2005 'Spike' List

Read about the ten most underreported news stories of 2005. If you didn’t hate the left-wing media by now, you will after this.

5. The truth about Terri Schiavo and her death. Major media organizations painted the pitched battle over the life of Terri Schiavo as a clear-cut debate between pro-life and right-to-die advocates, bankrolled by big money activist organizations on both sides. But the case of the 41-year-old brain-injured Florida woman was anything but clear cut.

Among the doubts was whether the removal of her feeding tube on March 18, which amounted to slow death by dehydration and starvation, reflected her wishes and whether she was in a "persistent vegetative state" as claimed by her husband.

Disputing the findings of the county medical examiner, a neurosurgeon who examined Schiavo before her death says the autopsy report confirms she was aware of what was going on around her.

Dr. William Hammesfahr, known as a pioneer in approaches to helping the brain injured, said to ignore the facts would "allow future Terri Schiavos to die needlessly."

"The record must be set straight," he said. "As we noted in the press, there was no heart attack, or evident reason for this to have happened (and certainly not of Terri's making). Unlike the constant drumbeat from the husband, his attorneys, and his doctors, the brain tissue was not dissolved, with a head of just spinal fluid. In fact, large areas were 'relatively preserved.'"

9. Islam's impact on French riots. The mainstream media downplayed the Islamic connection to unrest in France that began Oct. 27 with thousands of mostly French Muslims in impoverished Paris suburbs engaging in violent clashes with police as they torched cars and buildings. After 20 nights, officials gave a count of 8,973 vehicles burned, 2,888 arrests and 126 officers injured.

Analysts pointed to many factors behind the riots – including poverty, France's immigration and integration policies and French attitudes toward minorities. But some, including frequent Fox News contributor Daniel Pipes, saw a connection to the Islamist goal of gaining a foothold in Europe in its global jihad.

However, even Fox News was accused of altering its coverage to accommodate politically correct thinking. A Saudi prince who owns shares of the network claimed he persuaded Fox News chief Rupert Murdoch to change a screen banner during a broadcast that identified the unrest as "Muslim riots."