It really shouldn't come as any big surprise that MSNBC blogger/The Nation media critic Eric Alterman is wrong when it comes to one of his major theses on media bias: "You're only as liberal as the man who owns you." (That's the title of chapter two of Alterman's book "What Liberal Media?") Really? That's not […]
The Mexican government has once again decided that it's good public policy to distribute a guide -- with a DVD -- informing Mexican citizens how to illegally enter the United States. This sort of thing raises barely a whiff of outrage in Washington -- and certainly not from anyone in the Bush administration. It made […]
Arnold Kling has an excellent piece up at Tech Central Station on the Larry Summers controversy. At the University of Maryland, my oldest daughter, Rachel, took a class in which one test included a question in which she was asked to respond to the statement "Gender is socially determined." This was given, not as an […]
I must admint that I was both heartened and disappointed when I read New York Times public editor Daniel Okrent's column this weekend. I was heartened by Okrent's expressed desire for more dialogue with readers than the paper's letters section currently allows. A newspaper can only come out better in the end when it provides […]
I was interviewing for an editing job several years ago at a different newspaper and I was asked which was more important to have in a beat journalist: a good reporter or a good writer. My response that day was I'd rather have a good reporter. Bad writing I can work on -- I can […]
At the very least, the government of Iraq is no longer systematically raping women; young girls need no longer worry about catching the eye of one of Saddam Hussein's evil sons. Most would think these are good things -- unless you're more interested in making a political point at the expense of your credibility. Enter […]
Blockbuster has eliminated late fees, but come up with a "restocking fee" if you're more than a week late. When asked to explain the practical difference between a late fee and a restocking fee, Blockbuster spokesman Randy Hargrove had this to say: "While our 'no late fee' policy may seem too good to some to […]
National Review's Rich Lowry echoes a point that's been made many times before but never seems to sink in. Two reporters, one from Time magazine and another from the New York Times are facing contempt of court charges for failing to reveal a source for a "crime" that likely never occurred. An axiom for defense […]
New York Congressman Maurice Hinchey, a Democrat, told people at a community forum in Ithaca yesterday that he had proof that Karl Rove had planted the forged National Guard documents used by CBS News. When confronted, he acknowledged that he didn't have real proof only fake proof. Audience Member: Do you have any evidence for […]
If there was any doubt that freedom of speech on campus is only allowed for those on the left, the contrast between how Harvard President Larry Summers and Colorado University at Boulder's Ward "little Eichmanns" Churchill have been treated should have erased any doubt. To review: Larry Summers suggests that maybe men and women are […]