Clipmarks | masbury's 'news' clips

Colbert/Stewart viewers most news-literate

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:29:44 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: See who's "not so much." Only 53% were able to correctly identify which party now controls Congress."

Clip Source: sage

The results of the new Pew Survey on News Consumption (taken every two years and released this afternoon) suggest that viewers of the "fake news" programs The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are more knowledgeable about current events (as judged by three test questions) than watchers of "real" cable news shows hosted by Lou Dobbs, Bill O'Reilly and Larry King, among others -- as well as average consumers of NBC, ABC, Fox News, CNN, C-SPAN and daily newspapers.

The national average for answering the three questions was only 18%. But 34% of The Colbert Report fans got them right, with 30% of The Daily Show viewers doing so

Coming in behind the two fake news show on the test were consumers of :

News magazines 30%
O'Reilly Factor 28%
Lou Dobbs Tonight 27%
MSNBC 25%
C-SPAN 24%
Daily newspaper 22%
NBC News 21%
Letterman/Leno 20%
Larry King Live 19%
ABC News 19%
CNN 19%
Fox News 19%
CNBC 17%
Personality magazines 13%
Religious radio 12%
CBS News 10%
National Enquirer 9%

Tags: media, news

Doonesbury "reports" on Iraqi Christians

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:35:07 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: A genocide?

Clip Source: blog.christianitytoday.com

Doonesbury 'reports' on Iraqi Christians

Gary B. Trudeau’s Doonesbury, which newspapers publish either with the comics or the editorial cartoons, just wrapped up a series about Iraqi Christian refugees. Roland (in this series a Fox News correspondent) is trying to cover the story of an Assyrian family in a way that is flattering for the Surge. Doonesbury treats the imaginary Iraqis with a great deal of dignity. Fox News doesn’t fare so well.

some churches in Iraq have no members left. Christians can be identified by their names and ID cards, and they are often targeted for violence. The Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) is calling it genocide.

AINA divides Assyrians up into five groups: Chaldeans (of the Chaldean Catholic Church) at 45 percent, Syriac Orthodox at 26 percent, Church of the East at 19 percent, Syriac Catholic at 4 percent, and other groups at 6 percent. In 2005, 2 percent of Iraq's population was Christian, according to the World Christian Database.

Tags: iraq

Musharraf to step down or face impeachment

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:34:02 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: To be charged with illegally declaring state of emergency and illegally dismissing judges

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s usually fractious coalition government moved decisively for the first time on Thursday to impeach President Pervez Musharraf, who has been an important American ally in the campaign against terror

“It has become imperative to move for impeachment against General Musharraf,” said Asif Ali Zardari, the head of the Pakistan Peoples Party, sitting beside Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, at a noisy news conference.

they joined together in saying that Mr. Musharraf would be required to face a vote of confidence in the National Assembly, By calling for the vote, they were essentially giving the president an opportunity to step down gracefully before having to confront impeachment proceedings.

As president, Mr. Musharraf — who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 — still has the constitutional power to fight back against the impeachment by dismissing Parliament.

“The military is a wild card now,”

Tags: news

White House used FoxNews to shape public opinion

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:48:27 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Hannity, O'Reilly implicated. "Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow point out that in the US, the government is forbidden to propagandize the public. Fox Cable News head Roger Ailes (a former Republican Party official) and other high executives routinely sent memos to the newsrooms instructing them to spin stories in particular ways"

Clip Source: www.juancole.com

Scott McClellan admits on Hardball that the White House fed Fox News hosts talking points. Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow point out that in the US, the government is forbidden to propagandize the public.

It has long been known that Fox Cable News head Roger Ailes (a former Republican Party official) and other high executives routinely sent memos to the newsrooms instructing them to spin stories in particular ways. And one always suspected that the talking points actually came over from Bush's and Cheney's offices. Now McClellan confirms it.

[Video]

Tags: foxnews, media, war on terror, bush

Dobson: 189; Pew on tolerance of people of faith: 8

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:31:34 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: James Dobson's attack on Barack Obama was all over the news yesterday. A new Pew Survey “documenting the diversity and tolerance of people of faith and the growing consensus around issues like poverty and the environment” was mentioned only 8 times.

Clip Source: thinkprogress.org

According to research done by Faith In Public Life, James Dobson’s attack on Barack Obama was mentioned a total of 189 times on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News yesterday. By comparison, a new Pew Survey “documenting the diversity and tolerance of people of faith and the growing consensus around issues like poverty and the environment” was mentioned only 8 times.

Tags: media, religion

"He said it first" - satire on McCain's c-word whack on Cindy

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:40:48 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Mock news crew discusses why it won't be on TV

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

[Video]

Tags: mccain

Fox News struggles to keep up

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:11:21 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: During 1st quarter of 08: CNN up 90%; MSNBC up 68%; FoxNews up 12%. CNN wins for an entire quarter for the first time.

Clip Source: www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com

Fox News ratings struggling to keep up

Following up on an item from the other day, I thought it was worth noting that all three cable networks have seen their ratings go up during the presidential primaries, but among the “money demo,” Fox News is falling behind. (via TP)

The political season continues to be very good to CNN, which will officially announce on Tuesday that for the first time since 2001, it managed to beat the Fox News Channel in prime time for one quarter of the year in the category of news viewers most desirable to advertisers, according to Nielsen.

CNN’s ratings in prime time for viewers 25 to 54 were up 90 percent

Fox, which had 438,000 viewers, up 12 percent

MSNBC also had a strong quarter in prime time, growing 68 percent to 329,000 viewers

CNN has done especially well on the nights of contested primaries

except one, the Florida primary on Jan. 29. That was the only night when the Republican race was of higher interest than the Democratic one, and Fox won that night.

Tags: media

Clarke to McClellan: I think I can forgive you now

Fri, 30 May 2008 21:28:57 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Now under fire, McClellan got the job of blasting Clarke when Clarke wrote a book similar to Mc's in 2004.

Clip Source: thelede.blogs.nytimes.com

In 2004, Richard A. Clarke, the former counterterrorism adviser, was criticized by Mr. McClellan for writing a scathing book against the Bush administration. Now, the shoe is on the other foot — as Mr. Clarke noted earlier this week. The reversal was not lost on Mr. McClellan when he ran into Mr. Clarke this week in Manhattan. From ABC News:

“I should have known how personal it would get when they went after me, well, I mean, after what I said about you,” Clarke says McClellan told him in the lobby of New York’s Essex House.

“I think I can forgive you now,” Clarke says he replied.

“I’d like to ask you to,” McClellan reportedly answered.

Tags: bush, clarke, mcclellan, news

Real McCain 2 video is #1 on YouTube, #2 on Digg

Fri, 23 May 2008 05:19:31 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: More viewers than cable news shows. Will corporate media be shamed into returning to journalism?

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Since The Real McCain 2 launched this past Sunday, over 1 million people have seen it! It's been the #1 most viewed video on YouTube

For the last seven years, the mainstream press has sacrificed its objectivity and courage in a pathetic attempt to appease conservatives, lest they be painted left-leaning.

We need to continue spreading videos

until our pleas for unbiased, hard-hitting journalism are heard by the corporate media.

especially when the presumptive GOP nominee can't get his basic facts right on Iran. Especially when the press is obsessed with Jeremiah Wright but won't go after McCain's endorsements (which he sought) from the viciously anti-Semitic Rev. John Hagee or the deeply bigoted Rev. Rod Parsley

[Video]

Tags: mccain, media, elections, politics, news

Porky Pig confronts Bill and Hillary

Sat, 10 May 2008 04:35:35 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: (political cartoon)

Clip Source: content.cartoonbox.slate.com

Tags: humor, cartoons, politics, news, clinton, elections

Hillary summits Mt. Giveitarest

Sat, 10 May 2008 04:33:54 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: political cartoon

Clip Source: content.cartoonbox.slate.com

Tags: cartoon, humor, politics, clinton, elections, news

Hillary Python

Sat, 10 May 2008 02:36:25 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: "It's just a flesh wound!"

Clip Source: illiterateelectorate.blogspot.com

Tags: clinton, obama, elections, humor, news

Does changing capital gains tax hurt middle class?

Thu, 01 May 2008 19:21:22 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: FoxNews' Chris Wallace and FactCheck.org disagree

Clip Source: www.factcheck.org

Would raising the capital gains tax rate hit the middle class?

"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace suggested that Sen. Barack Obama's proposal to raise the rate would be a "substantial" tax increase on the "middle class."

Wallace, April 20: [When] half the tax returns reporting capital gains come from households making less than $50,000, why isn't that a considerable, substantial, middle class tax increase?

Those are the tax filers who, overwhelmingly, would be affected by any increase in the rates, even if there were no exemptions such as Obama proposes.

On the Republican side, John McCain's Web site says he'll maintain the current capital gains tax rate.

Tags: foxnews, factcheck, taxes, capital gains, politics, obama, clinton, election, news

Eliz.Edwards: Media give "Cliff's Notes" on campaigns

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:41:42 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Well said!

Clip Source: thinkprogress.org

Elizabeth Edwards laments that for the last month, the news media’s coverage of the Democratic presidential primary has focused on the “rancor” and “money spent” as opposed to “information about the candidates’ priorities, policies and principles“:

I am saying that every analysis that is shortened, every corner that is cut, moves us further away from the truth until what is left is the Cliffs Notes of the news, or what I call strobe-light journalism, in which the outlines are accurate enough but we cannot really see the whole picture. […]

Did you, for example, ever know a single fact about Joe Biden’s health care plan? Anything at all? But let me guess, you know Barack Obama’s bowling score. We are choosing a president, the next leader of the free world. We are not buying soap, and we are not choosing a court clerk with primarily administrative duties.

Tags: politics, media, election

Pentagon: "Stick our hands up your backs and move your mouth for you"

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:33:37 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Sen. Levin says new analysts "apparently on the payroll of defense contractors"

Clip Source: www.alertnet.org

US senator complains Pentagon grooming TV analysts

WASHINGTON, April 22 (Reuters) - A newspaper report that U.S. military analysts working for television networks were coached by the Pentagon provided "very clear evidence of conflicts of interest" at the Defense Department, a senior U.S. senator said on Tuesday.

Sen. Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was sending Defense Secretary Robert Gates a letter

The New York Times on Sunday reported that retired senior officers received private briefings, trips and access to classified intelligence to influence their comments about the Iraq war on television networks.

"It's a very, very significant disclosure of the New York Times," Levin told reporters.

The newspaper quoted Robert Bevelacqua, a retired Green Beret and former Fox News analyst, as saying, "It was them (the Bush administration) saying, 'We need to stick our hands up your back and move your mouth for you.'"

Tags: media, news, military