Throwing the book at her (7/13)

The bias Ann Coulter documents best may be her own
By Bryan Keefer

The rise of Ann Coulter's new book, Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right, to the top of the New York Times bestseller list may be a shock to some, but the controversial pundit's scathing rhetoric and outspoken conservatism have helped position her as exactly the sort of figure who sells books. More polemic than argument, "Slander" is riddled with factual errors, egregious misrepresentations and a constant stream of broad, inflammatory claims about liberals, as numerous critics have been quick to point out. Yet despite the limits of her one-sided argument, she actually offers a troubling lament for the state of our political discourse -- even as she contributes to its decline. (Click here to read the whole column.)

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7/13/2002 08:10:32 AM EST |

PR Watch Editor Sheldon Rampton criticizes "Foul Cry" -- Ben Fritz responds (7/7)

Sheldon Rampton, editor of PR Watch, criticizes Spinsanity co-editor Ben Fritz for his column "Foul Cry" in a letter to the editor. Rampton accuses Fritz of "blowing smoke" and says that in his accusations that FAIR misrepresented newspaper editorials on the attempted coup of Venzuelan President Hugo Chavez, Fritz "engages in selective quotation" and "betrays a terrible disregard for democracy and human life in Latin America." Fritz responds, arguing that his representations were accurate and that the validity of the newspapers' criticism of Chavez is irrelevant to his claim that FAIR misrepresented them. (Click here to read Rampton's entire letter and Fritz's response.)

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7/7/2002 02:28:52 PM EST |

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