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Veteran investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson resigned from CBS News after 20 years with the network, expressing frustration at being unable to get her stories on air. Following Attkisson’s resignation, the folks at Fox News’ “Media Buzz” expressed dissatisfaction at the state of journalism in America’s newsrooms and the culture of liberal bias that exists. Appearing on the program on Sunday March 16th, the entire panel acknowledged the disturbing trend of journalists putting their politics above journalism with host Howard Kurtz observing that Attkisson felt it “was almost impossible to get these tougher pieces on the air.” As the segment began,...

Talk about your teachable moments, the Ground Zero mosque controversy has taught us in just what contempt many in the liberal media hold their fellow Americans. As I noted here, last week on MSNBC, Cenk Uygur accused Americans who oppose the mosque of being "ignorant." This weekend on Fox News Watch, Ellis Henican also used the i-word, saying that when it comes to the mosque, pundits shouldn't be as "ignorant" as other Americans. Jim Pinkerton pounced, pointing out the condescension of which Henican had convicted himself. View video here.

On this weekend's Fox News Watch, panelist Jim Pinkerton proposed a simple way to clear up much of the murk surrounding JournoList. Let the Washington Post respond to the 20 questions about the matter that MRC head Brent Bozell has posed to the Post's executive editor, Marcus Brauchli, in an open letter. JournoList was created by lefty blogger Ezra Klein in 2007, who continued to run it after becoming a Post staffer in 2009. Responding to Pinkerton's proposal, Newsday columnist Ellis Henican, a liberal member of the News Watch panel, swung and missed at Bozell . . . View video...

On this weekend's Fox News Watch, panelist Jim Pinkerton cited FReeper governsleast's NewsBusters item in which Joe Scarborough passed along the comment from an unnamed conservative insider questioning "what the hell was [Rand Paul] doing on MSNBC?", a reference to Paul's appearance on the Rachel Maddow show in which he made comments on the 1964 Civil Rights Act that have caused controversy. The irony of course is that Scarborough is himself an MSNBC host. H/t NB reader Gat New York. Pinkerton and fellow News Watch panelists got a chuckle out of governsleast's fond wish which concluded the item: "Oh to...

On February 2nd, NBC correspondent Pete Williams announced Breaking News during the 5 PM ET edition of Hardball: the Christmas Day Bomber, Umar Abdul Mutallab, was giving fresh, actionable information to the FBI which the United States is in turn "aggressively chasing down." Less than an hour later, this NewsBuster [AKA FReeper governsleast] blogged on the matter, wondering whether by leaking the news, "the Obama administration compromised national security," in an attempt to deflect the criticism it had been receiving for mirandizing Mutallab rather than treating him like the enemy combatant he is. On today's Fox News Watch, panelist Jim...

On Friday, this NewsBuster [FReeper governsleastgovernsbest] noted how Pres. Obama, questioned at a news conference in Japan, twice refused to say whether he thought the United States' dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was "the right decision." Yesterday on Fox News Watch, Jim Pinkerton noted the NewsBusters nugget. The Fox News contributor and New America Foundation fellow observed that PBO's failure had huge implications for America's nuclear deterrent. View video here.

When Pres. Obama did the Fox-less Full Ginsburg last week, his toughest moment came when George Stephanopoulos cited Merriam Webster to suggest that PBO's proposal to force people to buy health insurance amounts to a "tax." Some were surprised that Stephanopoulos would put a Dem president on the spot that way. But appearing on today's Fox News Watch, Jim Pinkerton posited an intriguing provenance for the tough question—none other than . . . Hillary Clinton. View video here.

As Dem pundits go, I normally find Kirsten Powers among the more reasonable. But on this afternoon's Fox News Watch, Powers propounded perhaps the most despicable theory yet of the Gates/Crowley incident: that the sergeant "lured" and "tricked" Gates into coming outside so he could arrest him. Panelist Jim Pinkerton had just made the point that it was only the conservative media, by focusing attention on the matter, that saved Sgt. Crowley from a "miserable life in Cambridge" at the hands of Prof. Gates, Harvard, the NAACP et. al, when Powers jumped in . . . View video here.

Despite all the criticisms of the Fox News Channel broadcasted on MSNBC for promoting tea party coverage, one thing hasn't been pointed out - how the NBC networks, including CNBC and MSNBC are given a pass for their shameless promotion of their Green Week and Green is Universal network events. Jonah Goldberg, editor-at-large for National Review and author of "Liberal Fascism," appeared on Fox News Channel's April 18 "Fox News Watch" and commented on FNC's promotion of the tea parties, but the double standard of MSNBC's criticism of Fox News. "I think that there's a perfectly legitimate criticism against Fox...

“In a memo e-mailed this week to Pentagon staff members, the Defense Department’s office of security review noted that “this administration prefers to avoid using the term ‘Long War’ or ‘Global War on Terror’ [GWOT.] Please use ‘Overseas Contingency Operation.’” — WaPo, March 25, 2009 [emphasis added] Maybe there is something to Pres. Obama’s post-partisan goal. He seems to have created virtual non-partisan unanimity around the fact that his new term for the war on terror is . . . silly. The crew at Fox News Watch had fun this evening with the absurd new term: “Overseas Contingency Operation.” Just...

Somewhere, William Safire is smiling. The nattering nabobs of negativism ride again! On this evening’s Fox News Watch, panelist Jim Pinkerton cast White House press secretary Robert Gibbs as the Spiro Agnew of the Obama administration. It was Nixon VP Agnew who famously used speechwriter Safire’s archetype of alliteration to condemn media critics. Now it’s Gibbs striking out at Obama critics, from Rush Limbaugh to Rick Santelli to Jim Cramer. JIM PINKERTON: Robert Gibbs, the press secretary, takes a shot at somebody in the media all the time now. Spiro Agnew did it for the right 40 years ago, and...

So much for a boring Saturday night. I had the honor of conversing with Fox New Watch's Jim Pinkerton.BOB: A behind the scenes question. Ellis Henican has a very annoying on-air persona, yet I met him last summer in Manhattan and he's someone I could have a beer with. How was Neal Gabler off air? JIM PINKERTON: Neal was/is extremely smart. His book "Life the Movie" is one of the most profound books on the changed reality of our "media-ted" world. I count him as a friend, and I was sorry to see him off the show.But yes, he did...

To the extent the MSM has been willing to report on the disadvantage under which the Big Three automakers operate compared to their non-union competitors, the focus has been on the huge wage differential. On this evening's Fox News Watch, conservative columnist Jim Pinkerton highlighted another issue which has gone largely unreported in the liberal media: the onerous union work rules that add literally thousands of positions to the job rolls compared to those of the foreign transplants. View video here.

Is MSNBC being rewarded for having supported Obama? That's what Jim Pinkerton suggests. On this evening's Fox News Watch, the columnist and New America Foundation fellow cited the news that GE Capital, a subsidiary of MSNBC's parent company GE, has received a $139 billion government loan guarantee. Host Jon Scott opened this evening's show opened with a clip of Chris Matthews [in a story that NB was first to report], saying that he saw as his "job" making the Obama presidency a success. Pinkerton unloaded.

Is MSNBC being rewarded for having supported Obama? That's what Jim Pinkerton suggests. On this evening's Fox News Watch, the columnist and New America Foundation fellow cited the news that GE Capital, a subsidiary of MSNBC's parent company GE, has received a $139 billion government loan guarantee. This evening's show opened with a clip of Chris Matthews [in a story that NB was first to report], saying that he saw as his "job" making the Obama presidency a success. Pinkerton unloaded. View video here.

The Base will love Sarah Palin—the Republican base that is. Rush Limbaugh has been openly arguing for her on his show, and John McCain was evidently listening. But I think that she has great potential to win over swing voters in the middle, too. She’s a governor, which is obviously an asset in governing. She’s pro-gun, and she is pro-life. And not just pro-life in practice: Her youngest child is a Down’s Syndrome baby. “Perfect in my eyes,” she said, clear as a bell. That’s what The Base wants to hear—she talks the talk, and then walks the walk. And...

Why would the New York Times divulge information that could prove harmful to the national security of the United States? Because, so consumed is the paper by its hatred of President Bush, that the Times actually wants America to lose. Such is the considered opinion Jim Pinkerton expressed on yesterday's Fox News Watch. The case in point was an article the Times published on June 30, 2008, Amid U.S. Policy Disputes, Qaeda Grows in Pakistan, which quoted from a "highly-classified Pentagon order" describing internal disputes at the Pentagon over plans to capture Osama Bin Laden and defeat al Qaeda. JIM...

Shades of Hillary's VRWC . . . Mike Huckabee went on Morning Joe today and toyed with suggesting a "conspiracy" composed of the "Washington power circles" was out to get him. At 7:41 AM ET, the former Arkansas governor was discussing his efforts in South Carolina with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. View video here.

Huckabee, meanwhile, has walked the walk, through persuasion and personal example: Here's how Newsweek described his role as a new pastor in Pine Bluff, Ark., a quarter century ago: "The Immanuel Baptist Church was an all-white congregation when Huckabee took over the pulpit. One day he announced that a young black man, who heard his sermon on the radio, had asked to worship with them. Huckabee welcomed him to their pews. Some church elders were furious and refused to let the man sit with them. Huckabee threatened to quit unless his guest was greeted warmly. A few members quit in...

Should I be worried? I just agreed with something Neal Gabler said. On yesterday's Fox News Watch, the liberal media critic opined that the MSM is backing Benazir Bhutto over Pervez Musharraf in the current Pakistan crisis -- and not for the loftiest of motives . . . [Also includes interesting historical footnote on Willie Horton episode.] View video here.