Also, it reveals that its criticism is actually extremely narrow: "None of the networks even hinted at the wide array of scientists who still reject that premise [that climate change is real and caused by human activity]." But CBS did quote an oil industry executive who said, "It's not wise public policy to go to the most extreme outcome and say that's reality." Given that NBC also included quotes from Rush Limbaugh, who called the report "gloom and doom" and mocked it by saying, "George W. Al Gore, anyone?" it's clear that MRC's headline claiming that the networks whitewashed the debate is blatantly untrue. The only factual claim MRC can back up is that the criticism didn't come from scientists.

A recent media advisory from FAIR reaches exactly the same type of misguided conclusion about media coverage of the aborted coup against Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Titled "U.S. Papers Hail Venezuelan Coup as Pro-Democracy Move," the piece selectively quotes from numerous newspaper editorials to make it appear that they supported a coup against Chavez, much as the Bush administration was initially accused of having done. But most examples singled out for scorn by FAIR were ambiguous at best.

FAIR criticized the Chicago Tribune, for instance, for editorializing that "It's not every day that a democracy benefits from the military's intervention to force out an elected president" and characterizing the paper as "excited by the coup." While this quote on its own might give such an impression, FAIR omits the Tribune's extensive criticism of Chavez for his antidemocratic policies. "Chavez, however, had gone to great lengths since gaining [the presidency] in 1999 to forfeit his legitimacy," the editorial stated, noting that he "weakened the opposition-controlled congress, politicized the military, stripped the judiciary of its independence, and curbed the press." In that context, it's clear the quotation selected by FAIR far from indicated "excitement" by the Tribune.

Even more maliciously, FAIR slams a follow-up editorial in the Tribune two days later by saying that the paper "seemed to suggest that the coup would have been no bad thing if not for 'the heavy-handed bungling of [Chavez's] successors.'" The entire quote, however, reads, "Chavez had managed to alienate most Venezuelans before Friday, and his resurrection owes much to the heavy-handed bungling of his successors." The Tribune was explaining how the bungled coup made Chavez's return to power possible, not that it "would have been no bad thing."

Long Island's Newsday is similarly taken to task, accused of "offer[ing] a number of reasons why the coup wasn't so bad," in an April 13 editorial. Again, however, the paper was simply criticizing Chavez's policies - it called coups "a lamentable Latin American tradition."

And the one newspaper that actually apologized to its readers for not condemning the coup was still criticized by FAIR. The New York Times admitted that its first editorial on the coup "overlooked the undemocratic manner in which [Chavez] was removed" and slapped itself hard on the wrist: "Forcibly unseating a democratically elected leader, no matter how badly he has performed, is never something to cheer." Yet this was characterized as "half-apologizing" by FAIR. It even describes the Times' hope that Chavez's policies will improve -- "We hope Mr. Chavez will act as a more responsible and moderate leader now that he seems to realize the anger he stirred" -- as the paper "[standing] its ground ... on the value of a timely military coup for teaching a president a lesson."

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