSNBC) appeared rather uncomfortable with the topic, ultimately deciding that the policy was defensible–on the grounds that the CIA director Leon Panetta goes to church Continue reading
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When 'Confirmed' Means 'An Official Told Me So' By Peter Hart
On January 30, reports emerged that Israel had carried out an airstrike on Syrian targets near Damascus. Much of the initial reporting took Israel’s claims at face value, though it appeared impossible to confirm that the story was true. A reader might conclude, based on some of the more credulous accounts of this strike, that… Continue reading
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PBS Ombud, Nova Disagree on Drone Disclosure
PBS ombud Michael Getler (1/31/13) responded to FAIR activists who wrote to him about the recent Nova special on drones (1/23/13) that was underwritten by Lockheed Martin, a major military contractor and drone manufacturer. Continue reading
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FAIR TV: The Beltway Bubble, Syria Stenography, Iran's "Meddling" By Peter Hart
This week on FAIR TV, we look at the bubble that Joe Scarborough and David Gregory live in– where the government must make “big” spending cuts, and Paul Krugman doesn’t know economic. Also, does ABC’s Martha Raddatz understand what the government is telling her about Syria? And Reuters grants a U.S. government official anonymity to… Continue reading
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Iran's 'Nuclear Weapons Program,' Again By Peter Hart
On Monday’s edition of the NewsHour (1/28/13), host Gwen Ifill referred to concerns about the “threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program,” and told viewers at the end of a Margaret Warner report that “Margaret’s next story looks at the debate in Israel over how to deal with the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.” Continue reading
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Raddatz Misreports Raddatz on Syrian Weapons By Peter Hart
The implication…is that Syria has loaded chemical weapons at the ready, and that it would take a matter of hours for the Assad government to use them. But that’s not what Panetta told…well, Raddatz herself. Continue reading
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PBS Drone Coverage Brought to You by Drone Makers
The PBS Nova broadcast “Rise of the Drones” was sponsored by drone manufacturer Lockheed Martin–a clear violation of PBS’s underwriting guidelines. Continue reading
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Why Do Poor People Living in an Abandoned Skyscraper So Outrage the New Yorker? By Jim Naureckas
His latest piece for the New Yorker, “Slumlord: What Has Hugo Chavez Wrought in Venezuela?” (1/28/13–subscription required), reads almost like a parody of corporate media coverage of an official enemy state. Continue reading
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Sanctions Not Really Hurting Ordinary Iranians, Says Anonymous U.S. Official By Peter Hart
We’ve talked so often about the practice of granting anonymity to U.S. officials that it’s hard to be surprised by it. Nonetheless, I was surprised to be reassured in the Washington Post (1/20/13) that the U.S.-led sanctions on Iran aren’t really harming ordinary Iranians–based on the word of an anonymous U.S. official. Continue reading
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Copyright for People, Not for Publishers By Jim Naureckas
In a release today from the Institute for Public Accuracy (1/17/13) on the legacy of Aaron Swartz, I came across a link to a great essay by Richard Stallman that appears to have been written about a decade ago. Called “Misinterpreting Copyright: A Series of Errors,” it’s one of the best explanations I’ve seen for… Continue reading
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Hugo Chavez: Why Does He Hate Us? By Peter Hart
While it’s hard to say Chavez has made a “career” out of U.S.-bashing–he does have, after all, a full-time job as president of Venezuela–you, too, might be excused for harboring some hard feelings towards a government that helped to try to overthrow your own. Which may be why U.S. reports rarely bring up the 2002… Continue reading
cbs, CIA, coup, Evening News, FAIR, Iran, New York, PBS, Syria, United States, Venezuela, Washington Post -
Venezuelans Continue to Defy Washington Post By Peter Hart
The Washington Post has never been fond of left-wing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. As serious questions mount about the state of Chavez’s health, the paper’s editorial page (1/5/13) found it a good time to take another swipe Continue reading
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The P.U.-litzer Prizes for 2012
They’re back: The P.U.-litzers, FAIR’s annual rundown of some of the stinkiest moments in American journalism. As usual, there were more contenders than we could possibly consider. So think of this as just a sampling of the bias, spin and misinformation that we noted over the course of the year. Continue reading
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FAIR TV: Second Amendment, Fracking, Syria's Mobile Weapons Labs By Peter Hart
In the wake of the Newtown massacre, media are talking about the Second Amendment. But are they getting it right? Also: The New York Times magazine covers fracking– but mostly the upside–and David Ignatius thinks Syria as mobile weapons labs. Continue reading
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Syria's Mobile Weapons Labs: Where Have We Heard This Before? By Peter Hart
If you were concerned that the Syria WMD stories didn’t already feel enough like the Iraq WMD reports,Washington Post columnist David Ignatius had one just for you (12/19/12). Ignatius reports that according to a Syrian defector, the Assad government’s chemical weapons are indeed on the move. Continue reading
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Does Hugo Chavez Keep Fooling Venezuelans? By Peter Hart
The New York Times updates readers today (12/13/12) on the health status of left-wing Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, and the political implications for his country. But the paper starts out by suggesting that the people who keep electing him must have some kind of problem. Continue reading
The New Dark Age 