3 hours and 53 minutes ago
Hannity falsely claims that health care bill doesn't provide immediate benefits
On March 3, Sean Hannity falsely claimed that "we're going to pay taxes on this bill what for three, four years, before the bill is even implemented." In fact, numerous benefits contained in the Senate bill would become available in the first year after the bill is enacted.
March 10, 2010 9:15 pm ET
Beck echoes absurd claim that Obama wants to ban fishing
Seizing on an absurd claim spread by right-wing blogs that President Obama wants to ban sport fishing, Glenn Beck stated on his Fox News program that Obama is attempting to prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing on some of the nation's oceans, coastal areas, and great lakes "by executive order." In fact, there is no evidence of any such order, but rather a task force which seeks to "better manage" -- not ban -- recreational fishing alongside other uses of ocean, coasts, and lakes.
March 10, 2010 6:02 pm ET
Beck absurdly claims that alternative poverty measurement would classify him as poor
Glenn Beck claimed that President Obama was drastically changing the poverty scale in a way that would effectively classify Beck as "in poverty" because other people in his community are wealthier than he is. In fact, the measurement would supplement, not replace, the poverty measurement currently in use, and it would not count Beck as poor.
March 10, 2010 4:48 pm ET
Fox smears appeals court nominee as "biased in favor of sex offenders"
Fox & Friends co-host Gretchen Carlson stated that appeals court nominee Judge Robert Chatigny "gained notoriety" for "fight[ing] the execution of convicted serial killer and rapist Michael Ross," adding that "[s]ome are concerned he may be biased in favor of sex offenders." However, an appeals court panel -- which included former Bush Attorney General Michael Mukasey -- found that Chatigny's actions in the case were "reasonable" and "not motivated by any bias."
March 10, 2010 3:54 pm ET
Hannity latest Fox News employee to defend Beck's claim that Obama is "racist"
On his Fox News show, Sean Hannity became the latest Fox News personality to defend Glenn Beck's statement that President Obama is "a racist," joining News Corp. owner Rupert Murdoch and Fox News president Roger Ailes. Discussing Beck's comments, Hannity stated, "When the president hangs out with Jeremiah Wright for 20 years, I'm -- can one conclude that there are issues with the president?"
March 10, 2010 2:21 pm ET
Thiessen falsely claims all Senate Judiciary Republicans echoed Cheney's DOJ attack ad
Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen falsely claimed that "all the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee" were asking questions similar to those posed by Liz Cheney's controversial ad campaign attacking Justice Department attorneys who previously represented terrorism detainees. In fact, Sen. Lindsey Graham -- a Republican member of the Judiciary Committee -- has joined numerous conservatives in criticizing the ad's attacks.
March 10, 2010 11:51 am ET
Right-wing media eagerly spread absurd claim that Obama plans to "ban sport fishing"
Following the lead of an ESPNOutdoors.com opinion writer, who provided no evidence for his claim that a federal strategy "could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing," right-wing blogs have advanced the outlandish charge that Obama "wants to ban sport fishing." These media outlets cited the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force's interim report on coastal and marine planning, but the task force has proposed nothing of the sort.
March 10, 2010 10:41 am ET
Thiessen brings "shameful" attacks on DOJ lawyers to Fox
Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen appeared on Fox & Friends to promote his attacks on Department of Justice lawyers who previously represented or advocated for terror suspects and other detainees. Thiessen claimed the lawyers were "trying to spring terrorists out of Guantanamo" and again distorted DOJ lawyer Jennifer Daskal's past legal arguments.
March 10, 2010 12:41 am ET
O'Reilly, Dobbs wrong that undocumented immigrants don't pay taxes
On the March 9 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly and former CNN host Lou Dobbs suggested that undocumented immigrants "dodge taxes," with O'Reilly asserting that the notion that they pay taxes is "crap." In fact, according to the Congressional Budget Office and the Social Security Administration, undocumented immigrants pay all kinds of taxes, including individual income, sales, property, and social security taxes.
March 09, 2010 6:21 pm ET
After trumpeting ethics allegations against Massa, conservative media embrace his accusations against Dem leaders
After highlighting reports last week that the House ethics committee was investigating whether former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) had sexually harassed a member of his staff, conservative media pivoted to promote Massa's subsequent claim that the Democratic leadership had orchestrated the investigation in order to force him out of office because he opposes health care reform legislation.
March 09, 2010 2:59 pm ET
Horner promotes discredited green jobs study, pushes conspiracy theory involving CAP, DOE
In a Washington Times' op-ed, Chris Horner revived a discredited study to conclude that green jobs initiatives in Spain were "economic and employment disasters." Horner also accused the Center of American Progress, the American Wind Energy Association, and the Department of Energy of coordinating "to produce an attack that would serve all their interests," ignoring news reports and the Spanish government itself that are also critical of the study.
March 09, 2010 12:08 pm ET
Fox misinforms on health care reform's immediate benefits and deficit reductions
On Fox & Friends, co-host Gretchen Carlson falsely suggested health care reform legislation contained no immediate benefits, and Fox Business Network host Stuart Varney claimed that "nobody believes" that health care reform will reduce the deficit. In fact, numerous benefits found in the Senate's bill and President Obama's proposal would begin immediately, and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has found that both the Senate and the House's legislation will reduce deficits.
March 09, 2010 11:16 am ET
WND falsely claims TSA nominee's views on diversity are "controversial"
In an attack on Gen. Robert Harding, President Obama's nominee to head the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), WorldNetDaily falsely claimed that Harding's views on the necessity for diversity hiring in the intelligence community are "controversial." In fact, numerous officials -- including President Bush -- and intelligence experts agree with Harding that diversity hiring in the intelligence community is vital to national security.
March 09, 2010 1:13 am ET
In newest column, Wash. Post's Thiessen defends witch hunt against DOJ lawyers
Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen defended the witch hunt against Justice Department attorneys who previously represented terror suspects and other detainees, falsely suggesting that criticism of the witch hunt has come only from progressives, when, in fact, conservatives have also condemned the attacks.
March 09, 2010 1:12 am ET
Hannity falsely claimed Rep. Levin has "Tax Troubles"
Fox News' Sean Hannity displayed a graphic reading "More Tax Troubles" while discussing a Roll Call article about Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI) receiving a Maryland property tax credit for which he was not eligible. In fact, Levin reportedly said he received the credit because of an error on the part of Maryland's Montgomery County and paid it back, as he reportedly did when the same error was made in 2006.
March 09, 2010 12:10 am ET
Fox's Garrett distorted CBO findings on long-term savings under Senate health bill
On the March 8 edition of Fox News' Special Report, chief White House correspondent Major Garrett falsely claimed that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) had not found projected savings under the Senate health bill to be "meaningful" in its second decade. In fact, CBO estimated that the bill would reduce the deficit in its second decade.
March 08, 2010 4:43 pm ET
Going Rove: Courage and Consequence is full of falsehoods
Karl Rove's forthcoming memoir Courage and Consequence purports to respond to critics by "putting the record straight," but Media Matters has found that Rove's book is full of falsehoods. Below is an ongoing list of Rove's misinformation in the book, which Media Matters obtained in advance of its scheduled release.
March 08, 2010 3:23 pm ET
EXCLUSIVE: Rove distorts Senate report to claim Bush didn't "lie us into war"
In his forthcoming book, which Media Matters obtained in advance of its release date, Karl Rove misrepresents a Senate report to argue that President Bush did not "lie us into war" and that Bush's attempts to link Iraq to Al Qaeda were supported by available intelligence. The report actually found that Bush made statements about Iraq and Al Qaeda that were not supported -- and were even "contradicted" -- by intelligence.
March 08, 2010 1:13 pm ET
Conservative media cast Democrats as "suicide bombers" in push for health care reform
Reacting to progress on health care reform legislation, conservative media figures have repeatedly referred to President Obama and Democratic officials as "health care suicide bombers" and characterized their efforts to pass a bill as "a kamizake mission" and "political suicide missions."
March 08, 2010 11:40 am ET
WSJ fails to disclose conflict of interest in health care op-ed
The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by radiologist Mark E. Klein criticizing President Obama over the Medicare board's decision not to cover virtual colonoscopies. But Klein performs virtual colonoscopies at his Washington, D.C.-area practice, and the Journal did not disclose his interest in whether Medicaid covers them.
