Media Matters for America

 

Matthews offers walk-and-chew-gum explanation for why media don't adequately cover McCain
On MSNBC, Chris Matthews, Tim Russert, Dan Abrams, and Rachel Maddow discussed how the media, in Matthews' words, "completely ignore [Sen.] John McCain's problems." But in purporting to explain "the way the media works," Matthews suggested that it is not possible for the media to cover both the Democratic primary and McCain adequately, asserting: "[A]s long as we focus on the fight between Hillary and Barack, and perhaps more recently just on Barack's problems, it blocks the sun -- the media, the public's attention -- from the problems that are obviously incipient and coming to be at some point with McCain." Read More

Purporting to ask "tough" questions, Matthews repeatedly failed to challenge McCain

 

Matthews: "[W]hat do you have with McCain? Integrity"
On Hardball, Chris Matthews asserted: "Look, the war's not going to be any more popular in November. It may be somewhat OK with 30, 40 percent of the people, but it's never going to be a winner. The economy's not going to be a winner. So what do you have with [Sen. John] McCain? Integrity." But Matthews did not note his own role in promoting that image of McCain, despite numerous false assertions and inconsistencies. Read More

Matthews to McCain: "[Y]ou've been a maverick and a lot of people like you because of that"

On Hardball, Russert claimed McCain has "maverick brand" with public, without noting his colleagues' role in promoting it

Matthews to McCain: "[Y]ou know you're in my heart!"

 

Matthews conflated Wright and Obama, then said they are "different faces of the same guy"
On Hardball, Chris Matthews likened the relationship between Sen. Barack Obama and his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, to "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and asserted: [E]very time you have a problem with Barack, because you don't really know him and he seems a little foreign to you, you think of -- you think of him as both these guys. They're different faces of the same guy. Jeremiah Wright, to a lot of people, is Barack Obama." Read More

Matthews touted questioning of Obama about Wright, but left out Obama's response: "I hear you say controversial things, Chris"

MSNBC hosted Obama smear-purveyor to discuss the impact of Obama's connections to Wright in North Carolina