On the November 14 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage referred to Media Matters for America as a “fascist front group.” As Media Matters has documented, on the September 26 edition of his radio show, while discussing Fox News host Bill O'Reilly's controversial comments on his own radio show about his visit to Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem, Savage called Media Matters for America a “gay, fascist website.” Savage has also labeled the organization a "hate group," a "group of gay Mafiaso," "the homosexual Mafia," and "a gay smear sheet." On the January 30 broadcast of his show, Savage called Media Matters a “little website” and claimed, “I'm not even going to read its name anymore.”
On his November 14 show, Savage later added: "Media Matters was created by Hillary Clinton, and they're after Michael Savage. They're after Bill O'Reilly. They're after anybody that doesn't toe the Hillary, left-wing party line." As it has repeatedly noted, Media Matters is a progressive nonprofit organization and is not affiliated with any candidate or political party.
The Savage Nation reaches more than 8 million listeners each week, according to Talkers Magazine, making it one of the most listened-to talk radio shows in the nation, behind only The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Sean Hannity Show.
From the November 14 edition of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation:
SAVAGE: I'll go to the callers. Marcus in Cincinnati on WKRC, go ahead please.
CALLER: Dr. Savage, I wanted to let you know that I'm a socially - I'm socially liberal, fiscally conservative, and I wanted to let you know that I feel like you're a real iconoclast. You're beholden to no man, and we really appreciate. There are few socially liberal folks in the country who really appreciate what you do every night.
SAVAGE: Well, I hope so. Some of my family members are socially liberal and fiscally conservative, but it doesn't mean I hate them.
CALLER: No, absolutely not, I understand that. I thought it was important to let you know you talk to a lot of people who are extremely angry at you on the show, and I don't feel like it's fair.
SAVAGE: Well, they're the extremists, like in the Council on American-Islamic Relations. They're trying to destroy my show, because they claim to be into religious freedom, or groups like Media Matters, which is a fascist front group, which was created in part by Hillary Clinton. I can't believe you'd want to line yourself up with them. They're not social liberals. I don't think you would agree with that. I mean, I don't think you'd agree that they're socially liberal groups.
CALLER: Well, I absolutely don't. I don't trust Hillary Clinton as far as I can throw her.
SAVAGE: Well, Media Matters was created by Hillary Clinton, and they're after Michael Savage. They're after Bill O'Reilly. They're after anybody that doesn't toe the Hillary, left-wing party line. Thank you. Are you originally from Ireland?
CALLER: Yes.
SAVAGE: That's why you like iconoclasts.
CALLER: What's that?
SAVAGE: That's why you like iconoclasts like me.
A.J. Walzer is an intern for Media Matters for America.