Roger Aronoff

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.

Anti-War Media Change Focus

With President Bush and Vice President Cheney warning that Iran must not be permitted to obtain nuclear weapons, our media have shifted their focus from Iraq. The shift is apparent in the decision by many reporters to make a controversy out of the fact that Senator Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, voted for a resolution declaring the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to be a terrorist force. The resolution states a simple truth, but it has been interpreted by the anti-war media and the far-left in the Democratic Party as war-mongering and saber-rattling.

Gore’s Nobel Prize Could Sideline Hillary

It is being widely reported that Al Gore's winning of the Nobel Peace Prize could propel him into the presidential race, but the award is tainted and the former vice president received it shortly after a British Court issued a ruling alleging numerous errors in his film on global warming. In short, Gore's prize is a joke, something that should be fodder for late-night comedians.

CBS Can and Should Beat Dan Rather

Former CBS News anchor and reporter Dan Rather sent shockwaves through CBS and the mainstream media with his dramatic lawsuit against his former employer. On CNN's Larry King Live this week, Rather seemed shaken and very emotional, fighting back tears on several occasions. His legal claims are even shakier.