coverage

The Media Hear the Fat Lady Humming

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 13 May 2008 07:30:24 -0700

We now know who the Democratic nominee “is gonna’ be,” declared NBC’s Washington bureau chief Tim Russert the night of May 6 as results became clear.

Media Matters

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:24:48 -0700

While Reverend Wright was speaking to the National Press Club yesterday morning alarms were going off right outside my window.

Post-Pennsylvania Spin Drowns Out McCain

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:23:23 -0700

The week began with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton bashing each other with negative TV ads on the eve of the Pennsylvania primary. It ended with the prospect of a longer, tougher contest after Clinton’s win, and with the volatile issue of race again occupying a prominent place in the media narrative.

Political Coverage Is More Noise than News

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:52:59 -0700

After months spent consuming endless cable TV news coverage of this endless presidential campaign, I've got a theory: The more attention they pay to a subject, the less viewers actually learn.

As Pennsylvania Primary Heats Up, More in the Media Invest in Race

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:55:24 -0700

Despite concerns that downsizing has left the news media diminished in their ability to report big stories, news outlets have rarely been more ambitious than they are today covering one of the biggest in decades -- the race for the White House.

McCain Gets Least Coverage But Best Media Narrative

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:25:33 -0700

John McCain lagged significantly behind Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in the competition for media exposure last week. But when it came to the press narrative, the presumptive GOP nominee was the clear winner.

The Maverick and the Media

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 06:23:19 -0700

It is certainly no secret that Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is a darling of the news media. Reporters routinely attach "maverick," "straight talker" and "patriot" to him like Homeric epithets. Chris Matthews of MSNBC has even called the press "McCain’s base" -- a comment that Mr. McCain himself has jokingly reiterated.

The Buzz on the Bus: Pinched, Press Steps Off

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 06:17:02 -0700

As Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama debated in Cleveland on a snowy evening in late February, 650 journalists descended on the city to follow every jab and parry, albeit on enormous televisions in two makeshift filing centers.

Pressed Over Tibet, China Berates Foreign Media

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:17:37 -0700

Chinese officials have sharply criticized foreign reporters here over their coverage of the riots in Tibet, accusing them of biased reporting and preventing them from traveling to Tibet or neighboring provinces to report on the unrest.

The Pastor, the Candidate, and the Speech Lead the News

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:13:17 -0700

It was, to put it simply, the week of “the speech.”

After the Election, What of Cable News?

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:58:36 -0700

The 2008 presidential campaign season has been a long and heady one for the cable news networks, which have telecast and heavily promoted 23 primary debates and used plot-changing primary nights to generate double-digit ratings increases.

But the history of cable news viewership is a roller coaster of steep highs, reflecting major news stories, followed by deep drops.

The War Endures, But Where’s the Media?

Holiday Shapiro — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:49:20 -0700

Five years later, the United States remains at war in Iraq, but there are days when it would be hard to tell from a quick look at television news, newspapers and the Internet.

Story Behind the Story: the Clinton Myth

Holiday Shapiro — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:02:16 -0700

One big fact has largely been lost in the recent coverage of the Democratic presidential race: Hillary Rodham Clinton has virtually no chance of winning.

China Slams Foreign Media While Restricting Access to Tibet

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:23:29 -0700

China criticized the foreign media Wednesday for its reporting on the violence in Tibet, while it continued to block or detain international journalists trying to cover the story.

Five Years On: Media's Role in Iraq

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:17:48 -0700

This fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq offers a chance to look at how the U.S. media has portrayed the war. Mostly they have done well, but they've also played an unwitting role in the subtle battle to influence public opinion.

Some 'Unsung Heroes' of Iraq War Coverage

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:42:40 -0700

In the five years since the tragic U.S. intervention in Iraq began, many journalists for mainstream news outlets have certainly contributed tough and honest reporting. Too often, however, their efforts have either fallen short or been negated by a cascade of pro-war views expressed by pundits, analysts, and editorial writers at their own newspapers or broadcast/cable networks.