NB Exclusive: Chamber of Commerce Blasts Media for Shoddy Coverage of Unsubstantiated ThinkProgress Smear
October 8, 2010 No Comment
On Wednesday, the far-left blog ThinkProgress unveiled an “investigation” that alleged, without any conclusive evidence , that the Chamber of Commerce was spending funds acquired from foreign-owned companies on political activities in the United States, a crime under U.S. law. ThinkProgress demonstrated that such funds entered the Chamber’s general fund, and that money from the general fund was used to pay for political activities. But it readily admitted that it could not show the same funds attained abroad were used for those activities. Instead, it demanded the Chamber prove the licit nature of its political funds. Some in the media ran with the story, despite that lack of evidence. So was the Chamber consulted or asked for comment by media outlets that reported on the ThinkProgress post? In an interview with NewsBusters, Chamber COO David Chavern says they were not. And while the New York Times’s initial coverage was an editorial, MSNBC discussed the issue on two separate programs. Neither, Chavern claims, made an attempt at balanced coverage. I asked Chavern during a phone conversation on Thursday how he explained this apparent breach of the most basic standards of journalism. I think it comes back to the old axiom – which has now become a universal law in the media – that you don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story. There is such a demand for eyeballs, that that demand to get people to look at you or read you trumps anything like journalistic integrity or fact-finding. It is important for ThinkProgress to get readers and it is important for them to promote their bloggers. That’s more important to them than the facts of how we fund the Chamber. And similarly, there are traditional news organizations that get pulled into the same trap. If you get in to the world of facts or if you get into the world of two sides to the story, that muddies up the narrative, that makes it less exciting and less interesting to eyeballs. Further, you have the inherent drama of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is a major business organization, as somebody to wonderfully paint as a bad guy, whereas unions, who are often much bigger and much better funded, seem to be given a great big pass by the media generally. So that is clearly a double standard. So is the media’s approach to the story indicative of a larger left-wing slant among the news media? I think there’s a couple different things going on. There are some folks who have an axe to grind, and a political slant, and they’re just looking for any narrative that supports that slant. I think there are other folks that just like drama, and certainly business as the bad guy is an easier picture to paint than unions as the bad guy. I do think most broadly there is a common view in the media that business is inherently suspect and that labor unions, because they represent, supposedly, numerous workers out there, have more credibility, even thought the facts state that unions are some of the largest, most intensely self-interested organizations in the world. The burden of proof seems to have fallen on the Chamber to prove that ThinkProgress’s accusations are false. Some individuals in the media have run with these accusations, essentially demanding that the Chamber prove a negative. Is that a fair position for the mainstream media to take? Absolutely not, clearly. Again, ThinkProgress is not a news organization, certainly has no inherent credibility itself, makes an outrageous accusation and then demands that we disprove the accusation in the full hope that we either somehow become complicit or that we then do open up all information to them from which they would then try to develop new lines of attack I have no need to prove myself to ThinkProgress. I would be really interested for somebody to look into who funds ThinkProgress. They don’t seem to be too evocative about that. I know that their parent organization, Center for American Progress, was initially funded by the Sandlers, who were the founders of the subprime giant Golden West Financial. They have also received substantial funding support from George Soros. That seems to all be ok, but the onus is on us to talk about where our money comes form. I feel no obligation to prove myself to ThinkProgress or anybody else. I am quite confident in both our representation of our members’ interests, and also our compliance with the law.
Continue reading …George Stephanopoulos Highlights Tea Party Candidates ‘Called Too Extreme,’ Touts Attacks on Rubio
October 7, 2010 No CommentOn Wednesday, Good Morning America co-anchor George Stephanopoulos hosted the Florida Senate debate and on Thursday morning highlighted the attacks against Republican Marco Rubio. Discussing the Tea Party overall, Stephanopoulos dismissed, ” Both [Joe] Miller and [Christine] O’Donnell have been called too extreme by their opponents. The same case made here against Rubio. ” Stephanopoulos, a former top aide to Bill Clinton, replayed attacks from the debate both Democrat Kendrick Meek and independent Charlie Crist. Crist derided Rubio: “Wanting to punish women. Wanting to punish seniors by raising the age of eligibility. You haven’t been drinking the kool aid, my friend, you’ve been drinking too much tea.” Stephanopoulos then played a clip of Meek complaining, “[Rubio] doesn’t carry the values that this state needs in the United States Senate to put people back to work.” Only a snippet of Rubio was seen during the segment. The host also predicted a downside to GOP gains: “…If Republicans, as we expect, pick up seats in the House and Senate, maybe even take control, that’s a recipe for more gridlock.” Analyst Matt Dowd agreed, “I don’t think this tea kettle is going to be totally vented in this election cycle because a number of the Tea Party candidates will probably not win.” Oddly, Stephanopoulos on Tuesday pushed the idea that the Tea Party could be “losing traction.” On Thursday, he admitted, “In some key races, the Tea Party tidal wave is still gaining strength.” A transcript of the October 7 segment can be found below: 7AM tease GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Tea Party time. Christine O’Donnell slips far behind in new polls. Sarah Palin to the rescue. But, down here in Florida, the Tea Party favorite riding high after last night’s rollicking debate. 7:05 ROBIN ROBERTS: Let’s get back to George, now, in Orlando. George? GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay, Robin. Thanks. There are just 26 days to go until the midterm elections. We’re starting a serious debate right now. And last night, the prime time debate here in Florida. The Florida Senate debate. And it was hard-charging and hard-hitting, right from the start. And crystallized a lot of the political conversation taking place all throughout the country right now. The blows were coming from all directions. Right, left and center. In some key races, the Tea Party tidal wave is still gaining strength. A new poll in Nevada shows Sharron Angle now two points ahead of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. And in Florida, Marco Rubio, who was the first to harness that Tea Party energy months ago, has a big lead, which has made him the top target from independent Charlie Crist, on Social Security. CRIST AD: Rubio wants to raise the Social Security retirement age. CHARLIE CRIST: He talked about raising the age of eligibility. Said it was on the table. STEPHANOPOULOS: I just want a yes or no answer. Is it still on the table? MARCO RUBIO: It is not. STEPHANOPOULOS: The debate I moderated last night got rocking from the start and Rubio stuck to the Tea Party themes that have put him ahead. RUBIO: Our debt problem going forward is because Washington can’t control spending. If you like Obama Care, if you like the stimulus plan, you can vote for Charlie Crist or Kendrick Meek. STEPHANOPOULOS: That message is clicking for Rubio here in Florida. But, other Tea Party candidates are having a tougher time. A new poll in Delaware shows Christine O’Donnell trailing her Democratic opponent by double-digits. And in Alaska, the Tea Party’s Joe Miller is locked in an E-mail debate with Sarah Palin’s husband, about whether Palin is qualified to be president. Todd doesn’t think that Miller has been effusive enough. But, Sarah weighed in last night. SARAH PALIN: Yeah, a diversion like that, trying to make me a part of the narrative there in Joe Miller’s campaign. Joe Miller is the right person to help lead Alaska. STEPHANOPOULOS: Both Miller and O’Donnell have been called too extreme by their opponents. The same case made here against Rubio. CRIST: I mean, wanting to punish teachers. Wanting to punish women. Wanting to punish seniors by raising the age of eligibility. You haven’t been drinking the kool aid, my friend, you’ve been drinking too much tea. KENDRICK MEEK: He doesn’t carry the values that this state needs in the United States Senate to put people back to work. STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay and joining us now is our political contributor, Matthew Dowd. Also columnist for National Journal. You were here watching last night. And we were talking about the debate. The first thing you said was this is a microcosm of what’s happening in the country. MATT DOWD: Yeah. If you watch the debate, it’s very interesting. You have Marco Rubio, on the attack on Washington. Trying to make Crist and Meek the, sort of, Representative of Washington. He went on attack on Obama. Said it was the Republican message of anti-Washington. STEPHANOPOULOS: And spending. DOWD: Big-time, on spending. You had Meek making the very, very energetic defense of what they did in Washington, what the Democrats did. And, so, to me, it’s the passion on both of those sides. It ended up putting Crist in the middle, a little in the soft and squishy middle because the passion exists on both sides, with what it is in the rest of the country. STEPHANOPOULOS: And you think that Rubio was a favorite of the Tea Party from the beginning, has really mastered that anti-Washington message. And that’s where a lot of the country is right now. DOWD: Yeah. Absolutely. I think he came out. He’s slightly ahead in this race. I think he did himself well. He probably solidified the Republicans even more last night. But, he has the disciplined message, which basically is if you like what’s going on in Washington, don’t vote for me. Vote for them. It represents it. STEPHANOPOULOS: But, as we said in the piece, we’re seeing mixed results from the Tea Party candidates now across the country. Sharron Angle out in Nevada has pulled a little bit ahead of Harry Reid. Christine O’Donnell way down in Delaware. Rubio doing, doing pretty well here. Rand Paul probably going to be doing okay in Kentucky. But, it’s not going to be a clean sweep for the Tea Party on election day, which could create- which means probably means frustration driving that won’t go away after Election Day. DOWD: Yeah. I don’t think this tea kettle is going to be totally vented in this election cycle because a number of the Tea Party candidates will probably not win. And the Republicans will probably not be able to do, if they do win, a lot. And, so, I think what’s going to happen, is after November, the anger and frustration that exists out there is only going to grow as we go into the next cycle of elections. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, in part, because If Republicans, as we expect, pick up seats in the House and Senate, maybe even take control, that’s a recipe for more gridlock. DOWD: Yeah. I think absolutely what’s going to happen after this November, is little is going to get done in Washington. And people are going to be more frustrated going into the presidential election in 2012. STEPHANOPOULOS: One of the things we’ve seen across the country, which you really feel here as you turn on your television, is campaign spending. Likely to see $3 billion spent in this election cycle. A lot of it by groups where you don’t know where the money is coming from. And it’s all across the air waves here. DOWD: Absolutely. The economy that’s suffering, the people doing well are the media consultants because there’s ad after ad after ad. You watched last night in Orlando and it’s just every place you go, is a negative ad about somebody on the ballot. At some point, there’s so many ads that washes over the voters. And I think things like last night’s debate I think have a much bigger impact on voters than the ads do because there’s so many in so many different places. But, a lot of money’s getting spent.
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Photo via Wind Watch The complaints you hear about wind turbines installed near people’s homes run a predictable gamut: They’re too ugly, too big, or yes, too noisy. Because renewable energy sources are gaining in prominence and are still mildly controversial in some regards, these complaints make for popular stories in the media. They’re are often treated with a ‘what are the costs of clean energy?’ angle. Take, for instance, this video on the front page of the Ne… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …MRC Launches $2.1 Million Campaign Demanding Liberal Media ‘Tell the Truth!’
October 5, 2010 No Comment
Calling the liberal mainstream media the “‘shock troops’ of the Obama administration,” NewsBusters publisher and Media Research Center president Brent Bozell has “declared war on the liberal media” with a new $2.1 million campaign to demand they stop lying and “Tell The Truth!” about Obama, the damage his radical policies have caused, and to cease immediately the character assassinations launched against the Tea Parties. MRC President Brent Bozell provided these remarks in the live webcast launch of the campaign: What would have been the reaction of the American people if on Election Day 2008, they had gone to the polls knowing that in electing Barack Obama, they were electing the single most radical socialist in the history of this country? I submit to you he never would have been elected. That’s the power of the left-wing media … I call the news media the ‘shock troops’ of the Obama administration because they’re the ones doing all the dirty work – for him – so that he doesn’t have to do it. The national campaign — accessible online at www.TellTheTruth2010.org — will reach millions of people each week through end of 2010 and includes: National television advertisements -3 different 15-second ads about ObamaCare, the Ground Zero mosque and illegal immigration; all issues the liberal media are out of sync with majorities of Americans National radio advertisements – 60-second radio ads cut by Mark Levin, nationally syndicated talk radio host Mobile billboard and delivery trucks – dozens of trucks circling New York and Washington bureaus of ABC, CBS, NBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post Billboards – stationed for 4 weeks in 9 cities: Dallas, Seattle, Las Vegas, Orlando, Little Rock, Lexington, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Milwaukee 104,000 petition signers – and growing Be sure to visit www.TellTheTruth.org to sign our petition.
Continue reading …Times Watch’s new study ” Supremely Slanted — How the New York Times Pounds Conservatives and Coddles Liberals When Nominated for the Supreme Court ,” was discussed by Fox News contributor Liz Trotta on “America’s News Headquarters” just before the one o’clock hour on Saturday afternoon. After some discussion of a Gallup poll showing Americans have little trust in the mainstream media, host Uma Pemmaraju shifted the discussion to the new Supreme Court study from Times Watch. (Watch the video here .) Fox News Host Uma Pemmaraju : “But there’s another poll, out right now that looks at media behavior as well and specifically how the media handles the Supreme Court nominees, how are those related?” Liz Trotta : “Exactly. Well, they’re related in this way, just to go back to the Gallup [poll] for one second. Forty-eight percent of the people who were polled said that they were, that the press was too liberal. Well, the Media Research Center has done a study on the New York Times coverage of Supreme Court nominees and this is where you can see that this has to be an example of why people don’t trust the media. What they did, is they looked at seven Supreme Court nominees from 1991 to 2010, that’s four Democrats and three Republicans. And they wanted to see how the New York Times treated them. Well, I can just hear you thinking out there, well, you could have told, you could certainly guess, because you read the paper or you’ve heard, and you know it’s a liberal newspaper. But the figures are interesting, because you can see that they have one figure tells us that they’re 10-to-1 more likely, that is the Times, to describe the Republicans as conservatives as they would describe the Democrats as liberal . And the intensity of the coverage, of the coverage and the glorification of liberal candidates really amounts to a certified chapter in advanced liberal media bias.”
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Good Morning America on Sunday recapped the liberal One Nation rally held on the nation’s capital, Saturday, but skipped any mention of the socialist and Communist themed signs seen during the march. These are some of the signs that were featured during reporter Tahman Bradley’s segment: “”Peace, justice, equality, hope, change,” “Fair trade, not free trade,” “Educate every child,” “Full and fair employment” and “Silence GOP lies.” However, signs with the Communist Party USA logo, posters reading “Capitalism is failing, socialism is the alternative” and “Build a socialist alternative” were not. [Pictures can be found here . Video, here .] Instead, Bradley repeated Democratic talking points: ” Several speakers and people in the crowd noted the diversity at the rally. Their insinuation, the Tea Party movement has attracted only a narrow slice of Americans .” Individuals with books such as the Communist Manifesto and The Jewish Question were also avoided. Interestingly, on Saturday, GMA’s Deborah Roberts actually asked Ben Jealous of the NAACP about communist infiltration of the rally: “Now, Glenn Beck has said to some of his viewers and listeners on the radio, that among your organizers are Communist Party members and the New York City Democratic Socialists of America. What do you say to that?” Roberts also had no follow up to Jealous’ odd answer: “This is a big tent…You’ll see Jews, Christians and Muslims. You’ll see black, brown, Asians. You’ll see everybody here from both parties who believe that tax cuts for the richest one percent at this time is crazy.” People from both parties attended the rally? Were they socialist Republicans? Considering how eager members of the media were to tout extremist signs at Tea Party rallies, Good Morning America should at least have shown a few of the socialist and communist signs, especially since Roberts raised the subject on Saturday. More on Tahman Bradley (see file photo at right): He interned for the left-wing People for the American Way . Reporting on the Glenn Beck rally for the August 29 GMA, he complained that the “crowd was almost all white, giving critics an open door.” A transcript of Sunday’s segment, which aired at 8:10am EDT, follows: DEBORAH ROBERTS: Liberals rally. Tens of thousands of people gather at the Lincoln Memorial to make their voices heard. But, will it be enough to energize voters and help the Democrats retain control of Congress? RON CLAIBORNE: And with election day less than a month away and Democrats struggling now to hold power on Capitol Hill, the left is trying to fire up its base, tens of thousands of people turned out for the One Nation Working Together rally in Washington, D.C. yesterday. Tahman Bradley has the story. PROTESTERS: USA! USA! TAHMAN BRADLEY: In a campaign that seems dominated by the Tea Party liberals put on their own strong show of support at the Lincoln Memorial. Their message, they too plan to show up on Election D ay. ED SCHULTZ: One nation. We are together. BRADLEY: The One Nation rally came almost one month after Glenn Beck energized conservatives at the same location. GLENN BECK: For too long this country has wandered in darkness. BRADLEY: This time hundreds of progressive groups, organizations from labor unions to the NAACP let their voice be heard. AL SHARPTON: They say that we’re apathetic. They say we’re not energized. We got to go home and we’ve got to hit the pavement. BRADLEY: Several speakers and people in the crowd noted the diversity at the rally. Their insinuation, the tea party movement has attracted only a narrow slice of Americans. GERALD HUDSON (Service Employees International Union): I think the Tea Party does not represent America. I think this is America. Asians, African-Americans, Latinos, whites, we’re all coming here saying, give us the politics that matter. JESSE JACKSON: Don’t you give up now. BRADLEY: The issues they say matter, jobs, education and social justice. issues that help Democrats win big in 2008, issues that liberals hope can once again motivate progressives to stem what polls show could be a large Republican tide. For Good Morning America, Tahman Bradley, ABC News, Washington. Signs seen in the segment: “Peace, Justice, Equality, Hope, Change,” “Fair Trade, Not Free Trade,” “Educate Every Child,” “Full and Fair Employment,” “Silence GOP Lies.”
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