Free Republic

A friend of mine who likes President Bush a lot can't quite understand why he’s taking so much vacation this summer. Read more of this nonsense from the CBS (See BS) website if you really want to...CBS Bush Hit Piece

The Supreme Court of Canada transformed the country's libel laws Tuesday with a pair of decisions that proponents say will expand the boundaries of free speech. The court ruled that libel lawsuits will rarely succeed against journalists who act responsibly in reporting their stories when those stories are in the public interest. It also updated the laws for the Internet age, extending the same defence to bloggers and other new-media practitioners. Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin said that Canada needs to keep in step with several other Western democracies that have provided greater protection to the media. “Freewheeling debate on matters...

Vatican City, Dec 19, 2009 / 12:23 pm (CNA).- The Vatican made a declaration on the protection of the figure of the Pope on Saturday morning.  The statement seeks to establish and safeguard the name, image and any symbols of the Pope as being expressly for official use of the Holy See unless otherwise authorized.The statement cited a "great increase of affection and esteem for the person of the Holy Father" in recent years as contributing to a desire to use the Pontiff's name for all manner of educational and cultural institutions, civic groups and foundations. Due to this demand,...

Call and E-mail The Networks--Demanding They Report the Chilling Truth About ClimateGate It is easily the biggest scandal in modern science, yet every major news organization is refusing to report the scandalous truth about the great global warming scam! The Media Research Center is calling on ALL members of the MRC Action team to call and email NBC, ABC and CBS News executives demanding they report the truth about this climate bombshell... (Click excerpt link for phone and email information...it's easy!)

After months of what some critics called overexposure, President Obama has of late avoided questions from the White House press corps at large, closing the Oval Office to traditionally informal question-and-answer sessions with reporters and pulling back from the fast pace of news conferences he established when taking office. The president, whose job-approval ratings have been on a steady slide...

This week, the website WikiLeaks.org released half-a-million pager messages sent on 9/11. It wasn’t the first time the site has generated comment or controversy. The two-year-old WikiLeaks has rapidly made a name for itself by posting, often anonymously, secret documents and classified reports. It also posted the e-mails (which were either hacked or leaked) of research scientists from the Climate Research Unit of East Anglia University, who in private messages undermined global warming data. Here, editor JULIAN ASSANGE explains the site’s philosophy ...

Love Sarah Palin or not, one has to admit the press is so undone by her that they are both aggressive and passive-aggressive in their hate, and they betray themselves continually in all sorts of ways. They betray their snobbism; they betray their spitefulness, and most emphatically, they betray the fact that our “fourth estate” is populated mostly by perpetual adolescents. Our press, with a few exceptions, is largely made up of people who, at age 14, decided they were sophisticates who knew everything about everything, and therefore had no need to ever think deeply, change an opinion or grow....

The media will be barred from covering a speech by Sarah Palin at a Missouri university next month. The former Republican vice-presidential nominee and ex-governor of Alaska demanded the ban as part of her contract with the College of the Ozarks....

When is the truth more important than a politically correct form of censorship called moderation? Censorship of any form is an injustice no matter how polite it is touted to be. Censorship controls opinion and is a tool of the court used to preserve the opinions of a jury by removing all but presented evidence. That is how powerful a tool censorship is. Who ought be allowed to censor and still be legitimate? It certainly isn't the province of any media to alter content or reject it utterly unless it contains useless foul language. The free press isn't free if...

Obama and his staff tried to have Fox News banned from the White House Press Corps, but that plan fell through. What's he to do now? NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and please refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thanks!

This made my day (oh and the DJIA was up 199.89). But the Dow will go down again, the trend in newspaper readership is delightfully steady. Every six months, the Audit Bureau of Circulations releases data about newspapers and how many people subscribe to them. And then everyone writes a story about how some newspapers declined some amount over the year previous. Well, that's no way to look at data! It's confusing—and it obscures larger trends. So we've taken chunks of data for the major newspapers, going back to 1990, and graphed it, so you can see what's actually happened...

Here is a video report on President Obama making a surprise visit to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware overnight to greet the caskets of U.S. Soldiers and DEA Agents killed in Afghanistan. Obama made the trip in the middle of the night, and returned to the White House around 5:00 this morning. Obama lifted the ban on media coverage of military dead returning to the U.S. . . . (VIDEO)

Caption photo: Press Secretary Robert Gibbs defending policy on giving tickets to press events to special donors

A report on funding 'accountable' reporting recommends a mix of philanthropy and familiar ideas on leviesTHE SKIES grow heavy with portent when a former editor of the Washington Post and a distinguished professor join forces to write aColumbia University report on "The Reconstruction of American Journalism". And the same skies weep, perhaps, over Len Downie and Michael Schudson's complex prescription for funding "accountability" reporting, interwoven with foundations and philanthropists, rather as though exposing corruption in City Hall were the same as subsidising a symphony orchestra. It's a very American, very particular approach.

Obama tells press pool they can all conduct round-robin interviews with pay czar EXCEPT Fox News. ABC, CBS, CNN, and NBC consulted and decided that none would participate if Fox was excluded. The administration relented. Charles Krauthammer sums it up by stating, "that in trying to ostracize and demonize Fox, the administration needs complicity from other news organizations. Otherwise, it won't work. What happened today was other news organization admirably and on principle standing up and saying no! If you are not going to include Fox we are not going to go...What we had today was a confrontation between overreaching...

Results from a national Sacred Heart University survey released today reveal that many news consumers believe the media played a significant role in electing President Barack Obama and that the media continue to promote his presidency. Titled "Trust and Satisfaction with the National News Media," the national survey of 800 Americans renews attention to the issue of liberal media bias and its effect on political coverage. "A large majority, 89.3 percent, suggested the national media played a very or somewhat strong role in helping to elect President Obama," according to a summary of the findings. "Just 10.0 percent suggested the...

Slowly, but surely – thanks to the Internet and talk-radio that continues to give the “silent majority” a voice and means of communication independent of the liberal dominated national media – the truth is coming out about the actual size, collective character, and motivating concerns of more than a million patriotic citizens who gathered in Washington D.C. on Saturday, September 12th. Try as they might to suppress the size and demeanor of this massive, spontaneous gathering, the national left-wing media and the Obama Administration have been unable to suppress the success of this grass-roots movement that has quickly become the...

ORIGINAL TITLE: "Obama-Støttegruppe Felt Av Falsk Hore Og Hhallik"Norwegian news outlet Dabgladet carries a HUGE, above the fold story on the ACORN STING including a link to the video.Here is the English quick automatic translation from the Norwegian:(TRANSLATION): "Obama-Support Group Helps Fake Whore and Pimp Tips: Tip: Send tips til Dagbladet.no MMS/SMS: 2400 Tlf: 2400 0000 e-post: 2400@db.no Send tips to Dagbladet.no MMS / SMS: 2400 Tel: 2400 0000 e-mail: 2400@db.no ACORN activists working to improve conditions for low-and mellominnteksamerikanere. The two pictured here demonstrating against what they perceive as the financial industry's gambling with the housing market, and is...

Tommy Christopher is a columnist and White House/media reporter for Mediaite.com, proprietor of DailyDose.us and Asylum's resident gonzo journalist. As with any endeavor, covering White House press briefings comes with its own set of specific challenges, pitfalls and fauxs pas. In the event that any of you ever find yourselves working in the Brady Briefing Room, I feel it is my duty to enumerate some of these. Recently I was, again, frustrated in my attempt to track down the president's poker preferences, but I did manage to commit two such gaffes. Rather than hang my head in shame, I prefer...

... The AP reported that the Marine’s father had asked – in an interview and in a follow-up phone call — that the image, taken by an embedded photographer, not be published. The AP reported in a story that it decided to make the image public anyway because it “conveys the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young men and women fighting it.” The photo shows Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard of New Portland, Maine, who was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in a Taliban ambush Aug. 14 in Helmand province of southern Afghanistan, according to The AP. Gates...

As the Obama Creep Show continues, the president just gave a very strange address on TV. He stood there, warning of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, and asked people to cough into their sleeves. He warned that older people may become more ill than younger people. He said that people should be aware of their health. He urged people to get flu vaccine injections. He implied that we are on the brink of a disaster on the scale of the 1918 flu which killed 20,000,000 people. Then, after making everyone's hair stand up, he turned and walked away. With all...

Can you celebrate the Obama presidency at NBC? Yes you can. If you're a fan of all things Obama, NBC Universal's online store has no fewer than 29 options for your buying pleasure -- from a shirt with the president's picture proclaiming "YES WE DID"...to both of his books...to a special inauguration DVD...to a refrigerator magnet of the first couple. And don't forget the Barack Obama Action Figure -- yours for $15, plus tax. You can buy them online -- or at NBC Universal's retail store in New York. Some analysts say it's good business, that NBC is simply offering...

"Lyndon LaRouche and his organization have declared war against Obama's so-called health care reform because it is a direct copy of the policy Hitler declared in October 1939, when Hitler issued the order for euthanasia against those determined, by a board of medical experts, to have 'lives unworthy to be lived,' " Ms. Spannaus says.

“Fishing” for an Appropriate Response by Norma Zager “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.” Edward R. Murrow Richard Nixon had an enemies list. Joe McCarthy gave a pass to those who turned in their communist neighbors and friends. The Nazis had the Hitler Youth who happily turned their traitorous family into the Gestapo for a new pair of black boots. In 2009 we have the “fishy” Chicago version of turn them in and we’ll take them out. In my last article, many responded they were...

Well, happy 48th birthday President Obama -- though the nature of those birthday details has become a politically charged topic among those convinced Mr. Obama was not a natural-born citizen and therefore not eligible for the office. WorldNetDaily offered $10,000 to anyone who could produce Mr. Obama's birth certificate. Jason Hommel, the California-based author of the "Silver Stock Report," has now offered $100,000.

CARACAS [AFP]. The attorney general of Venezuela, Luisa Ortega Díaz, presented yesterday to the National Assembly (parliament) a proposed law on “media crimes” which would provide jail terms for information professionals and businessmen. In her speech before the deputies, Díaz asked that the State regulate freedom of expression and the behavior of the communications media. According to the proposed law, violators could receive up to four years in jail. The draft of the law explains that a person who divulges information considered false, manipulated or twisted, which causes harm to the interests of the State or public moral or menatl...

Here is video of GOP Chairman Michael Steele speaking to the party today in San Diego. In this very brief clip, Steele tells the party, "Think about where we've been, think about all the crap we've taken from the press, and some of our own; and think about where we're going." . . . . (Watch Video)

Let's just assume that no one actually understands health care reform legislation. We now have a culture of confusion. Maybe the entire 1,018-page document should be read aloud by William Shatner on a prime-time special, or presented as a musical with full orchestra and dancing girls. Perhaps President Obama, Harvey Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley could explain the legislation over a beer. Then we might get it.

Helen Thomas Remembers By Norma Zager "The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure." Thomas Jefferson to Lafayette, 1823 On occasion a particular revelation or thought may cause one to laugh out loud. An hour after watching the White House briefing recently where seasoned reporter Helen Thomas took Robert Gibbs to task for White House efforts to control the media, I laughed aloud. It occurred to me, at...

The White House announced today that President Obama will hold a prime-time news conference on Wednesday, but it made the announcement in a novel way: Posting it to Twitter. "You heard it here first: Primetime presidential news conference at the White House, Wed. 7/22 @ 9PM EDT" the White House tweeted at 4:25 p.m. Obama's last prime-time questioning by reporters occurred April 29.

They weigh less than 3 pounds, usually, and are perhaps 15 inches long. But they can remember. The unborn have memories, according to medical researchers who used sound and vibration stimulation, combined with sonography, to reveal that the human fetus displays short-term memory from at least 30 weeks gestation - or about two months before they are born.

Minority broadcasters asked for the same kind of federal bailout afforded the auto and financial industries in a July 12 letter from 14 top executives in the group to Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner. The letter came with a stark warning. "Minority-owned broadcasters are close to becoming an extinct species," the group wrote.

Fore score. Amazingly enough, CNS News recently revealed that President Obama has gone out and played a round of golf 11 times since taking office. Nice.

Obama's White House is spending more than $80,000 a week to staff its old and new media offices. Add the price of speechwriters and the White House communications tab reaches nearly $100,000 a week, or nearly $5 million a year-and that is for salaries alone. Based on the coverage the President has garnered so far, it is money well spent. Accuracy In Media gathered the data from the White House's annual salary report to Congress, which was released last week. AIM identified a total of 66 staffers with some connection to Obama's messaging machine-press secretaries and assistants, communications directors, new...

Helen Thomas, reporter is 89-years-old and has been covering White House presidents since John F. Kennedy plus she is an ultra-Liberal so when she takes exception at the Obama administration’s relationship with the press, well it’s simply “Shocking!” In fact shocking is the word that Ms. Thomas used while describing what she and all other White House reporters are experiencing due to the machinations of the Obama White House. (see story) Ms Thomas told CNS News that the Obama White House, which is self proclaimed as the most open and transparent administration in American history, is in the contrary the...

The divide in practicing versus non-practicing Catholic voters (Gallup). Another questioner asked the president if he felt as if he had been dragged into a longtime family feud among Catholics, liberal and conservative. For the second time during the discussion, President Obama mentioned the influence of Cardinal Bernardin. “When I was first becoming interested in social justice issues, the American bishops were talking about nuclear freezes and sanctuary for illegal immigrants and protesting U.S. policy in Latin America,� said the president. “And there was, I think, a very different set of perspectives that were represented, arising out of the Second...

The buzz on the Internet seems to be interested in what questions were asked of the president at his meeting with members of the Catholic press, and who asked them. Given the press’ recent grilling of White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, it should be known that the questions were not pre-packaged. Here’s a rundown on who asked what… Joe Feuerherd, of the National Catholic Reporter, who was sitting on the president’s right, asked the first question. He asked, “Outside of your partisan political opponents – the Republicans – there’s one group that has also been critical of you in perhaps...

Kris Coratti, communications director of Washington Post Media, a division of The Washington Post Company, said the flier “came out of a business division for conferences and events, and the newsroom was unaware of such communication. It went out before it was properly vetted, and this draft does not represent what the company’s vision for these dinners are, which is meant to be an independent, policy-oriented event for newsmakers....

Our state-run media has really bit the big one on the Honduras story. Reflexively, they gobbled up what propaganda minister Gibbs fed them and dutifully regurgitated it. Where is the in-depth analysis? Where is the historical context?Instead, we get warmed over professors and analysts talking about Obama's stature in the region and how this affects the US. I haven't been in Honduras in years, but I've got news for you: Obama and the US are not at the forefront of Hondurans' minds right now. And this story is not about us or our dear leader: It is about a...

Free speech got a loud boost from Hollywood on Wednesday. Jon Voight has responded to accusations from a critic sympathetic to the American Communist Party, who said the actor had used hate speech and threatened the well-being of President Obama during a recent appearance before Republicans in Washington. Mr. Voight denied both charges, saying that those who speak out against the Obama administration are "demonized" and "attacked," often with hate speech.

The cost of the high popularity of Lula Notwithstanding his anti-life and anti-family policies, huge state investments in propaganda ensure popularity for Lula Julio SeveroBrazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reported, “Approval ratings for Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva rose from 78% on March to 80% on June, according to data from the CNI/Ibope polls released June 9. The percentage of respondents considering the Lula administration very good or good also improved: it went up from 64% to 68%. The rates of those disapproving the Lula administration fell from 19% to 16%”.Certainly, the respondents were not asked...

President Barack Obama made news at a press conference last week – by planting a question with a blogger, not by offering anything new in spite of taking his sharpest questions to date. The sharper edge of reporters’ questions had much to do with the setting, one White House press corps member said afterward: “It was our turf, in our seats … no formality of the East Room or even (the) Rose Garden. So I think when we're comfortable, we're more likely to fire back at him for follow-ups.” Obama coming unarmed with news led to more probing, analytical-style questions...

Should we fear Arianna Huffington and her mighty HuffPo? Dunno. Should we praise her? Nope, says one critic who examined the underpinnings of the Huffington media empire and emerged unimpressed.

It is shades of paparazzi past. A photo of Michael Jackson, engulfed by an oxygen mask and lying in an ambulance, was made public Thursday afternoon, even before his death was officially announced. Footage of Mr. Jackson's body being moved from hospital to morgue was trailed overhead by a TV station helicopter, as if the crew were following a police chase or tracking a celebrity wedding.

WASHINGTON: The White House has been accused of planting a question on Iran’s disputed presidential election at the latest press conference held by US president Barack Obama. However, the charges were strongly refuted by Obama’s press secretary Robert Gibbs. At his daily press briefing Gibbs was flooded with questions from White House correspondents about the manner in which a reporter from Huffington Post, a popular website, was invited to the briefing and asked to put a question on Iran to Obama at his Tuesday’s press briefing. After taking the first question, Obama at his press conference said, “Since we’re on...

Newspapers are fighting back against predictions that the printed word is dead. "Individuated news" has arrived.

President Obama orders press to stop using all those zeros to describe deficitsWashington's routine use of words like billions and trillions when discussing spending is making the electorate increasingly nervous. "I don't know where all this deficit spending will end," says Emily Littela, of Pelham, New York. "It frightening." she adds, clutching her purse as she enters the subway.President Obama has just the solution to soothe our jangled nerves. He issued an order this morning directing the press to replace zeros with pink-sprinkle donuts. Propaganda Minister Gibbs later issued additional guidance that allowed smiley faces as well as the creative...

Ah... the media was a'flurry with reports that the Eunuch in Chief was actually about to take a definitive stand INRE the freedom fighters in the streets of Iran. Little did they know that the only ones he *was* getting tough on were his critics... like me... calling him a wuss. UPDATE: Transcript including Q&AI watched and listened to the press conference. The deadpan POTUS - sans his favorite sidekick, TOTUS - delivered the following prepared statement from his cue cards. I’d like to say a few words about the situation in Iran. The United States and the international community...

It was on June 21, 1788, that the United States Constitution was officially adopted with its ratification. And it was at that time that its ratification was contingent upon suggested changes be made to the Constitution, thereafter. Leading up to the Constitution becoming effective, there were numerous debates among the states, namely that the Constitution did not go far enough in protecting personal rights and liberties and would provide for a necessary buffer from infringement by the government on the fundamental rights of the people. The document simply failed to specify what fundamental rights would be protected from abuse of...

Relations between ABC News and President Obama are being criticized as becoming too intimate,... Media credibility and fairness are at issue, with waggish bloggers renaming ABC the "All Barack Channel."