Worst 2014 Smears From Right-Wing Websites

Right-wing media websites continued to undermine their credibility in 2014 by peddling a number of false, ridiculous, and bigoted smears. Here are the top smears from conservative websites The Daily Caller, Breitbart.com, and The Washington Free Beacon.

The Daily Caller

1.    Daily Caller Columnist Blamed Gay Service Members For Rise In Military Rape. A Daily Caller columnist claimed that the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, which allowed LGBT soldiers to serve openly, was responsible for an “uptick in same-sex rape” in the military. [Media Matters8/28/14]

2.    Daily Caller Article Mocked Transgender Students. The Daily Caller ridiculed transgender students in an article on a court ruling in Maine that allowed transgender students to use school bathrooms that match their gender identity. [Media Matters2/3/14]

3.    The Daily Caller Suggested Obama's Condolences To Parents Of Michael Brown Were Timed To Increase African-American Turnout In Midterm Elections. The Daily Caller suggested that Obama's statement expressing his condolences to the parents of Michael Brown was calculated to boost black turnout in the upcoming midterm elections. [Media Matters8/12/14]

Breitbart.com

1.    Breitbart's Attack On Obama's Attorney General Nominee Goes After The Wrong Loretta Lynch. In November 2014, Breitbart.com criticized the media for not mentioning that President Obama's nominee for attorney general, Loretta Lynch, “was one of the Clintons' Whitewater defense attorneys.” But Breitbart.com targeted the wrong Loretta Lynch - the woman they named, a defense attorney for the Clintons, is a California based attorney who has worked on several prominent political campaigns, and is white. The nominee Loretta Lynch became a federal prosecutor in 1990, two years before the other Lynch participated in the Whitewater investigation, was appointed by President Clinton as a U.S. Attorney in 1999, and is black. [Media Matters11/9/14]

2.    Breitbart London Asked If Transgender Activist Chelsea Manning Had “Cut It Off Yet.” Breitbart London columnist Milo Yiannopoulos quiped that convicted transgender former Army Private Chelsea Manning was “suffering from a lamentable psychiatric disorder” and asked, “have they cut it off yet? The penis attached to traitorous transsexual Chelsea Manning, I mean.” [Media Matters9/17/14]

3.    Breitbart.com: “Voting by Non-Citizens Tips Balance for Democrats.” On October 26, a Breitbart.com headline claimed, “Study: Voting by Non-Citizens Tips Balance for Democrats.” The article questioned  whether control of the Senate in 2014 could “be decided by illegal votes cast by non-citizens.”  [Media Matters10/28/14]

 Washington Free Beacon

1.     Free Beacon Distorted Comments Made By Hillary Clinton To Falsely Claim She Endorsed Hamas. The Washington Free Beacon distorted comments made by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after she renewed her support for a cease-fire to the Israeli/Hamas conflict. The Free Beacon published an article about Clinton's comments titled, "“Hillary: Hamas Uses Human Shields Because 'Gaza is Pretty Small.'” [Washington Free Beacon, 7/29/14]

2.      Free Beacon Attempted To Smear Hillary Clinton By Releasing Audio Tape About  Her Work As A Court-Appointed Lawyer. The Free Beacon tried to smear Hillary Clinton for work she did as a court-appointed attorney for a defendant alleged to have raped a 12-year-old girl. Clinton was required by law to provide the strongest defense she could for her client and legal groups roundly denounce attacks on lawyers for defending alleged criminals. [Media Matters6/23/146/23/14]

3.      Free Beacon Smeared DOJ Attempt To Make Guns Safer As Government “Gun Tracking” Effort. In 2014, after Attorney General Eric Holder said he advocated gun safety technology to reduce crimes like school shootings, the Free Beacon falsely claimed Holder wanted the Department Of Justice (DOJ) to pursue “gun tracking bracelets,” a smear that was picked up by other conservative media. [Washington Free Beacon, 4/7/14Media Matters4/9/14]