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Brian Williams Treats Obama as Oracle of Wisdom, Wonders: ‘How Are You Thinking About Your Job These Days?’

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Interviewing President Barack Obama in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon, Brian Williams treated Obama with a level of deference he didn’t afford to President George W. Bush as he treated Obama as a great oracle of wisdom to pluck. “Katrina was about so many things. It was about class and race and government and the environment,” Williams told Obama in the except aired on the NBC Nightly News, yearning for guidance: “Whatever happened to that national conversation we were supposed to have about it?” Williams raised how “it’s getting baked in a little bit in the media that BP was President Obama’s Katrina. And it’s also getting baked in that the administration was slow off the mark,” but only to cue up Obama: “Is that unfair?” As the economy continues in dire straights and Obama’s economic policy of “stimulus” spending has obviously failed, all Williams could ask was: “Do you have anything new on the economy?” Williams fretted that though “you’re an American-born Christian…significant numbers of Americans in polls, upwards of a fifth of respondents are claiming you are neither.” The “question” from Williams: “This has to be troubling to you. This is, of course, all-new territory for an American President.” In the full 22-minute session posted on MSNBC.com , instead of asking Obama whether his low approval ratings and the widespread rejection of his direction, as illustrated by the big turnout for Glenn Beck’s rally, suggests he needs to change course, Williams prompted Obama to denounce Beck’s use of MLK and “re-injection of God” into politics: What does it say to you that Glenn Beck was able to draw a crowd of, perhaps north of 300,000 people, on the anniversary of Doctor King’s speech, on the site of Doctor King’s speech? The message appeared to be, at times, anti-government, anti-spread of government, anti-Obama administration and in favor of, I guess, re-injecting God into both politics and the American discourse. Williams ended on a particularly sycophantic note: And finally, I’m hoping to find you in a reflective mood on a cloudy day . We’re the first to speak to you coming off your summer vacation. How does it re-charge you, what do you think about, what do you see, what do you read about, how are you thinking about your job these days? Compare all of that to how Williams approached Bush on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 , Katrina’s one-year anniversary: > You have apologized for the damage, but what about the damage to your presidency? And, Mr. President, here’s what I mean. Most of the analysts call it your low point. A lot of Americans are always going to believe that that weekend, that week, you were watching something on television other than what they were seeing, and Professor Dyson from the University of Pennsylvania said on our broadcast last night it was because of your patrician upbringing, that it’s a class issue. > When you take a tour of the world, a lot of Americans e-mail me with their fears that, you know, some days they wake up and it just feels to them like the end of the world is near, and you go from North Korea to Iran to Iraq to Afghanistan, and you look at how things have changed, how Americans are viewed overseas, if that is important to you, do you have any moments of doubt that we fought the wrong war, that there’s something wrong with the perception of America overseas? >   The folks who say you should have asked for some sort of sacrifice from all of us after 9/11, do they have a case, looking back on it? >   Is there a palpable tension when you get together with the former President who happens to be your father? A lot of the guys who worked for him are not happy with the direction. The questions from Williams to Obama aired on the Sunday, August 29 NBC Nightly News: > Just a block from here, you may not have known it, you drove by houses with holes still in the roof where there’d been live rescues, there’s still FEMA markings in spray paint. And yet, New Orleans is like this, this is a symbol of recovery. Katrina was about so many things. It was about class and race and government and the environment. Whatever happened to that national conversation we were supposed to have about it? > This was of course New Orleans’ Katrina and Mississippi’s Katrina and you’re familiar now that it’s getting baked in a little bit in the media that BP was President Obama’s Katrina. And it’s also getting baked in that the administration was slow off the mark. Is that unfair? > Let’s talk about another topic that’s part of the firmament here and everywhere. And that’s the economy. The New York Times said this weekend, “President Obama has another new plan on the economy, now would be a good time to find out about it.” Do you have anything new on the economy? While you’ve been away, we’ve had a horrible GDP number last week. > Mr. President, you’re an American-born Christian. And yet, increasing and now significant numbers of Americans in polls, upwards of a fifth of respondents are claiming you are neither. A fifth of the people, just about, believe you’re a Muslim. [OBAMA: Keep in mind, those two things, American-born and Muslim are not the same. But I understand your point.] Either or the latter. And the most recent number is the latter. This has to be troubling to you. This is, of course, all-new territory for an American President. > Even a number as sizeable as this. What does it say to you, does it say anything about your communications or the effectiveness of your opponents to-

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CBS to Black Beck Rally Attendees: ‘I’m Noticing that There Aren’t a Lot of Minorities Here Today’

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

CBS and the rest of the MSM have decided the Tea Party movement is racist and hostile to non-whites, and it’s a mantra they’re going to illustrate whenever they see an opportunity. Reporter Nancy Cordes saw a “nearly all-white crowd” at Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally in Washington, DC, as she (at least an off-camera female voice) demanded of two black women who weren’t afraid to attend: “I’m noticing that there aren’t a lot of minorities here today. Why do you think that is?” One of the women shot back: “They’re probably over there with Al Sharpton.” In her story for Saturday’s CBS Evening News, Cordes had a very specific attendee number: “According to a tally commissioned by CBS News, roughly 87,000 people gathered here at this event today, thronging both sides of the reflecting pool, stretching all the way to the World War II memorial. That’s the largest gathering here on the mall since President Obama was inaugurated.” NBC anchor Lester Holt was more generous with his crowd guesstimate (“tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands”) before he described the Beck rally as “steeped in patriotism, rooted in the nation’s cultural divide and greeted by suspicion.” Holt opened the August 28 NBC Nightly News: Good evening. Tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of people from all over the country gathered at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington today for a rally steeped in patriotism, rooted in the nation’s cultural divide and greeted by suspicion. It was organized by provocative conservative talk show host Glenn Beck who was joined on stage by Sarah Palin. And if that wasn’t enough to trigger reaction from activists on the left, the timing and place of the rally certainly was – the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech delivered from those same steps 47 years ago today. Flashback to April: “ White NBC Reporter Confronts Black Man at Tea Party Rally: ‘Have You Ever Felt Uncomfortable? ‘” Back to the CBS Evening News and Cordes, a little of what led into the exchange quoted above: NANCY CORDES: Beck, who is a converted Mormon, likes to call himself a clown, but today he played the role of ring-master, preaching racial tolerance to the nearly all-white crowd. A change in tone from the Fox News host who notoriously called President Obama [Beck: “a racist.”] CORDES (or at least a female voice) TO TWO BLACK WOMEN: I’m noticing that there aren’t a lot of minorities here today. Why do you think that is? WOMAN: They’re probably over there with Al Sharpton. (There was no World News on ABC on Saturday night, at least in the EDT and CDT zones, because of the Little League World Series Texas v Hawaii playoff game. Hawaii won.)

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Sub-19 and Sub-5: Big Three Nets’ Drew Under 19 Million Last Week; CBS, at Under 5 Mil, Ties All-Time Low

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

They’ll have all sorts of excuses (but only if asked) about why it happened: It’s because they had a lot of guest anchors last week, it was hot, summer vacation season is still on (though lots of kids around in Greater Cincinnati were already back in school by last Wednesday), cable is killing us, blah-blah, etc., etc. But the Big Three networks won’t be able to avoid the fact that their ongoing decline reached a painful low last week of 18.82 million average viewers. Here is the graphic that appeared this morning at ABC’s lipstick-on-a-pig blog post : I don’t know whether that’s an all-time low, but Kevin Allocca at Media Bistro, who hadn’t posted the full numbers as of the time of this post, has noted that one of those networks indeed scraped bottom last week: ‘CBS Evening News’ Ties All-Time Low The network newscast ratings for last week are in and “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric” tied its all-time low in total viewers with an average of 4.89 million tuning in during the five days. The low was set last June, when ABC also hit its own low. (Ratings records date back to the 1991-’92 season.) It’s not unreasonable to believe that the Perky Ms. Couric’s pathetic performance might have more than a little to do with her compulsion to lecture us . Here is how the overall numbers compare to those from one and two years ago: Week of August 18, 2008 — 21.44 million Week of August 17, 2009 — 19.76 million Week of August 16, 2010 — 18.82 million This past week was down 4.8% from a year ago, and almost 14% from two years ago. NBC’s audience, which was a whisker shy of 9 million two years ago, has fallen 17.5%. Gee, do you think that might have something to do with Brian Williams’s open contempt for the Tea Party Movement? Though the comparison isn’t apples to apples because the 2010 numbers are for a summertime week, the nets’ average audience during calendar 2005 was about 27 million . There’s little doubt their 5-year decline is in the neighborhood of 20, and possibly much more. The U.S. population grew by about 4% during that five-year period. As Instapundit’s Glenn Reynolds might say, though usually in a more positive vein: ” Faster, please .” Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com .

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Sub-19 and Sub-5: Big Three Nets’ Drew Under 19 Million Last Week; CBS, at Under 5 Mil, Ties All-Time Low

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NBC’s Todd Frets Obama’s Effort to ‘Tackle’ Nation’s Problems Allowed Enemies to Defame Him as Muslim

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams cited a “stunning number” from “a reputable pollster” (Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press) – which discovered “just under 20 percent of the American people believe the President is a Muslim” when “he is not” – to justify a full explanation from Chuck Todd on the mischaracterization of Barack Obama. “Look, let’s be clear,” NBC’s chief White House correspondent declared, “President Barack Obama was born in the United States and he is a Christian.” Without pointing out how confusion and ignorance about Obama’s religious affiliation extends beyond just Republicans and conservatives (41 percent of Democrats and 31 percent of liberals “don’t know” Obama’s religion), Todd fretted: “Ever since Mr. Obama became a national political figure, some of his political enemies have fanned the flames of religious prejudice by trying to make people believe the President is a Muslim.” Todd despaired that Obama’s focus on his job had left him vulnerable to abuse: During the campaign, Team Obama repeatedly refuted these charges with a special Web site they created called FightTheSmears. Well, when he took office, the anti-Obama campaign continued, but the White House tackled a slew of other issues, and efforts to refute those other attacks took a backseat. Completing his delivery of White House talking points, Todd asserted: “Ironically, Brian, during the campaign, some of the President’s political enemies attacked him for the way he practiced Christianity in Chicago where his minister – the Reverend Jeremiah Wright – was a controversial figure.” Over on FNC, however, Major Garrett noted that “while Mr. Obama’s political opponents are more likely to believe he’s a Muslim, uncertainty has seeped in the President’s political base.” In his piece for Special Report with Bret Baier, Garrett featured a soundbite from Alan Cooperman, the Associate Director of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, who also appeared in Todd’s story. In the clip run on FNC, Cooperman observed: Less than half of Democrats say the President is a Christian [46%]. Less than half of African-Americans say the President is a Christian [43%]. Less than half of people who give Obama positive job approval ratings say he’s a Christian. Indeed, Pew’s report, “Growing Number of Americans Say Obama is a Muslim” ( Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life version; Pew Research Center for the People & the Press version) found: A new national survey by the Pew Research Center finds that nearly one-in-five Americans (18%) now say Obama is a Muslim, up from 11% in March 2009. Only about one-third of adults (34%) say Obama is a Christian, down sharply from 48% in 2009. Fully 43% say they do not know what Obama’s religion is…. Among Democrats, for instance, 46% say Obama is a Christian, down from 55% in March 2009. The belief that Obama is a Muslim has increased most sharply among Republicans (up 14 points since 2009), especially conservative Republicans (up 16 points). But the number of independents who say Obama is a Muslim has also increased significantly (up eight points). There has been little change in the number of Democrats who say Obama is a Muslim, but fewer Democrats today say he is a Christian (down nine points since 2009)…. But even among Democrats, fewer than half (46%) now identify his religion as Christian, down from 55% last year. On Thursday night, ABC’s World News skipped the poll numbers, but the CBS Evening News squeezed in a short item from Harry Smith in a newscast devoted almost entirely to Katie Couric in Afghanistan: The White House said today President Obama is a Christian and prays every day. A spokesman felt is necessary to make that clear after a poll came out showing a significant number of Americans believe the President is Muslim. 18 percent think so. That’s up from 11 percent last year. From the Thursday, August 19 NBC Nightly News: BRIAN WILLIAMS: A new opinion poll from a reputable pollster in this country just out today is getting a lot of attention tonight because it contains a stunning number. Just under 20 percent of the American people believe the President is a Muslim – he is not – on top of a growing number of people who believe he’s foreign-born – and he is not. We go behind these numbers tonight with our chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd who’s in our Washington newsroom. Chuck, good evening. CHUCK TODD: Good evening, Brian. Look, let’s be clear. President Barack Obama was born in the United States and he is a Christian. But ever since Mr. Obama became a national political figure, some of his political enemies have fanned the flames of religious prejudice by trying to make people believe the President is a Muslim. In fact, with some of these same political enemies who helped ignite another phony claim that the President wasn’t born in the United States. Well, during the campaign, Team Obama repeatedly refuted these charges with a special Web site they created called FightTheSmears. Well, when he took office, the anti-Obama campaign continued, but the White House tackled a slew of other issues, and efforts to refute those other attacks took a backseat. In March 2009, according to Pew Research, about half the country – 48 percent – correctly identified the President as a Christian, 11 percent believed he was a Muslim, and about a third – 34 percent – had no idea of his faith. Now these results are even more striking. Only 34 percent correctly told Pew pollsters that Mr. Obama is a Christian, while a whopping 18 percent – or nearly one in five Americans – say he is a Muslim, and 43 percent have no idea of his faith at all. Well, earlier today, I asked Alan Cooperman at Pew Research to explain why, in the face of clear evidence that the President is not a Muslim, that a growing number of Americans believe he is. ALAN COOPERMAN, PEW FORUM ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE: In the absence of information from the White House and from the President himself about his faith, about his faith life, about him going to church, messages from others – innuendo and rumor included – are able to maybe gain currency. TODD: Ironically, Brian, during the campaign, some of the President’s political enemies attacked him for the way he practiced Christianity in Chicago where his minister – the Reverend Jeremiah Wright – was a controversial figure. Now, today the White House said the President is a, quote,  “committed Christian,” and prays every day. But aides said they were not surprised by the poll findings because, as one put it, quote, “The President doesn’t wear his religion on his sleeve,” Brian.

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This Time Weigel Compares Right to Czars Who Butchered Jews

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Dave Weigel might have changed jobs, but that’s about all. Weigel, the one-time Washington Post blogger assigned to cover conservatives, but who actually bashed them on a regular basis, left the Post only to be hired by another Post-owned publication – Slate. Now that he’s at Slate, he’s also up to his old tricks, comparing opponents of the Ground Zero Mosque to the czars who used to murder Jews by the thousands. Oh sure, he doesn’t say that, but he does. First, the pretend conservative complains about the ” Greak[sic] Mosque Freak-Out of 2010 ” and how some Americans think Obama might be a Muslim. He then goes on to bash Powerline blog because they criticized Obama saying “he certainly isn’t one of us.”  But Powerline was clear, saying that the reason some are befuddled by Obama’s religion is those who are confused “interpret his aloof non-Americanism in this way.” After a brief and strident defense of American Muslims, the real Weigel shows up. Read his full comment from an Aug. 19 post dubbed ” The Big Bad Muslim Poll ,” “I’m remembering what Sarah Palin said about the ‘mosque’ that got liberals so angry: ‘peace-seeking Muslims, please understand, ground zero mosque is unnecessary provocation.’ Implicit in that statement is the belief that there are ‘peace-seeking Muslims.’ We’re learning about a lot of people who won’t go that far. They view Muslims the way that the czars used to view the Jews.” The way the czars used to “view the Jews?” Well the czars devoted a lot of energy into evicting Jews, killing Jews and more – like Nazis without the scientific process. It’s the kind of behavior that appears in the movie “Fiddler on the Roof” where a whole town was ordered out of their homes. But don’t take my word for it. Let’s turn to Aish.com – “the world’s largest Jewish content website, logging millions of monthly user sessions with 270,000 unique email subscribers.” The section begins with a headline ” Government-organized pogroms against the Jews deflected attention from the corrupt regime.” Aish.com defines pogroms as “mob violence against Jews.” Here are a few highlights: “[F]orced conscription of Jewish boys into the Russian Army.” “[B]oys were between the ages of 12 and 18 and were forced to serve for 25 years!” “[T]he Russian secret police began to circulate a forgery which became the most famous anti-Semitic ‘document’ in history – The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” In Czarist Russia, there were so many pogroms against the Jews that it is simply impossible to even begin to list them all. (In one four year period there were 284 pogroms, for example.) So, when Weigel says some on the right view Muslims this way, he’s making the case that conservatives want to slaughter Muslims, evict them from their homes and more. That kind of propaganda is more appropriate for czarist Russia than a site owned by a theoretically legitimate news outlet. Like this article? Sign up for “Culture Links,” CMI’s weekly e-mail newsletter, by clicking here.

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‘Nightly News’ Skips Social Security’s 75th, Highlights Children’s Cartoon

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Children must be making the news programming decisions at NBC “Nightly News.” Aug. 14 was the 75 th anniversary of Social Security, the largest government program and most troubled. Social Security is in the red this year – six years ahead of forecasts. The program faces a $41 billion shortfall this year alone. The major anniversary of a program often nicknamed the “third-rail” of politics didn’t even rate a mention on NBC “Nightly News.” Instead, NBC celebrated an “iconic” children’s cartoon: Dora the Explorer. “If you’ve ever said the phrase: ‘Swiper, no swiping.’ then you know the power of the little girl who made that phrase famous.” Kate Snow enthusiastically teased. “Dora the Explorer will forever be a seven-year-old cartoon character, but this weekend marks the tenth anniversary of a ground-breaking show that has been almost inescapable for a generation of kids.” While, Dora the Explorer may be more important to preschoolers and kindergartners it probably doesn’t resonate as deeply with taxpayers as Social Security and its problems. ABC “World News” Saturday also failed to mention Social Security on Aug. 14, while CBS “Evening News” aired a story about the unemployed being “forced” to opt for early retirement (at 62) collecting lower Social Security benefits “permanently.” Like this article? Then sign up for our newsletter, The Balance Sheet .

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Some Media Tag Serial Stabber as ‘Israeli National,’ Others See ‘Israeli Arab’ or ‘Palestinian Christian’

Posted on August 14, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

When reporting on the nationality of a criminal from another country, it normally would be considered unnecessary or even uncalled for to take the extra step of explicitly identifying the suspect’s ethnicity or religious affiliation as well. But, given that Israelis, the vast majority of whom are Jewish, often face sharp criticism and negative press reaction over conflicts with their Arab neighbors – inflaming anti-Semitic sentiment – if an Israeli citizen who is non-Jewish is implicated in a violent crime, informing viewers that he is non-Jewish would seem to be in order. But so far in the media coverage of serial stabber Elias Abuelazam’s arrest, some major news shows on both broadcast and news networks have avoided explicitly informing viewers that he is not a Jewish Israeli, while others have been more upfront with viewers on the subject. CNN’s The Situation Room, the NBC Nightly News, FNC’s Fox and Friends, and CBS’s The Early Show all directly relayed to viewers at least once that Abuelazam is an Israeli Arab. But ABC’s World News, the CBS Evening News, FNC’s Fox Report, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN’s American Morning and NBC’s Today show have all avoided such a direct identification of ethnicity, although Saturday’s Good Morning America did note that his mother had spoken Arabic in an interview. On Thursday’s World News, ABC correspondent Steve Osunsami described the serial killer simply as an “Israeli national,” and on Friday’s Good Morning America, ABC correspondent Jeremy Hubbard recounted that he was arrested “just as he was about to board a flight to his native Israel.” On Saturday’s Good Morning America, Osunsami again referred to him as an “Israeli national,” but later in the report indirectly conveyed his ethnicity by noting that Abuelazam’s mother in Israel had spoken Arabic in an interview. On Thursday’s CBS Evening News, correspondent Elaine Quijano described him as an “Israeli national.” On Friday’s The Early Show, the initial report on Abuelazam did not mention ethnicity as Quijano reported during the 7:00 a.m. hour that, when he was arrested, Abuelazam was “trying to fly to Israel.” But during a news brief just after 8:00 a.m., Jeff Glor described him as an “Israeli Arab.” On Friday’s CBS Evening News, guest anchor Erica Hill referred to Abuelazam’s “native Israel,” while correspondent Quijano again tagged him as an “Israeli national.” On Thursday’s NBC Nightly News, correspondent Pete Williams not only informed viewers that Abuelazam is not Jewish, but, for those who might be worried that being identified as an Arab might implicate Muslims, the NBC correspondent also relayed to viewers that Abuelazam is non-Muslim as Williams referred to him as “an Israeli man, Elias Abuelazam, a Palestinian Christian.” But the Today show did not take Williams’s approach. On Friday’s Today, the story was included in two news briefs, during one of which NBC’s Juju Chang mentioned that he was trying to fly to Israel. Saturday’s Today show included a full report, with co-host Amy Robach tagging him as “a 33-year-old Israeli national,” while correspondent Ron Mott identified him as “an Israeli citizen.” On Thursday’s The Situation Room, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer identified Abuelazam as an “Israeli Arab” as he plugged the story, and, after a report by correspondent Jeanne Meserve that recounted the crime spree and the serial killer’s arrest, correspondent Paula Hancocks elaborated on his background in Israel, describing him as an “Israeli Arab,” and she, similar NBC’s Pete Williams, noted that he is from a “Christian family.” On Friday’s The Situation Room, correspondent Susan Candiotti did not mention ethnicity, but relayed that “his family in Israel is a very well-respected member of a Christian organization.” But Friday’s American Morning did not take the same approach as The Situation Room, as neither his ethnicity nor his religion was ever mentioned when CNN’s Meserve appeared at the top of each of the show’s three hours, referring to him as an “Israeli citizen” each time. On Thursday’s Fox Report, anchor Shepard Smith described him as a “33-year-old Israeli citizen.” On Friday’s Fox and Friends, FNC co-anchor Gretchen Carlson twice read a brief item on his arrest, referring to him as an “Israeli citizen,” but, during the 8:00 a.m. hour, FNC’s Geraldo Rivera appeared to discuss the matter in more detail and described him as “an Israeli Arab living here on a green card legally,” and later wondered why an Israeli Arab would feel motivated to target African-American victims. On Friday’s Fox Report, anchor Smith referred to “his native Israel,” and on Saturday’s Fox Report, anchor Julie Banderas referred to him as an “Israeli man.”

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Kagan’s Confirmation Makes ABC and NBC as Giddy as Liberal Democrats

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

“The number that really excited Democrats is three: Think Ginsburg, Sotomayor and Kagan,” NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell excitedly announced Thursday night while leading into a clip of Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, who exclaimed as he bounced on his heels on the Senate floor: “Three women will serve together on the United States Supreme Court for the first time in our nation’s history!” The news equally excited the TV network journalists. “History was made in this country today when the Senate confirmed Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court,” declared fill-in NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt as viewers were treated to a “Making History” on-screen graphic. “Tonight on World News, a day of high court history. Elena Kagan confirmed. For the first time ever, three women will be part of deciding the law of the land,” spouted a giddy Diane Sawyer in matching NBC by making Kagan her lead story. Sawyer could hardly contain her excitement: We are here in Washington on the day a new voice joins the Supreme Court. Elena Kagan, the third woman currently on the court, a woman with a reputation for holding her own in any room. And our Jonathan Karl is right here to tell us about the big vote right over there on Capitol Hill. And I want to know what happens when a new justice dons the robe for the first time, Jon? Karl confirmed: “Well, it’s a big day here. I mean, in all of American history, the Senate has confirmed only 112 justices, and, even if you include retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, only four of them have been women.” One sour note for Karl, a certain Republican who voted no: “There was one surprise. Scott Brown, I mean, this is the liberal, or moderate Republican from Massachusetts, introduced her at the confirmation hearings, defended her leadership of Harvard Law School. But in the end, he voted no.” (Back on January 31, 2006, when the Senate confirmed President George W. Bush’s second Supreme Court nominee, Samuel Alito, ABC’s World News held itself to a short item read by anchor Elizabeth Vargas.) On NBC Thursday night, Holt fretted that “today’s confirmation vote fell largely along party lines, seen by many as another symbol of Washington’s ever-deepening partisan divide.” But that “ever-deepening” is actually slightly less so than with Alito. Five Republicans voted to confirm Kagan, one more than the four Democrats who backed Alito. On the January 31, 2006 NBC Nightly News, Pete Williams noted: “The vote, 58-to-42, was one of the most deeply partisan ever for a Supreme Court nominee, with just four Democrats voting to confirm.” The MRC’s Brad Wilmouth corrected the closed-captioning against the video to provide these transcripts of the Thursday, August 6 stories: ABC’s World News: DIANE SAWYER, IN OPENING TEASER: Tonight on World News, a day of high court history. Elena Kagan confirmed. For the first time ever, three women will be part of deciding the law of the land. … SAWYER: We are here in Washington on the day a new voice joins the Supreme Court. Elena Kagan, the third woman currently on the court, a woman with a reputation for holding her own in any room. And our Jonathan Karl is right here to tell us about the big vote right over there on Capitol Hill. And I want to know what happens when a new justice dons the robe for the first time, Jon? JONATHAN KARL: Well, it’s a big day here. I mean, in all of American history, the Senate has confirmed only 112 justices, and, even if you include retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, only four of them have been women. SENATOR AL FRANKEN (D-MN): The tally is 63-37. KARL: Elena Kagan was easily confirmed in a vote the President hailed as historic. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: For nearly two centuries, there wasn’t a single woman on our nation’s highest court. KARL: Kagan faced last-minute attacks from Republicans who branded her a liberal activist with absolutely no judicial experience. SENATOR PAT ROBERTS (R-KS): Her lack of judicial experience, striking. MITCH MCCONNELL, SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: -is not suited- SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS (R-AL): -does not have the gifts- SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ): She is unlikely to exercise judicial restraint. KARL: It was highly partisan. All but five Republicans voted no. All but one Democrat voted yes. With Kagan, the court will now have, for the first time, three women serving at once, one third of the justices. It’s a huge sea change for an institution that has been dominated by men. As recently as last year, there was just one woman on the court. JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG, U.S. SUPREME COURT: Now there I am all alone, and it doesn’t look right. It’s lonely for me. There’s life experience that a woman has simply because she’s grown up inside a woman’s body. KARL: Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O’Connor as the first woman in 1981, but it wasn’t until 12 years later that the court installed a woman’s restroom near the room where they deliberate. JOAN BISKUPIC, SUPREME COURT HISTORIAN: For years, they would just have a men’s bathroom back there. It just goes to show what a male-dominated place the Supreme Court had been for many years. KARL: Kagan will, of course, be the most junior justice, and the others will make sure she knows it. By tradition, the junior justice must take notes when the nine of them deliberate. And, Diane, if somebody knocks on the door, it is her, the most junior justice, that has to go up to answer the door to bring in papers, a message, or even coffee. SAWYER: Pretty mild form of hazing, though. Tell me about the vote itself. Any surprises who voted for and against? KARL: There was one surprise. Scott Brown, I mean, this is the liberal, or moderate Republican from Massachusetts, introduced her at the confirmation hearings, defended her leadership of Harvard Law School. But in the end, he voted no. SAWYER: So he voted with the Republicans? KARL: He voted with the rest of the Republicans, all but five of them, against her nomination. SAWYER: Okay, thanks, Jon. Good to be here with you tonight. NBC Nightly News: LESTER HOLT: Good evening. Brian is on assignment tonight. I’m Lester Holt. History was made in this country today when the Senate confirmed Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. Once she’s sworn in this weekend, she’ll become the current court’s third woman member and the fourth ever named. Tonight President Obama calls Kagan’s confirmation “an affirmation of her character and her temperament.” Still, today’s confirmation vote fell largely along party lines, seen by many as another symbol of Washington’s ever-deepening partisan divide. NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell is on Capitol Hill with more. Kelly, good evening. KELLY O’DONNELL: Good evening, Lester. When you look at today’s vote, you can see history. Justice Kagan will give women a greater voice – making up one-third of the court – and you can see politics. Five Republicans crossed over to support Kagan while one Democrat was among the no votes. SENATOR AL FRANKEN (D-MN): The tally is 63-37. The nomination is confirmed. O’DONNELL: Elena Kagan did get five fewer votes than Sonia Sotomayor last summer, but the number that really excited Democrats is three: Think Ginsburg, Sotomayor and Kagan. SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY (D-VT): Three women will serve together on the United States Supreme Court for the first time in our nation’s history! O’DONNELL: At 50, Kagan becomes the youngest justice, succeeding the oldest, 90-year-old John Paul Stevens. Congratulations from President Obama late today. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: She knows that the Supreme Court’s decisions shape not just the character of our democracy, but the circumstances of our daily lives. O’DONNELL: Kagan’s unexpected sense of humor charmed Senators of both parties at her confirmation hearings. JUSTICE ELENA KAGAN, U.S. SUPREME COURT: It means I’d have to get my hair done more often, Senator Specter. O’DONNELL: New York born, first woman dean of Harvard Law. Her policy to limit military recruiters access there gave Republicans their strongest criticism. SENATOR JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): Dean Kagan, I believe, showed a willingness to bend the law and facts to advance her own political goals of protesting the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. O’DONNELL: Kagan worked for Presidents Obama and Clinton. She will be the only justice on the current court who has never been a judge. LEAHY: She earned her place at the top of the legal profession. No one gave it to her. She earned it. O’DONNELL: And it’s been 40 years since the newest member of the Supreme Court has had no previous experience as a judge. And the plan for Elena Kagan is that she will be sworn in this Saturday afternoon by her new colleague, Chief Justice John Roberts.

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NBC Reporter Discovers New Immigration Law Causing Illegals to Leave Arizona

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

NBC’s Lee Cowan, on Thursday’s NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, discovered a stunning result of Arizona’s new immigration policies – illegal immigrants are now leaving the state. Cowan opened his piece noting a long line now “stretches around the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix every day” but noticed a twist, as the line was full of “immigrants trying to figure out not how to stay in Arizona, but how to flee it.” Cowan peppered his story with anecdotes of local businesses losing customers “A look around this once-bustling barrio is telling. The local hair salon has more empty chairs now than customers” and schools losing students as he claimed “School numbers are dwindling, too. This one is 75 percent Hispanic. Since the immigration law passed, they’ve lost more than 100 students.” Cowan even punctuated this factoid with the sob story of a boy being taken out of school by his father to go back to Mexico: LEE COWAN: For the Bolanos family, they stayed as long as they could. MARCIAL BOLANOS, ARIZONA RESIDENT: Arizona is a good state, but no more now. COWAN: He took his 15-year-old son out of school and is headed back to Mexico, which brings Hugo to tears. But you’re really going to miss your friends? HUGO BOLANOS: Yeah. While Cowan did air a soundbite of a Republican state senator who pointed out that it was “kind of a novel idea” that people were “actually worried they may be arrested for breaking the law” he concluded his piece by emphasizing the economic cost of Arizona’s new immigration policy: “It may be months before anyone knows for sure just how many illegal immigrants and their business the law has scared away. Supporters say good riddance, but critics fear the damage has already started.” The following is a transcript of the Cowan segment as it was aired on the July 8 edition of NBC’s Nightly News with Brian Williams: BRIAN WILLIAMS: Now we turn to Arizona, where the federal government is challenging the state’s tough new immigration law. Arizona’s governor set up a fund to defend the law. As of today, 9,000 people, mostly from out of state, have contributed a half a million dollars to the effort. Some of those targeted by the new law are not waiting for it to take effect later this summer. They’re leaving the state now. NBC’s Lee Cowan has our report. LEE COWAN: One way to measure the effect of Arizona’s pending immigration law is the length of this line. It stretches around the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix every day, immigrants trying to figure out not how to stay in Arizona, but how to flee it. LUIS BALENCEA, ARIZONA RESIDENT: There’s a lot of people already leaving for New Mexico, leaving something else, you know. COWAN: Anywhere but here. BALENCEA: Anywhere, yeah. Nobody want to stay here. COWAN: A look around this once-bustling barrio is telling. The local hair salon has more empty chairs now than customers. The owner is even losing two employees. ROSANA QUINTERO, SALON OWNER: People look very sad. And we feel sad, too. COWAN: The café next door is even emptier. MARIA SIERRA, BUSINESS OWNER: I ask the people, and they say they afraid to come out. COWAN: School numbers are dwindling, too. This one is 75 percent Hispanic. Since the immigration law passed, they’ve lost more than 100 students. JEFF SMITH, BALSZ SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT: This is sort of the tip of the iceberg. More are waiting until the law goes into effect, and then we’ll see more people leaving during the summer. COWAN: To the authors of Arizona’s tough new immigration stance, if there is a mass exodus of illegal immigrants, so be it. REPUBLICAN STATE SENATOR RUSSELL PEARCE: Kind of a novel idea, you know, people actually worried they may be arrested for breaking the law. COWAN: The problem is there really are no hard numbers on the issue. So the question critics are asking: Is this exodus a myth or a fact? BILL HART, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: We think it’s fact. We don’t exactly know what’s happening, but we know something’s happening on a large scale. COWAN: For the Bolanos family, they stayed as long as they could. MARCIAL BOLANOS, ARIZONA RESIDENT: Arizona is a good state, but no more now. COWAN: He took his 15-year-old son out of school and is headed back to Mexico, which brings Hugo to tears. But you’re really going to miss your friends? HUGO BOLANOS: Yeah. COWAN: And your school? (Hugo nods head) COWAN: It may be months before anyone knows for sure just how many illegal immigrants and their business the law has scared away. Supporters say good riddance, but critics fear the damage has already started. Lee Cowan, NBC News, Phoenix.

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NBC Reporter Discovers New Immigration Law Causing Illegals to Leave Arizona

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ABCBSNBC Lost One Million Viewers Last Quarter

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The big three nightly news broadcasts, NBC Nightly, CBS Evening and ABC World, lost a combined one million viewers in the second quarter of 2010, according to TVNewser. These numbers are comparable to the first quarter , which saw Evening News and World News get their lowest average viewers ever, while NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage helped it get their highest average viewers since 2005. In the second quarter, NBC lost 440,000 viewers, ABC 260,000 and CBS 340,000. It was about this time last year that ABC and CBS’ news programs had their lowest ratings ever. These numbers are not at all surprising in light of the public’s continued distrust of the old media. As Newsbusters’ Rich Noyes wrote of a Rasmussen poll released earlier this month, “Perhaps as a result, the poll finds an astonishing two-thirds of the public (66 percent) say they are angry with the media, ‘including 33 percent who are very angry’ with the press.” Polls going back to 1997 displayed a continued public distrust with the news media. In a Pew survey , 54 percent of Americans believed that the news media “gets in the way of society solving its problems.” In 2006 a CBS poll showed 36 percent of adults had very little confidence in the news media. There is also an expanding array of media options, both on the air and online. Not only can many of the evening news programs be found online shortly after broadcast, but 24 hour news channels allow one to get the content of the nightly news well before the program is on, to say nothing of multimedia sites such as Huffington Post, Brietbart and others which allow consumers access to a lot of news and opinion. TVNewser also reports that the 24 hour channels are also losing viewers, though not at the same rate as evening news programs. ( Here , here and here .)

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ABCBSNBC Lost One Million Viewers Last Quarter

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