Counterspin (Commentary)
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- Host: Janine Jackson, Steve Rendall, Peter Hart
- The show provides a critical examination of the major stories every week, and exposes what the mainstream media might have missed in their own coverage. The program exposes and highlights biased and inaccurate news; censored stories; sexism, racism and homophobia in the news; the power of corporate influence; gaffes and goofs by leading TV pundits; TV news' narrow political spectrum; attacks on free speech; and more.
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- Genres: Commentary, Liberal
- Location: New York, NY
- Language: English
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Phyllis Bennis on the presidential debate, Wendy Weiser on voter suppressio
Fri, Oct 3
This week on CounterSpin: There's been a lot of discussion about who won or lost the September 26th presidential debate, but little discussion of how it served the voters. What was and wasn't talked about in a debate that focused largely on war and military issues? We'll talk to Phyllis Bennis who directs the Institute for Policy Studies' New Internationalism Project, about the debate. Also on the show: Thousands of people may show up to the polls in November only to be told they are not...
Eartha Jane Melzer on Ohio GOP vote suppression, Sarah Anderson on Wall Str
Fri, Sep 26
This week on CounterSpin: Lose your house, lose your vote? A report from a new investigative journalism outfit says that Michigan Republican Party officials are planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to challenge voters on Election Daytargeting a largely poor, African-American pool of voters who would likely lean heavily towards the Democratic Party. Michigan party denied the allegations just as soon as the story started making its way into the mainstream media. Well speak with Michigan...
James Galbraith on financial turmoil, Forrest Hylton on Bolivia crisis
Fri, Sep 19
This week on CounterSpin: Unlike tendentious media debates about government aid to the poor, journalists greeted bail outs of major financial corporations with almost universal approval. We'll talk to economist James Galbraith of the University of Texas about what the news means for regulatory policy and issues such as GOP plans to invest Social Security funds on Wall Street. Also on the show: Headlines from Bolivia speak of violence and possible conciliation but even after reading the...
Jim Naureckas on McCain/Palin campaign claims, George Farah on open debates
Fri, Sep 12
This week on CounterSpin: John McCain may have fired-up the GOP base with his pick of Sarah Palin as a running mate, and his campaign's increasingly rancorous rhetoric, but along the way his campaign has made a number of claims that beg for media scrutiny. We'll be joined by Jim Naureckas, the editor of FAIR's publications, to discuss McCain campaign claims and how the media is doing covering them. Also on CounterSpin today: As the 2008 presidential campaign intensifies, some attention is...
Heidi Bogosian on convention protests, David Moore on polling
Fri, Sep 5
This week on CounterSpin: Most of the coverage of the political conventions focused on what was going on inside the arenas; so what about what was happening outside? Crackdowns on protests, arrests of journalists, and pre-emptive house raids could provide a very different measure of the state of American democracy. Heidi Bogosian of the National Lawyers Guild will join us to tell us what she saw. Also on the show: A new book attests to what some have long suspected: that opinion polls can...
Katrina Special: Colette Pichon Battle on Katrina three years later, Leigh
Fri, Aug 29
This week on CounterSpin: All eyes have been focused on Denver and the Democratic National Convention. But while the political calendar suggests the story of the day is the nomination of Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential nominee, it's hard to forget that the festivities coincide with the three-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. This week on CounterSpin we'll take a special look at where things stand in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The federal government's response to the...
Thomas Frank on 'The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule'
Fri, Aug 22
Conservative mismanagement of government is no mistake but the concerted effort of a movement that seeks to further the interests of big business and destroy government's ability to oversee or regulate those interests. That's the theme of best-selling author and Wall Street Journal columnist Thomas Frank's new book, The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the book has come in for some harsh criticism in the corporate media. Tom Frank will join us today in a special,...
Helena Cobban on Russia/Georgia conflict, Iyanna Jones on black radio's 'Di
Fri, Aug 15
This week on CounterSpin: "Russia bad, Georgia good" is the theme of much U.S. coverage of recent hostilities between those two countries and their battles over the breakaway Georgian territory known as South Ossetia. We'll be joined by Helena Cobban of the website Just World News, for some much-needed nuance and context. Also on the show: A new film chronicles a not-so-well-known part of radio history: Disappearing Voices: The Decline of Black Radio talks about the role radio used to play in...
Adam Serwer on Obama and race, Eric Boehlert on TV diversity study
Fri, Aug 8
This week on CounterSpin: Playing the race card. John McCain expressed outrage after Barack Obama suggested his critics would use his race to dismiss his candidacy. Much of the media conversation about the back-and-forth seemed to support McCain's claim that he was the victim. What does all of this say about the kind of discussion we're having about race and the election? Adam Serwer of the American Prospect will join us to share his thoughts. Also on CounterSpin: A new study of primetime...
Juan Cole on Iraq/Afghanistan, Todd Tucker on WTO talks
Fri, Aug 1
This week on CounterSpin: The media debate on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars seems to rest on the assumption that the troop surge in Iraq has "worked," and more troops in Afghanistan would help turn that conflict in the favor of U.S. and NATO forces. That's the consensus view, but does it make any sense? We'll ask University of Michigan professor Juan Cole. Also on Counterspin today, the Wall Street Journal wonders whether the recent collapse of World Trade Organization talks means the end of...
Michael Ratner on Ali al-Marri, Jonathan Tasini on minimum wage
Fri, Jul 25
This week on CounterSpin: Many people have probably never heard of Ali al-Marri. A search of major media turned up a scant handful of mentions. Arrested after September 11, 2001, al-Marri was declared an enemy combatant before his trialand he has been in a legal black hole and solitary confinement ever since. A recent court ruling upheld George Bush's ability to detain U.S. residents or lawful immigrants as "enemy combatants"indefinitelywithout trial. If it sounds nightmarish our guest says...
Charles Knight on Iraq withdrawal, Diana Duarte on global food crisis
Fri, Jul 18
This week on CounterSpin: The idea that we should get U.S. troops out of Iraq is, to hear the media tell it, becoming less attractive by the day. The corporate press also seems to buy the argument that withdrawing U.S. troops would lead to a bloodbath in Iraq. But what would, or could, a withdrawal actually look like? We'll ask Charles Knight of the Project on Defense Alternatives; he's helped organize the Task Force for a Responsible Withdrawal from Iraq, which has produced a report laying...
Robert Dreyfuss on Obama's foreign policy, Amanda Marcotte on 'pregnancy pa
Fri, Jul 11
This week on CounterSpin: Barack Obama's image as a harbinger of change has many hoping his election will bring change in foreign policy. He certainly differs from George Bush on the need for diplomacy. But what about issues such as the projection of American power and so-called humanitarian intervention? Does Obama's thinking really represent a departure from, say, Bill Clinton's views, or from the bipartisan thinking of the Cold War period? We'll talk to journalist Robert Dreyfuss about his...
Glenn Greenwald and Arianna Huffington on right-wing myths
Fri, Jul 4
This week on CounterSpin: a special conversation with two authors who have been producing some of the sharpest criticism of the political and media establishment during the Bush years. Arianna Huffington is founder of the Huffington Post website and author of numerous books. Her most recent is Right is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe. Glenn Greenwald writes a popular Unclaimed Territory blog at Salon.com. His new book is...
John K. Wilson on Obama and public financing, Aziz Huq on FISA compromise
Fri, Jun 27
This week on CounterSpin: Barack Obama flip-flops on public financing. The media was in an uproar over the Democratic presidential candidate's decision to forego public funding for the general electiona sign to many pundits that Obama's reformer rhetoric is an illusion. But was it actually a flip-flop? Writer John K. Wilson doesn't think so. He'll join us to explain. Also on CounterSpin today, some in the press corps say that the new surveillance law making its way through Congress is a good...
Tyson Slocum on offshore drilling, Matthew Lasar on the Red Lion decision
Fri, Jun 20
This week on CounterSpin: John McCain says the ban on oil drilling of the U.S. coast should be lifted, to increase oil production and lower prices. Drilling opponents say the drilling won't lower prices and will endanger environments. Who's right? Mainstream reporting is little help, rarely offering more than to say that the story is about a "trade-off" between energy and environmental costs. We'll talk to Tyson Slocum, the director of Public Citizen's Energy Program, about the price of oil....
Elizabeth de la Vega on impeachment, Catherine Lutz on Iraq bases
Fri, Jun 13
This week on CounterSpin: It seems unlikely that media elites would deny that things like maintaining illegal torture programs, unlawfully surveilling citizens, imprisoning children in violation of the Geneva Convention and destroying evidence are serious matters. So why, when such things lead to a call to impeach George W. Bush, does the whole matter become something of a joke? We'll talk to former federal prosecutor and author Elizabeth de la Vega about press handling of impeachment...
Michael Dorsey on cap and trade, Ken Picard on Al-Jazeera in Burlington
Fri, Jun 6
This week on CounterSpin: Media present the cap and trade legislation currently being debated in the U.S. Senate as the green alternative to the voluntary approaches of pro-industry types. But does cap and trade work at reducing global warming causing emissions? And is it the only alternative? We'll talk to Michael Dorsey, Professor of global environmental policy at Dartmouth College. Also on CounterSpin today, Al-Jazeera English has found it nearly impossible to crack the U.S. television...
Pepe Escobar on UN Iran report, Sarah Posner on McCain's Pastor problem
Fri, May 30
This week on CounterSpin: The latest UN report on Iran's nuclear program has been leaked, but what it says depends on which U.S. news outlet you depend on. Does it describe an ominous march toward Iran's nuclear weaponization as is suggested by many stories, or something less serious? We'll be joined by Pepe Escobar, "Roving Eye" columnist for Asia Times Online and correspondent for the Real News Network, to talk about what the UN report actually says. Also on the show: Presumptive Republican...
Rob Richie on primary coverage, Forrest Hylton on FARC laptops
Fri, May 23
This week on CounterSpin: Voting was almost over in Kentucky's Democratic primary. CNN's Wolf Blitzer told viewers Hillary Clinton would soon find out if she was getting "another monster win," though, apparently Barack Obama was expected to "claim he's won a majority of the pledged delegates." So... which matters more, the delegates or that "monster win"? If you're following the election through day to day coverage like this, you might be genuinely confused. Our guest says the way media have...
Bill Fletcher on Wright and Obama, Andy Worthington on Guantanamo
Fri, May 16
This week on CounterSpin: race, Wright and Barack Obama. You might have been tempted to think that the controversy over Barack Obama and Rev. Jeremiah Wright ended back when Obama gave a long speech on race and his long association with Wright's church. Or maybe you figured that when Obama gave another set of more forceful comments denouncing Wright, that might be the last we heard of all that. But the discussion of race in the Democratic primaries would suggest that there's plenty more Rev....
Ben Dangl on Bolivian referendum, Kate Sheppard on McCain environment
Fri, May 9
This week on CounterSpin: When voters in the Bolivian state of Santa Cruz voted on May 4th to declare an autonomy, U.S. media largely reported it as a democratic expression of the differences between a wealthy, conservative Bolivian state, and the socialist central government of president Evo Morales. But was the Santa Cruz vote legitimate? We'll talk with Ben Dangl, author of The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia. Also on the show: Is John McCain an...
Justin Levitt on Supreme Court and voter ID, Sara Robinson on Texas Mormons
Fri, May 2
This week on CounterSpin: The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to Indiana's voter ID law; while the decision was difficult to parse, the debate around the law centers on the baseless fears of voter fraud often stoked by right-wing pundits. We'll talk about the issue with Justin Levitt of NYU's Brennan Center for Justice. Also on the show: The state of Texas' raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch, resulting in the removal of more than 500 women and children, has made for weeks of sensational...
Norman Solomon on Pentagon pundits, Sheldon Rampton on Earth Day greenwashi
Fri, Apr 25
This week on CounterSpin: An April 20th New York Times investigation reveals a secret Pentagon propaganda program providing military pundits with talking points to repeat in media-- in some cases even when "they suspected the information was false or inflated." But could the Pentagon pull off such a program without a willing media? We'll talk to "War Made Easy" author and FAIR associate Norman Solomon. Also on CounterSpin today: Much of the media's celebration of Earth Day involves giving...
Eric Holt-Gim?nez on food crises, Mark Schapiro on environmental toxins
Fri, Apr 18
This week on CounterSpin: Recent reporting on food shortages around the world points to rising fuel costs, droughts, a conversion from food crop planting to fuel crop planting, even meat eating, as the reasons for the problem. But is their more to the story? We'll speak with Eric Holt-Gim?nez of Food First about coverage of the food shortages. Also on the show: Many people are no doubt shocked by a new government report saying that a chemical to which virtually every American is exposed may...
Mark Weisbrot on Colombia trade deal, Rick Perlstein on John McCain
Fri, Apr 11
This week on CounterSpin: George W. Bush says a proposed trade deal with Colombia is crucial, and beneficial for all concerned. Rather than dig into that claim, corporate media are making fun of anyone who would dispute it, favoring congressional critics with headlines like, "Democrats Pander to Big Labor, Flirt With Return to Protectionism." (that's USA Today and yes they said Big Labor.) With major media singing pretty much one note, we'll get another take from Mark Weisbrot, co-director of...
Raed Jarrar on Iraq, Julie Hollar on Somalia
Fri, Apr 4
This week on CounterSpin: The war in Iraq re-appeared on American TV screens last week, when the Iraqi government decided to confront Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's militias mostly in the southern city of Basra and parts of Baghdad. Those paying attention to the corporate media's coverage of the fighting could have been easily confused by the dominant storyline. We'll try to sort it all out with Raed Jarrar, Iraqi political analyst and blogger. Also on CounterSpin today, the U.S. press had...
Dean Baker on the financial crisis, Keith Poole on Voteview
Fri, Mar 28
This week on CounterSpin: The crisis in the U.S. housing market is big news, but media coverage of what to do about it seems to feature the same experts and consequently the same sorts of ideas that created the problem in the first place. What ways forward are we not hearing about? And what should progressives make of what could be a real "teachable moment" about the workings of the U.S. economy? We'll hear from economist Dean Baker from the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Also on...
Jeff Cohen on Winter Soldier, Carl Bogus on 2nd Amendment debate
Fri, Mar 21
This week on CounterSpin: Veterans and some active duty soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan gathered in Maryland this month for Winter Soldier, offering harrowing and often heartbreaking testimony about their experiences in war. The remarkable event elicited next to no corporate media coverage. FAIR founder Jeff Cohen will join us to share his thoughts. Also on CounterSpin today, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case challenging Washington D.C.'s handgun ban. Conservative...
Robert Dreyfuss on McCain's foreign policy, Michael Jacobson on incarcerati
Fri, Mar 14
This week on CounterSpin: You probably heard about Republican presidential candidate John McCain's little "joke," singing "Bomb, bomb Iran" to the tune of the Beach Boys' Barbara Ann. But our guest suggests that that incident wasn't so much a gaffe, as a pretty clear illustration of McCain's foreign policy vision. Robert Dreyfuss is an independent journalist, one of few who have actually examined McCain's record and his plans on issues of international engagement. We'll hear what he has to...
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