Before the verdict in the Casey Anthony murder trial was announced, HLN’s Nancy Grace, lawyer and host of her own show, has been banging the drums loudly for almost three years regarding the absolute, undeniable guilt of this woman. Before I go any further, let me say that this commentary is not about the guilt or innocence of Ms. Anthony. It’s...

We interrupt our special Fourth of July commentary for this TMZ Exclusive: Jim Lichtman, ‘Renowned’ Ethics Specialist, is Lost! Lichtman was last seen giving Mel Gibson advice outside an L.A. eatery (see photo) around June 14th. Sources close to the writer confirmed that in spite of his work with the “ethically challenged,” Lichtman was reported to have spent the entire month of...

To borrow an expression from Glenn Beck, Ed Schultz has “a big, fat mouth.” The left-wing talker suspended himself from his own MSNBC show after calling conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham a “right-wing slut” on his radio program. On the Wednesday night edition of his MSNBC show, Schultz began with an apology to Ingraham, MSNBC, his own family and...

Lately, the words Breaking News have come to represent the latest announcement by Donald Trump or stories about Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan. Last night, shortly before 8:00 pm (pst), network silliness morphed into dramatic sobriety that demonstrated one of the primary purposes of journalism: to provide citizens with important, accurate and trustworthy information. CNN, ABC, NBC,  » Read more about: Real News  »...

I’ve talked about media analyst Howard Kurtz before. A journalist who specializes in how and what the media reports, Kurtz has hosted the CNN show Reliable Sources since 1998. Along with a panel of journalists, Kurtz has discussed issues like the media’s overblown coverage of Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan. Most recently, he’s questioned the media’s fixation of businessman Donald Trump who’s...

What follows is the introduction to the new e-book, “Shameless – The Ethical Case Against Three Out-of-Control Critics and the Need for Civility Now, More than Ever.” More next week. We currently live in a cable news media-induced echo chamber where, much of the time, opinion too easily passes as fact. This is as much the fault of those who...

What can I say about Bill O’Reilly? Well, here’s what I wrote about him in my soon-to-be-released e-book, Shameless. “[Keith] Olbermann is one side of the political coin, with Bill O’Reilly occupying the obverse. While both have sounded shrill and pompous, the difference is Olbermann cares more about an issue; O’Reilly cares more about himself.” Here’s O’Reilly debating with the exceedingly mild mannered Terry...

In 1954 journalist Edward R. Murrow stepped away from his role as news reporter to speak out against the blatant demagoguery of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy. According to an article by Carl Hausman published in The Institute for Global Ethics, “Murrow protégé Walter Cronkite noted that Murrow was troubled about taking an editorial position, but felt he had to break the rules...

Between a rock and hard place. That’s how I felt regarding the Sheen-a-thon – “news” coverage of actor Charlie Sheen’s meltdown over five days last week. Recently, I was asked “What’s the difference between news, analysis, opinion, and entertainment?”  My response: News: Last night a ship sank in the Atlantic. Analysis: What caused the ship to sink and how can...

Strange. Erratic. Irresponsible. No, I’m not talking about the obvious behavior by Muammar Gaddafi and Charlie Sheen, I’m talking about Good Morning, America’s extensive, up-close-and-personal celebrity train wreck of an interview called Charlie Sheen. Cut to: Sheen: “I am on a drug. It’s called ‘Charlie Sheen.’ It’s not available because if you try it once, you will die.” This at a time...