FAIR blog
Are Iranian Magnets the New Aluminum Tubes?
In the run up to the Iraq War, the New York Times famously reported on an Iraqi scheme to procure special aluminum tubes that could only have one purpose: Iraq's secret nuclear weapons program. The claims were false--Iraq, as it turned out, had no nuclear program--but still hugely influential.
If There's a 'War Against Boys,' Why Are Men Still Winning?
Christina Hoff Sommers, who played a starring role in the anti-feminist backlash of the 1990s, is back again with a new edition of her book The War Against Boys. Originally subtitled How Misguided Feminism Is Harming Our Young Men, it's now relabeled How Misguided Policies Are Harming Our Young Men; she now stresses–in a major New York Times op-ed (2/3/13) and a 10-minute one-on-one interview on NPR's Tell Me More (2/12/13)–that changing schools to help boys do better educationally is just a question of "basic fairness." She writes in the Times: That boys struggle with school is hardly news…. Over [...]
On Transgender Healthcare, NYT Reports Tree, Ignores Forest
The New York Times reports that in the last few years, several elite U.S. universities have begun to cover sex reassignment surgery and/or hormones for transgender students. On the one hand, it's great that they're reporting news like this, and after years of extremely disrespectful coverage of transgender issues, it feels like a victory that their "balance" is limited to noting that "the idea still seems radical to plenty of people." On the other hand, not a single trans-identified person is quoted. But what I really want to highlight here is how this kind of article utterly fails to connect some [...]
Is John Boehner a Labor Economist?
Republican leader John Boehner must have some expertise when it comes to labor economics. Either that, or the New York Times is allowing him to make misleading claims without being challenged.
Milbank Looks Forward to 'Bleak Times' Ahead
Why do we need "serious spending cuts"? Milbank assumes the answer is so obvious that it need not be explained--everyone knows the more cuts, the better. All the serious people, anyway.
The Pentagon's Budget Crunch: No Dissenting Views
The Washington Post had a whole piece devoted to yet another round of complaints from military leaders--without a single comment from anyone who might take the view that cutting military spending would not be such a disaster.
The 'Politically Divisive' Minimum Wage
It's important to step back and figure out what "divisive" means here. Republicans and corporate interests are opposed to this idea, but the American people say they overwhelmingly support the concept of paying people at the bottom of the wage scale more.
AP Decides Your Husband or Wife Might Not Be
AP's intention was presumably to remain neutral on the issue of marriage equality--but its initial policy did take a position, indicating that no matter what their state government says, AP was not going to consider legally married same-sex couples to be really married.
PBS Goes to Israel and Palestine–Mostly Israel
When NewsHour anchor Gwen Ifill said, "We will hear more from Margaret [Warner] as she travels through Israel, the West Bank and Gaza over the next week and a half," That sounded like it could be be an interesting opportunity for TV viewers to get a glimpse of Palestinian life. But that's not what PBS chose to put on the air.
ABC Botches the Brennan Hearing
TV news is often not all that informative. Sometimes that's because the reports are so short--a few hundred words. But then there are TV reports that manage to use their short space to garble the details of a story completely. ABC correspondent Jonathan Karl's piece about the Senate confirmation hearing for Obama's CIA pick John Brennan fit into the latter category.
A Beltway Villager's Bad Advice for Obama
The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza wrote a piece giving Barack Obama some advice on what to say in his State of the Union address. The article almost reads like a parody of Beltway punditry.
At Beliefnet, 'Everyone' Doesn't Include Feminists
The religious-themed website Beliefnet bills itself as offering "something for everyone" with a "broad editorial point of view." Unfortunately, as playwright and pastor Kristine Holmgren found when she was offered a chance to blog there, in Beliefnet's eyes, "everyone" does not include feminists.
FAIR TV: Big Papers Withhold News, Curious 'Confirmation' of Israeli Gov't Claims, 60 Minutes Plays Softball
This week on FAIR TV we take a look at the the "informal arrangement" between several media outlets--including the New York Times and the Washington Post-- to not report news about a CIA drone base.
We also talk about the curious standard for "confirming" news from Israeli government officials, and we take a look at the 60 Minutes softball interview with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Bill O’Reilly and the 'Epidemic of Disrespect'
Bill O’Reilly-- whose network is known on-air fantasies about murdering public figures, jokes about the assassination of the president, and is the only network named by more than one spree killer as having helped to inspire their murderous designs--is worried that the country is becoming too disrespectful.
Millionaires Are–or Perhaps Aren't–Leaving California
The early headline on a New York Times story (2/7/13) by Adam Nagourney was, "Millionaires Consider Leaving California Over Taxes." At some point they changed the headline, probably because there's nothing in the article that would support it. But the problems with the piece remain. The story it's trying to tell is about a new tax increase on income over $1 million. Combined with federal/state taxes, the tax bill can really start to add up for the super wealthy–an "unpleasant surprise for the rich." I feel as bad for them as you do, no doubt. The point of the article, [...]
EXCLUSIVE: Bill O'Reilly Does Not Have Access to the Internet
On last night's O'Reilly Factor, the Fox News host wondered why NBC has failed to cover the new revelations about the White House drone program. The real question here is why Fox doesn't let O'Reilly have access to the Internet.
An 'Informal Arrangement' to Not Report the News
The Washington Post reported some news that it's known for years, but had decided not tell us until now: The CIA has a drone base in Saudi Arabia. Their rationale for withholding this information was simple: The government didn't want them to. And from what the Post is telling us today, they weren't the only ones.
When It Comes to Drones, Trust the Churchgoing CIA Director
Last night, MSNBC's Chris Matthews hosted a discussion on the Obama administration's recently disclosed "white paper" justifying its policy of using drones to strike at U.S. citizens. Matthews ultimately deciding that the policy was defensible--on the grounds that the CIA director Leon Panetta goes to church.
60 Minutes Plays Softball With Obama and Clinton
At the top of his 60 Minutes interview with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Steve Kroft declares, "The White House offered us 30 minutes, barely enough time to scratch the surface of their complicated personal and professional relationship, let alone discuss their policies." Apparently what that meant was, "So I didn't bother to ask them about that policy stuff."
Where Are They Now? The Reporters Who Got Iraq So Wrong
Ten years ago today, Colin Powell made the Bush administration's case for going to war against Iraq, and much of what he said was false. Most of the journalists who promoted his justifications for the war paid no price for their failures.
Click the flash players below to hear or the mics to download these Black Agenda Radio Commentaries.
Black Vote Rising, Black Power Diminishing, Black Condition Worsening
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Radicalized = Weaponized = Kill at Will
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End Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons, Prepare to Back Hunger Strikers
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From Race Men to Debased Men, Obama at Morehouse, Arne Duncan at Morgan State
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Defend Assata, Defend Ourselves: The Black Is Black Coalition Rallies in Harlem
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The New Urban Regime: In Atlanta Gentrification Wears A Black Face
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Genocide Toll in Somalia Revised Upward
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Rep. Keith Ellison, the Personification of the Phony, Pro-War “Progressive”
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