Caveat lector

December 31: A year—and a puzzling era—are over. We offer some quotes for review.
December 30: Are you sure the Raelies are wrong? Then try to explain David Broder.

December 23: Tapped sent Straw Men off to war. Incomparably, THE HOWLER taps back.
December 20: Part 4: Why did “good guy” pundits sleep? Citizens should demand explanations.
December 19: Part 3: When pundits describe the 2000 race, there’s something they know to leave out.
December 18: Part 2: The press corps booed and jeered at Gore. Your “good-guy” pundits didn’t tell you.
December 17: Part 1: Why did those “good guys” stay so silent? We start an incomparable series.
December 16: TAPPED fights back against our blundering. We pen an incomparable reply.

December 14: Rush can dissemble as much as he likes. He knows that Howard Kurtz will stay silent.
December 13: This week your pundits are all chasing Lott. Last week, they couldn't care less.
December 12: E. D. Hill slimed a favorite target. Anyone seen Howard Kurtz?
December 11: Why won’t Lott praise desegregation? Where on earth is liberal bias when the answer to this isn’t clear?
December 10: Pundits tried to ignore what a solon said. Then they all raced to condemn it.
December 9: Pundits are screaming about liberal bias. We found it—missing in action.

December 7: An e-mailer challenged our Woodruff-bashing. From us, an incomparable reply.
December 6: Pundits knew how to spin the pop quiz. And look who their talking-points came from!
December 4: With his latest on Senator Kerry, Mickey Kaus becomes a full circus clown.
December 3: No one said Boo about Gore’s remark. Then, the RNC spin-points arrived!
December 2: Russert pushed them RNC points. Somebody go wake Fred Barnes!

November 29: Al Gore said the sky was blue. And an outraged Jeff Birnbaum said, “Bunk!”
November 27: Hume’s pundits had never heard of Myers and Tenet. They knew it was news they should lose.
November 26: Tenet and Myers made troubling statements. Your courtiers refuse to discuss them.
November 25: There’s a word for Rich’s column on Gore. Readers know that word. Frank Rich was lying.

November 23: Will Gore be tagged as a reinventer? The answer lies with Nagourney—and with Balz.
November 22: Limbaugh savaged “Tokyo Tom.” Brokaw and Kurtz left that out.
November 21: Brian and Howard found a way to spin Gore. Just try to believe that they said it.
November 20: Scarborough’s statement is blindingly obvious. But your pundit corps knows not to bark.
November 19: Gore is bitter, the Fox all-stars said. So Fineman recited it too.
November 18: The fight for the soul of the press corps is on as Target One heads back on stage.

November 15: Four easy lessons on current spin culture. With notes on The Dean—and the Carlsons.
November 14: Does David Broder even know who he is? The Dean reinvents once again.
November 13: Did “issues” really decide the election? We hold a simpler view: Spin wins.
November 12: Why did voters vote as they did? Analysts should go where they seldom do—inside the world of talk radio.
November 11: The cable nets prize those angry viewers. Jerry Nachman knew just how to get them.

November 8: We parse Dean Broder’s slick take on the facts. And Tailgunner Chris takes down Wellstone.
November 7: Why are Dems so timid with tax cuts? Dionne knows—but he won’t seem to tell.
November 6: The last time Cornyn made national news, your “press corps” knew just how to play it.
November 5: Russert’s “experts” limned the Maryland race. How can these dudes be so clueless?
November 4: E-mailers respond to the Horton Canard—and at Fox, Alan Colmes fights back.

November 1: Dissembling Sean played the Horton Card. Behind that, there lies a long story.
October 31: In Minnesota, Rick Kahn went over the top. In Washington, the lies quickly started.
October 30: Will the press be troubled by Newt’s misstatement? Recent history says they won’t care.
October 29: When Fred Barnes speaks, Clarence Page listens. It’s too bad Fred’s claims are so bogus.
October 28: Did media “profilers” blame the White Man? The evidence is—alas!—hard to find.

October 25: How to spin the sniper story? Why not invent racial stories?
October 24: Richard Cohen goes after the prez today. But check him out back when it counted.
October 23: The cable “news” nets love the sniper story—so much that they won’t do their jobs.
October 22: Milbank corrects some misstatements today. Historically, they’ve been allowed.
October 21: Wasting time with worthless “experts,” Meet the Press showed us what the corps lacks

October 19: Pundits! What about the RNC? What exactly do you dare to say about the RNC’s conduct and motives?
October 17: Tim Noah issued a semi-retraction. We emitted a low, mordant chuckle.
October 16: Worthless “experts” debate the sniper—and Iraq quickly gets a back seat.
October 15: War was Peace and Truth was Falsehood when Kristol limned Bush for the Post.

October 11: What are the facts about U.N. inspections? On Crossfire, the boys didn’t care.
October 10: The Post is puzzled by Senator Kerry. Therein lies an ancestral tale.
October 9: The doctor is IN as a pandering pundit plays shrink in this morning’s WashPost
October 8: Andrew Sullivan just keeps on spinnin.’ At the Post, Krauthammer does too.
October 7: Will Saletan thinks we done him wrong. And Eric Alterman lays out some cold facts

October 3: Kerry offered a nuanced discussion. Why can’t our pundits do likewise?
October 2: Will pundits ever stop their clowning? Let’s take a look at the record
October 1: Even in the face of a dangerous war, your pundits just won’t stop their clowning.
September 30: Rush is scripting the news, E. J. said. And the Generals lost an unlikely star.

September 27: Can we function with seals instead of a press corps? Brit’s crew wants to help you find out.
September 26: What Gore said was perfectly accurate. But Brit Hume told a story he liked.
September 25: Al Gore made a naughty claim. Your pundits dissected his motives.
September 23: Why have we stuck with the Shoney’s tale? It helps show how your press corps now functions.

September 20: It’s now clear that the students were falsely charged. Will the press corps pursue this new story?
September 18: Most likely, Eunice Stone behaved in good faith. Who didn’t? Your cable press corps.
September 16: What happened at Shoney’s? The corps didn’t know. So they told you the story they liked.

September 13: Why are conservatives having more fun? It's fun when there's no opposition.
September 12: Keller said the Globe was “usually dependable.” But why would a pundit think that?
September 11: Pundits base sweeping judgments on total trivia. Remember Gore’s troubling polo shirts?
September 10: Kerry has “character flaws,” TNR said. Evidence? He likes to play show tunes!!
September 9: Keller seemed to retract his comments on Kerry. But why did he make them at all?

September 6: A War of Words is being proposed. Let’s hope that the press takes a pass
September 5: Two pundits spoke on the NEA flap. But big pundits knew to stay silent.

August 28: The NEA “hates America,” Carlson said. It all spiraled downward from there.
August 27: The Times concocted an ugly hoax. On CNN, pundits read from the script.
August 26: The WashTimes slandered the NEA. Your pundits, bought off, just don’t care.

August 23: The American discourse has become a sick joke. On Imus, Margaret Carlson splained why.
August 22: Some say the press corps is just like pro wrestling. For us, another great act comes to mind.
August 21: Tony Blankley's lies about Gore insult the American public interest.
August 20: Where did the Times find its Slander reviewer? Repping for Bush’s campaign.
August 19: The L. A. Times bungled as it praised Coulter’s book. And guess where they found their reviewer…

August 16: Berke borked Bush in March 2000. Last Friday, he Kept Spin Alive.
August 15: Pundits trash Gore his heinous debates. But it ain’t what they said in real time.
August 14: You too can type a Standard Press Story. Just stick to these three simple rules.
August 13: Josh Marshall wrote on the press after all. But we still ask incomparable questions.
August 12: Two scribes finally admit that the corps borked Gore. But where were these scribes in real time?

August 9: Your press corps is happiest working from scripts. The Post's E. R. Shipp limned it nicely.
August 8: Cal Thomas checked into a fancy hotel, recalling the corps’ dumbest moment.
August 7: “They hate Gore,” Mickey Kaus deftly said. So they struggled to make Gore a liar.
August 6: Major scribes borked Gore in New Hampshire. Once again, other scribes didn’t tell
August 5: Gore was borked throughout the campaign. The “good guys” in the press never noticed

August 2: The Washington press corps is still borking Gore. They’ll tell you odd tales. Do be careful
August 1: The press has new, pleasing tales about Campaign 2000. Be careful about these slick stories
July 31: Why did Sullivan speak for McGowan? Simple. They’re from the same tribe
July 30: McGowan’s book is rife with spin. So why did one mullah approve it?
July 29: What should the culture of Blogistan be? It’s run now by sultans and mullahs.

July 26: Coulter’s book is a fake and a fraud. Do timorous scribes dare to tell?
July 25: A nasty book which defies belief makes us ask if we have any standards.
July 24: Barnicle asked the perfect question when he interviewed Coulter.
July 23: Coulter dissembles right to the end. Check out her final presentation.
July 22: The NYT praised Coulter’s footnotes. It should have looked a few up.

July 20: Mickey Kaus was surely funnin’ when he said “Coulter 1, Couric 0.”
July 19: Indulging in some consummate clowning, Sullivan calls us a “leftist.”
July 18: Readers want tall tales about Bush. We recommend two easy pieces.
July 17: Couric v. Coulter: The facts
July 16: Milbank says routine dissembling has gotten the press corps’ goat.
July 15: Coulter loves inventing examples in which “the left” yells “airhead.”

July 12: Coulter baldly misleads readers throughout her laughable book.
July 11: Coulter’s dissembling starts on page one, with the very first claim in her book.
July 10: When will serious folks in the press take notice of Coulter’s bad problem?
July 9: Christopher Caldwell didn’t play nice in his review of Slander.
July 8: Clinton was slimed by bad-faith reporting. The press shouldn’t make it a habit.

July 5: Jules Witcover’s latest well-scripted column seems to support Men in Black.

[6 week break, followed by older archive format]

SOCIAL SECURITY SOMNOLENCE WATCH! Once again, Soc Sec is up for review. Will the press corps again try to nap?

Our current howler (part I): (05/14/02)
Social Security will drive the campaign, Lambro says. And Bush’s plan has an upside: free money.

Our current howler (part II): (05/15/02)
There were ways to examine the candidate's plan. The press made a point to avoid them.

Our current howler (EXTRA): (05/15/02)
We live in very stupid times. Ann Coulter finds a new way to prove it.

Our current howler (part III): (05/17/02)
Bush’s basic pitch had a great big problem. And guess what? The corps didn’t care.

Our current howler (part IV): (05/20/02)
Did pundits fashion a great debate? Howard Fineman reviewed Bush and Gore’s wardrobes!

NOW HE TELLS US! Bruni’s book describes some election highlights. They were unfit to print in the Times:

Our current howler (part I): (03/18/02)
When Bush broke down at that first debate, Frank Bruni said that he might be pretending!

Our current howler (part II): (03/20/02)
Seelye stalked Gore, and Bruni puffed Bush. One example? Let's follow the money.

THIS JUST IN! LATEST TANGERINE BIAS ALERTS! Pious pamphleteers can always find ways to flog that ol’ debbil, liberal bias:

Our current howler (part I): (03/08/02)
The Washington Times is wracked with liberal bias—and Andrew Sullivan knows how you can prove it.

Our current howler (part II): (03/12/02)
The American way of life has been challenged. But whose side is John Leo on?

WHERE ARE STANDARDS? When our newspapers take their facts from Drudge, we’re forced to ask this: Where are standards?

Our current howler (part I): (02/27/02)
In Afghanistan, women are dropping the burqa. At home, some are putting it on.

Our current howler (part II): (03/01/02)
Bernie Goldberg—all wet again—swore that he doesn’t need data.

Our current howler (part III): (03/04/02)
How easy is it to yell "liberal bias?" A blast from the past tells the tale.

Our current howler (part IV): (03/06/02)
Michael Grunwald—getting it right—creates what should be a new standard.

DAYS OF THE LOCUSTS! God sent insects to plague the Egyptians. But why is our nation now afflicted?

Our current howler (part I): (02/18/02)
Jack Germond still plays the shrink. Why is our land so afflicted?

Our current howler (part II): (02/20/02)
Richard Berke made the facts fit his tale. And he played a sweet song for the White House.

Our current howler (part III): (02/22/02)
Richard Berke typed a very strange tale. Sean Hannity then churned propaganda.

Our current howler (part IV): (02/25/02)
The Lay-in-the-Lincoln-Bedroom lie helps instruct us in where spin comes from.

BUDGET BUMPKINS! When budget battles start shaping up, the wranglers start running the herd:

Our current howler (part I): (02/05/02)
Cattle, bring yourselves in by the barn. Bruce Bartlett has something to tell you!

Our current howler (part II): (02/07/02)
Sullivan challenged Krugman on substance. Maybe insults are what he does best.

Our current howler (part III): (02/11/02)
The secret of Sullivan’s attacks on Krugman takes us back to October 2000.

Our current howler (part IV): (02/13/02)
It’s long past time for the press corps to act. But will they have enough courage to do it?

WHEN BERNIE MET MARVIN! Bernie Goldberg sat down with Marvin Kalb. There were signs that each pundit was faking:

Our current howler (part I): (01/30/02)
Poor Bernie! A disconsolate author just couldn’t imagine how Kinsley could be so unfeeling.

Our current howler (part II): (02/01/02)
Bernie loves flogging that Jennings Moment. Here’s what actually happened.

Our current howler (part III): (02/02/02)
Marvin swore there’s no "liberal bias." Like Bernie, he’s faking it too.

PLEASE DON’T TAX THE CATTLE! With a big conservative crack-up coming, the herders spoke down to the cattle:

Our current howler (part I): (01/24/02)
Even we were surprised by the way Michael Reagan talked down to the cattle.

Our current howler (part II): (01/26/02)
Bruce Bartlett speaks English—it’s his native tongue. So he knew what Uncle Ted had suggested.

Our current howler (part III): (01/29/02)
It’s worth reviewing what Daschle said—because the wranglers, just that fast, started lying.

BOLLIX WATCH! If you thought we were kidding about Andrew Sullivan, get a load of his latest disaster:

Our current howler: (01/18/02)
Hay-yo! Andrew Sullivan, bollixed again, slammed Larry Klayman—for liberal bias!

CATTLE CALL! Bernie Goldberg’s a hit on the talk-show right. But his book is a big comic mess:

Our current howler (part I): (01/10/02)
At first, we shook our fists in the air. But then, we looked up Bernie’s cites.

Our current howler (part II): (01/12/02)
According to Bernie, a piece in the Times was bashing "males." We looked it up. It was all about insects!

Our current howler (part III): (01/14/02)
Bernie slams one piece by Engberg. But time out! He ignores all the rest.

Our current howler (part IV): (01/16/02)
Andrew Sullivan—swooning and bollixed—displayed some illiberal bias.