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George Zornick

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FCC, Meet “Change” Article
Kevin Martin, President Bush's FCC chairman, speaks during a news conference last year. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

FCC, Meet “Change”

President Obama’s FCC will have their work cut out for them in restoring the agency to the side of the citizens and consumers, write Eric Alterman and George Zornick.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

William Kristol: Journalism’s Indispensable Man Article
William Kristol's last column for the <i>New York Times</i> on January 25, 2009. (<a href=Flickr/Adam "Slice" Kuban)" data-srcset="https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2009/02/kristol_nyt_onpage.jpg?w=610 610w, https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2009/02/kristol_nyt_onpage.jpg?w=610 610w, https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2009/02/kristol_nyt_onpage.jpg?w=610 610w, https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2009/02/kristol_nyt_onpage.jpg?w=500 500w, https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2009/02/kristol_nyt_onpage.jpg?w=250 250w" data-sizes="auto" />

William Kristol: Journalism’s Indispensable Man

Columnist William Kristol moves to the Washington Post after a year of blurring the line between journalism and political strategy at the New York Times, write Eric Alterman and George Zornick.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Spying on Journalists? Why the Silence? Article
The White House press corps—many or all of whose communications were monitored, according to new imformation from Russell Tice. (AP/Charles Dharapak)

Spying on Journalists? Why the Silence?

It now appears that the Bush administration was spying on American journalists; so Eric Alterman and George Zornick ask, why’s the media keeping quiet?

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Bush’s Free Ride to the Finish Line Article
President George W. Bush speaks during the final news conference of his administration on Monday, January 12, 2009. (AP/Gerald Herbert)

Bush’s Free Ride to the Finish Line

After failing to challenge Bush and Cheney's misstatements over the past eight years, it's unsurprising that the press failed to do so during his last interviews.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Scarborough’s Fare Article
Joe Scarborough on the set of his MSNBC talk show. (AP/Bill Kaczor)

Scarborough’s Fare

Eric Alterman and George Zornick wonder why MSNBC gives Joe Scarborough more time on the air than anyone else if it’s as liberal as everyone says?

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Mainstream Media Malpractice Article
The three network news anchors, from left Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and Charles Gibson, appear together for an interview on the Today Show in 2008.<br /> (AP/Richard Drew)

Mainstream Media Malpractice

Not only does the mainstream media ignore critical health policy issues; when it does cover them, it often offers misleading information, write Eric Alterman and George Zornick.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Mr. Pot, Meet Mr. Kettle Article
Bill O’Reilly is definitely a top contender in the race for the most outrageous conservative comments. (AP/Jeff Christensen)

Mr. Pot, Meet Mr. Kettle

Eric Alterman and George Zornick take a look at some of conservatives’ most outrageous comments.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

War on War (and More) Article
Trying to prevent photos of war dead from showing up in the news is just one way the Bush administration has tried to prevent press access in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. (AP)

War on War (and More)

In the last installment of a four-part series on Bush’s war on the press, Eric Alterman looks at treatment of press during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

The Bush Legacy: War on the Press Article
While President George W. Bush held the fewest first-term press conferences in modern presidential history, the administration's suppression of information also took place on other, more secretive fronts. (AP/Charles Dharapak)

The Bush Legacy: War on the Press

Eric Alterman posits that a sure Bush legacy will be the administration’s consistent suppression of information and press freedoms.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

What Obamedia? Article
Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are shown on television screens at the media filing center during the final presidential debate held at Hofstra University. (AP/Jae C. hong)

What Obamedia?

Complaints about the Obama-loving media are emptier than the Biltmore ballroom at midnight Tuesday night. But it’s no surprise they’re being raised, write Eric Alterman and George Zornick.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Plummeting Press Freedom Article
The U.S.-issued ID card of an Iraqi translator who died in 2006 while working with an American journalist. The United States ranks 119th for how it treats journalists in the foreign areas it controls, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP/Hadi Mizban)

Plummeting Press Freedom

A new report puts the United States at 36th in the world for press freedoms, and 119th when it comes to actions beyond our borders, write Eric Alterman and George Zornick.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

The Invisible Battle Over Posse Comitatus Article
A largely silent battle has been fought over the president's ability to deploy military troops in the United States. Overturning longstanding statues limiting this ability has implications for martial law. (AP/Petros Giannakouris)

The Invisible Battle Over Posse Comitatus

A battle raged in 2006 over the president’s ability to deploy troops in the United States, yet it went completely uncovered by the mainstream media, writes Eric Alterman.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Meltdown: The Blame Game Article
The Fannie Mae building in Washington, DC. (Center for American Progress)

Meltdown: The Blame Game

The conservatives' argument that progressives, Fannie and Freddie, and minorities caused the current crisis has no validity, write Eric Alterman and George Zornick.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

The Uses and Abuses of “Voter Fraud” Article
An investigator enters the ACORN office in Las Vegas this week after allegations of voter fraud were filed. (AP/Jae C. Hong)

The Uses and Abuses of “Voter Fraud”

The mainstream media needs to spend more time explaining voter issues rather than obscuring them, write Eric Alterman and George Zornick.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

White Open Spaces, Owned by Us Article
There is a battle going on over “white spaces” in the broadcast spectrum, which exist unused between television channels. (Flickr/jk5854)

White Open Spaces, Owned by Us

White spaces in the broadcast spectrum can spread knowledge and advance democracy, and the beauty of the entire enterprise is that we—the public—already own them.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

The Crisis from Nowhere Article
The front page of the <i>New York Times</i> on September 16, 2008. (Flickr/kbaird)

The Crisis from Nowhere

No wonder Americans were shocked when Wall Street fell into crisis last week. The media had barely been covering economic issues for months.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Out, Out, Damned Earmark Article
President George W. Bush holds up a pile of earmarks as he speaks about the economy in Manassas, VA, on February 6, 2007. Congressional earmarks get a lot of press, but the president is earmarker-in-chief. (AP/Charles Dharapak)

Out, Out, Damned Earmark

Earmarks get a bad rap, but they're not necessarily bad and receive more attention than is deserved, write Eric Alterman and George Zornick.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Shallow Reporting on Deep Drilling Article
Newt Gingrich has become a spokesperson for the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" campaign, part of the continuing effort by drilling proponents to promote offshore oil exploration despite evidence by the Energy Information Agency that it would do little to affect prices. (AP/Gerald Herbert)

Shallow Reporting on Deep Drilling

Months after the offshore drilling debate first intensified, the media has all but forgotten the hard facts that dispute drilling's effectiveness.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Remember Iraq? Article
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appeared at a press conference in Baghdad with Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari in August, where they said that the two governments agree on setting a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq. (AP Photo/Ali Abbas)

Remember Iraq?

The media buries news of an agreement that could end the war, write Eric Alterman and George Zornick.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Olympic Coverage or Cover-up? Article
While the media salivated over Michael Phelps and other sporting accomplishments in Beijing, coverage of other news, like the declining economy and the war in Iraq, slipped. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Olympic Coverage or Cover-up?

The Beijing Olympics dominated American television, but what did we really learn? Eric Alterman and George Zornick investigate.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Return of the Cold War Punditocracy Article
Russian soldiers sit atop a tank in Tskhinvali, the main city in the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia on August 20, 2008. (AP/Dmitry Lovetsky)

Return of the Cold War Punditocracy

There are no good guys in the Georgia-Russia conflict, but the media seems hell-bent on simplifying it so that Russia is the only aggressor.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Poor Coverage on Poverty Article
Bill O'Reilly insisted in October of 2006 that those who "fail in this country" are "stupid," "addicted," or have "mental problems." While networks like CBS do a poor job reporting on poverty, hosts like O'Reilly make outright ideological assumptions. (AP/Jeff Christensen)

Poor Coverage on Poverty

The mainstream media can’t explain the causes of poverty, and right-wing talking heads say the poor are the problem, say Eric Alterman and George Zornick.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Sources Need Protection Article
Judith Miller, above, a former <i>New York Times </i>reporter, was jailed for 85 days for refusing to reveal a source in the Valerie Plame case. Reporters and their sources need protection for the function they serve in a democracy. (AP/Jae C. Hong)

Sources Need Protection

Anonymous sources serve a critical role in journalism and deserve to be protected, but determining the limits of protection is more complicated.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Gore in the Funhouse Article
Al Gore walks onstage to give his speech on energy on July 17 in Washington, D.C. The speech's points have been lost on the media, preventing a serious discussion on global warming. (AP/Gerald Herbert)

Gore in the Funhouse

Al Gore's speech last week offered a plan for solving the climate crisis that has been largely misinterpreted and misunderstood.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

“Nowhere-istan” Article
Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks to the media outside the presidential palace in Kabul. Network newscasts have devoted only 46 minutes of coverage to Afghanistan since Jan.1 of this year. (AP/Musadeq Sadeq)

“Nowhere-istan”

Increased attacks in Afghanistan have garnered more media attention, but there is still a lack of journalistic manpower in the country.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

You Don’t Know Jesse Article
Senator Jesse Helms celebrates winning his fifth term to the U.S. Senate in 1996. (AP/Alan Marler)

You Don’t Know Jesse

The coverage of Senator Jesse Helms' death has largely ignored unflattering facts about his life and racial attitude.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

The Quest to Save Red Lion Article
During the 2003 Billboard Music Awards, which were broadcast on Fox, Nicole Richie (right) made a profane statement that led the FCC to declare the broadcast indecent. Fox's lawyers have decided to challenge the FCC's authority to regulate

The Quest to Save Red Lion

A Supreme Court case this fall could weaken the FCC's ability to regulate broadcast standards, including enforcement of indecency laws.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Drilling Deep to Mislead on Oil Prices Article
On MSNBC, former Mississippi senator Trent Lott spoke about the need for more offshore drilling. The program did not mention that he is a lobbyist for companies such as Chevron, Shell, and Plains Exploration & Production Co. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Drilling Deep to Mislead on Oil Prices

It's still a bad idea to drill offshore for oil, and the issue is distorted when the media gives equivalence to both sides of the issue and repeats industry misinformation.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

New Orleans After the Storm Article
A FEMA trailer sits in front of home in the Lakeview area of New Orleans. U.S. health officials have confirmed that toxic levels of formaldehyde fumes in trailer homes the government provided to Gulf Coast hurricane victims have made as many as 300,000 people sick. (AP/Alex Brandon)

New Orleans After the Storm

When Hurricane Katrina first happened, even the most docile reporters began to cover race, poverty, and inequality. But since then everyone has dropped the story.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction Article
During the second presidential debate in 2004, Bush claimed that everyone thought Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction before the invasion. (AP/Gerald Herbert)

Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction

A look back at statements made by officials and reporters suggests there was not universal agreement about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

Hatred for Sale Article
CNN's Lou Dobbs talks with former Foreign Minister of Mexico Jorge Castaneda about immigration at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists luncheon in 2006. Dobbs often highlights crimes committed by illegal immigrants on his program. (AP/Luis M. Alvarez)

Hatred for Sale

Several cable news talk shows are deliberately fueling resentment and anger toward immigrants while citing false claims.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick

The Case of the Missing Scandal Article
FBI agents raided the Office of Special Counsel Scott Bloch in Washington, D.C. on May 6, 2008. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

The Case of the Missing Scandal

The media continues to ignore Bush administration wrongdoing--and this time, the offender is the administration's own watchdog, writes Eric Alterman.

Eric Alterman, George Zornick