PUBLIC MARKS from jasontromm with tag media

The vast majority of Britons oppose moves to secularize Christmas, according to a new poll. The survey found that 80% believe celebrating the birth of Christ remains an important part of the festival. The study follows a string of high-profile media reports of apparent attempts to rebrand Christmas on secular lines as a "winter" celebration.

A WND interview in which Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., called Miami a "Third World country" has ignited a war of words with Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and other lawmakers insulted by the remark, which is now being echoed in news media across America. "Look at what has happened to Miami. It has become a Third World country," Tancredo told WND in a Nov. 19 story as he lamented how the nature of America can be changed by uncontrolled immigration. "You just pick it up and take it and move it someplace. You would never know you're in the United States of America. You would certainly say you're in a Third World country."

What kind of cold-blooded thugs use ambulances as killing aids or propaganda tools? Islamic terrorists, of course, have an unsurpassed history of using emergency vehicles as tools of their murderous trade. International charities and media dupes have gone along for the ride.

While U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been in the Middle East meeting regional alongside Israel's military campaign in Lebanon, media outlets controlled by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party the past few days have been using racist rhetoric in their reports, referring to the American representative as the "black woman," "raven," "colored dark skinned black lady" and "black spinster."

‘Evening News’ reporter uses Citgo station owner to attack oil companies, while ABC offers a more accurate perspective. As first-quarter earnings reports gush in to newsrooms, the media are again portraying stockholder-owned American oil companies in a sinister light while ignoring or downplaying socialist oil barons like Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.

As he steered his Straight Talk Express across the United States in recent weeks, Republican Sen. John McCain has tried to stay a-head of the immigration issue. But Friday the immigration issue delivered 36 or so heads to his Phoenix office -- heads of lettuce, that is. McCain has been getting skewered in the media for comments earlier this month to a union group in Washington, D.C., that immigrants are taking jobs no one else wants, and offered them $50 an hour to pick lettuce in the Arizona sun for a summer, suggesting they couldn't do it.

Welcome to my world, one which exists in another full of annoyances. The biggest one thus far? It's the silly PC term, "African-American," which is one of the most irrelevant PC terms ever. If I recall, wasn't it invented by a kindergartner? What the hell is this nonsense? It's everywhere, and there's no sure sign in sight of its demise. It's quoted daily in the media, used proudly by its "supporters," and is supposedly a "good" term for paying homage to the motherland of America's so-called "minorities"

Critics of the Bush administration have promoted video of an Aug. 28, 2005, teleconference between emergency management officials and the president as proof that the White House was warned that levees around New Orleans would likely fail against Hurricane Katrina. But a closer examination of the recording and transcript shows no mention that the Crescent City's levees would be breached.

If all goes as expected at this Sunday’s Academy Awards, Brokeback Mountain will win in the “Best Picture,” “Best Director,” and perhaps even “Best Actor” categories. Even if it doesn’t do as well as expected, the film is already being hailed as a “breakout” event, a kind of cultural watershed of sorts—which it almost certainly is not.

A first-of-its-kind conference on "The War on Christians" will be held in Washington, D.C., this month to examine attacks from the news media, Hollywood, courts and activist groups.

The hissy fit thrown by the national media appears to be working. Just like spoiled children, the media’s temper tantrum over the lack of information flowing directly to them regarding Vice President Cheney’s hunting accident has now started to yield results. Democrats, media members, and even some Republicans are beginning to criticize the vice president. Get real! Iran is enriching uranium, and the only concern in Washington appears to be the hurt feelings of left-wing journalists.

Anyone who needs a reminder of the power and influence of the New Media should take a look at three recent stories that illustrate how Internet news is making a profound difference in our culture.

The folks over at Rasmussen Reports recently released results of a new poll with some rather stunning findings that are not likely to make their way into mainstream media reports. Apparently, not only aren’t Americans shocked by the activities of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, but they hold such a lowly view of members of Congress that they perceive used car salesmen as being more ethical: “Forty percent (40%) of Americans say that used-car salesmen are generally more ethical than members of Congress. A Rasmussen Reports survey finds that just 27% believe the nation's elected representatives are more ethical.”

But reporters still ignore free market advocates who predicted it. Media coverage of problems facing the new Medicare prescription drug plan focused on elderly patients left in the lurch by bureaucracy, producing what CBS’s Bill Plante called a “political headache” for the Bush administration. But in the Jan. 16 reports on the “Evening News” and “World News Tonight,” both networks ignored conservative critics who had argued the plan was doomed to fail because it was a typical big government solution that ignored the free market.

Variety confirms that not only is a ‘Narnia’ sequel happening, but it’s already moving ahead. Disney and Walden Media are already starting on a script for the follow up, to be based on the second book in C.S. Lewis’ classic fantasy series entitled ‘Prince Caspian’. The aren’t any director attachments to the project yet, and Andrew Adamson the director of ‘Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe’ is not signed on for sequels. That doesn’t mean they won’t resign him to do more, but at the moment no one is confirmed.

Los Angeles activist Jesse Lee Peterson has questioned the sanity of entertainer Harry Belafonte for meeting with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez and, in local media, calling President Bush "the greatest terrorist in the world."

We have frequently noted that the political leanings of mainstream media publications can often be seen by what fails to make it into print. In the case of Jack Abramoff, political bias of the Washington Post is obvious in its articles of January 3 and 4. The first article written by William Branigin, Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi and the article dated January 4 penned by only Schmidt and Grimaldi are littered with the names of Republican officials, aides and family members. The articles indicate all of these individuals are being investigated. However, no mention of a Democrat appears in the text.

Look at this Abramoff investigation. Already the media are treating it as a Republican scandal, almost exclusively. Well, the fact is that we know that both Dingy Harry and Helmet Head, Byron Dorgan, may have problems. Reid is the Senate Democrat leader. But they're reporting it this way because they want it to be a Republican scandal. Some news reports are even saying Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. We know for a fact he spread money around to both parties.

Bipartisan congressional negotiators squelch independent counsel's findings Though it has had scant attention from the mainstream media, a bipartisan effort to squelch an independent counsel's final report on Clinton-era abuse of the Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department has gotten the attention of Web activists and commentators, causing a growing call for the release of the document that is said to including damning evidence against the 42nd president and his administration.

The Media Research Center’s annual awards issue, a compilation of the most outrageous and/or humorous news media quotes from 2005 (December 2004 through November 2005). To determine this year’s winners, a panel of 52 radio talk show hosts, magazine editors, columnists, editorial writers and media observers each selected their choices for the first, second and third best quote from a slate of six to nine quotes in each category.

With the Christmas season upon us, columnist Frank Salvato has some thoughts on the biggest holiday of the year, the difference between "progressive" and "regressive," and how the "War on Christmas" was won in 1870.

So apparently Bush authorized the NSA to listen in on phone calls to and from numbers with known terrorists ties. Great. It was about time. Why is this controversial? I come home and the Democrats and the press are acting like Bush declared himself dictator-for-life and had Alan Dershowitz publicly executed. This episode got me thinking, and in the spirit of the year-in-review round-ups everyone likes to do in December, I would like to present: Media Manufactured Scandals — the Year that Was:

Prepare your mind and body for a trip into the Twilight Zone. Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives said yesterday that the Democrats will offer no unified position on Iraq in 2006. Despite claims by Democrats and the media that the Bush administration has no plan, Pelosi said that differing opinions within her party regarding Iraq are “a sign of strength.”

In continuing with the social media “hacks” series (RSS, Technorati, blogging and Wikipedia), here are ten hacks that work with Bloglines, the most popular RSS news reader.

My Dear Despicable Wormwood, You magnificent wretch. I am delighted to hear of your progress. Only a year ago you quieted the pandemonium among the rank-and-vile with your preposterous claim that a fiery car crash would bring about the glorious ruin of your assignment. You should take heed not to embarrass your old uncle again!