Scandals During 2014, an Election Year
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WatchdogThe t h e m r c ’ s m o n t h l y m e m b e r s ’ r e p o r t CREATING A MEDIA CULTURE IN AMERICA WHERE TRUTH AND LIBERTY FLOURISH Vol. 21 • Issue 10 • October 2014 Liberal Media Downplay or Ignore Democratic Scandals During 2014, An Election Year The liberal media were in the tank l In 2010, liberal Illinois Gov. Pat for Barack Obama in his 2008 and 2012 Quinn (D), launched an anti-violence MRC Headquarters • Reston, VA presidential election runs. But they also program called the Neighborhood Recov- pulled out all the stops to help leftists ery Initiative, whose financial war chest get elected (& reelected) in the off-year grew to $54.5 million. But a lot of those INSIDE contests. funds were apparently This year is no exception spent to help political al- as left-wingers continue to lies and fund non-existent push their agenda, in the Why Aren’t These programs, leading critics PAGE 3 culture and in the halls to call it a “political slush MRC Launches of power, with the help ScAndAlS fund.” The program and Fresh Redesign of of a liberal media that where all the money went NewsBusters spreads their gospel but newsworthy? is still under investiga- either spins, downplays, tion by state and federal or outright ignores the bad Slush Fund investigators. Neither PAGES 4-5 news that could hurt the ABC, NBC, nor CBS have Bits & Pieces: left. Plagiarism said a word about the Benghazi Censored, Obamacare? That non-coverage, or Unethical “Gifts” “slush fund” claims or the Don’t Report This! censorship of bad news, is Ethics Probe investigation. Oops! Wrong Number, analyzed daily at the MRC l Sen. Mary Landrieu ABC Censors Itself and a new report by Deputy Illegal Arms Trafficking (D-La.) used $3,200 in Research Director Geoff government money to Dickens reveals some of the Child Pornography charter a private plane in PAGE 6 outrageous scandals the Corruption the fall of 2013 to attend Nationally Syndicated liberal networks ABC, CBS, Bribery a fundraiser, CNN report- Column by Brent Bozell and NBC are hiding from ed in early August 2014, and Tim Graham: the American people — in and noting that “it is ‘When Child Sex Abuse 2014 alone! illegal to spend government money cam- Isn’t News’ The report, Liberals Behaving Badly: paigning.” Number of network stories on Political Scandals the Networks Are Hid- this scandal? Zero. ing From You, can be read in full at www. l California’s left-wing Democratic PAGE 7 mrc.org. Let’s look at some highlights. State Senator Leland Yee, who has ties to MRC in the News l Sen. John Walsh (D-Mont.), who convicted Hillary Clinton bundler Norman often bragged about his military service, Hsu and Chinese gangsters, was arrested announced in August he would not run for on theft, bribery, and extortion charges PAGE 8 a full term, a decision he made one day in March. Although Yee was a gun control media research center AMERICAMRC’S MEDIA WATC HGalaDOG 2014, after the New York Times reported he had advocate, he conspired “to traffic in What an Awesome Night! plagiarized large portions of his master’s high-powered weapons in exchange for thesis at the Army War College. The campaign cash,” said the FBI, as re- network evening news shows said noth- ported by Investor’s Business Daily. CBS ing and CBS This Morning gave the story a and NBC didn’t cover the story and ABC’s media research center mere 31 seconds of coverage. AMERICA’S MEDIA WATCHDOG Continued on page 2 The 2 Watchdog OCTOBER 2014 Continued from page 1 ABC’s Good Morning America Business & Media Institute, Culture Amy Robach gave it only 10 sec- gave the story 12 seconds, with & Media Institute, CNSNews.com, onds on Good Morning America. No reporter Amy Robach again not MRCTV, and MRC Latino, along with surprise, the liberal Robach never telling viewers that Cannon is a our president and staff experts who mentioned Yee is a Democrat. Democrat. In its short piece, the are regularly interviewed on talk l According to the Apr. 28 NBC’s Nightly News also didn’t radio and on television. Chicago Tribune, Illinois ID Cannon as a Democrat, CBS Nobody does what the MRC, Democratic State Rep. Keith didn’teven run a story. America’s Media Watchdog, does. Farnham was charged with “using l In April, lefty Rep. Bennie We have an impact every day, and both personal and state-owned Thompson (D-Miss.) went on the are reaching millions of Americans computers to trade hundreds of New Nation of Islam radio show with our message. But it is a images and videos depicting child and called Supreme Court Justice continual battle, especially now pornography and engage in graphic Clarence Thomas an “Uncle Tom” because left-wing billionaires who online chats in which he allegedly and Senate Minority Leader Mitch support the traditional liberal bragged about sexually molesting McConnell (R-Ky.) a “racist.” The media also are funneling tons of a 6-year-old girl.” The number of networks reported zip, nada. financial support to their new news stories on this by ABC, CBS, Those are only a few of the media counterparts on the Internet and NBC? Zero. scandals involving liberals that the and in social media. l Charlotte Mayor Patrick Can- left-wing media have ignored, cen- We need your help. Consider non, a friend of President Barack sored in 2014. There are numerous making a donation to the MRC today Obama and who helped bring the other examples of such blatant — and call us at 571-267-3500. We look 2012 Democratic National Conven- and infuriating — bias and hypoc- forward to speaking with you. tion to Charlotte, was arrested risy recorded at the MRC. Sincerely, in March on charges of bribery, All the MRC divisions document, allegedly $48,000 worth, including expose, and neutralize that liberal $20,000 in cash from undercover coverage everyday — the News L. Brent Bozell III FBI agents. Analysis Division, NewsBusters, Founder and President Brent Bozell’s Media Research Center is the only “organization I know dedicated to targeting and exposing the lies and calumnies of the vitriolic Big Media, which, for far too long has been the propaganda arm of the left. I have donated monthly to the MRC since 2007, and was pleased to increase my effectiveness in December 2013 by joining media research center Brent’sAMERICA’S MEDIA Patriot WATCHDOG Fund. I pray you will do the same. THOMAS LATIMER ” Member • Media Research Center’s Patriot Fund For information regarding the MRC’s Patriot Fund, please contact Marissa Caligiuri, MRC’s Monthly Giving Associate at (571) 267-3500 or send an email to her at [email protected] media research center AMERICA’S MEDIA WATCHDOG The OCTOBER 2014 Watchdog 3 MRc launches Fresh Redesign More Video, More Content, and Easy-to-Use Social Media Tools The Media Research Center’s NewsBusters blog, which exposes and combats liberal media bias 24/7, has been dramatically redesigned! It relaunched in early September and now features more content with less clutter, more videos, improved social media tools, and is easier to navigate. This is the first major website redesign of NewsBusters since 2010, and all the new features are optimized not only for desktop computers but also for mobile devices, such as your smart-phone, Tablet, or iPad. NewsBusters, created by the MRC in 2005, is the only blog on the Internet that provides immediate exposure of national media bias, unfairness, inaccuracy, and occasional idiocy. NB is regularly cited by Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, Fox News, the Drudge Report, and countless other news outlets, including even some liberal ones. The Washington Post has said this “fiesty blog” is run by “the best-known and best-funded conservative watchdog.” Every month, NewsBusters generates an average of 11.5 million pageviews, an average of 383,000 per day. Also, the Facebook page for NewsBusters has 2 million fans (and growing), and because of the way Facebook works, NewsBusters content reaches about 8 million viewers every week. In addition, with numerous other sites linking to NB every day, the media citings, Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Reddit, and other social sites, more than 100 million “impressions” can be attributed to NB each week, meaning it is placed, cited, or seen that many times. “The redesigned site is easy to use, filled with cool videos and pictures, and provides a sweeping, one-stop shop for exposing the endless examples of liberal media bias,” said MRC President Brent Bozell. “No place on the web does what NewsBusters does, and viewers will love “newsbusters rocks!” the new site and all its features.” To see the blog, visit www.newsbusters.org. RuSh LimbAugh The 4 Watchdog OCTOBER 2014 Bits & Pieces Benghazi Censored Obamacare? When the U.S. compund For 300 days – Nov. 14, 2013 through Sept. 10, in Benghazi was attacked on 2014 — the alleged investigative ABC news program Sept. 11, 2012, two men on the Nightline did not report on Obamacare, not one, ground there were ordered by single story in nearly a year. Despite the endless the CIA to stand down and not number of nightmare stories out there about this try to rescue our ambassador monumental disaster, Nightline isn’t covering it. for at least 30 minutes, but this Nightline instead is focused on cutting-edge topics startling news was not reported such as Hollywood nude selfies and nudist reality TV by ABC, CBS or NBC.