Free Republic

ABC News and George Stephanopoulos have a credibility problem with conservatives and Middle America. And it seems to be getting worse. It’s not just that ABC News hired Bill Clinton’s White House spokesman and counselor George Stephanopoulos as a journalist; it’s that the pack mentality at ABC News doesn’t see it as a problem. “The planning meetings [at ABC News] have little political diversity. Everyone is left of center and at ease with their liberal ideals. The other viewpoint is rarely raised and never fully represented,” a current ABC News producer told me last week. ,,,,, But the bias at...

Walt Disney Co. and Univision Communications Inc. are in talks to create a new 24-hour cable-news channel that will broadcast in English, in an effort to keep pace with changing demographics among U.S. Hispanics and reach a new audience of English speakers, people familiar with the negotiations said. ~~snip~~ If a deal is done, the companies' goal is to get the network—a joint venture based in Miami, where Univision has studios—up and running before the November elections, the people said.

By daring to stand up for herself in recent exchange with President Obama, the media quickly labeled Arizona Governor Jan Brewer a villain. On Thursday's NBC Nightly News, anchor Brian Williams was aghast: "Who have you ever seen talking to the president like this?....The governor of Arizona with her finger in the face of the President of the United States. You don't see that often or maybe ever." In the report that followed, White House correspondent Kristen Welker piled on with nasty sound bites attacking Brewer. A clip of left-wing MSNBC host Martin Bashir echoing Williams: "Is that really how...

Obama ad cherry-picks fact checking organization We love ads that cite fact checkers, but President Obama’s first campaign ad contains a real blooper. It cites a positive fact check by PolitiFact, while ignoring a subsequent column taking away that original ruling. (UPDATE: There were two PolitiFact rulings that same day, and Obama choose the one most favorite, so we are revising our original ruling.)

Newt Gingrich instantly brought the crowd to its feet last night at the last debate before Saturday's all important primary in South Carolina. What was the multitude cheering? Not his stance on tax policy, or on abortion, but rather his acid assault on the “elite media.” Gingrich expressed outrage that moderator John King of CNN would lead off the evening by asking about potentially damaging charges made by the Speaker’s second wife in an interview with ABC News's "Nightline." The audience howled its approval as Gingrich tore into the “destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media…” As...

"But I have to confess, as I thought this morning about the President flanked on one side by Mickey Mouse [laughter], and on the other side by Goofy [laughter], resembling actually a sort of Cabinet picture of the Obama administration [laughter and applause], I just felt better about the idea."

The year-and-a-half-old ABC “scoop”, in which Newt Gingrich’s ex boasts her one interview could end her one time hubby’s political career, is more about the contemporary media than it is about a presidential candidate. The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz said a mouthful when he posited that Marianne Gingrich does not say anything in the new interview that she hasn’t said in the past.The Esquire already ran with the same story in September 2010, if anyone cares. Notice how quickly the story of another election-year smear has morphed over to WHEN ABC will air it.

 Wickedly good Gingrich ad now out in SC as ABC loads the heavy artillery for tonight's  (televised) shelling of Camp Newt... Looks like (oven?) Mitt is really feeling the heat this week, as Rasmussen Reports shows Gingrich closing hard, already in a statistical dead-heat in South Carolina- schwing! Thus, here we have the latest defensive counter-blow from the Gingrich campaign while a flailing (and failing) Team Romney works to stave-off what's starting to look like a come-from-behind Newt victory (by flinging you-know-what at the wall): in short, desperate is as desperate does... DESPERATE (0:45) _____________________________________________ Why is Mitt Romney attacking Newt Gingrich?  Ask John...

From Drudge: "Marianne Gingrich has said she could end her ex-husband’s career with a single interview. Earlier this week, she sat before ABCNEWS cameras, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. She spoke to ABCNEWS reporter Brian Ross for two hours, and her explosive revelations are set to rock the trail. But now a “civil war” has erupted inside of the network, an insider claims, on exactly when the confession will air! ABCNEWS suits determined it would be “unethical” to run the Marianne Gingrich interview so close to the South Carolina Primary, a curious decision, one insider argued, since the network has...

The FBI is investigating Bain Capital about two weeks ago. The FBI evoked FOIA exemption 7(a) and denied access to all Bain Capital records on the grounds that "there is a pending or prospective law enforcement proceeding relevant to these responsive records; and that release of the information contained in these responsive records could reasonably be expected to interfere with the enforcement proceedings."

Usually I go candidate by candidate and talk about how they did, but there is no need tonight. If you ever disagreed with the thought that “this is a weak Republican field” you need look no further than tonight’s debate. Weakness was all over that stage, especially when it came to attacking Mitt Romney! I really thought after Iowa and Rick Santorum’s essential “tie” with Mitt that tonight would have played out much different. Tonight was the night to take Mitt down! Tonight was the night we had a real champion in Rick Santorum! Finally the conservatives and the tea...

ABC has decided to shorten tonight's debate format to a series of one-on-ones with the hopes of narrowing the field to a single winner. Details on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAm4fmrh2b4

TMZ has a story up about Barbara Walters‘ interview with Pres. Obama this afternoon. Barbara just finished interviewing the Prez at the White House. According to the source, during a break in the action, Barbara leaned over to Obama and said, “I need one more interview with you because I’m retiring next year.” Here’s the thing .. Barbara’s mic was open when she said it, and lots of people were listening. Turns out Walters is not retiring — probably not ever — but rather it’s her way of booking an interview, even the Commander in Chief. “Barbara has joked that...

Score one for ABC News in the ratings department. Saturday night’s GOP debate was the most-watched of the 2012 campaign as an average of 7.6 million viewers tuned in to watch the presidential candidates take on such hot topics as unemployment and immigration. Despite a relatively late start time -- 9 p.m. on the East Coast -- 2.1 million of those viewers were in the key adults 25-54 demo. Both of those numbers beat the previous highs, held by Fox News in total viewers (6.11 million on Sept. 22) and MSNBC in the demo (1.73 million on Sept. 7). Also...

Yes this is fantasy, but below is my response to the “tell me about a time you didn’t have the basic necessities” question: “Well I must say that I find the choice of this particular question, among the thousands that I’m sure ABC received, to be troubling – it doesn’t appear to be motivated in any way to uncovering how the candidates on this stage would govern if elected. The appearance certainly exists that this question is an attempt by ABC to conjure up images of Republicans as rich fat cats, unsympathetic to the plight of the many people in...

I'm stationed in S. Korea and missed the GOP debate in Iowa. Would anyone happen to have a link to the entire debate? Has any of the websites put up a link yet? I heard that Newt "knocked it out of the park." Would like to see for myself.

Link to GOP Iowa Debate

A quick look at each candidate and how they performed at tonight’s Iowa Debate courtesy on ABC Mitt Romney- Couldn’t tell if it was his Fake Tan or if he was just embarrassed after having his hat handed to him by Newt. Despite his best efforts, Mitt seemed uncomfortable, tense, and petty in every case. After hearing his answers on the individual mandate, immigration, and even Middle East relations, it begs the question how is this guy even at 25 percent in the polls? It appears that his strategy of winning by not losing has hit a bit of a...

How A Charlie Brown Christmas almost didn’t happen Few headlines about network television make me giddy. Fewer still make me hopeful that all is good in the world. But back in August of 2010, I read the following headline from the media pages with great excitement: “Charlie Brown Is Here to Stay: ABC Picks Up ‘Peanuts’ Specials Through 2015.” The first of these to be made, the famous Christmas special, was an instant classic when it was created by Charles Schulz on a shoestring budget back in 1965, and thanks to some smart television executives, it will be around for...

Good Morning, Barack! With his poll numbers dropping like dissidents in Syria, President Barack Obama has to be hoping the national media will continue to help him out. Last time around, the network news organizations swooned over the junior senator from Illinois and marginalized his opponent, Sen. John McCain, as much as possible. According to a new study by the conservative Media Research Center, the president has some reason to be optimistic about the media in 2012. The group examined the morning shows on ABC, CBS and NBC in order to ascertain campaign attitudes. The headlines are these: -- So...

A few paragraphs separated by nearly two centuries chart a downhill slalom from liberty to dependency. First, here’s Ralph Waldo Emerson in “Self-Reliance”: “The education at college of fools; the building of meeting-houses to the vain end to which many now stand; alms to sots; and the thousandfold Relief Societies;—though I confess with shame I sometimes succumb and give the dollar, it is a wicked dollar which by and by I shall have the manhood to withhold.” Then, on October 26, ABC News: “At a million-dollar San Francisco fundraiser today, President Obama warned his recession-battered supporters that if he loses...

Herman Cain will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight, Nov 7th, 2011.

Bialek currently lives in Mundelein with fiance Mark Harwood. "She's of the same political persuasion as Herman Cain," Harwood said. "There was no money on the table to go and have an interview. This is truly about an American girl who's got a big heart and wants to do the right thing."

Businessman Herman Cain and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney are running nearly even atop the field of 2012 GOP presidential hopefuls, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows, with most Republicans dismissing the harassment allegations that over the past week have roiled Cain’s campaign. Seven in 10 Republicans say reports that Cain made unwanted advances toward two employees when he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s--allegations which have been stiffly rebutted by Cain’s campaign--do not matter when it comes to picking a candidate.

Christiane Amanpour just (typically) lied (Oct/30/11) on her ABC program 'This Week to Michele Bachmann that Iran did 'not' threaten to use nukes on US / Israel... Facts: Iranian official: If threatened, we will use nuclear weapons - Israel Jan 5, 2007 – News: After countless declarations of peaceful intentions of nuclear plan, Iran's chief nuclear envoy confirms fears by saying if county is ...http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3348748,00.html [Reuters] Iran threatens to nuke Israel, US military bases - World News - IBNLive Jul 12, 2008 http://ibnlive.in.com/news/iran-threatens-to-nuke-israel-us-military-bases/68749-2.htmlhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/12/us-iran-nuclear-idUSL1246593220080712?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews ---Related:Ahmadinejad Was Not Mistranslated What Iranian Leaders Really Say about Doing Away with Israel: A Refutation of...

Welcome to Storybrooke, Maine where the townsfolk are fairy tale characters - but they don't know it. The fantasy series Once Upon a Time premiered last night on ABC. Who watched it? Read the plot synopsis on Wikipedia. Watch the pilot online at ABC.com. Review at The Hollywood Reporter. Analysis at The Hollywood Reporter. IMDb

If you tuned in to the soap "One Life to Live" this week, you may have noticed there's been a change of character. One character in particular. Actress Patricia Mauceri says she was fired and abruptly replaced for objecting to a gay storyline because of her religious beliefs. Mauceri played the recurring role of Carlotta Vega on "OLTL" for the last 14 years. But when she objected to how the writers wanted her deeply religious character, a Latina mother, to handle a storyline involving homosexuality, she objected. And for that she claims she was fired. Mauceri, 59, a devout Christian,...

Four in 10 Americans “strongly” disapprove of how President Obama is handling job as president in the new Washington Post-ABC News poll, the highest that number has risen during his time in office and a sign of the hardening opposition to him as he seeks a second term. While the topline numbers are troubling enough, dig deeper into them and the news gets no better for Obama. Forty-three percent of independents — a group the president spent the better part of the last year courting — strongly disapprove of the job he is doing. Forty seven percent of people 65...

Japanese NHK TV, the top national network (government run broadcast) ran a top news story with two dimensions, and the text has appeared (in Japanese) on its website. Go to link to see. Both Obama and Cain are mentioned in this news report, updating the Japanese people on the falling fortunes of the former and the rising phenomenon of the latter at this time.

Officials from the Department of Energy have for months been sitting in on board meetings as "observers" at Solyndra, getting an up-close view as the solar energy company careened towards bankruptcy after spending more than $500 million in federal loan money. Word of the Energy Department's unusual arrangement came as federal agents on Thursday converged on the California headquarters of the failed solar company, focusing fresh attention on the first corporate beneficiary of President Obama's stimulus program to create new clean energy jobs. The company, which closed its doors last week and laid off 1,100 workers, has been a subject...

News show wishes to 'advance the discussion' with transgender contestant, but labels those opposed 'hate' groups. The controversy continues over Chaz Bono's participation in ABC's upcoming season of "Dancing with the Stars." The response to the transgender contestant's role in a once-family friendly show has left ABC with an ongoing PR problem. Chaz Bono is considered a "star" for one reason: Using his status as the child of Cher and Sony Bono to make a very public display of gender identity change, including writing a book, and starring in the Emmy-nominated documentary "Becoming Chaz." But the network is being coy...

Liberals are "pro" and bestow rights on people. Conservatives are "anti" and negative. That's the impressions that viewers would get from watching ABC. On Tuesday, Good Morning America's Bianna Golodryga mentioned the possible presidential candidacy of George Pataki, noting the former New York governor is "pro-choice, pro-union and pro-gay rights." Yet, on June 30, 2011, World News reporter Sharyn Afonsi highlighted Michele Bachmann's "anti-abortion view." On June 07, 2011, GMA co-host George Stephanopoulos suggested to Ann Coulter, "You seem to express some kind of understanding for anti-abortion protesters who use violence.” Using slightly different wording, reporter Aaron Katersky provided a...

On April 8, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi headlined a Boston conference on ''media reform.'' She was joined by four other congressmen, a senator, two FCC commissioners, a Nobel laureate and numerous liberal journalists. The 2,500-person event was sponsored by a group called Free Press, one of more than 180 different media-related organizations that receives money from liberal billionaire George Soros. Soros, who first made a name for himself in investing and currency trading, now makes his name in politics and policy. Since the 2004 election, the controversial financier has used his influence and billions to push a laundry list...

Really. Need I say more. Her breathless reports extolling the Greatness of Obama that interrupt Rush and Levin are just too much for me. ML/NJ

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s new “Miracle on Ice” ad is reportedly being hit with a cease and desist letter for using footage from the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team. The Des Moines Register is reporting that ABC Sports is preparing a cease and desist letter for improperly using the hockey footage in its political ad. "It's a violation of our copyright and exclusive proprietary rights," said Louise Argianas, director of rights and clearances for ABC Sports, told the Iowa paper. She said ABC Sports retains exclusive rights in the U.S. for the footage. Pawlenty spokesman Alex Conant responded that the...

Skyrocketing debt, housing market in the toilet, 9.2% unemployment, inflation up, dollar down, general malaise... yeah, nice assessment George.

WHY THIS MATTERS POLITICALLY. There are two games Governor Palin is fighting: one is the battle to take control of her political narrative, the other is taking control of her PERSONAL narrative--and this includes everything surrounding her FAMILY. Having Bristol go on The View is BRILLIANT, and does more for raising Governor Palin's political profile and stature than one may think! With Bristol giving the whole scoop about the details surrounding her pregnancy, she takes the narrative of the "dirty details" and "dirty secrets" away from the mouths of Levi Johnston and rumor-makers in the press, who would try to...

Accuracy in Academia’s sister organization, Accuracy in Media, has covered one-quarter of the faculty at the Columbia University School of Journalism and found them wanting. Indeed, it is interesting to compare Columbia’s descriptions of some of these with AIM’s findings: In 2005, AIM editor Cliff Kincaid noted that “Victor Navasky, publisher of The Nation and now chairman of the Columbia Journalism Review, wrote an article for the Los Angeles Times under the headline, ‘Objectivity is Highly Overrated.’ He argued for more “opinion journalism” from the media.” It should be noted that Weather Underground leader Todd Gitlin also hangs his hat...

Elizabeth Smart, who at age 14 in 2002 was abducted from her Utah home and held captive for nine months, will reportedly work for ABC News on missing-persons stories.

George S. goes after Rep. Bachmann over whether the founding fathers rejected slavery. Refused to have a meaningful debate as to why she was running for President. Once again, we're dealing with the liberal media attack dogs. Write ABC News on their website and file a complaint. Probably won't do any good but it can't hurt, either.

Pixar Animation mastermind John Lasseter says the company has no environmental agenda, but with "Cars 2," the blockbuster outfit does tap into today's eco-mindedness with a plot driven by oil vs. a cleaner alternative. Debuting in U.S. theaters Friday, "Cars 2" sends race car Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) on a World Grand Prix circuit whose organizer fuels the vehicles with a green alternative called Allinol, prompting the bad guys to try to discredit the new power supply that threatens traditional gasoline.

ABC's Terry Moran began the final segment of Tuesday's "Nightline" saying, "Simply put - a lot of people despise Ann Coulter." After this disgusting introduction, the first question Dan Harris asked the conservative author was, "Is it ever uncomfortable for you to be hated?" (video follows with transcript and commentary): TERRY MORAN, HOST: Simply put - a lot of people despise Ann Coulter, the conservative firebrand, because of her malevolent and acid rhetoric. Other people lover her and her creed of liberal villainy. So is it possible to have a conversation with her in which no one gets mad? Well,...

The Indianapolis 500 celebrates 100 years of competition Sunday. From the first winner, American Ray Harroun in something called a Marmon "Wasp," to the latest, Englishman Dario Franchitti, the Indy 500 has become the most famous race in the world. This year, observers say it boasts the strongest 33-car field it has seen since the CART-Indy split in 1996. It’s a regular stop for the Izod IndyCar Series drivers, but the race also includes former champions and non-IndyCar regulars who are in a ride for one shot at glory at The Brickyard.

What better way for ABC to kick off its weekend news coverage than by mocking the physical appearance of a Republican presidential candidate? That's apparently what someone at Good Morning America was thinking today. As co-host Dan Harris opened the show by teasing an upcoming story about a study suggesting that allowing one's spouse to gawk at others they find attractive is good for the relationship, footage of . . . Newt Gingrich suddenly appeared on screen. Harris made as if it were a mistake: "and no, not Newt Gingrich." View video here.

Christian Bashing T.V. Series Set to Air!!! ABC will be launching this on the air very soon. The title is so offensive to Christians and women that we cannot even print the full title in this email. This is not a series that you would want your children or grandchildren to see. ABC is set to launch a new T.V. series with the offensive title of GOOD CHRISTIAN BITC**S What’s worse, we’re sure it will be shown primetime when children are home from school. The show is not just offensive to Christians, it’s also degrading to women!!! Please click here...

Katie Couric and ABC television are on the verge of signing a $20 million deal, which would give Katie her own talk show, as well as significant involvement in ABC News -- and the big casualty could be "General Hospital." ABC would also give Katie a 1-hour, 5-day-a-week syndicated talk show, that would begin in September, 2012. Our sources say ... one option ABC is considering is giving its affiliates back the hour where "General Hospital" airs to make room for Katie. In other words, ABC would axe the third longest-running soap in history and the last one standing on...

After success at both NBC and CBS, could Katie Couric's next stop be ABC? Couric, according to reports, is on the verge of inking a $20 million pact with the network that would include a talk show, as well as a working relationship with their news division.

Barack Obama recently issued an executive order imposing a wave of sanctions against Libya, not only freezing Libyan assets, but barring Americans from having business dealings with Libyan banks. So raise your hand if you knew that the United States has been extending billions of dollars in aid to Qaddafi and to the Central Bank of Libya, through a Libyan-owned subsidiary bank operating out of Bahrain. And raise your hand if you knew that, just a week or so after Obama’s executive order, the U.S. Treasury Department quietly issued an order exempting this and other Libyan-owned banks to continue operating...

The Center for Public Integrity is reporting that an unnamed former ABC News journalist was an FBI informant during and after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, passing along tips and revealing a source. We know who it is...

Barack Obama has apparently set a new administration boycott of Fox News with this week's twice snubs of the news network.On Sunday, the administration sent the duo of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to the Sunday morning talk shows of ABC, CBS and NBC. Fox was excluded even though, as anchor Chris Wallace noted, the Fox show has more viewers than two of its three rivals.Monday evening, CBS News White House reporter Mark Knoller posted on Twitter that Obama will be in New York City tomorrow for two Democrat fundraisers, the dedication of the...