- Mark Halperin is deeply disappointed at the “toxic freak-show nature of our politico-media culture” which has been perpetrated by people such as Mark Halperin. (TIME via Balloon Juice)
- Remember that time the House of Representatives unanimously passed a law (seriously, they did) in response to the RNC sending out mailers that looked like census forms? Apparently this law does not apply to the RNC, according to its spokesman. (AP/TPM)
- A North Carolina man was arrested for “trying to meet Obama” while carrying a gun and driving a fake police car. So, uh, good thing that they didn’t actually meet. (AP)
- Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is now totally in love with the healthcare reform law, which will help keep his older constituents alive long enough to vote for him again, which he totally opposed when it was a bill and now says is unconstitutional. (Think Progress x3)
- Most Americans would like President Obama to regulate the shit out of banks and financial institutions with his Kenyan voodoo socialism. (WaPo)
- When aliens eventually do find us, they will take one look at Politico Click and then destroy all of humanity, and who could blame them? says noted scientist Stephen Hawking. (Times of London)
Archive for posts ‘traditional media’
Adventures in Headlines
All the news that’s fit to print, I guess.
Late Night Onion
Ladies and gentlemen, your modern 24-hour news cycle. (foul language warning)
Adventures in Journamalism
Here is the image that CNN used for its article on allegations of sexual harassment levied against soon-to-be-former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY):
A quick Google Image search reveals several photos of Massa, including official Congressional portraits, which do not involved thrusting and/or phalluses (phalli?), but hey, who is CNN’s “best political team” to pass up a good dick joke?
Our Awesome News Media, In Pictures
That is, of course, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), not Wesley Snipes.
For comparison, here’s Snipes in his upcoming film, Brooklyn’s Finest:
Yeah, those guys look the same.
Dear Journalists,
I have Facebook. Can I be on TV?
Media Priorities
Vice President Biden is in Iraq this week, but instead of asking him about the troops or the situation on the ground or anything remotely related to defense or foreign policy, your national media wants to know what he thinks about President Obama calling Kanye West a jackass.
And they wonder why their industry is dying.
Obama/Gates/Crowley Make MADD Angry
- The Delaware chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is not mad, but they are very disappointed in Barack Obama, Skip Gates, and James Crowley for consuming “adult” beverages. (We won’t name them, for fear of scarring the children). (WDEL)
- The new owners of the Waco Tribune-Herald hope that by printing “In God we trust” on the front of every edition they will be rewarded for deciding that now would be an excellent time to get into the print media business. (Citydesk)
- Thomas Jefferson™ is a registered trademark of the Associated Press, but his words can be reprinted… for a price. (Laboratorium via Hit & Run)
- Every time Robert Gibbs says, “the President will not increase taxes on the middle class,” someone from your professional media asks, “But will he increase taxes on the middle class?” And that is why no one is buying their newspapers anymore. (CNN)
Liars
A friendly reminder that you shouldn’t always believe what you read in the traditional media.
- The lie, from conservative columnist George Will:
As global levels of sea ice declined last year, many experts said this was evidence of man-made global warming. Since September, however, the increase in sea ice has been the fastest change, either up or down, since 1979, when satellite record-keeping began. According to the University of Illinois’ Arctic Climate Research Center, global sea ice levels now equal those of 1979.
The truth, from the University of Illinois’ Arctic Climate Research Center:
We do not know where George Will is getting his information, but our data shows that on February 15, 1979, global sea ice area was 16.79 million sq. km and on February 15, 2009, global sea ice area was 15.45 million sq. km. Therefore, global sea ice levels are 1.34 million sq. km less in February 2009 than in February 1979. This decrease in sea ice area is roughly equal to the area of Texas, California, and Oklahoma combined.
It is disturbing that the Washington Post would publish such information without first checking the facts.
- The lie, from economics professor Bradley Schiller:
As [Obama] tells it, today’s economy is the worst since the Great Depression.
…
It is bad history because our current economic woes don’t come close to those of the 1930s.The truth, from Media Matters:
Has Obama ever claimed that today’s economy is the worst since the Great Depression? Readers have no idea, because Schiller can’t be bothered with quoting the president.
…
For the record, here’s what Obama said (and what Schiller wouldn’t tell readers):“We are going through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.”
Note a couple things. Obama did not suggest, as Schiller falsely claimed at the outset of his column, that “today’s economy” is just as bad as the Great Depression. Obama said we were experiencing the “worst economic crisis” since the Great Depression. Words have meaning, and an econ prof ought to be able to differentiate between the “today’s economy” and an “economic crisis.” Either that, or Schiller played dumb really hard.
Second, note the “since” that Obama used. He claimed today’s economic crisis represents the worst since the Great Depression. But in his column, Schiller quoted all kinds of stats to prove today’s woes don’t compare to the Great Depression. But Obama never compared it to the Great Depression. He said it’s the worst since.
Does Schiller honestly not realize that by claiming today’s economy crisis is the worst since the Great Depression, that Obama was not claiming today’s economy is just as bad as the Great Depression. Or was Schiller aggressively playing dumb. Again?
- The lie, from TIME’s Amy Sullivan:
When Republican Senator Judd Gregg announced on Thursday that he no longer wished to be the Commerce Secretary nominee, he said that the decision was based in part on serious disagreements with the Obama White House over the 2010 census.
The truth, from, erm… TIME’s AMY Sullivan:
Gregg himself backed off the issue in a news conference after he announced his withdrawal, insisting that his concerns over the census were “slight” and refusing to address it further.
And the print media wonder why they’re all going out of business. Maybe they should fire some columnists and hire some fact-checkers.
Annals of Useless Journalism
Your traditional media, keeping the American people informed:
We arrived at 1141am, but were told this was likely just a restroom stop at what appears to be a rather well-appointed resort.
Thank God the media is here to tell us when Barack Obama goes to the bathroom.
Search
RSS FeedArchives
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007