Free Republic

A four-hour stop in New Orleans, on his way to a $3 million fundraiser. Snubbing the Dalai Lama. Signing off on a secret deal with drug makers. Freezing out a TV network. Doing more fundraisers than the last president. More golf, too. President Barack Obama has done all of those things — and more.What’s remarkable is what hasn’t happened. These episodes haven’t become metaphors for Obama’s personal and political character — or consuming controversies that sidetracked the rest of his agenda. It’s a sign that the media’s echo chamber can be a funny thing, prone to the vagaries of news...

In a poll of prominent members of the national news media, nearly two-thirds say the Internet is hurting journalism more than it is helping. The poll, conducted by The Atlantic and National Journal, asked 43 media insiders whether, on balance, journalism has been helped more or hurt more by the rise of news consumption online. Sixty-five percent said journalism has been hurt more, while 34 percent said it has been helped more. The media insiders were also asked about coverage of President Obama. Of 45 respondents, 71 percent say it has been “about right,” 22 percent say it’s been “too...

WHOM DO YOU KNOW WHO SAT OUT THE LAST ELECTION?HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU KNOW WHO SAT OUT THE LAST ELECTION BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED THE MEDIA'S HYPE ABOUT "REPUBLICAN CORRUPTION"?  YOU CAN PLANT THE SEEDS OF MEDIA DOUBT NOW -- Copy this and email it to absolutely everybody you can -- and ask them to do the same.   Also, be creative: find the email addresses of the officers, staff and members of various clubs and Chambers of Commerce in the towns around you and the areas you're most concerned about:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    Did YOU sit out the last election because you...

One of my saddest experiences working in the field of journalism occurred just a few short weeks ago. At that time, I had the opportunity to read a letter sent back home from an American soldier in Afghanistan. During fifteen years of writing, I have delved into some unbelievably terrible stories, including the murder of entire families. In my life, I have come across individuals who have surrendered to their innermost dark side and reveled in the idea of doing so. I have written about tragedies of the human spirit which would shake the mettle of the strongest among us....

At the Kettle Diner in Jacksonville, N.C., it's faith, family and the Corps. Jacksonville is home to Camp Lejuene, the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast...Even some lifelong conservatives aren't hearing the president's message anymore. "I've turned him off," said retired Marine Col. Jim Van Riper. "I've tuned him out." Van Riper is a Christian, card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association who voted for President Bush twice. But as more Marines have died, his confidence in the Bush administration has died as well.