Sophia A. McClennen

What I'm watching

Pamela Geller’s “South Park” idiocy: Satire, hatred and the right’s faith-based fear-mongering

Life imitates “South Park” but with one crucial difference: Pamela Geller wants to intensify fear, not dimininsh it

Our stunted democracy could learn from Kazakhstan: Another Bush/Clinton race doesn’t look free to the rest of the world

We act superior to countries where leaders are reelected with 97 percent. But to them we don’t look much different

Clint Eastwood, still a jerk: His new Michael Moore threat, and the GOP’s Fox News derangement problem

Eastwood denies threatening Michael Moore, then does it again. The tough-guy act’s wearing thin for his whole party

Fox News’ Rolling Stone problem: Imagine a panel investigating Bill O’Reilly’s “war stories” and Megyn Kelly’s hyperbole

We all know “fair and balanced” is a lie. As a result, their “news” isn’t held to same standard as a music magazine.

Ted Cruz Isn't an Idiot — He's Delusional and That's Far More Dangerous

Since Ted Cruz first announced his candidacy, much has been made of his chances of winning, his arrogance and his extreme conservative views. But most of the controversy over his candidacy centers on his lying.

Trevor Noah’s Fox News problem: The real challenge facing the new “Daily Show” host

His tweets aren’t the issue. To have the same political influence, here’s what Jon Stewart’s successor must do (Photo Credit: Comedy Central)

Listen up, frat boys: You are not Jon Stewart

Last week we got more news of horrible frat behavior coming on the heels of the Oklahoma fraternity scandal. This time it came in the form of a Penn State frat — Kappa Delta Rho — that allegedly operated two closed Facebook pages where members posted pictures of nude, unconscious women, drug deals, and hazing. A former member informed police about the pages and, according to the warrant, members posted comments that suggested they were well aware that the photos crossed the line.

Read the rest at Salon

Hyping Fear Is an Economic Engine of the News Business, and We All Pay the Price

Much has been made in the last few weeks of the factual nature of the news. Amidst allegations that NBC News anchor Brian Williams was less than accurate in claims about his experiences in Iraq, we now have an emerging controversy over the repeated lies of Bill O’Reilly. But the real story here is not just the decline of truth telling in television news, it’s the way that the truth has been replaced by fear.

Read the rest at Alternet