Michael Moore's new anti-Bush film, Fahrenheit 911, has won the coveted Cannes Film Festival Palme D'Or award:

Michael Moore's controversial polemic Farenheit 9/11 became the first documentary for nearly 50 years to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival last night. The film, which contains scathing attacks on the business dealings of President George Bush as well as the first footage of American soldiers torturing prisoners in Iraq, beat off competition from more famous directors, including Wong Kar-Wai, Emir Kusturica and the Coen brothers to scoop top prize. Moore, who was given a standing ovation by the Cannes crowd, told them: 'I'm completely overwhelmed by this. Merci.'

More here. The official Cannes festival website news of the award is here.

by TChris

For years, the right has effectively intimidated the mainstream media with false claims of a "left wing bias" in media coverage. Fearful of further criticism, much of the media rather uncritically reported everything President Bush said until it could no longer ignore evidence of deception and incompetence in the White House.

Nobody can accuse the Appleton (Wisconsin) Post-Cresent of a left wing bias. In an editorial last week, the paper asked readers to send in letters of support for Bush to help "balance" all the letters to the editor complaining about the President and his policies. Things are pretty sad when a newspaper serving a Republican district has to plead for letters that support a Republican president. It's even sadder that the editor doesn't realize that the letters the paper received reflected how its readers feel, and that others weren't writing in support of the President because there's just not much to say in his defense.

The paper ran a second editorial this week, backing away from its earlier request "amid complaints of blatant politics."

The Chicago Tribune reports more turbulance for Air America Radio, now in its fifth week on the air:

In yet another sign of trouble for Air America Radio, the liberal talk network's co-founder and chairman, Evan Cohen, resigned Thursday along with his investment partner and vice chairman, Rex Sorensen. The company also failed to make its scheduled payroll Wednesday, leaving its staff of roughly 100 writers and producers unpaid until Thursday.

We're on a wild ride," said Jon Sinton, the network's president, acknowledging that Air America has suffered "the typical bumps and bruises faced by any start-up." "But the bottom line," he said, "is that we are on the air to stay."

by TChris

Some of the President's friends in the media world are doing their best to suppress information that might cause voters to wonder whether Bush deserves to be reelected. First Sinclair decided not to carry a Nightline episode that honored American soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq. Now Walt Disney Co. has directed its Miramax film studio not to distribute Michael Moore's new documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11," that is critical of the Bush administation's response to 9/11 and of "ties between the Bush family and prominent Saudis, including the family of Osama bin Laden."

Miramax doesn't seem pleased.

Miramax spokesman Matthew Hiltzik declined to comment on Disney's actions. But he said, "We're discussing the issue with Disney. We're looking at all of our options and look forward to resolving this amicably."

Disney's beleaguered CEO, Michael Eisner, is reportedly "concerned the film would endanger tax breaks that Disney receives for its theme parks and other properties in Florida, where President Bush's brother Jeb is governor."

by TChris

Will Howard Stern deliver the presidency to John Kerry? He says he will.

Some might dismiss this as bluster, but Stern's words should send a shiver up Karl Rove's spine. Stern has a record of successful election-year activism; political observers in New York and New Jersey remember how his on-air endorsements delivered key votes to George Pataki and Christine Todd Whitman in past gubernatorial races.

What's more, although Stern's approximately 8.5 million listeners are often dismissed as overgrown frat boys, they might more accurately be called swing voters. They are overwhelmingly white and male, many are well educated and well off, and they vote. And millions of them listen to Stern's show in battleground states -- Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee, Florida -- where the election will be decided.

Whether it's the Bush administration's FCC attacking Stern, or Stern attacking the President, the publicity has been good to Stern. He's number 1 in LA among 25 to 54 year old listeners, a position he hasn't occupied since 1995. If he can influence all those new listeners (and the old ones) to go to the polls to cast a vote for Kerry, more power to him!

by TChris

Don't expect to see Al Gore anchoring the news; he isn't hip enough for the demographic he hopes to reach with the cable news channel that he and a group of investors just purchased.

Mr. Gore said the programming would not carry a heavy political message but would be influenced by what younger viewers wanted to watch. He said the intent was to provide an alternative to networks owned by large corporations.

Via Wonkette, who found it on Craigslist:

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It's like "The Apprentice," but featuring contestants who even more craven and obnoxious!

The announcement has since been deleted from Craig's List.

Say hello to Media Matters, the new website headed up by former conservative journalist David Brock, since turned progressive. The New York Times explores the new site which it says will monitor conservative websites and radio and tv programs.

The site is well funded--to the tune of $2 million--by the folks at American Center Progress Report and other wealthy liberals:

Among Mr. Brock's donors is Leo Hindery Jr., the former cable magnate; Susie Tompkins Buell, who is co-founder of the fashion company Esprit and is close to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, and Ms. Buell's husband Mark; and James C. Hormel, a San Francisco philanthropist whose appointment as ambassador to Luxembourg was delayed for a year and a half in the late 1990's by conservative lawmakers protesting what they called his promotion of a "gay lifestyle."

Here's how Media Matters describes itself:

Via Political Wire : former Democratic presidential nomination contender Howard Dean may get his own cable talk show--but not about politics.

by TChris

Owners of licenses to broadcast on the public airwaves are supposed to serve the public interest. The Sinclair stations that censored Nightline did not serve the public interest. It's one thing for Sinclair to slant its news coverage in favor of the Bush administration; preventing viewers from seeing a well-respected news program is another. The first amendment protects expression of opinions; it disfavors suppression of information. The public interest is served by more information, not less.

The FCC tells you to write to your local station if you want to complain about its performance as a custodian of the public airwaves. Stations are supposed to keep your letters and the FCC is supposed to consider them when it decides whether to renew the station's license.

The FCC isn't going to yank Sinclair's license, but people who were denied the opportunity to watch Nightline should force Sinclair to retain a fat file of complaint letters for the FCC's review. The letter sent by Free Press says it all.

by TChris

It is hard to imagine that anyone would be offended by Nightline's decision to broadcast the names of U.S. soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq. Nonetheless, the Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the largest owners of television stations in the country with 62 stations reaching nearly a quarter of all U.S. TV viewers, considers this respectful tribute to the fallen a "veiled political effort to undermine the war." Sinclair apparently considers it unpatriotic to show Americans the consequences of their President's decisions.

Sinclair's vice president of corporate relations claims the broadcast represents biased journalism. Was it "biased journalism" when Sinclair stations showed the President landing on an aircraft carrier to declare (prematurely, as it happens) an end to major hostilities in Iraq while standing under a banner reading Mission Accomplished? Are the dead less newsworthy than the President's propoganda?

Sinclair's decision has little to do with journalism and a lot to do with politics. Sinclair's top executives have donated to Bush's (but not to Kerry's) campaign. Sinclair has given more than $65,000 to GOP candidates in 2004 alone. Could that explain why they want to keep their viewers from seeing the soldiers who died under the President's command?

John McCain calls Sinclair's action "deeply offensive" and "unpatriotic." It is, but just as offensive is the administration's continuing support for the consolidation of media ownership. The more stations Sinclair owns, the fewer people see news coverage that might disturb the President. That might be good for the administration, but it's a disaster for a democracy that depends on informed voters.

Congrats to Lis Wiehl, our friend and frequent sparring partner on Fox News, whose book comes out today. We've read it, it will be a best seller, get your copy now:

Winning Every Time: How to Use the Skills of a Lawyer in the Trials of Your Life
by Lis Wiehl