'Message' of Wall Street Protests 'Increasingly Resonating, ' NBCCCP's Williams Champions

Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996
Friday October 14, 2011 @ 09:56 AM ET

1. 'Message' of Wall Street Protests 'Increasingly Resonating,' NBC's Williams Champions
In the face of their removal from a Manhattan park so it can be cleaned up, NBC anchor Brian Williams stepped up his praise Thursday night for the far-left Occupy Wall Street protesters. "They share a heritage with other big protest movements in American history," he heralded in his lead story, "some of them have changed history." He then trumpeted: "The center of the message is increasingly resonating. The crowds tell us that. Now the polls tell us that." Reporter Mara Schiavocampo hyped protests "growing in number and intensity. Thousands taking to the streets in at least 190 cities nationwide." She highlighted how a new "poll finds 37 percent of Americans support the protesters, with 40 percent of wealthy Americans backing the movement, more than any other income group."

2. ABC's George Stephanopoulos Grills 'Pizza Man' Herman Cain
Surging Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, identified as "pizza man" by an ABC graphic, finally appeared on Good Morning America, Wednesday, but was grilled by George Stephanopoulos on his 9-9-9 economic plan and a lack of experience. Dismissing Cain's call for a nine percent flat tax for individuals and business and a nine percent sales tax, the former Democratic operative turned journalist attacked, "You're going to spend another nine percent every time they spend a dollar. That's going to be a huge hit to Americans who are hurting right now, isn't it?"

3. ABC and CBS Hit Cain's '9-9-9' Plan from the Left, Ignore Conservative Concerns
Conservatives are concerned, as expressed by other candidates at Tuesday's debate, about how Herman Cain's "9-9-9" plan would impose a new national sales tax revenue stream and how easy it would make it for Congress in the future to increase an enticing 9 percent income tax rate. Liberals are upset by how the plan would raise taxes on those with lower incomes and reduce taxes on the wealthy. Guess on which worries the networks concentrated? "A long list of economists say Cain's plan would hit the lower middle class hard," ABC's Jonathan Karl fretted Wednesday night. On CBS, Wyatt Andrews focused on "a double hit on low-income Americans" while "upper income Americans" would see their "tax rate slashed to nine percent."

4. Andrea Mitchell Lauds 'Living Legacy' of Anita Hill, Knocks Clarence Thomas
According to MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell, Clarence Thomas' accuser, Anita Hill, is a "living legacy." The cable anchor on Wednesday fawned over the woman who, 20 years ago, charged the now-Supreme Court justice with sexual harassment. At no point did she offer a tough question or challenge the honesty of Hill. Instead, Mitchell treated the Brandeis professor as a larger than life figure, wondering, "How is it to live with this, this history? You are now part of history. You have been for 20 years."

5. NBC's Curry to Left-Wing Activist and Singer Belafonte: 'Thank You For Your Life'
At the end of a fawning interview with far left activist and singer Harry Belafonte on Thursday's NBC Today, co-host Ann Curry asked about his litany of controversial comments over the years and if he ever wished he kept his "mouth shut." Belafonte claimed "many Americans shared" his radical views and that: "I handled it with dignity and a certain kind of preciseness that I've not regretted." Curry responded by wrapping up the segment and touting Belafonte's autobiography, My Song: "Well, you certainly do that in this book and what's really sweet at the end is you do talk about our best times still lying ahead and from all you've been through that is such a hopeful thing to hear from your perspective. Harry Belafonte, thank you for your life, thank you for your book and thank you for being here this morning....What a great honor."

6. Truth to Power: Al Roker Asks Michelle Obama if She Buys Toilet Paper in Bulk at Costco
In an interview with First Lady Michelle Obama that aired on Wednesday's NBC Today, weatherman Al Roker gushed over recent shopping trip to Target and wondered: "...do you sometimes miss the ability to do something like that on a regular basis?...Do you go to Costco? Do you buy a lot of toilet tissue at once?" Obama said of her shopping trips: "I do that more frequently than people realize....we try to sneak out as much as possible and it - and it helps to keep our kids' lives normal." To the challenging toilet paper question she replied: "You know, we pretty much have our supply stocked." Roker observed: "One of the perks."