Free Republic

Research by the Columbia Journalism Review shows that people in three other countries increasingly believe that the "mainstream" media peddle fabricated stories.

n what appeared to be a rare display of actual diversity, MSNBC and NBC News have signed New York Times columnist Bret Stephens while betting that increasing the diversity of voices on their airwaves will ultimately lead to a better news and analysis product. The news was announced on Wednesday, June 28, and later confirmed by the company even though the Times had hired Stephens as an op-ed columnist back in April, which led to complaints that the liberal “Grey Lady” was “sullying its reputation as a purveyor of truth and facts.” According to an article by The Hollywood Reporter's Jeremy Barr: “Stephens is a...

A defamation suit is allowed to survive in a defeat not only for the cable news network, but also for the MPAA. Donald Trump probably doesn't know about it, but the guy who once said he wanted to open up libel laws will probably be quite pleased by a new ruling from a Georgia federal judge. In fact, the stakes in this case are so high we wouldn't be surprised if it eventually lands before the U.S. Supreme Court and potentially makes it easier to sue entertainment and media outlets. There's a reason why the Motion Picture Association of America...

CNN has fired producer Chez Pazienza after the network brass realized he had been blogging at his own left-wing site and several others over a period of years: In a phone interview this morning, Mr. Pazienza, 38, said he joined CNN as a senior producer in January 2004 and has consistently received positive performance evaluations of his work. He spent his first year at CNN at the network’s headquarters in Atlanta, then moved to New York to work on “CNN Daybreak,” which has since been canceled, then “American Morning,” which is shown Monday through Friday, from 6 to 9 a.m....

Remember the gay retired brigadier general who chastised Republicans for their stance on gays in the military at Wednesday's CNN/YouTube debate? Turns out Keith Kerr was packing a partisan sword. He's served as a member of an advisory team on gay and lesbian issues to the Sen. Hillary Clinton Campaign. In the words of CNN's debate crew: D'oh! And here's Anderson Cooper falling on his nonpartisan sword. So how did this slip under CNN's radar? Maybe CNN could have checked its own website. Instead, they paid for Kerr's airfare and hotel to St. Petersburg for the debate. This is a...

By REUTERS Filed at 6:29 p.m. ET NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - CNN correspondent Judy Woodruff will leave the network and daily journalism when her contract expires in June. Woodruff has worked at the network's Washington bureau for 12 years and hosts the weekday afternoon ``Inside Politics.'' Woodruff said she will work on several long-form projects, as well as teach and write. She'll also appear occasionally on CNN. ``I am exploring/discussing several long-form television projects,'' Woodruff said Thursday afternoon. ``Nothing I can announce yet. But I'm very excited about what is possible.'' CNN President Jon Klein said Thursday that the...

Layoffs rumoured at CNN InternationalBeleaguered global news service CNN International is rumoured to be considering major redundancies in a cost-cutting exercise. From our rumourmill correspondent F---edCompany.com's Super Happy Fun Slander Corner is reporting that AOL-Time-Warner is considering "mega-layoffs" at it's international channel, CNN International. CNN has come under domestic pressure from News Corporation's Fox News whilst internationally BBC World and Sky News continue to give the broadcaster a hard time.

CNN shakes up news administration By Jon Friedman, CBS.MarketWatch.com Last Update: 5:40 PM ET Jan. 23, 2004 NEW YORK (CBS.MW) - CNN, a unit of Time Warner, is shaking up its U.S. news organization and announcing a new Washington bureau chief. TRADING CENTER Princell Hair, executive vice president and general manager of CNN's U.S. operations who joined CNN last year, said Friday in an internal statement, a copy of which was obtained by CBSMarketWatch.com, that he is making sweeping changes. In Washington, Hair appointed David Bohrman, the executive producer of Aaron Brown's show "NewsNight," to be the new bureau chief....

CNN Regrets Role In Planting US Dem Pres Debate Question PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)--A Cable News Network producer went "too far" when the news organization told a student what question to ask during last week's Democratic presidential candidate debate in Boston, a spokeswoman for the news network said. During the debate, co-sponsored by the nonprofit Rock the Vote organization, Brown University student Alexandra Trustman asked the candidates whether they preferred the PC or Mac format for their computers. In an editorial she wrote for The Brown Daily Herald, the university's student newspaper, Trustman said CNN, a unit of TimeWarner (TWX), told...

By Alexandra Trustman I'm writing in response to thE Daily Jolt forums, the student dialogue and The Herald representation of me and my question at CNN's Rock the Vote. I'm extremely disappointed in the student body's reaction, especially because they weren't privy to the circumstances under which I had to ask the question, a situation that occurs daily in the media. To clear things up, I was called the morning of the event and asked by the executive producer of the show if I would ask a question at the forum. I was told the question would probably be something...

NEW YORK — CNN rented an elegant ballroom a few weeks ago, feeding breakfast to top advertisers and filling them in on 2004 election coverage plans. Virtually all the network's big names were there. Except Aaron Brown, whose star appears to be fading in the CNN firmament.Larry King was master of ceremonies. Christiane Amanpour appeared via satellite from London. All four "Crossfire" combatants argued politics. Judy Woodruff, who had flown from a California assignment a few days earlier, boarded a 5 a.m. train from Washington to New York for scrambled eggs and small talk.CNN's chief executive, Jim Walton, cautioned against...

You've heard of "American Idol" and "Star Search." Now, there is CNN Search. Jim Walton, president of CNN, is putting on a talent contest for CNN employees because, he wrote in a memo this week, "busy people need a breather, and the CNN News Group is in the financial position to provide just that." The grand prize: $12,000. There will be events in Atlanta, New York, Washington, London and Hong Kong with finalists in each city competing in Atlanta on Dec. 3.

It's scary to imagine Atlanta without CNNColin Campbell - StaffSunday, October 12, 2003Those mocking billboards across the street from CNN headquarters must make the people inside cringe. The signs are the work of Fox News, which doesn't just love to brag about itself (TV generally is a shameless self-promoter) but which also loves to tweak the competition. The latest billboard --- signed by "your friends at FOX News" --- says, "Come Home Connie --- CNN Needs You." The reference is to Connie Chung, the former broadcast news star who was hired by CNN to boost its ratings, then replaced with...

Fox's new message on a billboard across from CNN includes the line "Brought to You by Your Friends at Fox News." Paula Zahn's new show on CNN is performing so poorly that even archrival Fox wants CNN to bring back Connie Chung.At least that's what a comical new billboard Fox erected late Tuesday catty-cornered to CNN Center says."Come Home Connie. CNN Needs You," the billboard reads. "Brought to You by Your Friends at Fox News.""We thought this would lift the morale and bring a few smiles to the faces of the CNN staffers in Atlanta," Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti...

CABLE WARS: FOX NEWS to place billboard in Olympic Park, opposite CNN's HQ in Atlanta: 'Come Home Connie, CNN Needs You.' A direct jab at Paula Zahn's ratings trouble... developing...breaking...crossing the wires....crossing the road.... More to follow as it breaks....develops....

Was anyone else watching Wheel of Fortune Thursday night? The phrase on the board was completely exposed except for two letters. It looked something like this: CNN ANCHOR _OL_ BLITZER What happened next was hilarious. The contestant guessing letters couldn't figure it out and guessed "D". Now that's pretty bad, but it gets worse, the next contestant didn't know what it is either and guessed "S". After the second person couldn't figure out the puzzle, host Pat Sajak (who has a show on FOX News) chimed in "well, I guess that confirms the ratings!

<p>THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.</p> <p>Rush Limbaugh's week went from bad to worse today. His name has surfaced in a drug investigation in Florida. According to law enforcement sources, he allegedly bought large amounts of prescription painkillers illegally. This after he quit under pressure as host of ESPN's Sunday NFL countdown for his racially charged remarks.</p>

Four news networks --CNN, Headline News, MSNBC and CNBC -- lost viewership in the third quarter, but powerhouse Fox News picked up steam, according to Nielsen Media Research. In the third quarter, Atlanta-based CNN attracted an average of 440,000 -- down 15 percent from the same period last year. Sister network Headline News attracted an average of 170,000, down 25 percent. MSNBC drew an average of 203,000 viewers, a 19 percent slide. And CNBC got an average of 160,000, down 23 percent. Meanwhile, Fox increased viewership 17 percent, attracting an average of 730,000 viewers. This is the seventh straight quarter...

-----Original Message----- From: Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2003 12:06 PM To: newsnight@turner.com Subject: News Night Comments name: Lance Romance view: Negative submitTime: comment: After watching your "love in" with Al Franken last night, I had to wonder why you didn't ask the man who complains of "Lying Liars" about his lie? You know, the one where he used Harvard stationary to ask John Ashcroft about his sexual life, supposedly for a non-existent book. No wonder Fox News is burying CNN. -----Original Message----- From: Brown, Aaron (NY-TBS) [mailto:Aaron.Brown@turner.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2003 5:27 PM To: Subject: RE: News Night Comments...

My Email to Aaron Brown: Another poor job of reporting last night regarding the supposed leaking of a CIA "operative" and Joe Wilson's wife. First, you barely covered the fact that Joe's wife is really an "analyst" and not undercover, Robert Novak's admission that the Admin. official didn't call him, Joe's wife's name is on his bio website and the fact that Wilson blamed Karl Rove and then had to retract it. In fact, you seemed more than delighted to perpetuate the scandal than actually cover the facts. Once again, Fox news kicks your ass. Aaron's ResponseGee, I had no...