-Caveat Lector-
Olbermann Revels in 'Racist' Limbaugh Getting Yanked Like Imus --4/13/2007--
Media Research Center
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From: Media Research Center
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Subject: MRC Alert: Olbermann Revels in 'Racist' Limbaugh Getting Yanked Like
Imus
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A usually-daily report, edited by Brent H. Baker, CyberAlert
is distributed by the Media Research Center, the leader since 1987 in
documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.
The 2,389th CyberAlert. Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996
10:20am EDT, Friday April 13, 2007 (Vol. Twelve; No. 62)
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1. Olbermann Revels in 'Racist' Limbaugh Getting Yanked Like Imus
Keith Olbermann opened his Wednesday MSNBC show by displaying video of
Rush Limbaugh on screen as he smeared conservative talk radio as "racist,"
asking, "Why have none from the racist right been protested, boycotted or
fired?" He then delighted Thursday night when guest Sam Seder, of the far-left
Air America Radio, predicted "the next time Limbaugh slips up, which I think is
inevitable, I think you're going to see this sort of same type of reaction." A
pleased Olbermann exclaimed: "It's the best thing I've heard in a couple of
days. From your lips to God's ears!" Olbermann had asked Seder: "How does Rush
Limbaugh or Michael Savage get away with worse than what Don Imus said?" With
"SELECTIVE OUTRAGE: Imus Was Not Alone" on screen, Olbermann teased Wednesday's
Countdown by wondering: "Where's the other outrage? Rush Limbaugh calls Barack
Obama 'Halfrican-American'..."
2. Moran: Duke Lacrosse Team Had It Easier Than Rutgers B-ball Team
Leave it to a liberal journalist to bring racial tension and class
warfare into a story about three men exonerated of rape allegations after a
year of prosecutorial misconduct. ABC's Terry Moran, tri-anchor on Nightline,
found the outpouring of sympathy for the exonerated Duke lacrosse players a bit
much because, in a nutshell, they're white guys from wealthy families who
attended a private university. In fact, in an April 12 "Pushback" blog post at
ABCNews.com, "DON'T FEEL TOO SORRY FOR THE DUKIES," he suggested that in a way,
they were victimized less than the Rutgers women's basketball team by Imus. "As
students of Duke University or other elite institutions, these young men will
get on with their privileged lives. There is a very large cushion under them,"
Moran contended. "They are very differently situated in life from, say, the
young women of the Rutgers University women's basketball team."
3. NYT Story on Duke Exoneration Skips Paper's Pro-Prosecution Slant
The New York Times on Thursday put on its front page the exoneration of
the Duke University lacrosse team but, as FNC's Brit Hume pointed out in his
"Grapevine" segment that night, "nowhere did it mention the Times' own
exclusive from last August in which the paper said, quote: 'While there are big
weaknesses in prosecutor Nifong's case, there is also a body of evidence to
support his decision to take the matter to a jury. In several important areas,
the full files, reviewed by the New York Times, contain evidence stronger than
that highlighted by the defense.'" Indeed, the MRC's TimesWatch site noted how
"The Times leads with the exoneration of the Duke lacrosse players -- after a
year's worth of misleading coverage." Clay Waters explained how the new story
makes "quite a contrast" from the "5,600-word front-page story on the case on
August 25, 2006, 'Files From Duke Rape Give Details But No Answers,' which was
so slanted it was fricasseed by law writer Stuart Taylor Jr. in Slate, under
the headline 'The New York Times is still victimizing innocent Dukies.'"
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Olbermann Revels in 'Racist' Limbaugh
Getting Yanked Like Imus
Keith Olbermann opened his Wednesday MSNBC show by displaying video
of Rush Limbaugh on screen as he smeared conservative talk radio as "racist,"
asking, "Why have none from the racist right been protested, boycotted or
fired?" He then delighted Thursday night when guest Sam Seder, of the far-left
Air America Radio, predicted "the next time Limbaugh slips up, which I think is
inevitable, I think you're going to see this sort of same type of reaction." A
pleased Olbermann exclaimed: "It's the best thing I've heard in a couple of
days. From your lips to God's ears!" Olbermann had asked Seder: "How does Rush
Limbaugh or Michael Savage get away with worse than what Don Imus said?"
With "SELECTIVE OUTRAGE: Imus Was Not Alone" on screen, Olbermann
teased Wednesday's Countdown by wondering: "Where's the other outrage? Rush
Limbaugh calls Barack Obama 'Halfrican-American.' Michael Savage says the
Voting Rights Act means 'a chad in every crack house.' Neal Boortz says Cynthia
McKinney looks like a 'ghetto-slut.' Why have none from the racist right been
protested, boycotted or fired?" He soon cued up race-hustler Jesse Jackson:
"Why are there not efforts to remove them from the air?"
[This item was posted Thursday night on the MRC's blog,
NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]
Olbermann's crusade to remove conservatives from the air matched the
spin forwarded Tuesday night on CNN's Paula Zahn Now, as recounted in Matthew
Balan's NewsBusters post: newsbusters.org
Zahn set up an April 10 taped piece: "Conservative Rush Limbaugh,
who has offended just about every minority group, drew special criticism for
attacking actor Michael J. Fox." After regurgitating that controversy, Zahn
moved to the very same quote highlighted by Olbermann: "Limbaugh later
apologized. But the criticism for that low blow hasn't stopped him from lashing
out at presidential hopeful, Barack Obama, calling him 'Halfrican.'" Viewers
then heard audio of Limbaugh: "Barack Obama has picked up another endorsement,
Halfrican-American actress Halle Berry. As a Halfrican-American, I am honored
to have Ms. Berry's support, as well as the support of other
Halfrican-Americans." Zahn proceeded to highlight the same Boortz comment about
McKinney as Olbermann would do 24 hours later.
Olbermann and Zahn are humor-challenged since Limbaugh's
"Halfrican-American"quip was obviously a play on "African-American," since
Obama had a white mother and an African father, not a charge that he's only
half American.
A brief transcript of the relevant portion of the exchange between
Olbermann and Seder on the April 12 Countdown:
Keith Olbermann: "I'll ask you the ten million dollar question: How
does Rush Limbaugh or Michael Savage get away with worse than what Don Imus
said?"
Sam Seder of Air America: "I'll tell you something, well I think one
there's a certain expectation that they're going to hear it more from Limbaugh
although, you know, he, Dick Cheney was on his program several weeks ago. I
listened in to Limbaugh today and he's already warning his audience that
they're going to be coming for Limbaugh next. And I think, frankly, he's got to
be a little bit worried now because the bar has just been raised. I mean,
corporations have said we're not going to tolerate this any more and the next
time Limbaugh slips up, which I think is inevitable, I think you're going to
see this sort of same type of reaction."
Olbermann: "It's the best thing I've heard in a couple of days."
Seder, over Olbermann: "I hope so."
Olbermann: "From your lips to God's ears!"
Moran: Duke Lacrosse Team Had It Easier
Than Rutgers B-ball Team
Leave it to a liberal journalist to bring racial tension and class
warfare into a story about three men exonerated of rape allegations after a
year of prosecutorial misconduct. ABC's Terry Moran, tri-anchor on Nightline,
found the outpouring of sympathy for the exonerated Duke lacrosse players a bit
much because, in a nutshell, they're white guys from wealthy families who
attended a private university. In fact, in an April 12 "Pushback" blog post at
ABCNews.com, "DON'T FEEL TOO SORRY FOR THE DUKIES," he suggested that in a way,
they were victimized less than the Rutgers women's basketball team by Imus. "As
students of Duke University or other elite institutions, these young men will
get on with their privileged lives. There is a very large cushion under them,"
Moran contended. "They are very differently situated in life from, say, the
young women of the Rutgers University women's basketball team."
[This item is adapted from a posting, by Ken Shepherd, on the MRC's
blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]
Moran asserted in his April 12 post:
"As students of Duke University or other elite institutions, these
young men will get on with their privileged lives. There is a very large
cushion under them -- the one that softens the blows of life for most of those
who go to Duke or similar places, and have connections through family, friends
and school to all kinds of prospects for success. They are very differently
situated in life from, say, the young women of the Rutgers University women's
basketball team."
Yeah, that's right. Being charged with rape despite a lack of DNA
evidence and a constantly-changing story by the alleged victim is far less
traumatizing than some knucklehead with a radio show calling you and your
teammates "nappy-headed hos."
Moran was fixated on the financial resources and connections of the
accused, calling into question the fairness of the justice system nationwide,
but not once indicting the media for taking what was a local crime story and
blowing it up into a national obsession in the first place:
"But perhaps the outpouring of sympathy for Reade Seligman, Collin
Finnerty and David Evans is just a bit misplaced. They got special treatment in
the justice system--both negative and positive. The conduct of the lacrosse
team of which they were members was not admirable on the night of the incident,
to say the least. And there are so many other victims of prosecutorial
misconduct in this country who never get the high-priced legal representation
and the high-profile, high-minded vindication that it strikes me as just a bit
unseemly to heap praise and sympathy on these particular men."
For Moran's posting in full: blogs.abcnews.com
NYT Story on Duke Exoneration Skips Paper's
Pro-Prosecution Slant
The New York Times on Thursday put on its front page the exoneration
of the Duke University lacrosse team but, as FNC's Brit Hume pointed out in his
"Grapevine" segment that night, "nowhere did it mention the Times' own
exclusive from last August in which the paper said, quote: 'While there are big
weaknesses in prosecutor Nifong's case, there is also a body of evidence to
support his decision to take the matter to a jury. In several important areas,
the full files, reviewed by the New York Times, contain evidence stronger than
that highlighted by the defense.'" Indeed, the MRC's TimesWatch site noted how
"The Times leads with the exoneration of the Duke lacrosse players -- after a
year's worth of misleading coverage." Clay Waters explained how the new story
makes "quite a contrast" from the "5,600-word front-page story on the case on
August 25, 2006, 'Files From Duke Rape Give Details But No Answers,' which was
so slanted it was fricasseed by law writer Stuart Taylor Jr. in Slate, under
the headline 'The New York Times is still victimizing innocent Dukies.'"
Hume's "Grapevine" item on the April 12 Special Report with Brit
Hume on FNC: "The New York Times today ran a front-page story, the lead story,
on the dismissal of the charges in the Duke lacrosse case -- but nowhere did it
mention the Times' own exclusive from last August in which the paper said,
quote: 'While there are big weaknesses in prosecutor Nifong's case, there is
also a body of evidence to support his decision to take the matter to a jury.
In several important areas, the full files, reviewed by the New York Times,
contain evidence stronger than that highlighted by the defense.' Today's story,
however, makes no mention of that so-called 'body of evidence,' saying instead
Nifong quote, 'relied almost entirely on the woman's photo identification of
the three suspects and on a report by the sexual assault nurse who examined the
woman,' evidence that had been known since the beginning."
A reprint of a Thursday article on the MRC's TimesWatch site by
TimesWatch Editor Clay Waters. It's online at: www.timeswatch.org
On Duke Lacrosse, the Times Has Some Explaining to Do The Times leads
with the exoneration of the Duke lacrosse players -- after a year's worth of
misleading coverage.
Thursday's Times was the only major newspaper to lead with the big news
out of North Carolina -- the state's attorney general is dropping all charges
against the three former Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of
the sexual assault of a stripper at an off-campus house.
The story by Duff Wilson and David Barstow, "Duke Prosecutor Throws Out
Case Against Players," noted: "North Carolina's attorney general declared three
former Duke University lacrosse players accused of sexually assaulting a
stripper innocent of all charges on Wednesday, ending a prosecution that
provoked bitter debate over race, class and the tactics of the Durham County
district attorney."
Those facts make quite a contrast from Wilson and co-author Jonathan
Glater's 5,600-word front-page story on the case on August 25, 2006, "Files
From Duke Rape Give Details But No Answers," which was so slanted it was
fricasseed by law writer Stuart Taylor Jr. in Slate, under the headline "The
New York Times is still victimizing innocent Dukies."
Taylor argued: "The Wilson-Glater piece highlights every superficially
incriminating piece of evidence in the case, selectively omits important
exculpatory evidence, and reports hotly disputed statements by
not-very-credible police officers and the mentally unstable accuser as if they
were established facts. With comical credulity, it features as its centerpiece
a leaked, transparently contrived, 33-page police sergeant's memo that seeks to
paper over some of the most obvious holes in the prosecution's evidence." See:
www.slate.com
This was perhaps the Times' most misleading paragraph: "By disclosing
pieces of evidence favorable to the defendants, the defense has created an
image of a case heading for the rocks. But an examination of the entire 1,850
pages of evidence gathered by the prosecution in the four months after the
accusation yields a more ambiguous picture. It shows that while there are big
weaknesses in Mr. Nifong's case, there is also a body of evidence to support
his decision to take the matter to a jury."
Taylor described that paragraph this way: "A sly formulation. Whoever
thought it up chose to focus on the legalistic question of whether Nifong can
avoid having his case being thrown out before trial, while glossing over the
more important question as to whether any reasonable prosecutor could believe
the three defendants to be guilty and force them through the risk, expense, and
trauma of a trial."
Taylor again: "The Times piece mentioned most of this exculpatory
evidence but understated its cumulative weight and gave unwarranted credence to
contrary evidence of dubious credibility, such as the Gottlieb memo. This fits
the Times's long-standing treatment of the case as a fable of evil, rich white
men running amok and abusing poor black women."
For some gross presumption of the guilt of the players, check out the
seething of sports columnists Selena Roberts and Harvey Araton, as analyzed in
these TimesWatch postings: www.timeswatch.org
And: www.timeswatch.org
END of TimesWatch article
-- Brent Baker
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