CBS's Smith Asks Obama About Talk Radio 'Enmity': 'Does it Bother You

April 2nd, 2010 2:33 PM
In a fawning interview with President Obama on Thursday, CBS Early Show co-host Harry Smith spoke of the "enmity" of conservative talk radio and sympathetically wondered: "Does it bother you a little bit?" The President replied: "you end up getting a pretty thick skin in this job....I am concerned about a political climate in which the other side is demonized." [Audio available here]As…

‘Impressive!’ Couric Coos After Obama Sinks a Jump Shot, Smith Fre

April 2nd, 2010 2:18 AM
Looks like -- hardly a surprise -- CBS’s Early Show on Friday morning will deliver a jovial and empathetic session with President Barack Obama just three days after NBC’s Today show had a friendly sit-down with the President. Thursday’s CBS Evening News previewed Harry Smith’s time with Obama on the White House basketball court, a segment which ended with Obama successfully hitting a jump shot,…

Media Run to NYT's Defense, Accuse Vatican of 'Killing the Messenger

April 1st, 2010 6:26 PM
On Thursday's Dylan Ratigan Show on MSNBC, host Dylan Ratigan went after the Vatican for criticizing the slanted New York Times reporting on the priest sex abuse scandal: "Blame the messenger. The Vatican blasting the New York Times for telling the truth about Church – the Church and its harboring of sex abusers. It's the paper's fault." Ratigan spoke with Democratic strategist Steve Hildebrand,…

CBS 'Early Show' Hits Obama From Left on Offshore Drilling

April 1st, 2010 12:55 PM
Introducing a segment on Thursday's CBS Early Show about President Obama's decision to open up some new areas to offshore oil drilling, fill-in co-host Jeff Glor warned that some of Obama's "closest allies are especially unhappy." In a report that followed, White House correspondent Bill Plante noted "Environmental groups are disappointed." However, Plante also touted the idea that the move could…

Not Interested: NBC, CBS Skip Arrest of Man Plotting to Kill Eric Cant

March 30th, 2010 4:59 PM
CBS's Early Show and NBC's Today on Tuesday ignored the arrest of a man who was plotting to kill Republican Congressman Eric Cantor. ABC's Good Morning America mentioned the story only in a news brief in the 8am hour. Last week, however, GMA highlighted threats against Democrats and worried about "angry talk" from Sarah Palin. The Early Show may have ignored the story of Norman Leboon and the…

CBS Analyst: Dems Hope Tea Party Becomes 'Stain' on GOP

March 29th, 2010 5:01 PM
On Monday's CBS Early Show, co-host Maggie Rodriguez asked political analyst and writer for the left-leaning blog Slate.com, John Dickerson, if Democrats were "worried" about the "ton of momentum" behind the tea party movement. Dickerson replied: "What Democrats can only hope for is that tea party activists somehow overreach and that that ends up becoming a stain on the Republican Party."        …

CBS 'Early Show' Keeps Up Drumbeat Against Catholic Church, Pope

March 26th, 2010 3:20 PM
On Friday's CBS Early Show, news reader Betty Nguyen continued the media barrage against the Catholic Church and Pope Benedict as she proclaimed: "They are circling the wagons at the Vatican, defending the Pope amid new charges that he helped cover up cases of sexual abuse when he was a cardinal." In the report that followed, correspondent Allen Pizzey treated the Holy Father like a corrupt…

CBS's Rodriguez: Dems 'Rescued' ObamaCare From 'Death's Door

March 26th, 2010 11:54 AM
Introducing a report on passage of the ObamaCare reconciliation bill on Friday's CBS Early Show, co-host Maggie Rodriguez referred to a couple upcoming rescue stories on the show and cheerfully remarked: "And speaking of rescues, the Democrats have rescued health care reform, once on death's door, after putting the final touches, finally, on the sweeping legislation yesterday." At the top of the…

CBS: Health Care Debate 'Gets Ugly,' GOP Using 'Violent Rhetoric and I

March 25th, 2010 12:52 PM
At the top of Thursday's CBS Early Show, co-host Maggie Rodriguez proclaimed: "The health care debate gets ugly as Democrats who voted for reform report violence and death threats." In a report that followed, correspondent Nancy Cordes promoted left-wing talking points blaming the GOP: "Democrats accuse Republicans of stoking the anger with violent rhetoric and imagery."As one example of the…

NBC and ABC Morning Shows Only Report Rosiest Poll on ObamaCare

March 24th, 2010 1:02 PM
On Wednesday, both NBC's Today and ABC's Good Morning America exclusively cited the latest Gallup/USA Today poll, which shows significantly more public support for ObamaCare than other recent polls. Both programs failed to mention several polls that continued to show public opposition to the massive legislation. NBC Today co-host Meredith Vieira used the Gallup poll to grill Republican Senator…

CBS's Rodriguez to Steele: What if People 'Like' ObamaCare? Is RNC Too

March 23rd, 2010 12:42 PM
In an interview with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on Tuesday's CBS Early Show, co-host Maggie Rodriguez touted the signing of ObamaCare into law: "the Senate bill...becomes law today. You're going to be stuck with a bill you don't like." She then wondered: "What if the catastrophic scenario that you've been warning about doesn't play out?"Rodriguez referred to an…

CBS 'Early Show' Touts 'Historic Victory' of ObamaCare

March 22nd, 2010 1:13 PM
At the top of Monday's CBS Early Show, co-host Harry Smith proclaimed the passage of ObamaCare: "A major victory for President Obama as House Democrats work late into the night to pass health care reform." A headline on screen read: "Historic Victory." Co-host Maggie Rodriguez later introduced a report on the legislation by remarking that Smith, who was pleased with his NCAA March Madness bracket…

CBS's Pizzey: Child Sex Abuse 'A Plague of Biblical Proportions' in Ca

March 19th, 2010 4:31 PM
On Friday's CBS Early Show correspondent Allen Pizzey made the over-the-top declaration that allegations of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church amounted to "a scandal that's threatening to become a plague of biblical proportions." A headline on-screen declared a "Catholic Crisis." Pizzey was reporting on Pope Benedict XVI's efforts to address the scandal in a soon-to-be published Papal…

CBS Continues to Recite ObamaCare Talking Points; Dems Praise Reportin

March 19th, 2010 12:52 PM
On Friday's CBS Early Show, co-host Maggie Rodriguez proclaimed: "After more than a year of debate, Democrats say they're on the verge of passing historic health care legislation." And touted the massive legislation as fiscally responsible: "The government says the final version of the bill will cost $940 billion over ten years, but will reduce the projected budget deficit by $138 billion."In a…