An in-depth study, analysis or review exploring the media
Special Reports
24th May, 2012 1:35pm
Executive SummaryLiberal politicians have made no secret of the fact that they hope
this fall’s congressional elections revolve around economic issues,
including the federal budget deficit, lack of a prescription drug
entitlement for senior citizens and this year’s corporate accounting
scandals. Perhaps one reason for this desire is that liberals watch Dan
Rather, Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings every night, and they recognize
that TV news has framed the discussion of all of these important…
23rd May, 2012 1:56pm
Executive SummaryIn times of war, the media grow skeptical of the American
government’s role in controlling the flow of information. But the
American people are also concerned about the media’s control of the
flow of information. Will they act as a neutral observers, devoted to
balance and accuracy? Or will they play an activist’s role in
undermining our government’s effectiveness in waging war?
During a January 17 Nightline/Viewpoint
special, ABC News President David Westin explained why he…
23rd May, 2012 1:21pm
Executive Summary While it only lasted about three weeks, the second Gulf War was an
unqualified success. But what about TV coverage of the war? While the
media covered many aspects of the war fairly well — reports from
embedded journalists were refreshingly factual and were mostly devoid
of commentary — television’s war news was plagued by the same problems
detected during previous conflicts: too little skepticism of enemy
propaganda, too much mindless negativism about America’s military…
21st May, 2012 3:49pm
Executive Summary In recent months, a number of dramatic religious stories have
unfolded, from religious freedom in Iraq, to the installation of an
openly gay bishop to the religious and commercial phenomenon
around Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ. To
measure the upsurge in religion coverage in 2003 and the beginning of
2004, Media Research Center analysts surveyed every religion news
story on ABC, CBS, and NBC news programs in the 12 months from March…
21st May, 2012 2:55pm
Executive SummaryIn a commemorative issue published the weekend Ronald Reagan died, Time
magazine described the former President as “a man with the power to
pull history around a corner” and “change the conversation of our
politics and culture as much by the sheer force of his personality as by
the power of his ideas.” The national media’s often gracious coverage
in the days after Reagan’s death obscured the unfortunate historical
record of media coverage: a chronicle often filled…
21st May, 2012 2:31pm
Executive SummaryOver the next four months, the media establishment will play a
central role in informing the public about the candidates and the
issues. As the countdown to Election Day begins, it is important to
remember the journalists who will help establish the campaign agenda
are not an all-American mix of Democrats, Republicans and independents,
but an elite group whose views veer sharply to the left.
Surveys over the past 25 years have consistently
found that journalists…
9th May, 2012 1:38pm
Executive SummaryIn a fit of candor back in July, Evan Thomas, Newsweek’s
Assistant Managing Editor, blurted out the truth: most reporters want
President George W. Bush to lose and John Kerry to win. Appearing on
the syndicated program Inside Washington July 10, Thomas
zeroed in on the adoring coverage most in the media, including his own
magazine, were awarding John Kerry and John Edwards.
“The media, I think, wants Kerry to win,” Thomas explained. “And I
think they’re going to portray…
7th May, 2012 3:36pm
Executive SummaryWhile every other country in the Western Hemisphere moved towards
democracy, Cuba has remained a one-party state under dictator Fidel
Castro, who held power without free elections from 1959 until health
problems forced him to step aside in 2006. Castro's communist regime
has executed hundreds of political opponents and driven tens of
thousands more into exile; hundreds of dissidents today languish in
Cuban prisons. The U.S. State Department, Amnesty International and Human…
3rd May, 2012 1:43pm
Executive Summary After all the dramatic events of last year’s religion news, from
the installation of an openly gay bishop and the 25th anniversary of
Pope John Paul II’s historic pontificate to Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ,
religion coverage on the broadcast TV networks could be expected to
decline. To measure the trends in religion coverage in 2004 and the
beginning of 2005, Media Research Center analysts surveyed every
religion news story on ABC, CBS, and NBC…
1st May, 2012 1:13pm
Executive SummaryAs in last year’s coverage of the death of President Ronald Reagan,
the national media offered Pope John Paul II a generous farewell,
highlighting his positive role in ending the Cold War, building bridges
to other faiths, and inspiring Catholics in his energetic travels. But
the positive coverage did not match the usual pattern of papal coverage
over the decades of his pontificate (1978-2005). In the typically
secular and political approach of the networks, John…