Recent Media Commentaries

Featured image for “Michael Wolff and Me”
Michael Wolff and Me
If there’s anyone out there who hasn’t heard of Michael Wolff before last week, they’ve certainly heard of him now. Wolff is the author of the controversial new tell-all, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. I’m not going to comment on the book. I haven’t read it and don’t intend to. I will tell you about my experience...
Read More
January 8, 2018
Featured image for ““Paris Has Been Liberated!””
“Paris Has Been Liberated!”
Two months after the D-Day invasion by Allied forces, with the wind at their backs against German forces, CBS radio correspondent Charles Collingwood wrote an extraordinary story for radio broadcast: “The French Second Armored Division entered Paris today after the Parisians had risen as one man to beat down the German troops who had garrisoned the city. It was the...
Read More
December 11, 2017
Featured image for “That Uranium Deal: An Update”
That Uranium Deal: An Update
“Knowing what you know about Russia, was it really a good idea for the Obama administration and the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to approve a deal giving the Russians control of 20 percent of our uranium supply? . . . Why did Hillary’s office and the Obama administration sign off on giving the Russians a fifth of our uranium? . . . What...
Read More
November 27, 2017
Featured image for ““Reeling””
“Reeling”
That’s how CBS This Morning host Gayle King described her reaction to the news that co-host, and PBS correspondent Charlie Rose is the latest to be called out and admit to sexual misconduct charges leveled at him. Sitting alone at their morning table, and looking into the camera with sober faces, Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King discussed their reactions to...
Read More
November 22, 2017
Featured image for “The Unbearable Alt-Rightness of His Being”
The Unbearable Alt-Rightness of His Being
Steve Bannon wants you to know that he’s a “good Catholic.” Given his M.O. as an extremist flamethrower, I find that more than a little unsettling, and I’m sure Pope Francis is rolling his eyes about now. Bannon also describes himself as a “street fighter.” (What happened to turning the other cheek, Steve?) Bannon has honed his fighting skills running...
Read More
September 25, 2017
Featured image for “Hurricane Irma v. Hurricane Blowhard”
Hurricane Irma v. Hurricane Blowhard
“…I’ve gotta be very careful here because I am not a meteorologist… not the National Hurricane Center… not a climatologist or meteorologist. All I do is analyze the data that they publish. …when it comes to a hurricane bearing down on South Florida, I’m the go-to guy.” – Rush Limbaugh, Sept. 5, 2017 I’ve gotta be very careful here, because...
Read More
September 8, 2017
Featured image for “<em>Et Tu,</em> Peggy, <em>Et Tu?</em>”
Et Tu, Peggy, Et Tu?
There is no nice way to say it: I am tired of political leadership in Washington using words like “inappropriate,” “inconsistent,” a “distraction,” and “un-presidential” to describe what my parents, grandparents, teachers, religious leaders, and most anyone with common sense would otherwise call, WRONG! To state the obvious: we have a 71-year-old president whose Twitter rants demonstrate that he is...
Read More
July 5, 2017
Featured image for “Really, Sarah, <em>Really?</em>”
Really, Sarah, Really?
Last Friday, CNN retracted a story that had appeared on its website incorrectly linking Trump confident and hedge-fund manager Anthony Scaramucci to a Russian investment fund supposedly under investigation by the Senate. On Tuesday, (June 27), White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders wasted no time in calling this to the attention of all media at the (sometimes) daily...
Read More
June 30, 2017
Featured image for “Keeping CNN Honest”
Keeping CNN Honest
CNN’s Anderson Cooper has a semi-regular segment on his evening show called, Keeping Them Honest, where he reports about absurd or just plain wrong information. Now, the cable news channel is on the hook for posting on its website (not broadcasting) an inaccurate story of their own. On Monday, three CNN reporters resigned after the network retracted a story about...
Read More
June 28, 2017
Featured image for “When the Media Goes Too Far”
When the Media Goes Too Far
Last Memorial Day, in the early hours of the morning, an adult male unsuccessfully attempted to pull his car off the side the road. With the car partially sticking into the right lane, the brake light on as well as the right turn signal blinking, the car remained stopped. No other individuals or vehicles were involved. According to a police...
Read More
June 21, 2017