NSA Leak: David Gregory Suggests Glenn Greenwald Should Be Charged With A Crime

David Gregory - Meet the Press - image by DonkeyHoteyOn Sunday’s Meet the Press, host David Gregory asked Glenn Greenwald, “To the extent that you have aided and abetted [Edward] Snowden [NSA leaker], even in his current movements, why shouldn’t you, Mr. Greenwald, be charged with a crime?” Last week I wrote about “groupthink” within the ranks of the mainstream media, and David Gregory is now Exhibit A. I believe a journalist could cross a line from reporting the news, to becoming the news, but is that what Greenwald set out to do? Is that what he’s done? Or is the mainstream media out to get him? Right now I put my money on the latter. The mainstream media coverage of the Snowden story falls under complicit reporting of government affairs, not objective reporting. It’s the kind of journalism that kept the executive branch unchecked and led us into two wars.

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The Place For Politics: MSNBC Ratings Slip When Breaking News Is Not Political

How about this for breaking news — the news network with the tagline “The Place For Politics” doesn’t shine in the ratings department when the biggest news stories are not political. Is this really a shock to anyone? In May, MSNBC slipped to 4th place behind Fox News, CNN and HLN. This was a time of breaking news like tornadoes, and a murder trial (no, I won’t even mention the name). Usually MSNBC is a distant second to the near worship-like dominance of Fox News. Of course, ratings don’t prove that you are delivering a factually sound product, it just means you are delivering what a fervent audience wants to hear. And when it comes to faux scandals during a democratic administration, the faux news network known as Fox News is definitely your source. When it comes to coverage of non-political breaking news, CNN’s longstanding name recognition wins out. “We’re not the place for that [breaking news],” said MSNBC president Phil Griffin. “Our brand is not that.” Indeed.

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CBS Evening News Calls Out Republicans On Benghazi

In a rare bit of comprehensiveness in the world of news coverage, CBS Evening News reported tonight that Republicans produced false White House quotes on the Benghazi attack. Of course CBS struck a journalistic even tone in their reporting, but there will be none of that in this blog post.

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Benghazi: The Fox News Narrative That Just Won’t Stick

Fox News hosts and personalities have a long history of pumping up “news” stories they wish to see permeate the mainstream media. And regardless of the outcome, it’s a win-win situation for Fox News. If the narrative posited by Fox News is picked up and repeated by other news outlets — Win. If their narrative is ignored by other new outlets, they cry media bias — Win.

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VIDEO: White House Correspondents’ Dinner: ‘House of Cards’ Spoof

I’m a big fan of Netflix’s House of Cards, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you should. The entire first season is excellent, but you could watch just for Kevin Spacey’s performance alone. In a sign of just how successful this online series is, last night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner opened with a “House of Cards” spoof titled “House of Nerds.”

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