Topic: Media Research Center
The good news about the Media Research Center's Aug. 15 press release once again attacking the New York Times for "a three-week blackout of the mounting Air America scandal": Unlike last week's press release on the subject, it correctly notes that the person at the center of the scandal is no longer Air America's chairman.
The bad news is that it contradicts itself. After making the "blackout" allegation, the press release notes that the Times did report on it after all (but dismissed it as "a small story with a misleading headline published in its regional edition").
No evidence is offered, however, that the article's headline was "misleading." For details, we have to trudge on over to the MRC's TimesWatch site. The actual offense, according to TimesWatch's Clay Waters, is that the Times didn't put "Air America" in the headline:
Not that the headline or subhead of the story actually mention "Air America," mind you. Instead it reads: "Bronx Boys Club's Finances Investigated -- Officials Look Into Loans Made to a Liberal Radio Network." The two words "Air America" presumably couldn't fit into that 15-word space.
Waters is also offended that the article "picks up the scandal from the boys club end, not emphasizing the juicy Air America angle." Perhaps that's because the central figure linking Air America to the boys club scandal left Air America more than a year ago, and Air America is making efforts to repay the money loaned to it from the club even though it's not legally obligated to.
That sounds like a good story. Why isn't the MRC emphasizing that part of it?
Posted by Terry K.
at 1:43 PM EDT
