Conservative religious leaders dominate media coverage.
Conservative religious leaders dominate media coverage.
Media Matters has published a new report, “Left Behind: The Skewed Representation of Religion in Major News Media,” documenting how conservative religious leaders receive far more media coverage than their progressive counterparts.
Despite the fact most religious Americans are moderate or progressive, in the news media it is overwhelmingly conservative leaders who are presented as the voice of religion. This represents a particularly meaningful distortion since progressive religious leaders tend to focus on different issues and offer an entirely different perspective than their conservative counterparts.
Below, a chart comparing media coverage of the top 10 most widely covered conservative (red) and progressive (blue) religious leaders:
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Internet Gossip Monger Matt Drudge Blasts Olbermann As A ‘Phony’
Internet Gossip Monger Matt Drudge Blasts Olbermann As A ‘Phony’
On his Sunday night radio program, Matt Drudge blasted Keith Olbermann as a “phony,” calling him “complete and utter camp.”
Drudge — the operator of the right-wing pseudo news site Drudge Report — was talking about the Venezuelan government’s shutdown of the country’s oldest private TV station when he veered the discussion into a hit piece on Olbermann. “When we start hearing that the National Guard is seizing television stations, alright then I’m on board,” Drudge said. “Then I’m on board, Olbermann. Until then, it’s all pancake, makeup, and Edward R. Murrow ‘good night and good luck’ and…complete and utter camp.”
“What’s being peddled over there at MSNBC” is “phony — phony lights, phony music, and everything there,” said Drudge, an Internet gossip who frolics in “the most salacious aspects of American politics.”
CLICK HERE TO LISTENIn 1998, Matt Drudge ran a TV series on Fox. Olbermann said at the time that Drudge “has gone from being an idiot with a modem to an idiot with a modem and a television show on the most irresponsible network in America.”
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Desperate Iraqi refugees turning to sex trade in Syria.
Desperate Iraqi refugees turning to sex trade in Syria.
According to the United Nations, “about 1.2 million Iraqi refugees now live in Syria. … Aid workers say thousands of Iraqi women work as prostitutes in Syria, and point out that as violence in Iraq has increased, the refugee population has come to include more female-headed households and unaccompanied women.”
ThinkFast: May 29, 2007
ThinkFast: May 29, 2007
Eight U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq on Memorial Day yesterday, “making May the deadliest month of the year for U.S. troops in Iraq.”
“Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has withdrawn his name from consideration for World Bank president.” Former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Paul Wolfowitz.
Even though “major Hispanic groups broke with other civil rights organizations and supported Alberto R. Gonzales’s nomination for attorney general” two years ago, those same groups are now calling for his resignation. Janet Murguia, head of the National Council of La Raza, called Gonzales “a follower, not a leader.”
Announcing new economic sanctions against Sudan’s government, President Bush this morning called the bloodshed in Darfur a “genocide.” Last month, Bush’s Sudan ambassador Andrew Natsios resisted that label. The administration’s measures are considered “too weak and too unilateral to significantly alter the calculations of the government of Sudan.”
War critic Cindy Sheehan, who rose to prominence when she camped outside Bush’s Crawford ranch in August 2005 to seek an explanation for her son’s death, wrote in a diary entry on DailyKos yesterday: “This is my resignation letter as the ‘face’ of the American anti-war movement. … I am going to take whatever I have left, and go home. I am going to go home and be a mother to my surviving children, and try to regain some of what I have lost.” More »
Dozens killed in wave of Baghdad violence.
Dozens killed in wave of Baghdad violence.
“A suicide car bomber struck a busy Baghdad commercial district Monday, killing at least 21 people, setting vehicles on fire and damaging a nearby Sunni shrine, police and hospital officials said. … Insurgents carried out several mortar and car bombing attacks throughout the capital Monday and even waged a lengthy gunbattle with police in broad daylight. The wave of violence, which killed 36 people across Baghdad, came despite a nearly 15-week-old U.S.-led security crackdown in the city.”
Doan’s Blackberry excuse doesn’t pan out.
Doan’s Blackberry excuse doesn’t pan out.
GSA administrator Lurita Doan claims she can’t remember the details of the partisan Rove PowerPoint session that was given to her employees because she was busy using her Blackberry. The Office of Special Counsel (which found that her partisan activity violated federal law) looked into the claim:
The special counsel sought to corroborate the BlackBerry distractions, yet when investigators reviewed Doan’s personal and government e-mail messages during the post-lunch meeting, there was no evidence that Doan would have been particularly distracted.
“The documentation establishes that Ms. Doan received nine e-mail messages to her private e-mail account on Jan. 26, 2007, with the latest one received at 1:08 p.m.,” the report states. The meeting took place from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. “The documentation Ms. Doan provided concerning her private e-mail account did not establish that she sent, read, composed, deleted or moved any messages during the January meeting.”
3,452:
3,452:
As of this Memorial Day, “at least 3,452 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003.” This morning on CBS News, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Peter Pace falsely claimed that the number of U.S. casualties in Iraq is just “approaching” the number of Americans killed on 9/11 — 3,000.
Waxman: ‘You Must Do The Oversight If We’re Going To Keep People Honest’
Waxman: ‘You Must Do The Oversight If We’re Going To Keep People Honest’
A May 18 report from the Office of Special Counsel found that General Services Administration chief Lurita Doan engaged in a “serious violation” of federal law by holding a meeting of federal employees prior to the 2006 midterms to discuss how they could “help our candidates” win the next election.
On the heels of the OSC’s finding, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman called for Doan to testify again before his committee on June 7. In her first testimony before Waxman, Doan displayed a horrible memory, failing to recall anything of substance about the GSA’s political briefings except that “there were cookies on the table” at one of her meetings.
ThinkProgress recently sat down with Waxman to ask him about the investigation into Doan. Waxman told us:
The investigation is a very important one and what it has shown is so often when you press these issues to people in the administration, you find out what they had said wasn’t true. … I just think it’s worth noting when people say “I can’t remember, I don’t recall,” it usually means they don’t want to say anything because it’s going to conflict with what they had said in the past or they’re going to say something for which they may well be committing perjury.
Waxman cited Doan’s testimony as a classic example. “She said the most incredible thing — ‘Congressman, I’m just so embarrassed. I can’t remember. I suppose I was there, but I can’t remember it.’ … Well, give me a break,” he said. Watch it:
Waxman explained that “you must ask the questions” and “you must do the oversight if we’re going to keep people honest, if we’re going to provide the checks and balances that our Constitution envisions.” By pressing forward with the investigation, investigators have revealed a disturbing pattern by Doan to mislead and cover-up her true intent regarding these partisan briefings. Some examples:
– When asked by the OSC investigators about her role in the briefing, she said “she was uninterested in the topic” and “was on her Blackberry…reviewing emails…and only periodically looked up and down.” But a review of her e-mail use during the meeting failed to corroborate that she was checking or sending email via her BlackBerry.
– Doan claimed the GSA employees who spoke out about her were employees who were poor performers. The OSC investigators said that Doan’s claim regarding the witnesses “appears to have been purposefully misleading and false” since none of the seven employees had “between a poor to totally inferior performance.”
– Doan claimed “she does not care about polls or election results.” But innvestigators report that Doan contributed $226,000 to Republican candidates and Republican organizations. Doan responded by testifying that the contributions had been ‘taken out of context.’”
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Wolfowitz Blames Downfall On The Media
Wolfowitz Blames Downfall On The Media
In his first interview since announcing his resignation, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz blamed the media for his downfall and claimed he had been vindicated over ethics accusations.
“I’m pleased that finally the board did accept that I acted in good faith and acted ethically,” Wolfowitz told BBC News. He neglected to mention that the World Bank board’s statement that Wolfowitz acted ethically was simply a “face-saving deal,” and that the special panel formed to investigate Wolfowitz’s actions found that he “broke bank rules in arranging a hefty compensation package for his girlfriend,” causing a “crisis in the leadership” at the institution.
Wolfowitz says he resigned because “emotions here were so overheated that I don’t think I could have accomplished what I wanted to accomplish for the people I really care about.” He denied that “lingering personal antipathy against him had contributed to his decision to leave. ‘I think it tells us more about the media than about the bank and I’ll leave it at that.’”
Watch it:
Fox News Pundits Push Back Against September Deadline For Iraq
Fox News Pundits Push Back Against September Deadline For Iraq
Yesterday, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said that “by September, when General Petraeus is to make a report, I think most of the people in Congress believe, unless something extraordinary occurs, that we should be on a move to draw those surge numbers down.” Similarly, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said recently, “The handwriting is on the wall,” adding, “We are headed in a different direction, in the fall, in Iraq. And the president is going to be the one to lead the way.”
As more and more conservatives begin to break away, the fiercest proponents of the current course in Iraq will desperately try to sway public opinion by claiming that the September deadline is too soon and that great progress is being made. Fox News’ pundits are already leading the charge.
This weekend, Brit Hume said the September deadline was “not helpful” and “probably unrealistic.” Fox military commentator Bob Maginnis said “after September, there’s a lot to be done. … It’s going to take a while.” And Fred Barnes claimed Petraeus will report “great progress and say [Baghdad] is heavily pacified. And I think that will increase some of the public support.” Watch it:
While it appears most members of Congress are beginning to coalesce around the need to begin a redeployment in the fall, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said he is leading an effort to discourage his colleagues “from saying that September is some kind of seminal moment.” And he’ll have no shortage of help from right-wing media outlets who will spin the deteriorating situation in Iraq.
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Honoring the fallen.
Honoring the fallen.
A Memorial Day tribute:
(HT: DefenseTech)
At least 3,813 U.S. soldiers have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. The faces of the fallen can be found here.
Fighting them there
Fighting them there
so we can fight them everywhere:
The Iraq war, which for years has drawn militants from around the world, is beginning to export fighters and the tactics they have honed in the insurgency to neighboring countries and beyond, according to American, European and Middle Eastern government officials and interviews with militant leaders in Lebanon, Jordan and London.
Some of the fighters appear to be leaving as part of the waves of Iraqi refugees crossing borders that government officials acknowledge they struggle to control. But others are dispatched from Iraq for specific missions. [...]
Estimating the number of fighters leaving Iraq is at least as difficult as it has been to count foreign militants joining the insurgency. But early signs of an exodus are clear, and officials in the United States and the Middle East say the potential for veterans of the insurgency to spread far beyond Iraq is significant.
Senior Rove aide leaves White House.
Senior Rove aide leaves White House.
White House political director and top Karl Rove aide Sara Taylor, “who has been with George W. Bush from the outset of his first presidential campaign, is the latest staff member to leave the president’s employ.
Taylor cleared out her office early last week. She plans to take her skills to the private sector, where the pay will no doubt be better than the $137,000 she earned in 2006 as a deputy assistant to the president. “I haven’t decided on anything,” Taylor said. “I’m looking at a handful of different options.”
Taylor is reportedly intimately involved in the U.S. Attorney scandal. According to Kyle Sampson, Taylor was directly promoting efforts to appoint attorneys without Senate confirmation. The House and Senate Judiciary Committees have approved subpoenas for her testimony.
Anti-war groups = terrorists.
Anti-war groups = terrorists.
“The Alabama Department of Homeland Security has taken down a Web site it operated that included gay rights and anti-war organizations in a list of groups that could include terrorists.”
U.S. troops in Iraq no longer ‘true believers.’
U.S. troops in Iraq no longer ‘true believers.’
“‘In 2003, 2004, 100 percent of the soldiers wanted to be here, to fight this war,’ said Sergeant First Class David Moore, a self-described ‘conservative Texas Republican’ and platoon sergeant who strongly advocates an American withdrawal. ‘Now, 95 percent of my platoon agrees with me.’”
Does Grassley have confidence in Gonzales? It’s a secret.
Does Grassley have confidence in Gonzales? It’s a secret.
On a conference call with reporters last week, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), a senior member on the Judiciary Committee, “passed on an opportunity to support Gonzales, although he noted that the calls for a vote seemed to have quieted down. Asked if he would vote ‘no confidence,’ Grassley replied, ‘I told my press secretary when she was asked that … just better play it close to our vest. So, I guess I won’t answer your question.’”
John McCain:
John McCain:
“I have tried to discourage my Republican colleagues from saying that September is some kind of seminal moment” for judging Bush’s escalation. A recent National Journal poll found that 67 percent of congressional Republicans say that even if conditions in Iraq have not improved significantly by September, Congress will still not pass legislation withdrawing U.S. forces out of Iraq.
UPDATE: Not everyone is listening to McCain.
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), a loyal supporter of President Bush, indicated Sunday that Republicans will be ready by September to look at bipartisan efforts to draw down the troops that were part of the surge to help secure Baghdad. [...]
The senator added that, when General David Petraeus is reporting back on the progress of the surge in September, “I think most of the people in Congress believe, unless something extraordinary occurs, that we should be on a move to draw those surge numbers down.”
Borger Predicts ‘Mass Resignation’ Of House Members Due To Stricter Ethics Standards
Borger Predicts ‘Mass Resignation’ Of House Members Due To Stricter Ethics Standards
On Thursday, the House passed new ethics legislation “that would penalize lawmakers who receive a wide range of favors from special interests, and would require lobbyists to disclose the campaign contributions they collect and deliver to lawmakers.” The Senate passed similar legislation in January.
Today, on The Chris Matthews Show, CBS News’ national political correspondent Gloria Borger claimed that the new ethical standards could cause a mass exodus of corrupt lawmakers from the House. “Watch for mass resignations from House members who are now saying they can’t afford to live here unless they’re bought and paid for by lobbyists,” said Borger. “They’re going to leave.” Watch it:
Exit polls for the 2006 mid-term elections showed that voters considered corruption one of the top issues facing the nation. If what Borger says is true, this is a clear sign that the 110th Congress’s efforts to clean up the culture of corruption is having a real impact. Congress would be better served if lawmakers who are “bought and paid for by lobbyists” give up their seats.
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“I lost my son to a war I oppose.”
“I lost my son to a war I oppose.”
Andrew Bacevich, a professor of international relations at Boston University, writes about the recent loss of his son in Iraq:
What exactly is a father’s duty when his son is sent into harm’s way? Among the many ways to answer that question, mine was this one: As my son was doing his utmost to be a good soldier, I strove to be a good citizen. [...]
I hoped that [my anti-war] efforts might produce a political climate conducive to change. I genuinely believed that if the people spoke, our leaders in Washington would listen and respond. This, I can now see, was an illusion. [...]
I know that my son did his best to serve our country. Through my own opposition to a profoundly misguided war, I thought I was doing the same. In fact, while he was giving his all, I was doing nothing. In this way, I failed him.
Read his full op-ed.
Kristol: Bush ‘Was Furious’ Over NYT Report Of 2008 Withdrawal
Kristol: Bush ‘Was Furious’ Over NYT Report Of 2008 Withdrawal
The New York Times reported this weekend that the Bush administration is developing “concepts for reducing American combat forces in Iraq by as much as half next year, according to senior administration officials in the midst of the internal debate.” The White House immediately tried to tamp down the story.
If there was ever any lingering doubt about whether the White House might finally be considering a redeployment, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol put those hopes to bed this morning on Fox News. He revealed that Bush is “furious” over the NYT report and that the White House is aggressively pushing back on the story over the Memorial Day weekend. Kristol said:
The president apparently was furious about the New York Times article Saturday. One senior White House official went out of his way to call me Saturday and left me a voicemail saying that. So, since they don’t normally do that on Saturdays, I think maybe it’s even true.
Watch it:
The NYT report is just the latest example in a recurring pattern of media reports that have given false hope of an imminent drawdown. As Glenn Greenwald notes, “For four straight years, the same set of war supporters have constantly and repetitiously given the same exact false assurances about Iraq — virtually verbatim — in order to protect themselves politically.” And the press bites at the story every time.
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