USA Today

Don't be surprised if you open up the June 24 USA Today and find pom poms in the ‘Money' section. Reporters-turned-cheerleaders Paul Wiseman, Jayne O'Donnell and Christine Dugas wrote a glowing 38-paragraph story about the proposed Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (BCFP). The story even included a section called "keys to a new agency's success" with quotes from "experts" at a wide…

It didn't take Velma, Shaggy or Scooby to uncover this mystery. In a June 21 study published in the medical journal Pediatrics, researchers from Yale University "discovered" that food products with characters on them affect children's taste preferences, which may explain why food companies have been advertising with cartoons since at least the 1960's. CNN.com and USA Today used the study to…

Demanding to wear a tuxedo and bring your lesbian partner to the high school prom has been great for Constance McMillen. Ellen DeGeneres gave her a $30,000 scholarship check. Now she's meeting with Obama and being celebrated at Gay Pride parades and ACLU fundraisers at Woodstock. In Monday's USA Today, reporter Chris Joyner offered a promotional story with absolutely zero dissent or controversy…

Saturday demonstrated a staggering disparity in how media view those involved in the Gulf Coast oil spill cleanup.While news outlets heaped scorn upon beleaguered BP CEO Tony Hayward for attending a yacht race in England Saturday, there was no such anger shown towards President Obama and Vice President Biden for going golfing.In fact, as this Reuters piece illustrated, despite what our Commander-…

The “deeply polarized confirmation process in the Senate” has “undercut Obama's effort to significantly infuse the federal courts with more women and minorities,” USA Today's Joan Biskupic fretted in a Wednesday front page article in which she refused to identify Obama's nominees as liberals as she attached the positive “diversity” patina to Obama's agenda without any regard for the irony such “…

Cougars and cubs playing on a ship? What may sound like a floating zoo was really the lusty subject of a USA Today feature story about the second International Cougar Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas that set sail May 16. The article, "What really happens aboard a 'cougar cruise'?" (titled "'Cougars' prowl the seas aboard The Lust Boat" in the print version), not only…

Former USA Today editor Kenneth Paulson attacked what he called "The myth of 'media bias'" in an article on Thursday. He just described the claims of media bias as untrue, without offering any evidence or considering any criticism: Despite the perception of news media bias, the truth is that most traditional news organizations — primarily newspapers, their Web sites and local TV and radio —…

There are some review snippets that likely won’t end up as movie poster taglines: “an affront to Muslims” – USA Today “breathtaking cultural insensitivity” – Washington Post “cinematic Viagra for Western cultural imperialists”- Salon.com Of all the criticisms that could likely be launched against Warner Bros.’ new “Sex and the City 2” movie, the media have latched onto the film’s reported…

As a Sunday afternoon treat, here’s a sneak peek at the May 17 edition of MRC’s Notable Quotables newsletter, our bi-weekly compilation of the latest outrageous, sometimes humorous, quotes in the liberal media. The entire edition will be posted, with five video clips, at www.MRC.org on Monday morning.Shortsighted Voters Fail to Grasp Obama’s Historic Greatness“Big problems. Big achievements. Big…

Yesterday the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press released a poll finding "Broad Approval For New Arizona Immigration Law."While Republicans were the most supportive, a full 45 percent of Democrats and 64 percent of independents polled supported the law. When broken down to the particulars of the bill, there was even broader support. For example, 65 percent of Democrats and and 73…

“Will doing 'big things' wind up costing Obama?” a Wednesday USA Today front page article worried, accompanied by a photo of contemplative President Barack Obama with Abraham Lincoln in a painting peering down at him. The caption: “History book bound?” The subhead for the story by Susan Page and Mimi Hall: “Voters' anxiety clouds his historic successes.” The effusive lead presumed Obama deserves…

Tax bills fell to the lowest level since 1950 in 2009, according to a new analysis from USA Today. But don't be fooled into thinking that's a good thing. The newspaper downplayed the pain caused by the recession and the fact that the downturn lowered both incomes and consumption. USA Today undermined criticism of taxes saying, "Amid complaints about high taxes and calls for a smaller…

There's a cynical theme growing in the media that Faisal Shahzad, the man accused of attempting to set off a car bomb in New York's Times Square Saturday, was driven to violence by the loss of his job, the loss of his house, and his anger towards former President George W. Bush.In all of this theorizing -- or what some might call psychobabble -- those making the assertion have yet to ponder if…

The 2010 NFL draft showed that it's not enough to be a star football player anymore. Character counts now too. Tim Tebow, and the Denver Bronco's drafting him as first-round pick, was the big story out of the NFL draft. Despite a phenomenal college career in which he won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore, led the Florida Gators to two national championships, and lived out his Christian…