Cover important issues that impact large numbers of people
or our nation as a whole, and are not being covered. These might include the growing gap between the rich and poor or declining education, and the impact these have on vast segments of the population, or our economy or competitive standing in the world. Don't Cover or dwell on unimportant Topics. more »close
Ask the next logical question. Resist superficial or stalemated
coverage of issues. If competing assertions or data exists, resolve them by asking questions and seeking the correct interpretation of answers. When a question asked is not answered, re-ask it. If it is repeatedly dodged, recognize that at close. more »close
Cite the basis of a claim. When interviewing opposing experts or
polititians, it is impossible to know who is right without identifying or examining the data underlying their respective claims. Doing so holds them accountable. If known data exists that conflicts with a claim, state it and ask for a response. more »close
Focus on covering issues well. Do not discuss strategy or politics
or, in the case of campaigns, the 'horse race', unless that is expressly the topic being covered. When interviewing experts, stick to expertise only of the person. That is what they are there for. more »close
Do not equate two events, statements or other phenomena
as similar or of equal importance if they are not. Identify arguments and choices that are based on false comparisons or equivalencies, and reject them as such. Contradiction and Double Standard are other rules that fall under this class of logic inconsistency. more »close
Enter the report, news show, date, reporter and ATD Rule violation, or just use your own words to Call Them Out.
Your Call Outs! (& mine)
Tonight, Judy Woodruff of News Hour asked former Attorney General (under Pres. George W. Bush) Mike Mukasey about the legality of Trump's quest for foreign investigation of Joe Biden (a political rival) & his son, Hunter. Mukasey said: ~"Presidents have been [asking] foreign leaders for aid in their reelection campaigns for decades." I wish Woodruff had Asked the Question: "What kind of aid?" She did ask if Bush did it. (An incensed reply of ~"No!") mimiv (admin) 10/3/19
In response to a question about the Ukraine call whistleblower's identity, President Trump referred to the wb as ~"reporting things incorrectly." The White House Press Corp should have asked him to Cite the Basis for that. The video made the rounds on cable shows & was fact checked to be untrue using the White House's own transcript of the call, but the WHPC continues to pass up opportunities to press Trump, directly, on his statements. This isn't rocket science, media! mimiv (admin) 10/1/19
In the intro to his 60 Minutes "Impeachment Inquiry" story, Scott Pelley inserted the opinion: "It appears Washington will be immobilized by this the 13 months before election day." Mr. Pelley, the candidates say they can 'walk & chew gum at the same time', and there will be other news events happening. Your job is to cover all of that! Focus on Issues, Not Politics, please. mimiv (admin) 9/30/19
On the flip side of the previous call out (Trump's accusation of corruption by the Bidens, below) is the news media's (CNN & MSNBC) own Sin of Omission in not covering what Hunter Biden's work as a board member for Ukrainian gas company Burisma actually entailed. It's not enough for the media to, over and over again, simply dismiss Trump's accusation as "unsubstantiated". When an event is important enough to start an impeachment inquiry, cover it fully! Omitting one side of a story opens the door to claims of Fake News. mimiv (admin) 9/25/19
To President Trump's repeated claim of corruption by Joe Biden & his son Hunter in relation to their involvement in the Ukraine, the White House Press Corp should demand Trump Cite the Basis of that claim. The news outlets should, similarly, do so when they replay those clips. Cite the Basis is the simplest, most direct way to send a message to people in power that verification of claims like this is mandatory. It should be used as often as necessary. mimiv (admin) 9/25/19
This is a minor call out, but it really bugs me when 60 Minutes advertises reruns as "new", when all that's new is a short update at the end of each story. If you Mischaracterize the content on your own show promo, that doesn't exactly inspire confidence in your journalistic integrity now, does it? mimiv (admin) 9/24/19
A little late in posting this but I couldn't believe it when neither CNN nor MSNBC even mentioned Andrew Yang in their post-second-debate analysis, which lasted over an hour. Completely ignoring a presidential candidate in this manner is a MAJOR Sin of Omission. Hey, try to remember, media, we're picking the winner, not you. mimiv (admin) 9/24/19
On News Hour, David Brooks referred to the backing of a carbon tax by several Democratic candidates as "a big breakthrough". Though acknowledging the tax's support by both right & left economists, he added "no politician ever says that 'cuz taxing this stuff is very politically unpopular". I'm calling a Sin of Omission in his failing to mention the Carbon Dividend Act (introduced in Jan.) that pays dividends back to the public, thereby neutralizing the tax! Also, the bill had bipartisan support (though only 1 Repub). mimiv (admin) 9/6/19
Speaking about gun violence on the News Hour, Aug. 19, Pres. Trump said: “I don’t want people to forget that this is a mental health problem.” Mr. Trump: please Cite the Basis for that claim. The NYT reports only “1 in 5 mass murders shows evidence of psychosis”. mimiv (admin), 8/20/19
“Call Out” to the moderators of both Democratic primary debates for failing to push the major contenders on specific climate change plans. This is a leading – probably THE leading – issue we face. KV 8/15/19