Wyclef Jean’s defensive and amateurish video response to legitimate questions about his NGO, Yéle Haiti, suggests doubts about the charity are well-founded. Under fire for alleged financial improprieties and the perception he’s in over his head trying to raise funds on a massive scale for earthquake victims in Haiti, Jean simply ignored concerns about Yéle’s ability to compete with larger and more established groups such as the American Red Cross.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
When Emily Bazelon of Slate.com recently asked Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley about the Roman Polanski case, “Cooley’s deputy tried to shush him.” But the DA was apparently in no mood to remain silent.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
It’s a fallacy that there’s a morally or legally significant difference between what Robert Halderman stands accused of doing, and what agents and lawyers do all the time. Halderman had a marketable story to sell. Just because most agents and lawyers wouldn’t go to David Letterman’s house doesn’t mean that going to Letterman’s house is a criminal act. It’s not unlawful to sell a story without using an agent or a lawyer, and making a proposal to someone who might be embarrassed by the dissemination of a story isn’t prohibited.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Gary Gordon, a brilliant musician-satirist who nails it every time he takes the stage, suggested we approach The Lowdown as sort of an updated version of The Dick Cavett Show with each of our events focusing on a particular topic that changes from show to show. Even though he had fed me half a Quaalude while groping me in a hot tub just prior to making that suggestion, I really think it’s a good idea. It’s so good, in fact, that I’ve decided not to press charges, although I have no control over what the DA or Swiss authorities might choose to do.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
After she slammed Sarah Palin and her attorney, Thomas Van Flein, on The Huffington Post for threatening fellow blogger Shannyn Moore with a defamation lawsuit, Jeanne Devon (aka AKMuckraker) has so far generated almost 4000 reader comments, many of which amplify Devon’s mockery of Palin/Van Flein. But Devon’s criticism is based on a false premise, that [...]
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
During the “New Rules” segment on his HBO show last Friday night, Bill Maher blasted the Democratic Party for kowtowing to its corporate paymasters, and bemoaned the lack of real liberals on ballots and television. “And if occasionally you do get to hear Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky or Dennis Kucinich,” Maher complained, “they’re treated like [...]
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Whether it’s attributable to routine incompetence or more nefarious motives, most U.S. media organizations have been treating allegations of election fraud in Iran as statements of fact. In particular, talk radio and cable news interviewees who claim the recent presidential election was fixed, are not being asked to support their assertions even though articles published by The Washington Post, Truthdig and Politico offer compelling evidence that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the likely victor.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
In his interview with Roland Burris Wednesday, Chris Matthews conducted himself not as a fair-minded journalist but a prosecutor who believes it’s okay to conceal exculpatory evidence to win a case. Like everyone else who has been sucked in by a lynch mob mentality at Burris’s expense, Matthews simply ignored that it was completely routine for Robert Blagojevich, brother of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, to have sought a campaign contribution from Burris in a telephone conversation.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The media continues to exaggerate evidence of malfeasance on the part of Roland Burris. As if it would have been criminal for him to do what he didn’t do anyway, Monica Davey and Ann Cullotta claim in The New York Times that “Mr. Burris had promised to send a personal check” to Gov. Rod Blagojevich [...]
Sunday, January 17, 2010
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