Media Matters - The Washington Post

Media Matters - The Washington Post http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/tag_rss/the_washington_post This link is for use by RSS-enabled software to retrieve Media Matters items matching the term: The Washington Post en-US Copyright 2008, Media Matters for America Print outlets report McCain's criticism of Obama for lacking military experience, but not previous statements that it's not necessary to be commander in chief http://mediamatters.org/items/200807220001 Several print media outlets reported that during a July 21 campaign event, Sen. John McCain, in the words of the Associated Press, "disparaged [Sen. Barack] Obama as 'someone who has no military experience whatsoever.' " But none of the articles noted that McCain has previously said he does not "accept the notion" that military experience is necessary to be an effective commander in chief. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807220001 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:54:43 EST Kurtz reported that McCain's ad attacking Obama on Afghanistan hearings is "accurate" but did not note McCain's record http://mediamatters.org/items/200807190001 The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz wrote that an ad by Sen. John McCain "is accurate in saying that [Sen. Barack] Obama, who has spent most of the past two years campaigning, has not held a hearing on Afghanistan in the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee he chairs." But Kurtz failed to note that McCain -- a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee -- reportedly has not attended a single hearing of that committee related to Afghanistan in 2007-08. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807190001 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:56:35 EST Media report McCain "mocking" Obama for laying out Iraq, Afghanistan policy before visiting, but McCain has done the same http://mediamatters.org/items/200807170012 Several media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and The Washington Post, have uncritically reported Sen. John McCain's speech attacking Sen. Barack Obama for "outlining a plan" for Afghanistan and Iraq before his upcoming visit to the region without noting that in the same speech, McCain outlined his own "Comprehensive Strategy For Victory In Afghanistan," but hasn't visited that country since December 2006. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807170012 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:39:48 EST ABC News/Wash. Post withheld results of poll favorable to Obama http://mediamatters.org/items/200807170011 ABC News and The Washington Post issued staggered releases of the results of their latest poll, withholding from their first release results favorable to Sen. Barack Obama, including the finding that 50 percent of registered voters would vote for Obama for president versus 42 percent for Sen. John McCain. The next day, the Post ran an article headlined "Poll Finds Voters Split on Candidates' Iraq-Pullout Positions," which did not mention Obama's 8-point lead over McCain. Later that day, ABC News and the Post issued a second release with additional poll results that stated: "Obama continues to hold most of the advantages in the presidential race." http://mediamatters.org/items/200807170011 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:36:43 EST Wash. Post, LA Times failed to note Energy Department's assessment of effect of offshore drilling on oil prices http://mediamatters.org/items/200807150007 The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times each reported that "Democrats and environmental groups" say that allowing new offshore drilling would not have an effect on oil and gas prices in the next several years. They did not note that it is not just Democrats and environmental groups that say this: The Bush Energy Department has determined that production from offshore drilling "would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices before 2030" and that such production is expected to have an "insignificant" effect on "average wellhead prices." http://mediamatters.org/items/200807150007 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:35:47 EST Wash. Post reported McCain touting work on immigration bill, but not that he no longer supports it http://mediamatters.org/items/200807150001 The Washington Post quoted Sen. John McCain asserting, "I helped author with Senator [Edward M.] Kennedy comprehensive immigration reform, and fought for its passage," but did not note that McCain has since said he would not support that immigration reform bill if it came to a vote on the Senate floor. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807150001 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:39:15 EST Wash. Post headline -- "Offshore drilling backed as remedy for oil prices" -- undermined by article itself http://mediamatters.org/items/200807140005 The Washington Post ran an article under the headline "Offshore Drilling Backed as Remedy for Oil Prices," but the article itself noted that "the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration [EIA] said that .... 'Because oil prices are determined on the international market, however, any impact on average wellhead prices is expected to be insignificant.' " The article also noted that the EIA said that "access to the Pacific, Atlantic, and eastern Gulf regions would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices before 2030." http://mediamatters.org/items/200807140005 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:46:10 EST Wash. Post's Balz reported that Obama's advisers find the National Journal's ratings "faulty," but didn't explain why http://mediamatters.org/items/200807100010 In a Washington Post analysis of Sen. Barack Obama, Dan Balz wrote that "[t]he National Journal rated [Obama] the most liberal member of the Senate last year," but that "[h]is advisers say the rating system is faulty." Balz did not explain why the Obama campaign has described the ratings as "faulty," or note that it is not just people associated with the Obama campaign who have criticized the Journal's ratings. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807100010 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:50:55 EST Wash. Post's Shear reported Democrats criticized McCain's budget plan, but not that nonpartisan analysts dispute its projections http://mediamatters.org/items/200807090006 In an article on Sen. John McCain's proposed plan to balance the budget by 2013, The Washington Post's Michael Shear reported that "Democrats immediately criticized McCain, asserting that his promise is unrealistic, given his stated goals of tax cuts and other government spending." In fact, several economists and nonpartisan analysts have also criticized McCain's plan, reportedly saying that McCain's proposal for numerous tax cuts would bloat the deficit or require huge spending cuts. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807090006 Wed, 9 Jul 2008 15:15:47 EST Wash. Post's Bacon falsely suggested private accounts would address Social Security's projected long-term revenue shortfall http://mediamatters.org/items/200807090001 In a Washington Post article, Perry Bacon Jr. listed "allowing younger workers to put money they currently pay for Social Security taxes into personal savings accounts" as one of "an array of ideas" that aides to Sen. John McCain "indicated" he "could support" in "finding a solution to the long-term solvency of" Social Security. But Bacon did not note that the Bush administration has admitted that private accounts themselves would do nothing to address Social Security's projected long-term revenue shortfall. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807090001 Wed, 9 Jul 2008 10:46:25 EST Wash. Post, AP reported on Vets for Freedom ad without noting McCain campaign surrogates' link http://mediamatters.org/items/200807070012 In an article about a Vets for Freedom (VFF) television ad, The Washington Post reported that VFF chairman Pete Hegseth denied that his organization is operating on behalf of Sen. John McCain, but "conceded that the message in the ad is almost identical to McCain's on the stump." Similarly, the Associated Press reported that McCain "is getting ... help from" the VFF television ad campaign. But neither the Post nor the AP mentioned that Sens. Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman -- McCain supporters and frequent campaign surrogates -- had served on the VFF Policy Board of Advisors. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807070012 Mon, 7 Jul 2008 18:47:24 EST Wash. Post's Shear falsely claimed "McCain rarely talks about his time as a POW" http://mediamatters.org/items/200807020011 In an online chat, The Washington Post's Michael D. Shear asserted, "McCain rarely talks about his time as a POW (though others sometimes do on his behalf.)" In fact, McCain has repeatedly highlighted his experience as a POW, even as he and the media have promoted the notion that he is reluctant to do so. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807020011 Wed, 2 Jul 2008 18:51:16 EST Wash. Post baselessly suggested preferential treatment in home loan interest rate Obama received http://mediamatters.org/items/200807020003 The Washington Post baselessly suggested that Sen. Barack Obama was given preferential treatment in the interest rate he received on his $1.32 million mortgage from Northern Trust for the purchase of his Chicago home in June 2005. But the article did not cite any evidence that the interest rate Obama received was in any way out of the ordinary or in any way the result of preferential treatment. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807020003 Wed, 2 Jul 2008 14:48:55 EST Media continue to falsely claim Clark criticized McCain's service http://mediamatters.org/items/200807010005 Several media reports falsely claimed that Wesley Clark criticized Sen. John McCain's military service during a June 29 appearance on CBS' Face the Nation, including CNN anchor John Roberts, who said that "Clark took a weekend hit at McCain, targeting his history as a war hero and his possible future as president." In fact, Clark praised McCain as "a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands of millions of others in the Armed Forces as a prisoner of war." http://mediamatters.org/items/200807010005 Tue, 1 Jul 2008 16:42:51 EST Discussing FEC confirmations, Wash. Post omitted that Bush withdrew nomination of chairman who questioned McCain loan http://mediamatters.org/items/200806250006 In an article on five new FEC confirmations, The Washington Post did not note that President Bush withdrew the renomination of chairman David Mason, who has requested that Sen. John McCain assure the FEC he did not act improperly by signing a loan agreement that could have forced him to remain in the race -- even if he had no chance of winning -- in order to be eligible for public matching funds to repay the loan. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806250006 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:29:16 EST