Cybercast News Service

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The Cybercast News Service (also CNSNews.com) is a conservative news website operated by the Media Research Center. It was founded on June 16, 1998 under the name "Conservative News Service"; "Conservative" was changed to "Cybercast" in 2000 after the MRC was unable to trademark the name "Conservative News Service."

Contents

[edit] Background

CNS sees its role as serving an audience which puts a "higher premium on balance than spin" by covering stories that mainstream news organizations ignore.

"In response to these shortcomings, MRC Chairman L. Brent Bozell III founded CNSNews.com in an effort to provide an alternative news source that would cover stories that are subject to the bias of omission and report on other news subject to bias by commission. CNSNews.com endeavors to fairly present all legitimate sides of a story and debunk popular, albeit incorrect, myths about cultural and policy issues." [1]

Cybercast News Service's leadership consists of president L. Brent Bozell III. Editor-in-chief David Thibault (deceased) became top editor in April 2005. He died on July 20, 2007.[2] CNS's editor from 1998-2005 was Scott Hogenson, who also worked as the chief of radio operations for the Republican National Committee in 2004.

Terence P. Jeffrey became Editor-in-chief in September 2007. Jeffrey was and remains an editor-at-large for the conservative weekly newspaper Human Events. He wrote editorials for The Washington Times from 1987-1991 and was research director for the presidential campaign of Pat Robertson in 1992. Jeffrey was Robertson's national campaign manager in his 1996 campaign.

CNS trumpets its focus on presenting news in a non-biased manner [3]. CNS's motto is "The Right News. Right now."[4]

[edit] Controversies

A July 15, 2005, CNS article claimed that Democratic strategist Paul Begala said that Republicans wanted to kill him and his family. [5] Begala vehemently denied this, claiming that when he said, "They want to kill me and my children if they can," he was referring to terrorists, not Republicans. [6] CNS refused to retract the claim, insisting that "[t]here was nothing unclear about what Begala said."[7] Then-CNS editor in chief David Thibault challenged Begala for his "unmistakable and outrageous coupling of terrorists and Republicans."[8] A January 13, 2006, CNS article assailed the military record of Democratic Rep. John Murtha, a former Marine who has heavily criticized the Iraq war. The article quoted people who were either former political opponents of Murtha or who were dead or incapacitated casting aspersions on the two Purple Hearts Murtha earned while serving in the Vietnam War.[9] The next day, the Washington Post repeated the article's allegations.[10] Critics likened the CNS article to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attacks on the war record of Democrat John Kerry during the 2004 presidential campaign as another example of conservatives attempting to discredit the military credentials of Democrats in order to blunt their criticism of the Iraq war.[11]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ History of Cybercast News Service. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  2. ^ David Thibault, RIP: Farewell to a Friend. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  3. ^ History of Cybercast News Service. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  4. ^ Main Page. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  5. ^ Ex-Clinton Aide Charges Republicans 'Want to Kill Us'. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  6. ^ Right-Wingers Don't Want to Kill Me; Just Lie About Me. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  7. ^ Begala Now Says Republicans Want to 'Lie About Us'. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  8. ^ Paul Begala Needs a Lesson in Civility. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  9. ^ Murtha's War Hero Status Called Into Question. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  10. ^ Web Site Attacks Critic of War Opponents, Question Murtha's Medals. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  11. ^ Why Do Republicans Hate America's Veterans?. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.