Free Republic

After the Democratic Party obtained a majority in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in 2006, some believe the mainstream media saw this as an indication the country had made a decided turn to the left. Suddenly, what was once a clear case of media bias became a strident effort by many in the media to promote a liberal agenda. No network was more guilty of this departure from journalistic objectivity than NBC and its sister cable outlet, MSNBC. NBC's news division, which had been losing viewership at an alarming rate, made a decision to roll the dice...

Bill O'Reilly, the Fox News star, is mounting an extraordinary televised assault on the chief executive of General Electric, calling him a "pinhead" and a "despicable human being" who bears responsibility for the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq. On the surface, O'Reilly's charges revolve around GE's history of doing business with Iran. But the attacks grow out of an increasingly bitter feud between O'Reilly and the company's high-profile subsidiary, NBC, one that has triggered back-channel discussions involving News Corp. owner Rupert Murdoch, Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes, NBC chief executive Jeff Zucker and General Electric's CEO, Jeffrey Immelt. Ailes...

Papers filed yesterday in the divorce of John F. Welch Jr., the former chief executive of General Electric, by his wife contend that G.E. covered enormous living costs for them while he led the company and will continue to do so for him for the rest of his life. The extent of these benefits has never been disclosed by the company. General Electric has reported that Mr. Welch's total compensation, including bonus and salary, was $16.7 million in 2000, his last full year at the company before his retirement last September. It has also said that he will remain a...