February 07, 2012 11:54 pm ET
Hannity's "War On Religion" Campaign Undermined By Catholic Support For Contraception Coverage
Continuing a Fox News campaign to portray President Obama as anti-Christian, Sean Hannity claimed the administration's requirement that insurers cover contraception for women was part of a "war on religion." That criticism is undermined by the fact that a majority of Catholics believe insurance policies should cover contraceptives.
February 07, 2012 3:42 pm ET
Right-Wing Media Aren't Concerned About Helping The Poor, But They Sure Want To Help The Rich
As income disparities continue to increase, and the effective tax rate paid by the rich remains at historic lows, right-wing media figures work hard to make sure none of that changes. They routinely attack the poor and programs designed to assist them, while simultaneously extolling the rich and defending them against any attempt to get them to pay their fair share of taxes.
February 07, 2012 10:35 am ET
CBS To Receive Award From Fringe Group At CPAC
CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson is set to receive a journalism award at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference from Accuracy in Media, a right-wing group with a long history of promoting anti-gay views and conspiracy theories. Attkisson -- the first reporter from a mainstream news outlet to receive AIM's annual award -- has produced some notably bad journalism over the past year, particularly on the topics of clean energy and vaccines.
February 06, 2012 1:43 pm ET
Still Wrong: Right-Wing Media Continue To Dismiss Jobs Report With Discredited Attack
Following the news that the unemployment rate fell in January from 8.5 percent to 8.3 percent, right-wing media have continued to claim that a routine Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) adjustment to jobs data, based on the 2010 census, means that "1.2 million people dropped out of the labor force" in January. In fact, experts say that claim is "simply wrong" and reflects a misreading of the BLS report.
February 03, 2012 10:52 pm ET
Right-Wing Media Rely On Discredited Evidence To Dismiss Positive Jobs Report
Right-wing media are rushing to put a negative spin on newly released jobs numbers showing a drop in the unemployment rate and a net increase in jobs by parroting the discredited claim that government data show that "1.2 million people dropped out of the labor force" last month. In fact, as economic experts have explained, that number reflected an increase in population from 2010 Census figures and is not the result of how many people "dropped out" of the labor force last month.
February 03, 2012 12:55 pm ET
Planned Parenthood's Effort To Fight All Types Of Cancer Still Under Attack
Following the controversy surrounding Susan G. Komen for the Cure's initial announcement that it would end its relationship with Planned Parenthood, right-wing media have tried to downplay Planned Parenthood's efforts to fight cancer, claiming that Planned Parenthood doesn't provide mammograms and does "nothing to prevent breast cancer." But this ignores the numerous cancer-related services Planned Parenthood annually provides to women -- including more than 1.5 million cancer screenings and preventative services in 2010 -- such as breast exams, mammogram referrals, and screenings for other types of cancer; moreover, contrary to right-wing claims, some Planned Parenthood clinics do indeed provide mammograms.
February 02, 2012 2:38 pm ET
Obama's Mortgage Relief Plan Is Immediately Attacked By The Right-Wing Media
President Obama recently outlined his proposal that would give millions of homeowners a chance to save thousands of dollars annually by refinancing their mortgages at a lower interest rate even if their homes are currently underwater. The right-wing media immediately went on the attack, claiming that Obama's mortgage relief plan is a political stunt being used to "pander" to voters during an election year.
February 02, 2012 12:01 am ET
The Hannity Challenge: How To Make The Case That The Economy Is Improving
Sean Hannity pushed the myth that President Obama has made the economy worse, arguing that you could not "make the case" that it has improved during Obama's watch. In fact, when Obama took office, he inherited an economy that was shrinking faster than it had in 50 years and that had lost 2 million jobs in 3 months; by contrast, the economy is now growing and added 1.9 million private sector jobs last year.
February 01, 2012 6:05 pm ET
Conservative Media Repeat Tabloid's Climate Misinformation
After the British tabloid Daily Mail published a flawed article that distorted climate research to claim we could be "heading for a mini ice age," conservative media followed suit. In fact, the study did not project a decline in global temperatures.
February 01, 2012 1:59 pm ET
Right-Wing Media Cheer Decision That Could Hinder Access To Breast Cancer Services For Thousands Of Women
Right-wing media have applauded Susan G. Komen for the Cure's decision to stop providing funds to Planned Parenthood. But Komen's decision could affect access to breast cancer screenings and other cancer-related services for thousands of women, as the Komen funds have allowed Planned Parenthood to provide 170,000 breast exams and 6,400 mammogram referrals in the past five years.
January 31, 2012 5:34 pm ET
Bogeyman: Fox News Attacks Progressives With Fantasy Version Of Saul Alinsky
Fox News personalities have repeated numerous falsehoods about activist Saul Alinsky, including that he was a "Marxist" and that he dedicated his book Rules for Radicals "to Lucifer." Fox has used this false image of Alinsky to attack President Obama and other progressives.
January 31, 2012 2:06 pm ET
Fox Regularly Uses The "Racial Code Words" Denounced By Fox's Juan Williams
Fox News contributor Juan Williams recently wrote that "[t]he language of GOP racial politics is heavy on euphemisms that allow the speaker to deny any responsibility for the racial content of his message," citing such phrases as "entitlement society," "food stamp president," and "amnesty" for undocumented immigrants. But this language is not contained to GOP candidates; Williams' colleagues at Fox News routinely employ or echo these "racial code words."
January 31, 2012 1:43 pm ET
Don't Believe Fox's Hype: Ener1 Enjoys Bipartisan Support And Is Not "Another Solyndra"
Fox News figures have been hyping the bankruptcy filing of high-tech battery manufacturer Ener1, blaming President Obama for its financial problems and claiming the case is "another Solyndra," referring to a solar panel company that went bankrupt last year. But experts have said the case is "no Solyndra," and in blaming Obama for Ener1's bankruptcy, Fox is ignoring a history of GOP support for the company -- including from Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, to whom Fox recently gave lavish praise.
January 30, 2012 12:41 pm ET
The Journal Hires Dentists To Do Heart Surgery
After reportedly rejecting a climate change essay by 255 members of the National Academy of Sciences in 2010, the Wall Street Journal has published a flawed op-ed by 16 scientists and engineers instructing public officials not to fight manmade global warming. But most of these individuals do not actually conduct climate research, and their credibility is further undermined by the misleading and unscientific arguments presented in the op-ed.
January 30, 2012 8:52 am ET
Right-Wing Media Have Been Beating The Drums Of "Class Warfare" For Years
Despite a long history of scapegoating lower-income families and those in need, media conservatives continuously attack President Obama's proposals by shouting "class warfare." In fact, the majority of Americans support reforms that would address systematic inequality.
January 27, 2012 2:33 pm ET
Fox Breathlessly Attempts To Smear Obama As Anti-Catholic
Fox figures have suggested that President Obama is anti-Catholic or anti-religion following the administration's recent decision requiring church-affiliated organizations to provide health insurance plans that cover contraceptives for women. But polling has shown that a majority of Catholics have said that insurance policies should cover contraceptives; moreover, the Obama administration has repeatedly engaged the faith-based community -- including Catholic leaders -- and has directed millions in funding to religious groups. This follow's Fox's long history of portraying Obama as hostile toward religion.
January 27, 2012 2:28 pm ET
Conservative Media Recklessly Distort Volt Safety
Conservative media have misrepresented the results of Chevy Volt crash tests, claiming the batteries "blow up" and are a "fire trap," and suggesting that fires have occurred spontaneously during use. In fact, fires only occurred after crash tests and regulators concluded an inquiry after finding that Volts are just as safe as conventional cars.
January 26, 2012 4:16 pm ET
Fox's Hayes Contradicts Reality To Claim Severity Of Recession Was Fully Understood In '09
Fox News contributor Stephen Hayes claimed that it's "nonsense" for the Obama administration to argue that it "didn't really appreciate the depths of the problems the country faced when we came into office." In fact, measures of the recession in 2009 understated its depth, and subsequent revisions of economic data have shown that the downturn was indeed worse than it appeared at the time.
January 26, 2012 1:21 pm ET
Media Myth That Cutting Taxes Boosts Revenue Revived For 2012
CBS treated claims from Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney that the tax cuts they have proposed would increase federal tax revenue as an open question. In fact, the myth that tax cuts increase revenues has been flatly rejected by economists across the ideological spectrum, including Romney adviser and former George W. Bush chief economist Gregory Mankiw and several others who served in the Bush administration.
January 26, 2012 10:28 am ET
Daily Caller Now Publishing Anti-Islam Writer Who Pushed Obama-Is-Muslim Conspiracy
The Daily Caller's Guns and Gear section recently featured two op-eds authored by retired Major General Jerry Curry. In previous statements Curry has raised questions about President Obama secretly being a Muslim, demanded that Obama release his long-form birth certificate or resign, and derided Muslims as inherently violent.
