Free Republic

What’s so bad about the IRS investigating nonprofit applications? That’s their job. The real scandal is that the ensuing hubbub will discourage them from doing it again, writes Ken Stern. Over the last week, commentators have expressed great outrage over the handling by the IRS of applications by Tea Party groups and others for 501(c)(4) status. In the haste to trigger the next administration-crippling “gate,” these analyses have largely ignored one of the most surprising aspects of this entire episode—that the IRS was actually trying to do its job. A little context is warranted. There are more than 1.5 million...

On April 8, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi headlined a Boston conference on ''media reform.'' She was joined by four other congressmen, a senator, two FCC commissioners, a Nobel laureate and numerous liberal journalists. The 2,500-person event was sponsored by a group called Free Press, one of more than 180 different media-related organizations that receives money from liberal billionaire George Soros. Soros, who first made a name for himself in investing and currency trading, now makes his name in politics and policy. Since the 2004 election, the controversial financier has used his influence and billions to push a laundry list...

The White House held an off-the-record briefing with reporters on Friday afternoon to discuss recent revelations about the Benghazi investigation, sources familiar with the meeting tell POLITICO.

Peter Sagal, host of NPR's highly entertaining "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me," is planning a new PBS special on the US Constitution. In an interview with Politico, Sagal explains that he will be using the show to "educate" Americans about our government's framing document . The tax-payer funded show, "Constitution USA with Peter Sagal," sounds harmless enough: … We talked to people who were basically living the Constitution whether they wanted to or not, as opposed to the usual array of pundits or activists who have opinions about it. But as Sagal reveals his personal views of the constitution, a...

Gun debate triggered media bias By: Dylan Byers April 18, 2013 07:09 PM EDT If you thought President Obama was outraged after the Senate killed the plan to expand background checks on guns, you should have seen some members of the press. Even by the standards of today’s partisan media environment, the response has been noteworthy. Television hosts, editorial boards, and even some reporters have aggressively criticized and shamed the 46 Senators who opposed the plan, while some have even taken to actively soliciting the public to contact them directly. The decision by some members of the media to come...

An amazing example of the power and possibilities of social media. Thatcher haters in England have made the "Wizard of Oz" classic song "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" the number one selling single in the country. And the "munchikins" who appeared in the film are none too pleased: Ruth Duccini, 94, and Jerry Maren, 91 -- who sang the ditty -- said: "It's terrible." Saddened Munchkins said it was monstrous to hijack the song -- as the BBC fudged a decision whether to play it. Ruth, among those who sang the song in 1939's Wizard Of Oz, believes the...

The liberal media's push for gun control has long included the tactic of attempting to shame the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other gun rights activists into silence. That tactic was once again deployed by MSNBC's Thomas Roberts this morning in his interview with liberal Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), who is calling on the nation's oldest civil rights organization to cease and desist robocalls to phone numbers in the Newtown, Connecticut, area. At no point in the softball interview, however, was it mentioned that some Newtown parents like Mark Mattioli and Bill Stevens have testified in opposition to fresh...

When you’ve got a country to transform, any caviling is disloyalty. Today’s Washington journalists are like J. R. R. Tolkien’s ring wraiths, petty lords who wanted a few shiny golden Obama rings — only to end up as shrunken slaves to the One. The Bob Woodward/Ron Fournier/Lanny Davis psychodrama is another small reminder that the Obama administration continues to assume that the press should be little more than a veritable Ministry of Truth. Its proper duty is to serve the White House and promote the progressive agenda of Barack Obama. Any were considered suspect who questioned whether those exalted ends...

If Santa Claus had a State of the Union speech, it would sound much like President Obama’s latest. In it, Obama detailed a Christmas list of “investments” on Tuesday night that he wants government to make. In all, he included 11 separate versions of the term “invest” to indicate government spending – your tax dollars. The solution to all that spending was, of course, more taxes when Republicans have already said “no new taxes.” Naturally, the media loved it. MSNBC’s Ed Schultz called it “a stunning speech tonight.” CNN’s Jessica Yellin said Obama was “relaxed and confident.” Politico’s summary was...

The elite media and scores of journalists on the left are outraged today because a group of pro-gun rights activists allegedly “heckled” Neil Heslin, the father of six-year-old Jesse Lewis -- one of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre -- during a Connecticut hearing on gun violence on Tuesday. Here’s the MSNBC clip making the rounds on Twitter: But wait. As Twitchy points out, the original video has obviously been altered and tampered with (fast forward to the 15:05 mark):VideoIt’s abundantly clear that someone at MSNBC doctored the original video in order to (a) push their radical,...

Liberal Fox News Contributor and Daily Beast columnist Kirstin Powers on the Obama-Hillary Clinton "60 Minutes” interview: “It really was something you’d expect from the state-run media. It was that kind of level of propaganda… This was a joke. You look at it and just not challenging basic things…”

Newsweek stopped its print edition at the end of 2012, but they still tried to scandalize the country by producing a fake cover honoring Obama's second inauguration as "The Second Coming." This absurd attempt at myth making is a natural progression. The "cover" story was written by Evan Thomas, who proclaimed on MSNBC a few years ago that Obama was "sort of like God" in being above the gritty political fray. It was just as absurd when Newsweek writer David Frum, the formerly conservative Bush speechwriter, tweeted this piece of media-elite nonsense: "First term Obama: punchee, 2nd term Obama,...

I’m getting sick and tired of the Obama administration using children selectively in order to help the president advocate his public policy positions. As I sat and watched his recent press conference, I finally understood his opposition to the Iraq War. It seems he and the late President Hussein are kindred spirits who share more than just a name. They share a sick penchant for using children as human shields in the middle of war. And make no mistake about it; America is currently at war with itself on many different fronts. As I sat and watched Obama surrounded by...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Aw, darn it! Obama is trying so hard. The regime is trying so hard. They never worked harder trying to overcome all of the messes left by George W. Bush, and here we are. We're on the verge of a recovery! The unemployment situation (they keep telling us) is improving. Even though we added people to the unemployment rolls yesterday, that was called "stability" by the AP. We're still at 375,000 unemployment applications every week, but we're on the verge -- we're on the verge! -- of overcoming the big mess left by George W. Bush and,...

HONG KONG (CNNMoney) Pioneering Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera has acquired Current TV, and will use the network's wider distribution avenues to launch a new U.S.-based channel. The takeover will provide Al Jazeera with access to millions of U.S. households, a lucrative market the Qatar-based broadcaster has long coveted. The deal also means the end of Current, the low-rated channel co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore.

Now that’s compliance for you. The blackout from these “influential progressives” – as the White House so boosterishly calls them — raises an historic prospect. Could this be the first White House meeting with journalists in which more information about the proceedings came from the White House than from the journalists? After all, the White House did at least issue this statement: “This afternoon at the White House, the President met with influential progressives to talk about the importance of preventing a tax increase on middle class families, strengthening our economy and adopting a balanced approach to deficit reduction.”

The Hollywood Women for Obama Club wants you to vote with your "lady parts." I want the women of America to vote with their lady smarts. The latest ad from a trio of Tinsel Town actresses spreads one of the stupidest lies about Mitt Romney this election cycle. Fantasyland needs a fact check. According to starlets Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria and Kerry Washington, the GOP presidential ticket wants to "end" funding for "cancer screenings." If you and your reproductive organs don't vote for Obama, the doe-eyed celebrities ominously imply, people will DIE, DIE, DIE! This scare-mongering falsehood has been repeated...

Perhaps this one of the most important discussion threads ever regarding Legacy Media manipulation. We sincerely hope you will take the time to digest the content, think about the ramifications to what is here, and then share the information with others. This is not a matter of opinion, the CNN stories are documented, attributed and cited. They are factual. Everything is verifiable within the embedded links and citations. Believe it or not, just creating this discussion thread is risky. We are unable to expand. Before getting to the CNN Amber Lyon expose’ (which is incredible and troubling) let’s first back...

Host Sean Hannity set up the newest "Media Mash" segment: "I just played this tape, 2007. Yeah, the speech was reported on, but they didn't report what happened in this speech. They didn't -- major portions of it where the President is accusing the United States government -- before a predominantly African-American audience -- of not taking care of Katrina victims because of race." Media Mash, October 4: Bozell Blasts MSNBC's Use of Race CardWhat followed was a montage of NBC, CBS and CNN reporters insisting the tape was old news, including CNN anchor Carol Costello dismissing the clips...

At a time when 23 million Americans are unemployed and unemployed, the national debt is exploding, and poverty rates are the highest they’ve ever been, the national media should be focused on issues of paramount importance. That didn’t happen on Friday. Instead, at a “Meet the Candidate” event in Florida sponsored by Univision, a bunch of Lefty bloggers accused Governor Romney of “darkening his skin” in order to curry favor with Latino voters. Appalling: Mitt Romney appeared on Univision's "Meet the Candidate" event on Wednesday evening to talk about issues of importance to Latino voters, including immigration, education and foreign...