Archive for the ‘News/Commentary/Opinion’ Category

The Public vs. the Media on Unions, Deficits

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

By Peter Hart, March 1, 2011

The New York Times reports its new poll (3/1/11):

As labor battles erupt in state capitals around the nation, a majority of Americans say they oppose efforts to weaken the collective bargaining rights of public employee unions and are also against cutting the pay or benefits of public workers to reduce state budget deficits, according to the latestNew York Times/CBS News poll.

That’s big enough news, and once again cuts against the People-Don’t-Support-These-Overpaid-Union-Workers trope.

But there’s more. When the poll asked about fixing the deficit, people had a message rarely heard in the media: Read entire FAIR blog here.

Gov. Cuomo speech drowned out with City Councilman Charles Barron-led yells of ‘Tax the rich!’ — NY Daily News

Monday, February 21st, 2011

ALBANY – Gov. Cuomo’s speech on Sunday night to the Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators was interrupted with chants of “Tax the rich!” led by City Councilman Charles Barron. — Glenn Blain, NY Daily News

Barron is a baron. Word! Makes one think of Bill Thompson’s “Term Limits” in the 2009 Mayoral Election. Thompson could have won if voters hadn’t been convinced by the mainstream news media that Bloomberg was strutting on the path to victor. Thompson lost by 4 percent.

Full story here.

AOL Buys Huffington Post: Can You Spell B-A-C-K-P-A-Y?

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

By Way of NWU President Larry Goldbetter <nwu@nwu.org> Newsletter


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FAIR Media Advisory: Keith Olbermann’s Departure from MSNBC Shows Limits of Corporate Media Liberalism

Monday, January 24th, 2011

Whether the abrupt termination of MSNBC host Keith Olbermann’s contract on January 21 was connected to Olbermann’s left-of-center politics or the recent purchase of NBC by Comcast from General Electric, the host’s departure provides an opportunity to reflect on the bigger picture.


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Fox News Sucks!

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

Posted because I’m teaching a J-ethics/news responsibility class this semester.

Public Policy Polling released its second annual News Trust Poll yesterday, and what little coverage it received emphasized that Fox News is now America’s most distrusted TV news source and PBS the most trusted. — From boston.com.

Click here for more info.

Crisis in Journalism: A Microcosm – 3

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

The battle in D:F/M over the direction of the journalism curriculum (reflecting the many conflicts of the internecine war of several years also ongoing in D:F/M) forced this writer into a publish or perish mode. This series is one of the results.

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Crisis in Journalism: A Microcosm – 2

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

The battle in D:F/M over the direction of the journalism curriculum (reflecting the many conflicts of the internecine war of several years also ongoing in D:F/M) forced me into a publish or perish mode. This series is one of the results.

"Students in important areas of learning are more sophisticated and savvy than Colleagues give them credit. Are my Colleagues really that obstinate about teaching and learning?

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“Gov. Paterson Regrets Not Telling Daniel Cicciaro Jr.’s Family Before Pardoning John Harris White” – New York Daily News

Friday, December 24th, 2010

The pardon was well within the purview of a sitting Governor, lame or otherwise, especially for an inmate – a law biding citizen who had never been in trouble with the law – who,  ambushed by fate, erred in a fatal decision and ended up serving a 2-to-4 year term for manslaughter and weapons possession. Nothing wrong here.

But one has to wonder how no one on Patterson’s staff thought of contacting the Cicciaros.

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Bad News!

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

Ed Kent is a former Brooklyn College philosophy professor who seems to read everything and then disseminates the information. I sort through his choice tidbits for material to post on the WORD Blog.

One of his latest:

I feel some sympathy for Obama trying to figure how to cope what almost seems to be a new major problem each day.

To run down the list:

The rest is here.

The DREAM Act Could Go Before Congress Today

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

By Sandy Close Executive
Director New America Media

Over 60 million adults access ethnic media. Their voices should be heard by lawmakers considering this important piece of immigration legislation. Let your voices ring out.