Showing posts with label MSM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MSM. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Comparative Journalism 101


Exhibit A: The New York Times, 11 August 2009, Isabel Kershner:

Fatah Party Election Brings in a New Generation



Fatah, the mainstream Palestinian nationalist party, elected a mostly new leadership committee, ushering in a younger generation and ousting some prominent veterans, according to preliminary results released here on Tuesday.

The new leaders are considered more pragmatic than their predecessors and grew up locally, in contrast to the exile-dominated leadership they are replacing. But many are familiar names who have already played active roles in Palestinian society and the peace process...

Exhibit B: The Jerusalem Post, 12 August 2009, Khaled Abu Toameh:

Analysis: New faces of an unreformed, hard-line Fatah



Many of the newly-elected members of Fatah's Central Committee may be younger than their ousted predecessors, but that does not necessarily mean that they are more reform-minded or less corrupt.

Nor does the election of the young guard representatives signal a shift toward moderation...

...The assumption that Muhammad Dahlan, Jibril Rajoub, Marwan Barghouti and Tawfik Tirawi are more moderate than old-timers like Ahmed Qurei, Nabil Sha'ath and Hani al-Hassan is completely mistaken.

Fatah's strongman in Lebanon, Sultan Abu al-Aynain, who was also elected as member of the committee, is being described by some media outlets as one of Fatah's "fresh faces."

But Fatah insiders say Abu al-Aynain is known as a "ruthless thug who does not hesitate to liquidate anyone who stands in his way."

So it is with extreme pleasure that I relay this Silicon Alley Insider story titled, "NYT Could Take A $1 Billion Bath Selling The Boston Globe".

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of anti-civilization moonbats.


Idea: Dan from New York.

Saturday, August 08, 2009

CNN anchor gets pwnt by truck dealer offering free AK-47s


Mark Muller of Butler, Missouri's Max Motors knows a good sales promotion when he sees one. That's why he created the "Buy a truck and get a free AK-47" program.

CNN interviewed Muller on-air. The anchor attempted to parry with Muller and had her hat handed to her.

A pickup truck and a free AK? Anyone know how to get to Butler?

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Iranian State Television Presents: Meet the Press


Welcome to Iran's longest running program since the revolution: Iranian TV's Meet the Press!

Today's guest: Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, his holy beardness... Ayatollah Ali Khamenei!

And now to your host: Haddad HomAyoon...

Supreme Leader, many young, foolish students have asked why must we stone women for adultery, hang homosexuals, flog dissidents, and suppress opposition political --

Silence! Guards! Send this infidel host to the gallows! Next host!

Errr... umh... Dearest Supreme Leader, some misguided souls argue that Iran must abandon its quest for nuclear weapons and embrace a new strategy for --

Outrageous! Guards!! 500 lashes and 25 years for this traitorous son of a monkey! Next!

Uhm... ahhhh... oh... Most Benificent... Supreme Leader... of Untold Piety, should thieves suffer two hand amputations rather than one?

Ah, excellent question... host. Remember, as prescribed by hodud, amputation of a single hand is a punishment approved by Iran’s Supreme Court. And remember a missive from years past: if thieves don’t want their hands cut off, they should stop stealing. Also, I may confide that our latest statistics show that public amputations have a visible effect on controlling the crime rate!

Uhmm... excellent, excellent. Well, Outrageously Wondrous Supreme Leader of Epic, Awesome Wisdom and Piety... we appear to have run out of time...

Thank you for watching Meet the Press. Join us next week, when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Sean Penn interrogate our hosts.

Also, we have many job openings on Meet the Press, including television hosts - no experience whatsoever required! Call 7-21 to apply.

Thank you for watching and tune in next week. Now stay tuned for Project Runway: Burka Babes Go Wild!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Juxtaposing Two AP Headlines


Headline 1: "World has avoided economic disaster, Obama says."

Headline 2: "Jobless rate hits 9.4 percent in May; layoffs slow"

Sweetness & Light observes:

... the bad news is buried in the article:

If laid-off workers who have given up looking for new jobs or have settled for part-time work are included, the unemployment rate would have been 16.4 percent in May, the highest on records dating to 1994.

And this:

Economists say the job market may not get back to normal — meaning a 5 percent unemployment rate — until 2013. Economic recoveries after financial crises tend to be slower, economists say.

Are there economic recoveries after non-financial crises?

Anyway, lest we forget, unemployment during the Bush administration was never anywhere near this bad:

Unemployment rate

This chart, like the one [above], is from the US Bureau Of Labor Statistics.

You won’t be seeing these anywhere in our watchdog media.

They're a courageous lot, what few that remain, that is.

Monday, July 06, 2009

CNN, R.I.P.


The media watchers over at the excellent Business Insider are illustrating the final chapter of CNN's life as an alleged purveyor of news. It closes its days as the Atlanta-based, public relations bureau of the Democrat National Committee.

Consider, for instance, Nielsen's second-quarter numbers, which could be accompanied by a "gong".

"For starters, CNN is now the third-place behind Fox News and MSNBC among the coveted 25-54 demographic."

"Not helping matters, CNN's top stars, Campbell Brown and Anderson Cooper can't seem to hold on to their audiences, which have declined for three straight quarters."

Year over year, CNN's audience is down an astounding 10%.

But perhaps some more coverage of Michael Jackson's death would help. Anderson, could you make sure the lights are out before you leave tonight?

Sunday, July 05, 2009

The Sum of All Fears


Radio Equalizer has the exclusive reaction from the CEO of Excellence In Broadcasting.

And that begs the question: which ticket would p**s off the moonbats worse: Limbaugh-Palin or Cheney-Rumsfeld?


A Brief Interlude in the Oval Office


I'm in some real trouble with Michelle.

What do you mean?

She picked up my trousers off the floor last night
and noticed lipstick marks on the seat of my pants.

Well?? What happened?

I admitted that they were from Jennifer Loven and Gary Trudeau,
but assured her the three of us have a strictly platonic relationship.



Saturday, July 04, 2009

"Palin is running for president, get used to it"


The Internet rumor mill is afire with speculation on the reasons for Sarah Palin's resignation as Governor of Alaska.

The usual cadre of deranged lefty bloggers hatched dozens of Troofer-esque theories, ranging from impending "embezzlement" charges (alleged ethics accusation #16) to an "Iceberg" scandal (don't ask).

Eh, no one tell the deranged leftist bloggers that all politicians operating under ethical clouds hang relentlessly onto power until it is clawed from them (see exhibits: Conyers, Dodd, Feinstein, Frank, Jefferson, Mollohan, Murtha, Rangel, Reid, Pelosi, Waters, et. al.).

The left's psychoses revolve around one characteristic: fear of Palin. She drives them absolutely nuts. They have hatched feverish story lines, plots, ambitions, conspiracy theories and "damning" evidence of her inability to serve as a credible candidate for high office. Their inordinate attention betrays their fears.

And recall that these are the very same rocket scientists who predicted -- for roughly 72 months running -- that Karl Rove was about to be "frog-marched" out of the White House.

At last count, Mickey Kaus had 14 theories.

Here are the facts on the ground:

• She could not build a campaign organization and a core team of contributors from Alaska;

• She could not relentlessly campaign for conservative candidates in 2012, which would build up her war-chest of owed favors;

• She could not sustain the endless series of ethical accusations, which cost enormous amounts of money both for her personally ($500,000) and the state of Alaska ($2,000,000). Of 15 ethical challenges, she has been cleared in all 15 cases. As an aside, note that these tactics are eerily reminiscent of those used by Barack Obama in having four of his Illinois challengers disqualified from office. It wouldn't be surprising, therefore, to discover that Obama's ACORN shock troops, Rahm Emanuel and/or David Axelrod were operating behind the scenes in these cases.

• She could not easily kick the asses of her many detractors in the mainstream media from Alaska. Consider that all of the major network news anchors were on vacation this week. This timing may have been purposeful; Palin will be old news by the time they return. I believe she's prepared to go on offense against a "media" that provided the most unbalanced coverage of two candidates (Obama versus Palin) in the history of American politics. Simply compare the questions ABC's Charlie Gibson asked of both in his one-on-one interviews to understand the callous disregard the media has for American voters. She reduced David Letterman to a quivering tub of goo; look for that to occur in other venues now.

Ever astute, Mark Levin listed but one reason for her announcement: Palin is running for president, get used to it..


Update: Patriot Room finds similar sentiments.

Update II: "It's On! Palin Counsel Plans to Pursue Liberal Blogs and Statist Media For Slander"

Friday, July 03, 2009

Jennifer Loven of the AP: Barack Obama's Personal Publicist


I'd call Jennifer Loven of the AP a useless sycophant and a slavish mistress of the Obama administration, but that would understate her remarkable lack of journalistic ethics. She is, to be sure, a publicist disguised as an objective reporter. After all, that's how one gets those cherished one-on-one interviews with President Obama. To put Jennifer Loven in perspective, consider the headlines of her bylined stories over recent months.

07/02/2009: Obama: More work needed to create new jobs
07/02/2009: Obama: too many jobs lost
07/02/2009: Obama cites Michael Jackson as entertainment icon
07/02/2009: Obama troubled by indefinite detention
07/02/2009: Court 'moving ball' on racial hiring, Obama says

06/26/2009: Obama says US, Germany oppose violence in Iran
06/25/2009: Obama touts deal with drug firms
06/25/2009: Obama says he's committed to immigration reform
06/24/2009: Obama condemns violence against Iranian protesters
06/23/2009: Obama talks tougher on Iran violence

06/05/2009: Obama offers America's hand in peace to grateful Muslims
06/04/2009: Obama highlighting ties to Islam
06/04/2009: Obama troubled by Iran election but sees change
06/03/2009: Obama visits Saudi king on eve of key speech
06/04/2009: Obama extends hand to Muslim world in speech

06/05/2009: Obama sees 'serious progress' for Mideast peace
06/06/2009: Obama, Sarkozy, agree on Middle East strategy
06/06/2009: Obama: North Korea must engage in diplomacy
06/06/2009: Obama marks D-Day's solemn 65th anniversary
05/21/2009: Obama fights to take command of Guantanamo debate

05/12/2009: Obama seeks to block release of abuse photos
04/27/2009: From Obama: swine flu action, reassuring words
04/27/2009: Obama team offers calm, experts for swine flu
04/27/2009: Obama administration: Stern border enforcement not yet necessary
04/27/2009: White House asks lawmakers for $1.5b for flu

04/21/2009: Obama open to Hill probe of harsh interrogations
03/19/2009: Obama defends Geithner
03/12/2009: Treasury Secretary says global action needed to combat recession
02/28/2009: Military shaped Obama's Iraq plan
02/28/2009: Obama's balancing act on Iraq withdrawal

Now compare and contrast: Jennifer Loven stories from her years covering the Bush administration.

07/26/2005: White House: Judge Roberts writings out of bounds
06/08/2005: Bush, Blair agree to forgive Africa debt, at odds over aid
05/01/2005: Bush to keep pushing Social Security changes
02/11/2005: Bush threatens to veto Medicare changes
10/03/2004: Bush assails his foe on outsourcing security

09/01/2004: Troops got the message, but no one told Bush
04/14/2004: Bush, Cheney taxed less in '03
04/02/2004: Bush signs measure giving more legal rights to fetuses
03/06/2004: Bush Says He'll Relax Security Checks on Mexicans
02/21/2004: Bush defends decision for War in Iraq

12/15/2003: White House soft-pedals Baker's mission
12/14/2003: Bush sounds like candidate in radio talk
12/03/2003: Steel tariff decision dogs Bush
02/16/2002: Bush tells nation to relax a bit
12/03/2001: Affordable housing crunch persists for poorest

10/03/2001: Report Growing gap between wages, cost of renting
08/27/2001: 1 in 32 people in corrections system
08/03/2001: Democrats thwart Bush's consumer products nominee
12/07/2000: Pentagon: Project Falsely Justified
11/02/2000: LaHood continues effort to abolish Electoral College

The Loven agenda -- and by extension, the mission of the AP -- is as clear as glass.


Update: "State-Run Media Smears GOP for Pushing Family Values".

Update II: In 2006, Tom Blumer offered valuable background on Loven:

Jennifer Loven of the Associated Press is one of AP's regular reporters covering Mr. Bush and The White House... She also has an obvious conflict of interest, as her husband, Roger Ballentine, was a senior adviser to John Kerry on energy and environmental issues during the 2004 presidential campaign. Ballentine is currently president of Green Strategies, Inc., an environmental consulting and government relations (read: lobbying) firm. He also continues to be actively involved in the politics of energy and the environment, as this appearance at a renewable energy conference in December 2004 and the promotion for his October appearance on "E&E TV" show.

It has apparently never occurred to AP that her husband's point of view could affect the objectivity of Ms. Loven's reporting, though, as this post at Powerline supplied by me back in September 2004 shows, she went so far as to ridicule a 2002-2003 Bush Administration environmental initiative in one of her "objective" reports using language that parroted her husband's environmental advocacy statements.

Whether it's Iraq, the Joe Wilson charade (a report that led Powerline to call her a "Democrat Operative"), or the economy, Ms. Loven's reports on day-to-day happenings in the administration have been consistently negative and sometimes even hostile.


Inside the White House Panic Room



Sad, ain't it?


Thursday, June 25, 2009

Our useless media


Non-stop coverage -- on every news channel -- of Michael Jackson's death.

While certainly tragic, it holds all of the importance of a cow fart (don't tax that, Democrats, it's a euphemism) in contrast to what is occurring this very moment in Iran.

There, the massacre of freedom-seeking Iranians continues, with the best coverage from -- of all places -- Australia.

They seem to have overcome their Michael Jackson-fixation down under.


Top 10 Questions ABC's Infomercial 'Forgot' to Ask [Mister R.]


Our resident health care guru, an industry insider who uses the handle "Mister R.", hasn't forgotten about us. Ironically, he's been battling his own health issue but stopped by long enough to relay the following observations regarding ABC's health care infomercial.

Obama is pushing the "competition", like the battle for market share will be on an even playing field.

However, Obama is trying to stack the field to be so tilted that the private insurers will start their inning with two outs and no men on base, while Obama starts with no outs and the bases loaded.

ABC's infomercial never addressed the core issues of this supposed "competition":

1. How much do doctors and providers get reimbursed?

2. Does it differ by region? In other words, do you pay a doctor the same in New York City than one in Great Bend, Kansas?

3. How is fraud detected in the system?

4. Will doctors and providers be forced to participate?

5, Who manages the network?

6. Who ultimately decides the level of care?

7. Who adjudicates the claims?

8. Is the public option supported by taxes, premiums or both?

9. How is it that private insurers cannot do business across state lines but the federal government can (private insurers must file with each state and abide by that states rules and regs. Businesses that have several locations in the country must participate in a plan in the state in which the business is domiciled)?

10. Will the public option abide by each states mandates?

This is just for starters. I see Obama is considering taxing health care benefits and everyone who makes over $100,000 to fund the plan.

That is pretty ironic: the left pushes health care as a right, but if you have a private insurance plan, the government wants to tax your "right". Nothing surprises me anymore.

I view number 9 as one of the most critical questions.

As for ABC -- the All-Barack Channel -- I predict a ratings slide into oblivion. What happened to news organizations that reported the news? So far as I can tell, there's only one real television news organization left.


Previous Mister R.:
• Mister R. Chapter 1: The '47 Million Uninsured' Lie
• Mister R. Chapter 2: Health Care Insurance: Puzzling Questions No One Will Answer
• Mister R. Chapter 3: Obama's Pharmaceutical Delusions
• Mister R. Chapter 4: Obama's speech to the AMA

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Guess which CNBC breaking news headline is legit


Only one of these headlines is real. Repeat: one of these headlines is real. Can you guess which one?

Give up?

It's the second one. Sad, ain't it?


Hat tip: Zero Hedge.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Media Matters, Huffington Post Beclown Themselves... Again


Moi? They came after Moi'?

Huffington Matters and Media Post, two of the finest websites that George Soros' money can buy, coordinated twin hit pieces this afternoon. Timed within minutes of one another, PuffHo and MediaShmatters alleged that the Dealergate fiasco was the concoction of the "right-wing blogosphere" (by the way, George, I'm a centrist).

Here's MediaMutters (all emphases mine):

Right-wing blogger who concocted phony Dealergate story is back with new anti-Obama conspiracy (And Michelle Malkin loves it!)

That's the genius of the right-wing blogosphere. Instead of being penalized, or ostracized, for concocted nutty, dead-end capers, you're rewarded. You become a rising star. Your link count goes up. Why? Because the right-wing blogosphere is literally built upon fabrications. And because that's the road to stardom, everybody's eager to hatch new whodunits.

Just ask Doug Ross. He's the part-time dick [Ed: Gold, Georgie, that's comedy gold!] who uncovered the blockbuster story about how the Obama White House punished Republican donors by shutting down Chrysler car dealerships owned by Republican donors. It's true that statistically, pretty much any dealership owner whose shop was shut down likely gave more money to Republicans, because that's what dealership owners do.

But still, the whole story had a great what-if ring to it, which was good enough for the right-wing bloggers. (And Neil Cavuto.)

Well, Ross has another big story. (How does he do it?!) This one, a "RED ALERT" jobber, is about how the the FBI was told to "back off" investigating the nefarious activities of Black Muslim converts; an investigation that might have detained the Arkansas gunman--and Muslim convert--before he allegedly killed an Army recruiter this week. Who told the FBI to back off? It could have been the Obama White House!!! (BTW, Ross has zero sources to back up the tall tale, but still.)

Zero sources: now that's the accuracy we've come to expect from Media Sputters! Just for comedic purposes, let's review the first five words of the White House/Muslim Convert post: "Today's update from Stratfor Research..."

Stratfor, of course, is one of the best known intelligence and forecasting firms in the world. As of this moment on Google News, Stratfor analysis is referenced by the Kuwait Times, the UN Dispatch, IndyMedia, The Tehran Times, Investment News, the News of Australia, the Business Standard, Daily Kos, Forbes, the Brisbane Times, the Seattle Times, Time Magazine, the Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal, the New Zealand Herald, Asia Times, the Denver Post, the Malaysia Star, and many, many more.

The first five words of the post mentioned the source... and Media Matters got it wrong.

As for the Stuffington Roast, senior conservative blog watcher and Media Matters UberGruppenFuhrer Terry Krepel decided to call Dealergate dead. A fantasy hatched by the right-wing blogosphere. A fairy tale.

Right-wing bloggers were abuzz last week with news of its conspiracy du jour -- that the Obama administration is deliberately targeting Chrysler dealers for closure whose owners have donated to Republican candidates.

Loath to ignore any opportunity to smear President Obama, the right-wing media were quick to jump on the conspiracy. But even as they reported evidence that debunked the claim, they clung to it anyway.

Newsmax's Ken Timmerman appeared to embrace the conspiracy in a May 27 article -- "Many of the closed dealers were also major donors to Republican candidates and political action committees, a review of campaign finance data from the Federal Election Commission shows"...

Pity Terry doesn't get out much. He might have noticed this perfectly timed Zero Hedge post by Tyler Durden.

Durden reviewed the sworn declarations of dealers at today's bankruptcy hearing. Almost all of the dealers were compliant with Chrysler's strategic Alpha and Genesis initiatives (combining various brands into a single store); furthermore, most of the dealers had significantly above average sales performance and customers satisfaction ratings.

One particular declaration caught my eye, that of Ethel L. Cook, a dealer based in downtown Little Rock, a town near and dear to the former resident. I believe readers can draw their own conclusions based on Mr. Cook's sworn testimony (highlights mine).

On May 13, 2009, I received a letter from Chrysler notifying the Dealership that Chrysler had elected to “reject” our Dealer Agreement. I am obviously very familiar with the Little Rock, Arkansas dealer network and was surprised because both Cook and Crain, the only Chrysler dealers in Little Rock, were both rejected. Therefore, Chrysler’s action would, on its face, result in a complete lack of representation in a major American city. Since that would be a ludicrous result, one can only infer that Chrysler has a more sinister motive.

Because it is inconceivable that Chrysler will not have a dealership in Little Rock going forward, the only conclusion that one could draw is that, after review, the evidence in other markets in the region, that Chrysler now intends to “give” the Little Rock market to a Landers-related dealer.

Having reviewed the pattern of assumption and rejection of dealers throughout their region, I have detected a pattern: In every market where there is a dealership connected with former Penske Automotive executive Steve Landers, or his new automotive partnership with “Mac” McLarty (former Chief of Staff for President Clinton) and Robert L. Johnson (majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats), the competitors are rejected.

In the Little Rock, Landers Chrysler Dodge Jeep is located far out of town in Benton, Arkansas. Nevertheless, the two Little Rock dealers, Cook and Crain were rejected.

In the Fayetteville, Arkansas area, Landers-McLarty Dodge Chrysler Jeep is located far out of town in Bentonville, Arkansas. Competitors Springdale Dodge Chrysler, Steve Smith County Jeep and Jones Brothers were all rejected.

In the Shreveport, Louisiana market, Lee’s Summit Dodge Chrysler Jeep (a Landers McLarty dealership) is located in Bossier City, Louisiana. Both competitive dealers, Claude de Beaux in Vivian, Louisiana and Greater Birmingham Dodge Chrysler in Shreveport were rejected.

In the Springfield, Missouri market, Tri-Lakes Motors (a Landers-McLarty dealership) is located in Branson, Missouri. Competitors Heritage Chrysler Jeep in Ozark, Missouri and Ramsay Motor Company in Harrison, Arkansas were rejected. A pattern seems to be emerging. Everywhere there is a Landers-McLarty dealership, Chrysler has rejected the competition.

In the Huntsville, Alabama market, Landers McLarty Dodge Chrysler Jeep, is located in Huntsville. Competitor Cloverleaf Chrysler Dodge Jeep was rejected.

Favoritism and cronyism towards preferred dealer group is not a valid exercise of business judgment.

Of course, this aligns almost precisely with the findings that Joey Smith and I championed.

Media Fatters and The Gruffington Host really should ask Papa Soros for a new workstation and an upgrade from dial-up. This kind of thing is an all-too-familiar embarrassment for the sultans of sophistry.



Update: Michelle Malkin, Wizbang, Secrets of Vancouver and Holy Coast have more.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Awesome: Olbermann and 538.com echo-chambers inadvertently confirm Dealergate findings!


Some moonbat whining in one of our comment threads alerted us to coverage of Dealergate by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann.

In the broadcast, Olbermann cribbed the lefty blogosphere once again, parroting Ned Sliver's findings over at 624.com.

Using a series of HuffPo keyword searches (eh, just ignore the half-assed methodology for the moment), Saliver computed the odds that your random Chrysler dealer would have donated to the Republican Party.

Ned started with those who listed their professions as "auto dealer". The ratio in donations was 8.6 to 1 (GOP to Democrats).

Then Fred tried "Car Dealer". That ratio was 3 to 1.

Then Frank tried "Automobile Dealer" and that ratio was 10 to 1.

Finally, Frodo used the profession "Automotive Dealer" (like I said, ignore the idiotic methodology). The ratio was 16 to 1.

Of course, Olby and Bilbo neglected to include one additional slide. They somehow forgot to ask the key question: what was the ratio of GOP-to-Democrat donations for the dealerships that were closed by Obama and his minions?

I mocked up my own slide to give you the answer that Olby and Naif "forgot" to show.

The ratio of donations for dealers that were shuttered was 42 to 1, GOP to Democrat.

Gee, I wonder if that difference is statistically significant?

* * * * * * * * *

p.s., It's been a while since I've bothered to watch Olberloon (and, given his ratings, that seems to be typical). His smooth, unchallenged lies are absolutely stunning!

For example, he said that the GOP had opposed the auto bailouts; thus "...if the GOP had their way [forcing Chrysler to undergo a normal bankruptcy proceeding,] it would've been every Chrysler dealership being closed!"

Say, don't companies go through bankruptcy proceedings all the time and emerge on the other side without shedding every employee? Of course they do, that's what most large bankruptcy proceedings provide for -- think Delta Airlines, for instance, where the operation kept chugging along.

Who watches MSNBC? What kind of person could tolerate that sort of idiocy?