Roger Aronoff

Stoned on Chávez

“Venezuelans oppose Chávez attempt to nationalize private food company” is the headline over a Washington Post story about the disastrous socialist economic policies of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela. The article is about the employees of the company who “oppose the government intervention because they think workers have fared badly at nationalized companies, where they have faced reduced wages and been unable to bargain collectively.”

“Rabbi Live” Turns His Sights on Obama after Helen Thomas

Rabbi David Nesenoff has given Accuracy in Media the most detailed account yet of how his encounter with veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas caused him to reevaluate not only his view of the media, but of the White House and President Obama.

Media Help Blumenthal Survive His Lies

The question hanging over the strange case of Richard Blumenthal, who lied about his military service, is whose “misstatements” are more egregious? Those of Blumenthal or the media? And now that the scandal is on the public record, why have liberal news personalities such as Katie Couric been so determined to play down the serious nature of his effort to deceive the voters of Connecticut

The Real Story of the Oklahoma City Bombing

While liberal news outlets such as MSNBC were cynically exploiting the April 19 anniversary of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing by attempting to tie the terrorist attack to the anti-government sentiments of the modern-day Tea Party movement, investigative reporter Jayna Davis was setting the record straight in an exclusive interview on the AIM radio show, Take AIM. The Oklahoma City bombing was an Arab/Muslim terrorist attack on the United States, she says.

Olbermann’s Smear of Tea Partiers Backfires

Stung by the reaction to his baseless charges of racism against the Tea Party movement, MSNBC-TV host Keith Olbermann did something he rarely does-he cited on the air some of the criticism of his remarks, including from my column carried by aim.org, GOPUSA and other Internet sites. He did this without labeling his critics as being among "the worst" people in the world. But he fell far short of coming clean about why he launched his smears. 

Health Care Battle Near an End?

President Obama went into the East Room at the White House on March 3rd and talked about bringing the health care "journey to a close." He is giving the Republicans one more chance to sign on to the Democrat's health care legislation, or else he is prepared to move forward without their cooperation. And this time, apparently, he really means it, in spite of the fact that an overwhelming number of polls show, several by as much as 15 or more points, that the public is opposed to such legislation.

Olbermann’s Fuzzy Math on Race

Stung by the reaction to his baseless charges of racism against the Tea Party movement, MSNBC-TV host Keith Olbermann did something he rarely does--he cited on the air some of the criticism of his remarks, including from my column carried by GOPUSA and other Internet sites. He did this without labeling his critics as being among "the worst" people in the world. But he fell far short of coming clean about why he launched his smears. 

Olbermann Still Playing the Race Card

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann has offered another of his mindless rants that he calls "Special Commentaries." This time, he tried to rile up his audience by throwing around vague charges of racism against white people, including himself!

Media Parade as ObamaCare Hangs in the Balance -  Special Report

The hour-by-hour drama of the Democrats' attempt to secure 60 votes in the Senate to advance their health care agenda is gripping the nation. Is Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) in? Or is he out? And what about Ben Nelson (D-NE)? While Lieberman is rightly accused of flip-flopping on the issue of the Medicare buy-in, the Harry Reid-led majority is even more unprincipled in its shameless willingness to discard what many consider the heart and substance of the bill to appease one senator. We don't yet know if Lieberman pulled a Mary Landrieu (D-LA), who took a $300 million payoff being called the Louisiana Purchase to sign on

What is White House Covering Up in “GateCrashers” Scandal?

The evidence clearly shows that the congressional investigation of the White House Gatecrashers is being controlled and limited. Homeland Security Committee chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS), now the subject of an Ethics Committee investigation, has made it clear that he wants to limit the investigation. Is he trying to protect White House officials with something to hide?

Did White House “Gatecrashers” Have Ties to Obama?

While the major media have bought the official storyline about the so called White House gatecrashers, could there be more to this scandal? The mainstream media have ignored obvious holes in the story and important facts about the alleged gatecrashers. Not only did they pose for a previous photo with Barack Obama, one of them, Tareq Salahi, has ties to some of the same radical Arab interests that backed Obama.

Weariness and Desperation in Health Care Debate

The health care debate has descended into a fiasco, draining President Obama of his high approval ratings, angering his base, polarizing the country, damaging his credibility, along with that of the Democratic-led Congress. South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint's characterization of this turning out to be Obama's Waterloo is looking more and more prescient.

NBC’s “The Wanted” Delivers the Goods

NBC aired a highly unusual show on July 20 called The Wanted, which has provoked a storm of controversy over its style, methods and content. Is it journalism, entertainment, infotainment, or To Catch a (Terrorist) Predator? It is, perhaps, a bit of all of the above. But most importantly, and the reasons for all the condemnation, is that it has given rare exposure to the terrorist mentality, it has shown positive benefits stemming from the war in Iraq, and it has highlighted media hypocrisy.

Speaker Pelosi’s Latest Move to Regulate the News

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder announcing her intentions to hold a hearing on the issue of newspaper consolidation in the San Francisco Bay area, citing anti-trust laws as a potential avenue to do something about this. The hearing would be by the Courts & Competition Policy Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, according to Pelosi’s letter.

Freeman Affair Reveals Problems for Obama and the Media

The recent appointment and ultimate withdrawal of Chas Freeman to head the National Intelligence Council has exposed much that is wrong with President Barack Obama’s first months in office, both in terms of policy and vetting, as well as the media coverage surrounding both. Many of Obama’s supporters said it was unfair to criticize Obama’s associations with people like the unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers and the anti-Semitic preacher of hate, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and called it guilt by association. It is now becoming clearer why those sorts of associations matter.

Media Are Big Losers in Election 2008

The verdict is in: the mainstream media were overwhelmingly in the tank for Barack Obama, and did their part to make sure he will be elected. Their polls predict an Obama victory, but the people have a chance to vote against media bias on Election Day.

On Matters of October Surprises and Media Malpractice

With just two weeks to go before choosing the next president, the election cycle is producing some strange and troubling October surprises, and the media are absent on several significant stories. But what is no surprise is that the mainstream media are doing their best to ignore these stories when they are damaging to Democratic candidate Barack Obama, or dispose of them by using charges of racism, mean-spiritedness, or desperation, when in fact, they deserve―even demand close scrutiny.

How Hillary Can Still Win It

As Hillary Clinton won a huge victory in West Virginia last Tuesday, the political pundits began to change their tune. Ever since the previous week’s primary returns, in which Hillary lost big to Barack Obama in North Carolina, and barely squeaked by with a win in Indiana, the assumption was that the race was over, and it was just a matter of how she would make her exit.

60 Minutes Up to its Old Tricks

CBS’s 60 Minutes offered up a cleverly deceptive story that makes the U.S. government and military look extremely evil, building on a narrative that continues to damage American interests at home and abroad. The story, shown on March 30, was presented in such a way as to convince the audience that it has discovered some awful truths about a man held prisoner in Afghanistan and later Guantanamo, and finally set free after years of torture and abuse. The problem is that CBS left out or glossed over significant information that might have made viewers wonder if this man was really telling the truth. Clearly 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley wanted the viewers to believe he was. But the truth might not be so clear.

Wolf Blitzer is No Tim Russert

Judging by the reaction to Thursday night's CNN debate, everything seems to be falling into place for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign for president. After flirting with subjecting her to some scrutiny, the media seem to be coming to the conclusion that her nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate is inevitable.