Blog – On Target

There is a new wave of Bill Clinton publicity, from an Esquire magazine cover story calling Clinton someone we can all agree on, to a new four-hour documentary coming to PBS this month, with a heavy emphasis on his sexual dalliances.

Last month I interviewed Marbue Brown, a first-generation immigrant from Liberia, talking about his book, The Clinton Economic Boom and Other Myths of the Clinton Presidency.

Brown’s thesis is that Bill Clinton often gets credit for being the architect of the longest economic expansion in U.S. history, and for being the catalyst for the more than 22 million jobs that were created during his time as president. But Brown says that there were other factors at play that ultimately led to the economic boom during the Clinton years, and that several popular beliefs about the Administration’s economic record are founded on myths.

Marbue Brown holds master’s degrees in mathematics and statistics. He worked for more than 20 years in the Information Technology industry, and has held senior positions with Microsoft and Cisco Systems. His mother was president of the University of Liberia.

We began the interview talking about his family background, and the relationship between the U.S. and Liberia. You can listen to the full interview here. (runs approximately 35 minutes)

Sharyl Attkisson has done it again. We have credited her for her excellent reporting on Operation Fast and Furious, the gunrunning operation in which Attorney General Eric Holder has been caught telling lies to Congress about what he knew and when he knew it. This has been one of the major scandals of the Obama administration that the mainstream media have largely ignored. But CBS News and in particular investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson have done some groundbreaking reporting on this story, while the rest of the mainstream media have largely ignored it.

Today, on CBS This Morning, Attkisson reported on another major scandal of the Obama administration, though it is not exactly identified as such. Most have heard about Solyndra, the solar panel company that declared bankruptcy after receiving more than half a billion dollars in taxpayer funds though ample warning signs existed that should have prevented that boondoggle from taking place. But a key financier of the company was a top Obama campaign-cash bundler who had visited the White House on numerous occasions.

It turns out that:

CBS News counted 12 clean energy companies that are having trouble after collectively being approved for more than $6.5 billion in federal assistance. Five have filed for bankruptcy: The junk bond-rated Beacon, Evergreen Solar, SpectraWatt, AES’ subsidiary Eastern Energy and Solyndra.

Others are also struggling with potential problems. Nevada Geothermal — a home state project personally endorsed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid –  warns of multiple potential defaults in new SEC filings reviewed by CBS News. It was already having trouble paying the bills when it received $98.5 million in Energy Department loan guarantees.”

This is the kind of reporting, without fear or favor, that the networks should be doing on a regular basis.

And it is particularly instructive while the country is focused on how venture capitalists get involved with troubled companies to either turn them around, close them down, or restructure, yes, to make a profit in the process. The difference is that the decisions are based on economics rather than on promoting a political agenda or rewarding political cronies.

Every four years Accuracy in Media dedicates itself to offering the best grassroots response to biased election coverage. AIM will offer hard-hitting analysis with columns, blogs, podcasts and now video.

We were there in Iowa as America watched former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney edge out a narrow victory. Accuracy in Media’s Benjamin Johnson tracked down various candidates for a quick word on how they feel the media have treated their campaigns so far.

AIM cameras also caught footage of candidates in their final pitches to caucus-goers in Cedar Rapids and Dubuque.

Good evening and welcome to Rapid Fire, our daily email tip sheet. We’ve made a few format changes to help you find the stories you need. Please keep emailing tips and suggestions or hit us up on Facebook or Twitter.

TOP STORY

The AP’s 2012 Playbook for Romney: AIM’s Logan Churchwell forecasts the upcoming smear tactics of the Associated Press: “Mitt Romney was given an early example of what the AP means by “journalism with voice.”

MEDIA WATCH

Biden Gets Lukewarm Support on Hardball: Don Irvine reports on the recent water-testing of Joe Biden’s candidacy for 2012: “Chris Matthews polled his live audience in Iowa on who should be Obama’s running mate in 2012 and found that support for current Vice President Joe Biden was lukewarm at best, as Hillary Clinton seemingly garnered half the votes.

*** Accuracy in Media appreciates your support and attention to the rampant media bias found today. Pledging your support to our Mission keeps the lies, falsifications, obfuscations and liberal intimidation in check. ***

WHAT WE’RE READING

The Magical Mental Exercise Called Reading: AIM guest columnist Alan Caruba discusses whether television has improved America’s cultural awareness or harmed it.

Chicago School Needs Practicum: Accuracy in Academia reviews the sentiments of University of Chicago economists on the matter of marginal tax increases…Milton Freidman would not be happy.

*** Stay connected with the Accuracy in Media RSS feed for all of our best content as it’s published! ***

With the first legitimate event of the 2012 Republican presidential primary just days away in Iowa, the Associated Press today offered a clear example of hatchet jobs to come for the candidates. Mitt Romney was given an early example of what the AP means by “journalism with voice.”

I previously raised concerns over a leaked memo from AP Managing Editor Mike Oreskes two weeks ago. Charging all journalists to use the said “voice,” he did not offer any examples but, rather very contradictory directions (emphasis added):

“We’re going to be pushing hard on journalism with voice, with context, with more interpretation. This does not mean that we’re sacrificing any of our deep commitment to unbiased, fair journalism. It does not mean that we’re venturing into opinion, either. It does mean that we need to be looking for ways to be more distinctive and stand out in the field — something our customers need and want. The why and the how of the news are as crucial as the who, what, when and where.”

The AP offered a very clear example this morning for how these directions will be executed.

As if the title, “Romney tries to come across as man of the people” wasn’t bad enough, it only got worse from there. But in so doing, they reveal a clear playbook as to how the Associated Press will be framing the Romney campaign in 2012.

Step 1: Paint Romney as filthy rich; like his daddy before him. What better way to fan the flames of class warfare than to paint the Republican frontrunner as the quintessential political aristocrat of one-percenter roots? The AP led with (emphasis added):

“Mitt Romney reminisced before a noontime crowd about the long car trips his family took when he was a boy. ‘My dad made Ramblers, so we had one,’ the Republican presidential hopeful said…In fact, Romney’s father didn’t just make cars. He was chairman and president of American Motors, the company that made Ramblers, and a highly successful businessman before he entered politics. It’s a detail the son omitted as he sought to establish a bond with Iowans he hopes will support him in next week’s presidential caucuses.”

Toward the end of the piece, another wealth jab that now opens the Romney wardrobe and Christmas list to criticism:

“As he stood at the cash register at a Concord, N.H., toy store, picking up a few gifts for charity, a patron asked him what he gave his family for Christmas. Earlier in the day, he had bought his wife a $285 North Face jacket as a gift, he said…For his sons? ‘We sent them checks,’ said Romney, a multimillionaire. ‘Cash is always good’.”

Some may remember just how effective the smears were against the Palin family wardrobe in 2008; a standard not held to Michelle Obama.

Step 2: Suggest to readers that either Romney is too smart, or Republicans are too dumb to understand him. Not only is Romney rich and therefore uncaring, but he cannot speak the language and empathize with the common man. The AP cited Romney’s comments company relocation affecting employee commutes:

“Sometimes it’s counterintuitive,’ replied Romney, a former businessman, explaining that businesses often invent new, more efficient ways to compete…The term is called productivity. Output per person,’ he said. ‘Our productivity equals our income’.”

Anyone with a Business 101 course under their belt or basic sense gained from commercial employment can understand what that statement means, and therefore why the question was properly answered. To argue otherwise is an insult to the general intelligence of the electorate. But the AP does not stop there, suggesting that he can also be too smart and systematically-minded to be “sympathetic.”

“When one retired firefighter in New Hampshire said he was drawing a reduced Social Security check because he also had a state pension, the former Massachusetts governor was less than sympathetic. ‘If there’s a competition for who will give you the most free stuff, go vote for that guy.’ When the man said he wasn’t asking for any handouts, Romney said, ‘You knew what you were getting into. … I wish you well, but I’m not going to promise you more bucks’.”

Regardless of the approach, Romney will be made to look unfit to chat up a voter on Main Street. It also would be helpful to know the context of that exchange and the tone of the question.

Step 3: Always remind the reader that he’s a Mormon. Forget the fact that “Mormon” is the incorrect description, or that LDS Church is the fifth largest in the United States. Use any opportunity to drive the Obama campaign concept that Mormonism is “weird.” Extra points if you can wrap the reminder in some sort of a compliment:

“He’s not always distant. At an earlier stop in New Hampshire, Romney explained how he lived on a careful budget as a Mormon missionary, using crude toilets and living in modest apartments. He also talked about his time as a lay pastor in Boston’s Mormon church, when he says he counseled struggling families.”

Remember, he only used a crude, French toilet because he’s a Latter-Day Saint. Weird, right?

The 2012 Election has all the makings of what will probably be the nastiest campaign in human memory. Race, religion and even hair will all be fair game. You can at least thank the Associated Press for telegraphing how its writers will frame the candidacy of one Mitt Romney.

As 2011 comes to a close, we’d like to present some of the hottest stories of the year.  Please keep emailing tips and suggestions or hit us up on Facebook or Twitter.

THE AIM 2011 HIT LIST

The War on Police: “Rather than being victims of police brutality, a video shows that Occupiers at UC Davis knew they were going to be pepper sprayed and didn’t mind it.”

The Media Obsession with and Abuse of Polls: “We should be very skeptical of most polls, and observant of how the media try to use them to shape our opinions, rather than reflect them.”

CASA de Maryland: The Illegal’s ACORN: “CASA de Maryland is a case study in the corrosive effects of political corruption and a reflection of our degenerating political class.”

P.U. to Media Bias Survey: “The Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism released a new study on how the news media and blogs have covered the first few months of the 2012 presidential race and found that Republican candidates have received far more favorable coverage than President Obama, by a fairly wide margin.”

Occupy DC vs. Employment Offers [Video]: “After more than a month of protest demands for better employment opportunities and benefits, Accuracy in Media saw fit to test their desires with…employment applications. Our “headhunters” were treated to every excuse as to why these jobs aren’t good enough for them.”

MEDIA WATCH

WashPost Apologizes for Romney KKK Lies: Don Irvine reports on bias so blatant, even the WP editors apologized for it: “This posting contains multiple, serious factual errors that undermine its premise. Mitt Romney is not using ‘Keep America American,’ which was once a KKK slogan, as a catchphrase in stump speeches, as the posting and headline stated.”

NY Times Spams Millions by Mistake: The Grey Lady is having one hell of a week, “Some 8 million people received emails from the New York Times on Wednesday offering a special discount if they would reconsider their decision to cancel their subscriptions.”

SPECIAL NOTE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

“If you’re like me, you know that the epidemic of media bias has become worse than ever this year. In fact, many reporters not only admit their ideological slant, but defy anyone to challenge them.

“Meanwhile, behind the scenes, liberal-left billionaires like George Soros are bankrolling non-profit organizations that feed material to the mainstream press. They call it ‘investigative journalism,’ but it’s nothing more than propaganda.

“You and I know that this kind of ‘reporting’ has serious consequences for our great nation. When slanted news coverage stifles the facts, millions of Americans can be fooled into believing a flawed version of events.  And every time this happens, we lose a little more of our precious freedom.

“You and I understand what the media are up to, so it’s up to us to take a stand for honest reporting ourselves.

“At Accuracy in Media (AIM), we confront America’s most powerful media manipulators every day of the year. Our AIM Report newsletters, our blogs, videos, radio programs and investigative reports expose the media’s hidden agendas, and tell the other side of important stories that they have misreported and/or ignored.

“America’s freedom is in jeopardy. That’s why AIM needs your support more than ever. Please help us fight media corruption by making a generous donation today, so we can hit the ground running in 2012. Thank you.”

Sincerely,

Don Irvine

*** Stay connected with the Accuracy in Media RSS feed for all of our best content as it’s published! ***

Good evening and welcome to Rapid Fire, our daily email tip sheet. We’ve made a few format changes to help you find the stories you need. Please keep emailing tips and suggestions or hit us up on Facebook or Twitter.

TOP STORY

The Deceptions of Assange, WikiLeaks & Ron Paul: Cliff Kincaid details how new evidence strongly suggests that Julian Assange and Bradley Manning coordinated efforts to leak classified documents, while Paul apologizes for both: “The new evidence in the case, disclosed in Manning’s preliminary hearing, established a direct connection between Assange and Manning… Assange may have been lying about his contact with Manning in order to avoid implicating himself in a conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act.”

MEDIA WATCH

New York Times Staffers in Open Revolt: After losing a CEO, and quarter after quarter of bad financials and declining readers, The New York Times is faced with another major problem. Don Irvine reports that a recent move to freeze some employee pensions has led to a situation in which “some staffers wanted to storm Sulzberger’s office, while others wanted to stage a walkout.”

*** Accuracy in Media appreciates your support and attention to the rampant media bias found today. Pledging your support to our Mission keeps the lies, falsifications, obfuscations and liberal intimidation in check. ***

ELECTION 2012

Perry Sues for VA Ballot: Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich failed to meet Virginia Commonwealth ballot requirements last week, but Perry is moving to Plan B. “Perry is challenging the state’s qualification process on constitutional grounds, saying it restricts the access of Virginia voters to the candidates of their choosing.” This definitely won’t be the last election-related lawsuit in 2012.

The Declining Youth Vote: What do the media do when the GOP hits the primary voting booths and cauci? Downplay Obama’s turnout expectations: “Obama the president did not fulfill the hope invested in Obama the candidate, there has been an enormous sense of disappointment among those young who had been previously politically active and the current crop of college-resident young do not have the same compelling motivation to engage as those who preceded them.”

WHAT WE’RE READING

The Year of Obama, Media Scandals: AIM guest columnist Michelle Malkin chronicles the list of Obama Administration scandals and the accompanying media denials: “So as long as left-wing Ivy League scribes refuse to perceive something to be a scandal — never mind the actual suffering endured by the family of murdered Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, whose death came at the hands of a Mexican cartel thug wielding a Fast and Furious gun walked across the southern border under Attorney General Eric Holder’s watch — there is no scandal!”

Russia Doesn’t Like Us: The country that invented the Gulag believes the USA to be serial abusers of human rights: “Russia’s Foreign Ministry has attacked America’s human rights record in its first report on injustice elsewhere in the world, offering examples such as the Guantanamo Bay prison and wrongful death row convictions to paint the U.S. as hypocritical for lecturing other nations on the subject of rights.”

Academic Revolutions: Accuracy in Academia explains why academics are terrible at picking winners in revolutions abroad.

*** Stay connected with the Accuracy in Media RSS feed for all of our best content as it’s published! ***

Good evening and welcome to Rapid Fire, our daily email tip sheet. Here you will find updates to breaking AIM content and a look at what we’re reading. Please keep emailing tips and suggestions or hit us up on Facebook or Twitter.

TOP STORY: With the military court martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning officially underway, prominent publications such as The Washington Post have been caught trying to erroneously inject new evidence into the court of public opinion, according to Cliff Kincaid. Kincaid finds, “many stories about Manning’s preliminary hearing are focusing on charges from his attorneys that his confusion about his own ‘gender identity’ means that he is somehow the victim.” http://bit.ly/vV1LsA

MEDIA WATCH: Weird things have a tendency to happen in the media when Christmas rolls around, especially on The View. Don Irvine reports, “In one of those extremely rare instances when liberals come to the defense of a conservative, Whoopi Goldberg on The View questioned whether or not Romney deserved the criticism he received for calling Newt Gingrich ‘zany’.” http://bit.ly/tEkMfw

GREAT DEBATES, CON’T: The Law of Diminishing Returns continues to be challenged as Fox News’ latest GOP debate sets records, according to Don Irvine: “Fox averaged 6.7 million viewers during the two-hour debate, topping the previous high of 6.1 million viewers it set on September 22.” If this keeps up, Trump might try to make a debate reality TV show or something. http://bit.ly/vkc3q2

DEAD TREE NEWS: Don Irvine highlights findings from a recent study with a pretty bleak prognosis for newspapers: “there is no doubt that in the future there will be fewer print newspapers as more people grow accustomed to receiving their news via the Internet. This will only be exacerbated as the growth in tablets and smartphones increases, enabling readers to view their news on the fly and lessening the need for a physical newspaper.” http://bit.ly/vvLQ2n

*** Accuracy in Media appreciates your support and attention to the rampant media bias found today. Pledging your support to our Mission keeps the lies, falsifications, obfuscations and liberal intimidation in check. ***

WHAT WE’RE READING: AIM guest columnist Caroline Glick is quite bothered with the lack of accurate media coverage in last week’s conflict between Zionist groups and the Israeli military: “several dozen people surrounded by hundreds of reporters pretended to set up a new settlement along the border with Jordan. Their aim was to protest Jordan’s opposition to repairing the Mugrabi Bridge through which Jews and Christians alight to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.” Nothing to see here, folks. http://bit.ly/uBDiR6

EARLY GIFT: In what could be seen as an early holiday gift to America, the Supreme Court made an announcement today on the ObamaCare hearing: “The high court scheduled arguments for March 26th, 27th and 28th over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which aims to provide health insurance to more than 30 million previously uninsured Americans. The arguments fill the entire court calendar that week with nothing but debate over Obama’s signature domestic health care achievement.” Well at least we know who the Associated Press is rooting for. http://bit.ly/vtJyoE

DEGREE IN GAGA: Accuracy in Academia highlights recent efforts by higher education to teach about the social trends of being famous. Not kidding. http://bit.ly/vp3lH7

*** Stay connected with the Accuracy in Media RSS feed for all of our best content as it’s published! ***

Good evening and welcome to Rapid Fire, our daily email tip sheet. Here you will find updates to breaking AIM content and a look at what we’re reading. Please keep emailing tips and suggestions or hit us up on Facebook or Twitter.

TOP STORY: After TIME Magazine labeled “The Protester” as the “Person of the Year,” AIM special contributor Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) speaks against media double standards. Smith argues, “During the Tea Party’s peak, the media seemed to inflame the rhetoric and acted as if the Tea Party movement was about to toss America into revolutionary violence. Despite the denigrating rhetoric and descriptions of the Tea Party movement in the media, there were few arrests or acts of violence.” How come we didn’t get our cover in 2009? http://bit.ly/tbD4Da

MEDIA WATCH: What happens when a company’s stock dives, customers flee and critics are constantly emboldened to show flaws in quality? Ask The New York Times Company’s CEO. Oops, too late. Don Irvine reports: “Robinson leaves with the Times’ stock price having dropped 80% in the last seven years, wiping out over $12 billion in market capitalization in the process.” http://bit.ly/tVtR0J

*** Accuracy in Media appreciates your support and attention to the rampant media bias found today. Pledging your support to our Mission keeps the lies, falsifications, obfuscations and liberal intimidation in check. ***

ELECTION 2012: President Obama’s latest approval ratings are sure to guarantee a blue Christmas: “Obama’s re-election prospects are essentially a 50-50 proposition, with a majority saying the President deserves to be voted out of office despite concerns about the Republican alternatives, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll.” http://bit.ly/tPGQUF

WHAT WE’RE READING: President Obama is not the only person with troubles this Christmas. AIM guest columnist Michelle Malkin highlights the new ethical problems facing Nancy Pelosi: “Pelosi faced questions from liberal ‘60 Minutes’ and conservative investigative author Peter Schweitzer about a 5,000-share Visa stock purchase she made with her husband as the House was considering credit card regulations. She made a ‘killing’ off the highly sought-after initial public offering.” http://bit.ly/usCJn3

SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM AIM: We at Accuracy in Media cannot thank you enough for such a wonderful year. With your support, our message was brought to leading conservative sites such as Big Government, The Blaze, Townhall and Big Journalism. You’ve given us nearly one million views on YouTube. We’ve brought together some of the greatest minds in news to talk about media bias; such as Andrew Breitbart, Juan Williams and Ann Coulter. With an election year beginning a few weeks away, the bias will be rampant. We must be in a proactive stance to correct false information. Please continue your generous support for our mission today, by adding us to your Christmas shopping list! http://bit.ly/sDIv3c

*** Stay connected with the Accuracy in Media RSS feed for all of our best content as it’s published! ***

Americans need only to open the daily newspaper or turn on the nightly news in order to see the media’s double standard. Each day we continue to hear that the Occupy Wall Street movement’s hijacked the slogan of “the 99%” which has been forced it into our lexicon and the media’s daily lingo. And almost comically, Time Magazine has decided that “The Protester” is to be “The Person of the Year.”

Mary Katharine Ham, writer and editor at the Daily Caller, Weekly Standard and Townhall, reminds us to travel back in time to appreciate the media double standard as she points out that:

“Obamacare critics flooding town halls to make their dissent known had been called ‘extremist mobs’ by the Democratic National Committee, pawns of the insurance industry by Senator Dick Durbin, ‘un-American’ by Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, ‘brownshirts’ by Representative Brian Baird of Washington, ‘manufactured’ and ‘Astroturf’ by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, ‘evilmongers’ by Senator Harry Reid, accused of ‘fear-mongering’ by the president, and been deemed ‘political terrorists’ by Representative Baron Hill of Indiana.”

During the Tea Party’s peak, the media seemed to inflame the rhetoric and acted as if the Tea Party movement was about to toss America into revolutionary violence. Despite the denigrating rhetoric and descriptions of the Tea Party movement in the media, there were few arrests or acts of violence. While many commentaries have expressed that both movements were birthed from anger over the nation’s bailouts and perceived unfairness, each group has used vastly different tactics in pushing forward their agendas.

Why have the mainstream media vilified the peaceful Tea Party all the while praising and celebrating Occupy Wall Street despite violence, clashes with police, and general lawlessness. Tea Party organizations and rallies were initially ignored by the press and then dismissed as radical zealots as the Occupy Wall Street crowd was immediately recognized as leading the voice of “the 99%.”

Our national media should be held accountable for their performance, just like any other institution. We need to remind the media of their profound obligation to provide the American people with the facts, rather than tell them what to think.

The Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party movements may both have legitimate grievances with our country, but distorting their images does not move us towards positive solutions. We can work together to increase awareness of bias in the media and encourage Americans to confront it and demand fair reporting.