The Watchdog with David Bozell

You may have noticed I haven't been on camera as much over the past week or so. That's because I managed to burst a blood vessel in my eye. The good news is I'm perfectly fine. The bad news is I've been doing a decent Bob Costas 2014 Olympics impression.

Rather than give America's media another distraction to talk about, I've asked several members of our outstanding team to handle television appearances surrounding MRC's FCC petition challenging ABC's broadcast licenses. They've done a terrific job.

Ironically, stepping back from the cameras has given me a chance to reflect on why this work matters in the first place.

Rush Limbaugh once said, "I love America. I wish everybody did."

Rush understood that the deepest divide in American life isn't simply about taxes, spending, or elections. It's about whether you believe America is fundamentally good and worth defending.

Most Americans do. The same cannot be said for much of the national media.

A new Gallup poll found that just 14% of Democrats say they are extremely proud to be American. Spend any amount of time watching the corporate press, and that number is hardly surprising. Too many newsrooms see America primarily through the lens of its failures while treating its achievements as an inconvenience.

Their criticism goes well beyond holding the powerful accountable. It too often becomes contempt for the country itself.

Frankly, I wish exposing this anti-Americanism weren't part of MRC's mission.

A healthy republic shouldn't need an organization dedicated to documenting the media’s hate for the republic. A responsible press should hold itself accountable. But that isn't the world we live in. If Americans are going to understand why confidence in the media has collapsed, someone has to preserve the evidence.

For nearly four decades, MRC has done exactly that. We've built an archive of more than 1.1 million hours of broadcast news, creating a record that no one else possesses. When journalists deny what they've said or attempt to rewrite history, we have the receipts.

That's why MRC today released Media's Worst Anti-American Outbursts, highlighting 27 revealing moments in which prominent media figures expressed open disdain for the country they claim to cover.

Among them:

• Melissa Harris-Perry (MSNBC): July 4 is about "imperialism, genocide, slavery."
• Chris Hayes (MSNBC): Said he is "uncomfortable" calling fallen veterans "heroes."
• Marc Lamont Hill (CNN): Standing for the National Anthem is an "affirmation of the American empire."
• Neil Genzlinger (The New York Times): Flag waving is "sometimes a cousin to intolerance."
• Elie Mystal (The Nation): America is a "rogue state"... "we are the bad guys on the world stage."
• Sunny Hostin (ABC): America is a "sick" and "racist" country.

This is the work MRC performs every day. Not because we enjoy cataloging the media's failures, but because no one else has the archive, the consistency, or the institutional commitment to expose them.

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, we'll continue doing what we've done for nearly 40 years: defending the truth about a nation that has done more to advance freedom and human flourishing than any other in history. America deserves an honest press. Until it has one, the Media Research Center will continue holding the existing one accountable.

Take it easy,

David Bozell
President