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Conservatives to media: Leave Beck alone!

October 06, 2009 7:39 pm ET by Terry Krepel

Conservatives have been all excited about right-wing investigative journalism coming from the likes of Andrew Breitbart. They're less excited, however, when the investigative eye is trained on one of their own.

Last week, we highlighted reporting noting that the record does not necessarily support Glenn Beck's longtime claim that his mother committed suicide when he was a teenager -- in fact, there is a possibility that her death may have been an accident. We made no editorial comment about it but merely noted what had been reported.

But that was too much for some. At NewsReal, the group blog at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Kathy Shaidle was unhappy that we committed such a horrible act, going on to falsely suggest that we claimed "Glenn Beck is modeling his life and career on that of fellow Washingtonian... Kurt Cobain." (Shaidle also asserted that "billionaire leftist" George Soros "bankrolls Media Matters." He doesn't.)

Meanwhile, NewsBusters' Jeff Poor uncritically repeats Beck's "impassioned plea to stop looking into his past," noting that "the McClatchy-owned The News Tribune of Tacoma, Wash. and the left-leaning Salon.com ran stories questioning whether or not Glenn Beck's mother, Mary Beck committed suicide. It was later propagated by the left-wing storefronts." The "left-wing storefronts" remark links to Media Matters. Doesn't that make Poor's employer, the Media Research Center, a "right-wing storefront"?

Poor seems to be missing the point. Isn't a person's demand that the media stop looking into him a red alert that the media should be looking even more? If Beck has nothing to hide, why is he acting like he does? And why don't conservatives want anyone to know?

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    • Author by mustardman (October 06, 2009 8:18 pm ET)
        2
      Perhaps they are afraid what we will find. These rumors that Glenn Beck raped and murdered a girl in 1990 are starting to sound more and more credible.
      http://gb1990.com/
      Report Abuse
    • Author by pete592 (October 06, 2009 10:26 pm ET)
      1  
      How about we leave his mom alone?

      Of all the lies and alleged lies Beck has told, this one I could really care less about.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by DAWUSS (October 06, 2009 11:19 pm ET)
        1
      LEAVE BECK ALONE! HE'S HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME RIGHT NOW!

      ...


      ...


      OK, so I can't fill out the rest of the material...
      Report Abuse
    • Author by fabucat58 (October 06, 2009 11:19 pm ET)
      2  
      The reason that Beck perpetuates the lie that his mom committed suicide is he wants us to feel sorry for him. It also is indicative of Beck's embellishment of the truth.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by TwainShallMeet (October 07, 2009 12:14 am ET)
      1  
      I am commenting from Canada, and there is concern here at least among the progressive political community, that the American Right winged style of knock em down and drag em out Politics threatens to infest our political climate.

      I stand in Awe of America's self destructive tolerance of Glenn Beck among others. Nothing that comes from his mouth is grounded in any facts that I can verify. I can not think of anything that he stands for that is Good for America.

      If you do not already know this, our Current Prime Minister, Stephen Harper has strong ties to Evangelical Right wing elements here in Canada and many of us are loathe to admit the unfailing admiration he had and probably still has for your former Leader George Dubya. Like Dubya, Harper is a Big Oil kinda guy. He is not a very intelligent man but he makes due by manipulating and taking advantage of the mind boggling naevety and simplicity of his Flock.

      Faith based Politics is a destructive force, that can only be fought by increasing the number of Voters who turn out to actually vote against it's absurdities. In Canada Harper survives this by Claiming that the left is so similar to him as an alternative, that there is nothing to be achieved by supporting them. He then relies on his Faith based, Followers to get out and vote. and since nothing seems to sway them, this can and has been very effective for him.

      I am amazed at how the Right, Beck included, have been able to so successfully vilify ACORN, who have been given the thankless task among others of registering voters who are among the most underprivileged members of American society. The Work they do is seen as a noble cause to Many, but seen as an enemy of the state by the Right.

      I do not mean to ramble, but Just knowing that men like Beck have such sway over a Nation in need of Reason, is a difficult Reality to Endure and it seems an unreasonable consequence of the American Right's insistance that Opinion does not need to be grounded in Reality.

      Reason will prevail only when fewer are fooled by the smoke and mirrors that is the current Politics of the Right.

      Glenn Beck is more to be pitied than laughed at, and I can only hope that America can see him as he really is, a small minded man with a very unhealthy agenda before he and his Flock do permanent damage to America's Future as a Democracy.

      In a more perfect world Beck would be seen as from some other world. He sure does not make me feel more secure in this one.

      Keep up the Good work.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by teabaggers ♥ [wing]NUTS (October 07, 2009 4:04 am ET)
      1  
      *baby voice* aww poor bwecky whecky cant dwefend himswelf against the evil libwels?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by overmars jr. (October 07, 2009 7:10 am ET)
         
      I'm sorry... did Glenn beck just ask everyone to ignore looking into his past in order to go looking into the past of other people?

      What color is the sky in RepubliconWorld?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by wesley (October 07, 2009 8:30 am ET)
        1
      -- Shaidle also asserted that "billionaire leftist" George Soros "bankrolls Media Matters." He doesn't -- mmfa

      Ok...then who does bankroll mmfa?

      -- If Beck has nothing to hide, why is he acting like he does? And why don't conservatives want anyone to know? -- mmfa

      OK...if mmfa has nothing to hide, why are they acting like they do? And why don't liberals want anyone to know?
      Report Abuse
      • Author by walstib (October 07, 2009 8:41 am ET)
        1  
        Cracker, please!
        Report Abuse
      • Author by bintx (October 07, 2009 12:47 pm ET)
           
        MMFA has produced the documentation which lists who "bankrolls" its site numerous times. They have presented it to Bill O'Reilly, it has been made public and it's NOT George Soros. That's a lie perpetrated by O'REilly. I'm sure that if you will look on this site, you will find the information which you seek. If not, MMFA will happily provide it for you as they have REPEATEDLY.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by sonnyjames (October 07, 2009 8:52 am ET)
         
      QFT....Walstib..
      Report Abuse
    • Author by kydem09 (October 07, 2009 10:22 am ET)
        1
      Regardless of what anyone thinks of Beck, his mother and the manner of her death should be off limits. I think it's in extremely poor taste and beneath anyone's dignity to bring her into this.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by all your eyes (October 07, 2009 11:16 am ET)
           
        He brought her into this by lying about her cause of death. It's public record.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by bintx (October 07, 2009 12:50 pm ET)
           
        Tell Beck. He's the one who has used his mother's "suicide" on his radio program over and over and over again for sympathy. The problem is that it wasn't suicide, it happened when he was 15 and not 13, and he was no longer living in his bucolic hometown when it occurred [another false feature of his story]. The first time I heard Beck tell this story on the radio, I felt sorry for him . . . now, it repulses me because he is USING a false story of his mother's death to gain sympathy. I mean, the man is LYING about his mother's death. That's disgusting.
        Report Abuse

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