Permanent link to MTA daily media news

Granny Bee will be featured tomorrow on Progressive Blend Radio’s The More Me Show. It’s live this Sunday from  5-10 PM ET, and the show will replay throughout the week as well. Podcasts are on iTunes too! All at http://www.progressiveblendradio.com/

Media Tenor’s Campaign Watch: Lack of Coverage, Lack of Votes
Media Tenor research clearly demonstrates that lack of press coverage for Guliani and Edwards led to lack of votes. Findings also indicate that Mike Huckabee’s declining TV coverage is putting him at risk as well.

Wall Street donates millions to top presidential candidates
WASHINGTON — Employees of Wall Street investment banks, whose role in the unregulated sub-prime mortgage market helped stall the U.S. economy, have donated more than $5 million to the top four Republican and Democratic presidential candidates… Democratic candidates Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois were the leading recipients of cash from employees of these firms, collecting half the $7.4 million in donations to 15 major presidential candidates.

CNN Dem Debate Most Watched in Cable History
[Thursday] night’s Democratic debate on CNN drew 8,324,000 million total viewers, making it the most-watched primary debate in cable news history, and the second-most watched on TV this election cycle (ABC’s Democratic debate on Jan. 5 drew 9,360,000) The debate gives CNN the top five highest rated cable debates this cycle in total viewers. > Update: In the A25-54 demo, the debate finished with 3,257,000 viewers, the #1 take in cable news history as well.

Clinton touts her own Kennedy endorsement in ad (Political Ticker, CNN)
In the new 30-second Clinton ad, Robert Kennedy compares the New York senator to his father, who also served as a New York senator after a stint as attorney general in the administration of his brother John F. Kennedy… A Clinton ad also features the son of the late Cesar Chavez, a labor activist and former leader of the United Farm workers. “Hillary knows how to solve our problems, to get things done,” says Cesar L. Chavez. On the trail, Obama has used the slogan “Si Se Puede” – literally, “Yes We Can” – popularized by the late Chavez, a revered figure within the Latino community.

Carl Bernstein: Hillary Clinton and NAFTA (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
While discussing who John Edwards supporters would vote for on CNN, Carl Bernstein made an interesting statement about Hillary’s take on NAFTA. “Bernstein: Hillary Clinton’s economics, the ones she preached to her husband in the White House are much closer to John Edwards then you would think. She argued with Bill Clinton when she was First Lady, her husband, she said ‘Bill, you are doing Republican economics when you are doing NAFTA.’ She was against NAFTA.”
Bernstein is the author of a book about Hillary.  He made some odd claims while promoting the book, but apparently the contents are accurate, so maybe he knows what he’s talking about here.  Click through to watch the video.

MOVEON BETRAYS US: MoveOn.org, The Great Enabler (by Larry Johnson at No Quarter)
If you are starved for comedy look no further than [Friday’s] endorsement of Barack for President by MoveOn.org. Hopefully most of you can remember what happened last year when MoveOn posted its ad accusing General David Petraeus of betraying the troops (good old General Betrayus). Well that stunt gave the Republicans, and even some Democrats, a case of the vapors.. The public by and large felt that MoveOn had crossed the line of appropriate protest. So what would be the politically safe thing to do–join the mob and vote to condemn or, better yet, just declare it a silly gesture and do nothing. The crazy thing to do, if you are eager to pander to the mainstream of America, is to stand with MoveOn. Right?
Hillary Clinton voted NOT to condemn MoveOn, and Barack Obama voted present.  And please remember that MoveOn was formed in reaction to the get-Bill-Clinton juggernaut.  It started as an email group to put pressure on Congress to censure President Clinton for his transgressions AND THEN MOVE ON.  Now, it seems, the members have decided to abandon his wife, who stood by him in that difficult time.  Also, there is anecdotal evidence that members received emails saying that they had voted for Obama, when they had not.  Was Diebold running this vote?

National Journal Rates Obama #1 Liberal Senator (by Logan Murphy at Crooks and Liars)
The RNC sent out a mailer to their list based on a study from the allegedly “non-partisan” (ha!) National Journal… [But looking] at the analysis, the numbers don’t add up… In fact, as [a] poll from Progressive Punch suggests, every Democratic Senator has a more liberal voting record than Obama, except Baucus, Biden, Pryor, Dodd (due to absenses on crucial votes), Landrieu and Ben Nelson — but since when do right wing journalists let those pesky facts get in the way?
I can tell you that we Illinois progressives who helped put Barack-star in the Senate are mightily displeased with his joining the Joe Lieberman wing of the Democratic Party once he got there. He’ll win big here next Tuesday, but I will vote for Hillary Clinton. Of the two, she has the more progressive platform.

Obama does Harry and Louise, again (by Paul Krugman)
The Obama campaign sends out an ugly mailer. Sorry, but this is just destructive — like the Obama plan, the Clinton plan offers subsidies to lower-income families. And BO himself has conceded that he might have to penalize people who don’t buy insurance until they need care. So this is just poisoning the well for health care reform. The politics of hope, indeed.

OBAMA’S “HARRY AND LOUISE” AD.  (by Ezra Klein, The American Prospect)

Fox chyron lies while guest tells the truth. (Think Progress)
[Thursday], ABC News’ Jake Tapper misrepresented a quote by Bill Clinton to suggest that the former president believes “we have to slow down the economy” to address global warming. In fact, Clinton said just the opposite. On Fox News [Friday], when asked about the ABC piece, conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer correctly noted that Clinton had been quoted out of context. But while Krauthammer was speaking, Fox ran a chyron falsely claiming that Clinton said we “must slow economy” to “cut greenhouse gas emissions.”
Click through to watch the video.

Will The Press Get Over Its Love For McCain? (by Joe Conason, Salon)
The “straight-talking maverick” should be scrutinized like other candidates — for starters on his soft-money operation called the Reform Institute.

The death of the Bloomberg dream? (by Steve Benen at Crooks and Liars)
[California Gov. Arnold] Schwarzenegger has given his enthusiastic support to John McCain. Worse, the Unity08 gang folded their tent to create a Draft Bloomberg campaign, which has an online petition that is yet to generate 5,000 signatures — weeks after its launch. Adding insult to injury, Joe Lieberman, an active Bloomberg supporter during the mayor’s re-election campaign, has said publicly that the mayor no longer has a reason to launch a campaign.

O’Reilly Snubs Homeless Vets, After Promising To Take Care Of Them
Earlier this month, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly claimed that there aren’t “many” homeless veterans, challenging John Edwards for saying that there are 200,000 such vets. Subsequently, O’Reilly pledged to take any homeless vets under his wing: “If you know where’s a veteran, sleeping under a bridge, you call me immediately, and we will make sure that man does not do it.” [Thursday], several homeless veterans rose to this challenge, protesting outside O’Reilly’s office. MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann reports that O’Reilly “cold shouldered” the veterans and “did not even have the courage to meet them”.
Click through to watch the video.

Boortz blames Katrina on ‘parasites’ in ‘New Orleans.’ (Think Progress)
On his nationally syndicated radio show this week, right-wing talker Neal Boortz attacked victims of Hurricane Katrina, saying that “the disaster that followed” was not “George Bush’s fault” because, in Boortz’ mind, “the primary blame goes on the worthless parasites who lived in New Orleans who you — couldn’t even wipe themselves, let alone get out of the way of the water when that levee broke.” Earlier in the same show, Boortz claimed that “when these Katrina so-called refugees were scattered about the country, it was just a glorified episode of putting out the garbage.”  

Ann Coulter, in CPAC’s Back Door (Washington Whispers, U.S. News & World Report)
“It’s unfortunate that Ann Coulter is not speaking at CPAC,” says Ron Robinson, president of Young America’s Foundation. “She’s a powerhouse for young people,” he adds, and “one major reason that CPAC is so successful.” So guess what? YAF and its supporters also attending CPAC will host Coulter at the same hotel as CPAC. “This way,” says one host, “CPAC isn’t technically having Coulter speak.”
Supposedly, Ann Coulter has endorsed Hillary Clinton, but if you take that seriously, I have twin towers in lower Manhattan to sell you.

Perino repeats her ‘do-nothing Congress’ canard. (Think Progress)
President Bush recently issued a signing statement disregarding parts of the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. Finally reporting on Bush’s move [Friday], the Los Angeles Times notes that Bush issued signing statements less often in 2007. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino claims it is because “2007 was the do-nothing Congress.” As ThinkProgress has noted, Perino’s “do-nothing” charge is baseless. The 2007 Congress had 11 more bills signed by the President than did the 2006 Congress.

Media Matters for America headlines

IBD editorial falsely claimed Clinton said that “we must slow the economy to save the earth”

NY Times again reported Bill Clinton accused of “racial[]” remarks without noting denial by campaign, others

NY Times reported “various Democratic officials” have accused Bill Clinton of “racial” remarks, but did not report denial by campaign and others

NBC’s Mitchell reported on Clinton’s NY meeting with Kazakh official, not that he reportedly rejected Kazakh proposal

“Rich media, poor debates”; by Jamison Foser

Wash. Times left out Obama statements that undermine its claim that “Obama ’04 at Odds with Obama ’08″

Savage on possibility of Obama nomination: “Think John F. Kennedy Jr. … and the airplane. Think the Mena airport”

Mitchell falsely claimed Clinton “really misstated her vote on the Levin amendment”

WSJ’s Strassel falsely claimed McCain drew more NH independents to the GOP primary in 2008

Attacking Edwards, O’Reilly baselessly suggested New Orleans homeless encampment doesn’t exist

Scarborough: Because of Media Matters, “we decided to call [Giuliani] ‘America’s Mayor’ about 48 times”

Roll Call article baselessly suggested CREW “attack[s]” motivated by donor interests

CNN’s Yellin to Dem debate moderator Blitzer: “It looks like you’re going to have to be the grownup”

Edward Bernays and the Assassination of Democracy
Edward Bernays [the father of PR] perfected the technique of manufacturing a distant but ever-threatening enemy and then creating a constant state of fear by generating false news reports that endlessly re-stated and exagerated the threat. Adam Curtis takes a look at the “master propagandist” in episode two of his film series “The Century of the Self.”

Times Reporter Subpoenaed Over Source for Book
WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury has issued a subpoena to a reporter of The New York Times, apparently to try to force him to reveal his confidential sources for a 2006 book on the Central Intelligence Agency, one of the reporter’s lawyers said Thursday… [James] Risen … is the latest of several reporters to face subpoenas in leak investigations overseen by the Justice Department.

Hicks could be paid $1m for story
Former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, David Hicks, is fielding lucrative offers for his story and reportedly could be paid up to a million dollars in a major test of proceeds of crime laws. News Limited reports as many as 30 TV networks and publishers have made contact with his Adelaide-based lawyer. Hicks was freed from South Australia’s Yatala prison on December 29, and remains under a US-imposed gag order until March.

Gannett reports 31% decline in quarterly profit
Newspaper advertising revenue fell 12.2%, while broadcasting revenue declined 21.7%. Advertising revenue at USA Today fell 16.7%. Gannett’s fiscal fourth quarter consisted of one less week this year than in the year-earlier period.

Zell to journos: “I want to make enough money to afford you”
Sam Zell stopped by the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday and told the staff he wants to build a entrepreneurial corporate culture that rewards those who contribute ideas that build wealth. He was critical of Tribune’s culture and what he called a “top-down command system.” He said Tribune should become a conglomerate of media companies instead of the media conglomerate it has been.
I have worked for and consulted for a lot of companies.  They all said they want employee input, and they all didn’t, really.

ChicagoTribune.com blocks comments on political stories
Earlier this week, the Tribune website also took down comments on an opinion column about Muslims, and on a story about the Illinois governor and a story about a violent crime in which a child was killed. “Those are the latest on the list of volatile topics that bring out anonymous writers who are so nasty, obscene and racist that the boards were beginning to read like a community of foul-mouthed bigots,” writes ombud Timothy McNulty.

Microsoft bids $45 billion for Yahoo
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Microsoft Corp. made an unsolicited $44.6 billion cash and stock bid for Yahoo on Friday, setting the stage for a deal that would shake up the competitive and lucrative market for online advertising. Yahoo shareholders would receive $31 a share, which represents a 62% premium over Yahoo stock price one day earlier.

NewsCorp Looking To Bid For Yahoo!? It Can’t Be So. (by Paul Glazowski at Mashable)
Over the last 12 hours or so, there’s been a considerable increase in chatter floating around the blogosphere about News Corp’s purported desire to make an offer for Yahoo! [Silicon Alley Insider] after bearing witness to Microsoft’s swift and silent launch to claim the Web portal in all its news-publishing, email-composing, photo-sharing glory – however diminished and gloomy that glory might well be. This I say to Mr Rupert Murdoch, owner of the global media outlet: What for?

New cable cut compounds net woes
A submarine cable in the Middle East has been snapped, adding to global net problems caused by breaks in two lines under the Mediterranean on Wednesday.