mediacrit.com » Journalism

A Conservative Propagandist Returns to Attack NPR

Christopher Martin — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 03:34:57 +0000

It is an article of faith with the political far right that the mainstream news media are, in the words of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the “lamestream media.” The conservatives are correct – the mainstream news media often are lame. But, it’s not because the news media are liberal, which is the point of [...]

US News Media on Mubarak Speech: Picking the Soundbite, Missing the Point

Christopher Martin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:16:57 +0000

The big news on Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak’s historic Feb. 1 televised speech, according to most U.S. news media, is that he decided he would not run for reelection in September. In Mubarak’s less-than-categorical words, “I say in all honesty and regardless of the current situation that I did not intend to nominate myself for [...]

Why Does Anyone Take Andrew Breitbart Seriously?

Christopher Martin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:08:42 +0000

Andrew Breitbart has a job to do and he does it well. Breitbart’s job is to lie and distort the truth in order to advance a right-wing agenda, embarrass liberals, and undermine the Obama administration. Breitbart is not a journalist, researcher, or pundit. He is a propagandist. Read the entire post by Peter Dreier and [...]

Links to News Reports on ACORN Study

Christopher Martin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:52:31 +0000

Harold Meyerson, “For ACORN, Truth Lost Amid the Din,” Washington Post, September 23, 2009. University of Northern Iowa, “Profs: Why ACORN was in the news in ’07-’08, and what the media got wrong,” Romenesko, September 23, 2009. Alicia Shepard, “The ACORN Videos: Did NPR Ignore Them?” NPR, September 23, 2009. Michael Calderone, “Study: Media’s been [...]

ACORN Study co-author Dreier on Rachel Maddow Show, 9-24-2009

Christopher Martin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:38:48 +0000

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Manipulating the Public Agenda: Why ACORN Was in the News, and What the News Got Wrong

Christopher Martin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:18:58 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A study by Christopher R. Martin, Ph.D. and Peter Dreier, Ph.D. Using the controversy over ACORN as a case study, this report illustrates the way the media help set the agenda for public debate, and frame the way that debate is shaped. It describes how “opinion entrepreneurs” (primarily business and conservative groups [...]

Mourning in America

Christopher Martin — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:22:30 +0000

Tim Russert, the host of NBC’s Meet the Press for 17 years who died suddenly on June 13, seemed like a thoroughly decent guy to me. In the following days, Washington journalists, politicians, and his viewing public lauded him as a fine political analyst, a straight shooter, and a great family man. In fact, we [...]

Iowa’s News Heroes

Christopher Martin — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:10:54 +0000

Iowa journalists deserve a lot of credit and time to catch their breath. They have been covering, almost nonstop, the tragic weather we’ve been having since the monster F5 tornado swept through Parkersburg, New Hartford, and Dunkerton on May 25. Then came the floods. This has been a bad several weeks for sleep if you [...]

Greenwashing Dirty Coal

Christopher Martin — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:50:29 +0000

It happened again. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier had a special "green" tabloid section in their Sunday, April 20 newspaper, with big full-page ad by LS Power. After doing the same thing last year, it appears that Courier is operating in an irony-free zone where "green" and "coal-fired power plant" can mean the same thing.

WE SURVIVED THE STRIKE! Of course we did.

Christopher Martin — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:24:09 +0000

Back around November 5, when the Writers Guild of America first called a strike against the major entertainment studios, there were almost hysterical reports in the news media -- what are we going to do without new episodes of our favorite TV programs? Like, Omigosh! The January 25 Entertainment Weekly even had a special "Strike Survival Guide" issue with cover of a bearded Conan O'Brien (who, along with David Letterman, used the time off the screen to watch his facial hair grow) that boasted "67 tips to beat the entertainment dry spell."