Topic: CNSNews.com
The Media Research Center gets a lot of money from oil interests, so its "news" division CNSNews.com is appropriately eager (or perhaps contractually obligated) to parrot the industry's agenda. Read more >>
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
NEW ARTICLE: CNS' Fossil-Fueled Bias, Part 2
Topic: CNSNews.com The Media Research Center gets a lot of money from oil interests, so its "news" division CNSNews.com is appropriately eager (or perhaps contractually obligated) to parrot the industry's agenda. Read more >>
Posted by Terry K.
at 3:19 PM EDT
WND Uses Rockefeller's Death to Rehash 'New World Order' Conspiracies
Topic: WorldNetDaily
WND has long had an obsession with these purportedly world-controlling secret societies -- it sells a book and video about them called "Brotherhood of Darkness" and a second video called "Hope of the Wicked" -- even though it's closely affiliated with another secretive group, the Council for National Policy.
Posted by Terry K.
at 12:59 AM EDT
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
AIM's Kincaid Puts His Trust In A 9/11 Truther
Topic: Accuracy in Media
Kincaid wrote in his March 21 AIM column:
Kincaid cites as backup for Napolitano's claim "former CIA operative Larry Johnson," who's best known for teasing a nonexistent Michelle Obama "whitey tape." In his March 25 column -- following Napolitano's suspension from Fox News over the unproven claim -- Kincaid dismisses the Trump dossier of alleged bad behavior (not proven but also not disproven) as having been "concocted by a former British intelligence agent," which somehow proves Napolitano right. Kincaid then laughably portrays Napolitano as "the modern-day John Peter Zenger," asserts that his never-substantiated claims "looks increasingly relevant every day that passes" and that the whole situation "has been a major black mark for Fox News." Kincaid also insists that "the Newseum should consider embracing the cause of freeing Judge Napolitano," even though Napolitano is already presumably free to leave Fox News at any time and go elsewhere to ply his substasnce-free conspiratorial wares.
Posted by Terry K.
at 9:39 PM EDT
WND Cheers Reversal of Obama-Era Guidelines -- But Doesn't Say What They Did
Topic: WorldNetDaily
As per WND style, Unruh quotes only critics of the bill. There's one thing oddly missing from Unruh's article, though: a clear description of exactly what these regulations did, beyond a complaint frrom the HSLDA that Obama "created a de facto federal standard for teacher preparation" (though not explaining why that's apparently a bad thing). As the education website The 74 explains:
WND and the HSLDA didn't supply a reason for opposing the standards beyond general opposition to federal regulations, especially from a Democratic administration. That's the state of highly biased reporting at WND these days.
Posted by Terry K.
at 3:02 PM EDT
MRC Suggests Nunes Has Goods on Obama Spying on Trump ... Then Admits It Doesn't
Topic: Media Research Center
So even Ciandella admits Nunes did not offer evidence to support Trump's claim. But he's trying to change the subject -- and regurgitate the Trump White House's talking points -- by claiming it's really all about how the names of the Trump people who talked with monitored people leaked out. Ciandella also glosses over thereal reason for the change in tone on the story. He's trying to portray it as because Nunes is also trying to make it about leaked names (and, though also trying to align with the Trump agenda), but as Ciandella also sorta concedes, the networks are actually focusing on how Nunes is briefing Trump onclaimed findings in the Russian contact investigation before even the members of his own committee, which is highly unusual behavior. Of course, if Trump and Nunes were Democrats, Ciandella and the rest of the MRC would be clamoring for those names and wailing about collusion.
Posted by Terry K.
at 12:38 AM EDT
Monday, March 27, 2017
WND's Brown Denies Mocking Transgenders, Then Calls Jenner 'A Man In A Dress'
Topic: WorldNetDaily
The headline of this column? "Caitlyn Jenner is just a man in a dress." And the very first line of this column (italics his): "I do not write these words lightly, and there is not an ounce of mockery or, God forbid, hatred in my heart when I say that Caitlyn Jenner is a man wearing a dress." Brown is in serious denial that there's a profound disconnect between the cocmpassion he claims to feel for transgenders and his snide dismissal of them by insisting they're nothing more than a man in a dress. Brown's column also embeds his "new video commentary, including some telling clips with Jenner." He again dismisses Jenner as "a man in a dress taking hormones," then cheers that President Trump "rescinded a ridiculous order, guidelines from the federal government" that Title IX also covers gender identity, which he claims meant would allow "a 17-year-old boy who identifies as a girl to play on the girls' sports team and to share the girls' locker rooms and shower stall and bathrooms." That language is a scare tactic WND and other anti-LGBT activists have used for years. Brown then asserts that children with gender identity issues -- which he calls "some kind of handicap -- mental, emotional" -- "need to be told boys are boys and girls." He also likens being transgender to thinking you're Chinese or 7 feet tall. The graphic shown along with Brown during his video lecture reads, "Caution: Transanity." Is that the language of a guy who claims he's not trying to belittle or disparage transgenders, or not making a spiritual judgment about them, or not mocking them, or not minimizing their struggles? Yeah, we don't think so either.
Posted by Terry K.
at 4:12 PM EDT
MRC's Graham & Bozell Mislead About ACLU, 'SNL'
Topic: Media Research Center
Now, the quicker-thinking among us will probably remember that "the 9/11 terrorists" all died in the attacks, which means they ACLU is probably talking about someone else. Graham and Bozell deliberately don't help by stating nothing from the ACLU column beyond its headline, which raises suspicions about deception even more. Indeed, the ACLU column does talk about someone else: the people being held at Guantanamo Bay. The article points out that those remaining at Gitmo still haven't gone to trial after 15-plus years of confinement, and that the government is trying to withhold evidence of CIA "black sites" where torture is alleged to have taken place. But because lazy right-wing rants about supposedly out-of-touch liberals are so much easier than a nuanced examination of what's happening in Gitmo, it's a lazy rant we get from Graham and Bozell:
Of course, Graham and Bozell are no less selective, all too willing to go along with the idea that Muslims aren't allowed to live in America and that abortionists are murderers. Never mind that they are deliberatly misleading about what exactly "SNL" supports in regard to the ACLU. The ACLU talks about justice for the Gitmo defendants, which includes a open trial instead of a military tribunal behind closed doors. Graham and Bozell don't explain why it's "spitting on the graves of the 9/11 dead" to make the justice the Gitmo folks face an open process so that everyone can see what they are accused of having done. Graham and Bozell close by huffing that "The entertainment industry will never stop being egregiously out of touch with the American heartland," ignoring how out of touch they themselves are with American ideals of freedom and justice.
Posted by Terry K.
at 1:45 PM EDT
WND Book 'Reviewer' Hypes WND Titles (And Has A Raging Case of Obama Derangement)
Topic: WorldNetDaily
Fletcher's March 8 column focused on Carl Gallups' WND-published book "When The Lion Roars," gushing over it as "a thrilling look at a triumphant Messiah. The message of the book really resonates, precisely at a time when the world is in such chaos," as well as "an indispensable guide for navigating the crazy globe spinning out of control" and "proof some writers don’t exhaust their talent with their first couple of books." On March 10, Fletcher took on WND reporter Leo Hohmann's anti-Muslim book "Stealth Invasion" -- and by "took on," we mean that Fletcher totally slobbered over it. As if he was being paid to do so, Fletcher totally buys into Hohmann's hateful Muslim-bashing rhetoric:
Needless to say, in neither column does he disclose that the books he "reviewed" were published by WND. Fletcher also demonstrated he still has a raging case of Obama Derangement Syndrome in his March 3 column, in which he bitterly complains about Barack Obama's $60 million book deal. "Reports are that Barack and Michelle Obama will continue to use their taxpayer-funded lifestyle to enrich themselves," Fletcher huffed, apparently missing the part where the contract was between Obama and the book publisher and the complete lack of government involvement. And the derangement continued:
Fletcher really needs to seek some professional help for his Obama derangement.
Posted by Terry K.
at 12:58 AM EDT
Sunday, March 26, 2017
MRC Doesn't Back Up Claim That Judge Is 'Liberal'
Topic: Media Research Center
So what's the evidence that the judge is a "liberal'? Fondacaro provides none. Are we supposed to assume the judge is "liberal" simply because he ruled against an order by a Republican president? Apparently so, according to Fondacaro's logic. Fondacaro also claims that the judge's order was "championed by the liberal media" -- but he onl evidence he provides of that is an ABC report that, in fact, is a straightforward accounting of the judge's order. Fondacaro went on to rant that "the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order is not in question, according to Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz," and that "The question of the constitutionality of the executive order was missing from" the ABC report. Fondacaro further complained that "There was no mention that the countries selected in the order were observed by the Obama White House for needing additional screening because proper checks are lacking. All of which are very important facts to understanding the entire situation."But as Foreign Policy magazine explains, the immigration restrictions Obama had imposed on there countries was much more narrowly targeted and didn't ban nearly all immigration, as Trump's original order tried to do. In other words, Fondacaro is once again putting right-wing rants ahead of facts.
Posted by Terry K.
at 8:28 PM EDT
WND Promises Netanyahu Meeting With This Year's Holy Land Tour
Topic: WorldNetDaily
In February, WND started promoting this year's tour with the usual stops, and it's also dangling the idea that tour-goers will get "briefings from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and new U.S. Ambassador David Friedman among others," adding "You will hear from top Israeli leaders, military brass, see with your own eyes why the Jewish state is so strategically positioned in the hotbed of the Middle East." But, alas, these visits hasn't actually been worked out yet. As the article later admits:
Well, true -- who can turn down Chuck Norris? Except Norris doesn't appear to be actually going on the tour. The article cites a WND column by Norris in which he says, "Bibi and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman have been invited to speak to the tour group, and I hope they do. Check out the educational and inspiring itinerary here." And, indeed, the WND website for the tour, while it does state that Netanyahu and Friedman had been "invited" to speak to tour-goers, does not list any such political briefings on the itinerary. Of course, WND is not averse to creating news events on tour. On last year's visit, there was a publicity stunt by Farah and his celebrity rabbi buddy Jonathan Cahn in trying to get their tour party kicked out of the Temple Mount by provoking a fight with the Muslim Waqf administrators who manage the site.
Posted by Terry K.
at 6:12 PM EDT
Saturday, March 25, 2017
What LGBT Stuff Is The MRC Freaking Out About Now?
Topic: Media Research Center
A March 14 post by Jay Maxson won't identify Texas high school wrestler Mack Beggs as transgender but, rather, as "a girl in Texas who struggles with gender identity," and he laments that "Beggs never got any psychological attention for her gender confusion." He concluded by asserting: "According to Dr. Paul McHugh, the former psychiatrist-in-chief for Johns Hopkins Hospital, transgenderism is a 'mental disorder' that can be treated, sex change is 'biologically impossible' and the people promoting sexual reassignment surgery are promoting a mental disorder." We've previously pointed out that McHugh's bigoted views are seen as out of the medical mainstream and ignores the current state of research on transgender issues. On March 15, Karen Townsend ranted that the TV show "The Fosters" "continues to shove teen abortion and LGBT sex education on America, this time pushing the issues even further when it comes to parental knowledge -- or lack thereof." She added, "Parents are legally entitled to know about their children’s education." Alex Nitzberg hopped over from Accuracy in Media to the MRC and debuted with a pair of anti-gay attacks on articles published at NBC News' LGBT portal, NBC Out. On March 13, Nitzberg complained of an article noting the vulernability of transgender students: "On that topic, what about the vulnerability and innocence of other students? All students should be protected from abuse, including those who identify as transgender, but their protection does not necessitate the normalization or accommodation of their lifestyle choice." On March 17, Nitzberg ranted about another NBC Out article on transgender bathroom use:
Sarah Stites, meanwhile, huffed that singer Kary Perry was given an award by the Human Rights Campaign, where she "spent ten minutes criticizing her Christian upbringing while championing 'sexual fluidity.' And, predictably, the feminist media loved it." But curiously, Stites omitted the part where Perry said that as a teenager she "prayed the gay away at my Jesus camps" during her "unconscious adolescence," which utterly failed until she met people outside her "bubble." Stites returned to serve up another freakout over a transgender couple on the wedding-dress show "Say Yes to the Dress." grumbling about "liberal media, fashion and Hollywood’s focused attempt to mainstream transgender and gender fluid content." And Stites wasn't done, for even people who want no gender at all offend her as well:
She concluded that post by asking, "Is there anything that will faze the left?" The better question: Is there any instance of non-heteronormative behavior that Stites and the rest of the MRC won't throw a fit about?
Posted by Terry K.
at 10:36 AM EDT
WND Writer Crushes On Right-Wing 'Superstar Reporter'
Topic: WorldNetDaily
Last December, Kant wrote a gushing, lengthy profile of Attkisson, under a headline calling her a "superstar reporter":
Kant uncritically touted Attkisson's conspiracy theory that the "fake news" controversy is really a "narrative-driven propaganda campaign" with an "agenda to censor the news," and that "The white nationalist narrative was invented on a certain day and time by certain interests." Kant enthused: "Her observations on fake news were delivered with the force and precision of an expert karate chop, as befitting her rank of fourth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do." He also proclaimed Attkisson an "ace reporter" and touted her various awards and "her own Sunday morning national TV news program, 'Full Measure,' which focuses on investigative and accountability reporting. The show had it highest ratings ever, last week." This is all for the sake of publicity, of course. Kant, clearly in need of a good editor, made sure to plug Attkisson's "new book, coming out on May 22, titled 'The Smear: How Shady Political Operatives Control What You See, What You Think, and How You Vote,' due to be published on May 22, 2017." Kant's gushing continued in a March 12 article, which again placed "superstar reporter" in the headline and again proclaimed her "perhaps the nation’s top investigative journalist." Kant gives her the space to peddle another conspiracy theory, this time that she was "spied on by the Obama administration while investigating its scandals." Responding to statements by computer experts that the purported evidence of said spying she had presented was actually just a stuck backspace key, Kant let Attkisson uncritically huff that "It was just a silly attempt by a noted propagandist blog that had no firsthand information to deflect from the surveillance." Kant got gooey at the end of his article: "Finally, WND said it would be remiss if it did not ask the ace reporter if her experience had given her any insight into President Trump’s accusations that his campaign had been spied on by the Obama administration. However, Attkisson said she has not looked at, or reported, on those allegations." This is not the first time WND has gone all gooey over Attkisson. We documented how WND "news" articles enthusiastically plugged her "Full Measure" show nearly every week in its first six months on the air -- many of which seemed to closely follow Attkisson's on-air scripts. That raises the possibility that Attkisson paid WND for the publicity, something neither has publicly admitted to, and it raises questions about the credibility of both.
Posted by Terry K.
at 12:55 AM EDT
Updated: Saturday, March 25, 2017 1:07 AM EDT
Friday, March 24, 2017
CNS Managing Editor Endorses Anti-Gay 'Satanic' Slander
Topic: CNSNews.com
LaBarbera's NARTH is a leading promoter of anti-gay hate and junk science. Chapman presents this post as fact, without offering a countering opinion (and you'd think it wouldn't be hard to find someone to point out that gays aren't, in fact, satanic). Here are some of the other anti-LGBT attacks Chapman has posted to CNS over the past few months, with a heavy emphasis on the rantings of his favorite right-wing minister, Franklin Graham:
In that time period, Chapman wrote nothing that was positive about the LGBT community, so we can assume that Chapman wholeheartedly endorses the hate he regurgitates.
Posted by Terry K.
at 4:10 PM EDT
MRC Joins Anti-Immigrant Bandwagon, Exploits Alleged Rape Case
Topic: Media Research Center
Last week, two students at a high school in suburban Washington, D.C., were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting another student in a school restroom. One of the alleged assailants is an undocumented immigrant, however, and the second is a recent arrival to the U.S. So the MRC decided the story was ripe for a little right-wing political exploitation. In a March 21 post, the MRC's Curtis Houck cheered that a reporter from the Fox affiliate in Washington, D.C., asked White House press secretary Sean Spicer about the incident, going on to complain: "As far as we can tell, no network or cable news coverage has been given to the rape that occurred last week at Rockville High School in Montgomery County, Maryland since it’s an inconvenient story for their liberal narrative." Or, you know because it's a local story that doesn't merit national coverage. Not that the MRC will allow a little thing like that conflict with its political agenda. Indeed, the next day, Kristine Marsh had already convicted the defendants without a trial -- and cheered that her favorite news outlet did latch onto the story:
Marsh asserted that the reason why "ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and MSNBC, don’t want to report" the story is because "it makes their side look bad." Curiously, she doesn't ascribe any political motivation to Fox News' report, even though "it makes the other side look bad" is much more plausible than the mind-reading she imposes on those other outlets. Later on March 22, Houck complained that "The 'big three' networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC continued their shameful blackout into Wednesday night of the horrifying alleged rape of a teenage girl in a Washington D.C. suburb high school bathroom by two men, including one here in the U.S. illegally. Instead, the pathetic liberal media that’s shown no interest in the Rockville High School case complied with Rolling Stone in giving over 10 minutes of coverage in two days to the fake 2014 claim that a University of Virginia fraternity gang raped a female student." Houck didn't mention that the networks did not know the story was fake at the time they reported it. He did concede, though, that it "can be a noble cause" to report on sexual assault at college fraternities. But he also touted how Fox News ran another story on the case; while he assailed those media outlets who didn't report the story as "pro-illegal immigrant," he refused to describe Fox news as "anti-illegal immigrant" for embracing it. Then, the MRC was rewarded for politicizing the story: MRCTV ranter Brittany Hughes made an appearance on "Fox & Friends," where she "lambasted ABC, CBS, and NBC for their callous refusal to cover the alleged heinous rape of a female student in a Washington D.C. suburban high school by two men and one of which is here in the country illegally." Hughes hit all her talking points -- even ranting that the networks would rather be "slamming President Donald Trump's agenda" -- as the MRC post praised her for doing: "As we often do here at NewsBusters, Hughes astutely pointed to examples of what ABC and CBS gave airtime to instead of another crime allegedly committed by an illegal alien." It's so funny -- in a sad way -- who the MRC pretends it doesn't have an agenda in accusing others of having an agenda. But then, they're not getting paid to be honest.
Posted by Terry K.
at 1:52 PM EDT
WND's Hohmann Still Fearmongering About Proposed Michigan 'Mega-Mosque'
Topic: WorldNetDaily
As we documented, this proposed "mega-mosque" is actually about the size of an Aldi grocery store and about one-tenth the size of a megachurch. And he doesn't mention that there are at least 64 churches in Sterling Heights, so three mosques isn't really that a big of a deal. Curiously, Hohmann dropped all mention of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, a federal regulation that was invoked in the the fight to get the mosque built -- and a law WND has praised Christians for exploiting, at one point approvingly quoting one right-wing legal group as saying, First Liberty has won multiple cases using RLUIPA. ... We know this law well." Instead, Hohmann attacked "Obama's DOJ" for getting involved in the case, adding a new smear by claiming that "Obama’s DOJ forced a madrassa on Pittsfield Township, near Ann Arbor." In fact, what was permitted was a school;Hohmann wants to maliciously portray it as a place where potential Islamist terrorists are created, like right-wingers do. Hohmann also maliciously portrays the Muslim community in Sterling Heights as building the mosque to intimidate a group of Christians that live in the neighborhood where the mosque is to be built, who he claims "escaped Islamic persecution in Iraq." Needless to say, Hohmann can't be bothered to interview anyone in the local Muslim community about that slander.
Posted by Terry K.
at 1:08 AM EDT
Updated: Friday, March 24, 2017 1:08 AM EDT
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