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James Rainey
Right-wing radio sounds false alarm on 'Fairness Doctrine'
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 14, 2008 - 8:31amLast updated: November 14, 2008 - 8:31am
It would be a shame if Congress or a Barack Obama-controlled Federal Communications Commission wasted time resurrecting the Fairness Doctrine, which were abolished in 1987. President Reagan and his FCC decided there were enough alternative outlets for a range of opinion.
Fox News' faux documentary sets new low
Submitted by Benton Foundation on October 10, 2008 - 7:25amLast updated: October 10, 2008 - 7:25am
Now and then, Fox News makes a stab at living up to its "fair and balanced" tag line. At other times, the cable network's operatives throw off all pretense, let their neatly trimmed hair down and do what they seem to love best -- blame all of the world's evils on those pointy-headed, America-hating liberals.
Palin talks to Couric -- and if she's lucky, few are listening
Submitted by Benton Foundation on September 26, 2008 - 7:31amLast updated: October 1, 2008 - 2:10pm
The economic crisis and John McCain's surprising response have drawn attention away from Gov Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) just as she has started to answer more pointed questions from the media.
Shame on you too, Barack Obama, the truth sleuths say
Submitted by Benton Foundation on September 25, 2008 - 7:14amLast updated: September 25, 2008 - 7:14am
Some of the same mainstream media outlets and websites that exposed Sen John McCain's lies about Sen Barack Obama are now saying Obama is guilty of distortion, too.
New election low: distorting the fact-checking
Submitted by Benton Foundation on September 12, 2008 - 7:24amLast updated: September 12, 2008 - 7:24am
FactCheck.org -- one of the nonpartisan journalism websites heroically trying to strain truth amid all the sound and fury -- has chastised John McCain's campaign for -- now get this -- distorting FactCheck's debunking of distortions.
Hiding Sarah Palin behind 'deference'
Submitted by Benton Foundation on September 9, 2008 - 7:43amLast updated: September 9, 2008 - 7:43am
John McCain's campaign essentially confirmed over the weekend what some had suspected: Media access to Sarah Palin, would-be vice president of the United States, will be tightly controlled. Troublemakers need not apply.
Blurring of journalism lines in Palin story hurts public
Submitted by Benton Foundation on September 4, 2008 - 7:40amLast updated: September 4, 2008 - 7:41am
Although real questions have been raised about Palin, such as whether she meddled in the discipline of a state trooper once married to her sister, Us magazine already has satisfied itself that these are full-blown "scandals." And the magazine assures us the troubles are spreading "as fast as flies at a Labor Day picnic." It might be no surprise to regular readers that Us isn't taking the high road here.
In study, evidence of liberal-bias bias
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 28, 2008 - 7:09pmLast updated: July 28, 2008 - 7:09pm
The Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, where researchers have tracked network news content for two decades, found that ABC, NBC and CBS were tougher on Sen Barack Obama (D-IL) than on Sen John McCain (R-AZ) during the first six weeks of the general-election campaign.
Obama lavished with airtime -- and criticism
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 24, 2008 - 7:00pmLast updated: July 24, 2008 - 8:50pm
It seems like just about everybody has spent the last week beating up on the media for showering too much love on Barack Obama, during what John McCain's camp derides as the Obama World Tour.
In campaigns, as in basketball, the refs get worked
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 12, 2008 - 8:19amLast updated: August 7, 2008 - 11:34am
Basketball is not a bad primer, it turns out, on how our political ballclubs carry on. Team McCain has been complaining no end about how easy that lanky young rookie, Barack Obama, has it with the press, while their scrappy veteran suffers "fiction" at worst and inattention at best.
