Free Republic

Once upon a time in America the intelligentsia, the news media, liberals, and rights activists were on the front-lines of securing for women an important place at the table in areas where they had been previously excluded. Those were the days when any woman, anywhere, no matter what her background or political views, would be aggressively defended by organizations such as the National Organization for Women and other groups if they had been victimized by negative stereotypes, oppressive language and behavior, or any other indication that they had suffered at the hands of a 'paternalistic society.' Those days are gone....

The American mainstream media has been on a collision course with reality for several years. It appears the day of reckoning has arrived as both ABC News and CBS News make announcements today that indicate deep financial woes. In short, the mainstream media is going down as the big news giants begin to implode. For quite some time now it has been widely known that NBC News and its sister networks MSNBC and CNBC are in dire financial straits. That news was confirmed with the sale of the entity a few months ago. Today, however, ABC News announced that it...

In the early days of the Obama Presidency the relationship between White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and the Washington press corps was like a marriage made in heaven. Today, however, that relationship indicates possible trouble in paradise. The press as a whole had clearly assumed a cheerleading role for Barack Obama during the campaign and during the early days of the Administration. White House press conferences were thus characterized by lighthearted banter, humor, laughter, and easy questions that were noticeably lacking in the normal aggressive push to dig deeper into policy decisions.

WaPo's Howie Kurtz writes about increasing grumblings from the White House press corps over the lack of presidential news conferences in recent months: "It's a source of great frustration here," says Chip Reid, CBS's White House correspondent. "It's important for us to hold the president's feet to the fire." NBC White House reporter Chuck Todd calls the situation a "shame," saying the administration is trying to control the message rather than allowing Obama to be seen "unscripted." While the White House argues that there has been no shortage of appearances by the president on television and in print, some White...

It can be a powerful drug. I’ve seen many of my media friends swept off their feet by its incredible power and influence. Hopeium.

We already know that the Obama Administration and the state-run media (SRM) represented by Couric, Williams, and Gibson have suppressed information on the bombshell 'Climategate' scandal, so why should we believe them on anything else? Obama stated in a speech this week that his 'stimulus' packages were working, that millions of jobs had been 'created or saved,' and that the economic figures indicate the first stages of a turnaround.

Members of the mainstream media — people who call themselves “journalists” — seem to have paid absolutely no attention to a Congressional Research Service report on energy released Oct. 27 — this, despite the fact that two energy-related measures (i.e., the Kerry-Boxer and Waxman-Markey) are at the center of heated debate now taking place on Capitol Hill.

The war against Foxnews goes on. Just one year ago, could you envision the Executive Branch of the United States government actively going out and telling major news networks they better not do what Fox News is doing or you’ll regret it? What is the Obama administration going to do? Pull a Hugo Chavez and shut them down by edict? Don’t be surprised if they do try to emulate what’s been going on in Venezuela. The next big thing will be the use of the phrase “media crimes.” Even though a crime has not happened, the administration will infer that...

Last night while listening to Glenn Beck, he challenged his viewers with a call to action. He ordered us to get off our collective arses and call the media demanding to know if they will cover the ACORN story. This morning, I called the National News desk of the ComPost - I live in Maryland and work in DC. After numerous rings, I finally got voicemail stating to leave a message and number. My message was if the ComPost - I did not call them that on the voicemail - was going to investigate ACORN. I next called the Washington...

The refusal by ABC and NBC to run a national ad critical of President Obama's health care reform plan is raising questions from the group behind the spot -- particularly in light of ABC's health care special aired in prime time last June hosted at the White House A doctor in the ad by the League of American Voters asks: "How can Obama's plan cover 50 million new patients without any new doctors? It can't." The refusal by ABC and NBC to run a national ad critical of President Obama's health care reform plan is raising questions from the group...

On a rainy day last week in Long Branch, NJ, Bob Dylan, wearing a hood, was peering into a for-sale home when a neighbor called the police fearing he might be a burglar. Two young officers arrived on the scene and neither of them knew who Bob Dylan was. They asked for I.D. - he had none but explained he was a musician on tour with John Mellencamp and they were set to play at a nearby stadium in Lakewood. Without fuss or anger, Mr. Dylan was escorted back to his tour bus where he produced I.D.

Even journalists are beginning to revolt at tactics the government is now using to spin the Global Warming myth. Controversy erupted this week at the World Conference of Science Journalists over the National Science Foundation's "underwriting" of media projects. It turns out that the NSF, which is heavily invested in propagating the Global Warming party line, has been quietly producing content for news outlets, content which the casual observer might not recognize...

Arianna Huffington has proved herself in l'affaire Pitney to be both a hypocrite and so ignorant of journalism that she should not be allowed near a news-oriented website, even to read it... Pitney was given a press pass for the event, and was specifically called on, for one reason: to make it appear that Obama was taking "a question directly from an Iranian," in Pitney's own words. The nature or wording of the question didn't matter; Obama would give his carefully prepared response, no matter the details. It was a sham. A charade. Stagecraft, in which...

With a change in directions so sharp that it could give observers whiplash, Arianna Huffington is defending the carefully orchestrated question posed by a Huffington Post writer at the presidential news conference last week. After braying criticism during the Bush administration over perceived coziness between the press and the White House, she is now defending the HuffPo's hand in glove--or should I say, hand on keyboard--cooperation with....

Explosive commentary on the news this morning that ABC News is essentially turning over its programming to the White House and using its news broadcasts as infomercials for 'Obamacare.'

A curious phenomenon is occurring with regard to cable news viewers. Since the election those networks that have been decidedly pro-Obama are in deep trouble. Revenue has tanked and viewers have been leaving in droves. At the same time, outlets such as Fox News have been gaining new viewers by leaps and bounds. What's going on here? There is a reasonable explanation for the shift, and the news isn't good for the Obama administration.

Long gone are the days of Edward R. Murrow, Charles Collingswood, Douglass Edwards, Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, Frank Reynolds and Howard K. Smith. These men were true “Broadcast Journalists.” They understood all to well the responsibility that rested on their broad shoulders. You didn’t have to tell Murrow or Brinkley, two men of great honor and distinction, that your job is to report the news, “straight down the middle, and leave your editorial comments out of your copy.” As Americans, we didn’t know if these men were Democrats or Republicans. It wasn’t our business: And they did not wear their...

**My Comment: Timothy M. Kaine and gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe are "changeing" the facts to make it a story they can run with* Liberty University officials insisted Friday that they revoked recognition of the College Democrats club for religious reasons and not political ones, and they weren’t trying to stifle free speech. Politicians, including Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, urged the private school to reconsider. Using the letterhead of the Democratic National Committee, of which Kaine is chairman, he asked the school “to reverse this attack on the liberty of its students.” LU chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said the political club’s...

* NY Times board member denies he approached Google's Page * Says has not talked to any Google executive about NYT NEW YORK, May 12 (Reuters) - New York Times Co (NYT.N) board member Scott Galloway said on Tuesday he did not contact Google Inc (GOOG.O) Co-founder Larry Page to try to get the Internet company to buy the newspaper publisher. Galloway told Reuters he has not talked to anyone else at Google about buying the Times, denying a report in Fortune.com on Monday that said Galloway had made an overture to Page. "I've never been in same room with...

The nation's largest organization of professional journalists announced Tuesday it will oppose the reintroduction of the Fairness Doctrine. The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) announced it would stand against the Fairness Doctrine, which the group said would allow the government to control broadcast editorial content. The announcement makes for strange bedfellows with conservatives in Congress, who have alleged the Fairness Doctrine would result in severe constraints on their talk radio base, including superstars like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. "SPJ in general opposes government intervention on speech. The Fairness Doctrine does that and discussion about having it again should end,"...