MediaBloodhound

135,000 Uninsured Americans Will Die Before Health Reform Takes Effect, Analysis Finds

2009-12-15T16:37:38-05:00

A Raw Story analysis, based on a recent Harvard Medical School study, estimates that 135,000 American citizens and over 6,600 US veterans will die due to a lack of health insurance before current proposed healthcare reform measures would take effect.

Exclusive: Pentagon Pursuing New Investigation Into Bush Propaganda Program

2009-11-05T13:58:54-05:00

The Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General is conducting a new investigation into a covert Bush administration Defense Department program that used retired military analysts to produce positive wartime news coverage. Last May, the Inspector General’s office rescinded and repudiated a prior internal investigation’s report on the retired military analyst program, which had been issued by the Bush administration, because it “did not meet accepted quality standards for an Inspector General work product.” Yet in recent interviews with Raw Story, Pentagon officials who took part in the program were still defending it by referencing this invalidated report.

Discussing Investigative Series on GRITtv with Laura Flanders

2009-10-30T13:06:09-04:00

This was taped on Tuesday. The forthcoming article (part III) I refer to in the interview was published Thursday morning.

Exclusive: Pentagon's Domestic Propaganda Program May Not Have Been Terminated

2009-10-29T13:52:43-04:00

Exclusive: Pentagon officials won't confirm Bush propaganda program ended The covert Bush administration program that used retired military analysts to generate favorable wartime news coverage may not have been terminated, Raw Story has found.

Pentagon Used Psychological Operation on US Public, Documents Show

2009-10-21T16:04:10-04:00

Part II in my investigative series for Raw Story: Pentagon Used Psychological Operation on US Public, Documents Show Figure in Bush propaganda operation remains Pentagon spokesman

Senior Official in Bush Domestic Propaganda Program Remains Obama’s Pentagon Spokesman

2009-09-29T17:32:57-04:00

My latest for Raw Story (and a major reason for my scarcity in these parts) -- part one in a series of investigative articles: A key senior figure in a Bush administration covert Pentagon program, which used retired military analysts to produce positive wartime news coverage, remains in the same position today as a chief Obama Defense Department spokesman and the agency’s head of all media operations. In an examination of Pentagon documents the New York Times obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request — which reporter David Barstow leveraged for his April 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning exposé on the program – Raw Story has found that Bryan Whitman surfaces in over 500 emails and transcripts, revealing the deputy assistant secretary of defense for media operations was both one of the program’s senior participants and an active member.

Op-Ed Column: Tributes Censor Cronkite's Anti-Iraq War Stance

2009-07-22T14:03:23-04:00

Cronkite Called War "Illegal from the Start," Slammed Network Silence and Would've Spoken Out Again from Anchor Desk

NYT Front|Back: Porn Plots vs. Detainee Rights

2009-07-10T16:12:49-04:00

I believe it was Patrick Henry who originally said, "Give me liberty and intricately plotted pornographic entertainment, or give me death." Of course, that was before the edit (fortunately for Henry, he wasn't living in the dawn of blogging).

Op-Ed Column: CNN's Iran Timeline Omits US-Backed '53 Coup

2009-06-24T14:33:08-04:00

It might be more difficult for Republicans to bash President Obama for being "timid" in his comments about the Iranian government's violence against protesters if the U.S. media didn't consistently censor US-Iranian history. Take CNN's recent Iran timeline, titled "A brief look at Iran's history."

Story of the Day: Gene Randall 'Reporting,' Inc. (CJR Article)

2009-06-16T15:11:50-04:00

My article published today in Columbia Journalism Review: Former CNN correspondent-turned-PR consultant Gene Randall’s video “report” for oil giant Chevron might be unprecedented for how it blurred the line between public relations and journalism. But the Randall-Chevron production raises not only ethical questions, but also the question of whether a surge of newly pink-slipped reporters might go, as one media critic put it, “over to the dark side” and how that might further muddy the line between news and corporate advocacy.

Story of the Day: NY Times Honors Reagan by Ignoring History

2009-06-05T13:11:22-04:00

In the print version of Thursday's New York Times article on the newly unveiled statue of Ronald Reagan in the Capitol Rotunda, readers are at least given a terse idea of the man Mr. Reagan's statue was replacing -- Thomas Starr King, "the 19-century Unitarian minister known as the 'orator who saved the nation' for helping to keep California from seceding as a republic during the Civil War." Yet in the online version posted a day earlier, and a full 140 words longer than its printed companion, King is described only as "a 19th-century Unitarian minister and 'Orator Who Saved the Nation.'”

The Wounded-Courier: Larry King Writing Sequel to 'My Remarkable Journey'

2009-05-23T16:47:12-04:00

In an interview with the Al Jazeera news network today, legendary talk show host Larry King revealed he's already working on a sequel to his new autobiography "My Remarkable Journey." King said the follow-up autobiography, with the working title "If You're Not Nauseous Yet, You Will Be," will disclose many juicy anecdotes and surprises he couldn't fit into his current book. King, who's been making the rounds to promote "My Remarkable Journey," provided Al Jazeera with the following teasers that readers can expect to find in "If You're Not Nauseous Yet, You Will Be":

The MediaBloodhound Interview: Greg Mitchell, Editor of 'Editor & Publisher' Magazine

2009-05-05T04:18:45-04:00

Greg Mitchell, Editor of 'Editor and Publisher' magazine, recently spoke with MediaBloodhound from his Lower East Side Manhattan office at E&P. In addition to the 2008 campaign, topics ranged from the dire state of the newspaper industry and its “dirty secret” to the impact of the U.S. media's censorship of graphic war images to whether Twitter and Sarah Palin will go the way of the pet rock. The following is an edited transcript of the MediaBloodhound interview.

Story of the Day: NYT Public Editor Dances Around 'Brutal Truth' of Torture

2009-04-29T12:44:47-04:00

Clark Hoyt's New York Times public editor column on Monday, "Telling the Brutal Truth," brings the ongoing "debate" over whether waterboarding is torture to brave new heights of absurdity.

Story of the Day: Mark Danner Schools David Gergen on CIA Torture

2009-04-21T16:55:54-04:00

During a recent segment on CNN's AC 360, journalist and professor Mark Danner torpedoed CNN senior political analyst David Gergen's attempt to minimize new revelations of Bush administration CIA torture tactics released by the Obama administration.

Story of the Day: Howard Kurtz's Octomom Hypocrisy

2009-03-30T19:09:14-04:00

Washington Post and CNN media critic Howard Kurtz dedicated an entire segment of this past Sunday's Reliable Sources cable program to a gratuitous pie fight between two players involved in Nadya "Octomom" Suleman's never-ending nationally televised freak show. But a little over a month ago, Kurtz decried the media for exploiting the octuplet mother for ratings and for doing so under the false pretense that concern for her babies' well being drove their round-the-clock coverage. What a difference a few weeks make.

Story of the Day: Officials Say Feds Involved in Nevada ACORN Raid

2009-03-18T14:38:12-04:00

Part of the reason I've been off the radar here for so long -- my latest investigative report for Raw Story: Federal agencies were involved in the decision to raid the office of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in Nevada last October, just weeks before Election Day, the offices of Nevada’s Secretary of State and Attorney General say. The allegations raise questions of whether politics played a part in the raid and calls into question assertions by the US Attorney’s office that they were uninvolved. Federal guidelines instruct agencies investigating election fraud to avoid action that might impact the elective process.

Story of the Day: Woodruff Parrots GOP Talking Points to WH Budget Dir

2009-02-27T11:27:33-05:00

In a primer on how to conduct an interview relying almost solely on Republican talking points, PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff discussed the new budget plan with White House Budget Director Peter Orszag on Wednesday night.

Story of the Day: Lawrence Wright on Bush Admin Wiretapping Journalists (...And Whatever Happened to the Russell Tice Story?)

2009-02-12T14:53:36-05:00

While the battle over the stimulus bill raged on, New Yorker reporter Lawrence Wright recently spoke with Brooke Gladstone of NPR's On the Media. Wright, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, reported last year that he knew the Bush administration had been spying on him. Wright's conversation with Gladstone, coupled with the statements of NSA whistleblower Russell Tice and New York Times reporter James Risen on MSNBC's Countdown last month, appear to confirm what many have long suspected.

Story of the Day: Matthews Repairing 'Balanced' Cred with...Imbalance

2009-01-28T20:08:35-05:00

If you're Chris Matthews and you want to regain a reputation for being "fair and balanced" after famously exhibiting overt excitement about Barack Obama on his road to the White House, what do you do? How about facilitating a discussion about Obama's proposed stimulus plan with two lawmakers from the same party, the Republican Party?

The Wounded-Courier (EXCLUSIVE): Leaked Menu of George Will's Catered Dinner Party for Barack Obama

2009-01-23T00:00:00-05:00

Conversation at the recent dinner party thrown by conservative pundit George Will for Barack Obama may remain shrouded in secrecy. But one thing will not: the menu. And there was no shortage of food. An anonymous source leaked the detailed catered menu to The Wounded-Courier this morning. (Other conservative pundits in attendance included William Kristol, David Brooks, Charles Krauthammer, Larry Kudlow, Paul Gigot, Peggy Noonan, Michael Barone and Rich Lowry.) Here is what was served:

Story of the Day: Denial of Early Dr. King Creates Another Mythology (Two TV Appearances from 1957)

2009-01-19T13:51:29-05:00

Just as Americans in 2009 hear little in the mainstream news about the post-"I Have a Dream" King, the man who railed against America's treatment of the impoverished and called America "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today," we also rarely see the early King. While being denied the latter King clouds the reality and complexity of the man and his true message, denial of the early King also fortifies a mythology, the mythology that progress somehow happens over night.

MediaBloodhound's 2008 Fact or Fiction Challenge

2009-01-13T06:00:00-05:00

The following are quotes and headlines culled from this past year at MediaBloodhound (keep in mind some were said or written prior to '08 but noted here during the year). Some are real (fact) and others are from satirical articles (fiction) posted under "The Wounded-Courier." See if you can distinguish between the two. Once you've answered all the entries -- but not before since multiple entries may come from the same post and checking one might give away another -- you'll find the answer key at the very bottom. OK, news junkies and media mavens, the 2008 Fact or Fiction Challenge is on:

Story of the Day: AP Reporter's Tough Gaza Questions Disappeared

2009-01-07T20:13:56-05:00

During Monday's State Department press briefing, Associated Press State Department Correspondent Matthew Lee posed the most pointed question about the conflict in Gaza and the Bush administration's position: "What’s wrong with an immediate cease-fire that doesn’t have to be sustainable and durable if, during the pause that you get from an immediate cease-fire, something longer-term can be negotiated?" Lee didn't tread lightly either when Deputy Secretary of State Sean McCormack failed to provide a sufficient answer and continued to challenge McCormack on the same point in Tuesday's press briefing. Yet a funny thing happened on the way to print: the substance of these exchanges never made it into Lee's corresponding articles.

Happy New Year from MediaBloodhound!

2009-01-01T14:59:05-05:00

Wishing you all a peaceful, healthy and fulfilling new year. Now that you've heard the traditional version of "Auld Lang Syne" last night and throughout your life, the following are some very different interpretations. This first version is the one intended by Robert Burns, the man credited for original song: Here's a punk-rock twist: /p> Nicki Jaine's music has been described as existing "...in its own universe, one in which Kurt Weill and Nico orbit a shadowy planet like twin moons..." Here's Jaine's take on the song, playing a musical saw (OK, the beginning sounds a little like a cat...

Happy Holidays from MediaBloodhound

2008-12-25T03:20:43-05:00

Happy Holidays from MediaBloodhound

Story of the Day: Threatened Rove IT Guru Dies Tragically, MSM MIA

2008-12-23T14:16:08-05:00

Philosophical corporate media question: If the biggest potential whistle-blower since "Deep Throat" dies an untimely death and the mainstream media doesn't cover it, did it really happen?

Op-Ed Column: AP Trivializes Iraqi Death Toll, Amplifies Censorship

2008-11-30T20:39:25-05:00

From the aftermath of the 2003 "shock and awe" bombing campaign all the way through Thanksgiving Day 2008, US mainstream news outlets have nearly uniformly blacked out reports of the number of Iraqis killed as a consequence of the 2003 US invasion and occupation. But a recent Associated Press article reveals the apotheosis of this feckless and brazenly unprofessional practice.

Editor's Note: Happy Thanksgiving from MediaBloodhound

2008-11-27T01:00:17-05:00

Sorry for the even lighter than usual posting here of late. I've been working on new investigative articles, two of which should see publication before the year's through. But look for new original pieces up here next week. Until then, two things:

MediaBloodhound

135,000 Uninsured Americans Will Die Before Health Reform Takes Effect, Analysis Finds

Exclusive: Pentagon Pursuing New Investigation Into Bush Propaganda Program

Discussing Investigative Series on GRITtv with Laura Flanders

Exclusive: Pentagon's Domestic Propaganda Program May Not Have Been Terminated

Pentagon Used Psychological Operation on US Public, Documents Show

Senior Official in Bush Domestic Propaganda Program Remains Obama’s Pentagon Spokesman

Op-Ed Column: Tributes Censor Cronkite's Anti-Iraq War Stance

NYT Front|Back: Porn Plots vs. Detainee Rights

Op-Ed Column: CNN's Iran Timeline Omits US-Backed '53 Coup

Story of the Day: Gene Randall 'Reporting,' Inc. (CJR Article)

Story of the Day: NY Times Honors Reagan by Ignoring History

The Wounded-Courier: Larry King Writing Sequel to 'My Remarkable Journey'

The MediaBloodhound Interview: Greg Mitchell, Editor of 'Editor & Publisher' Magazine

Story of the Day: NYT Public Editor Dances Around 'Brutal Truth' of Torture

Story of the Day: Mark Danner Schools David Gergen on CIA Torture

Story of the Day: Howard Kurtz's Octomom Hypocrisy

Story of the Day: Officials Say Feds Involved in Nevada ACORN Raid

Story of the Day: Woodruff Parrots GOP Talking Points to WH Budget Dir

Story of the Day: Lawrence Wright on Bush Admin Wiretapping Journalists (...And Whatever Happened to the Russell Tice Story?)

Blogroll Amnesty Day

Story of the Day: Matthews Repairing 'Balanced' Cred with...Imbalance

The Wounded-Courier (EXCLUSIVE): Leaked Menu of George Will's Catered Dinner Party for Barack Obama

Story of the Day: Denial of Early Dr. King Creates Another Mythology (Two TV Appearances from 1957)

MediaBloodhound's 2008 Fact or Fiction Challenge

Story of the Day: AP Reporter's Tough Gaza Questions Disappeared

Happy New Year from MediaBloodhound!

Happy Holidays from MediaBloodhound

Story of the Day: Threatened Rove IT Guru Dies Tragically, MSM MIA

Op-Ed Column: AP Trivializes Iraqi Death Toll, Amplifies Censorship

Editor's Note: Happy Thanksgiving from MediaBloodhound