Right-Wing Media Smear Moulitsas With Doctored Image

Written by Mike Burns

Published

Right-wing media have promoted a doctored image that supposedly shows that Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas used the image of a bull's eye in connection with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). In fact, the original Daily Kos post did not contain an image of a bull's eye.

Right-Wing Media Falsely Claim Daily Kos Put Image Of Bull's Eye On Rep. Giffords

Hoft: “Top Leftist Blog Daily Kos Put A Bulls-Eye On Rep. Giffords In June 2008.” In a January 10 Gateway Pundit post, Jim Hoft wrote, “Top leftist blog Daily Kos put a bulls-eye on Rep. Giffords in June 2008,” adding, "[t]his hate speech must stop." In his post, Hoft included an image of Rep. Giffords and a bull's eye. The image Hoft posted said its source was a Daily Kos post. Hoft included the following image in his post:

Hoft screenshot

[Gateway Pundit, 1/10/11]

Wash. Post's Thiessen Directs Readers To Graphic Of Rep. Giffords With Bull's Eye. In a January 10 Washington Post article headlined “Stop blaming the Tea Party for the Arizona tragedy,” Marc Thiessen linked to a HillBuzz.org screen grab of the photo shopped image of Rep. Giffords with a bull's eye. [Washington Post, 1/10/11]

Daily Caller Reports That Tea Party Express Fundraising Letter Linked To Bull's Eye Image On Giffords. The Daily Caller reported that in a January 10 fundraising letter, the Tea Party Express wrote, “The media didn't tell you that the left-wing website, DailyKos, had targeted Congresswoman Giffords, putting a BULLSEYE on her, did they? But that's just what happened.” The letter linked to the HillBuzz.org screen grab of the doctored image. [Daily Caller, 1/10/11]

In Fact, Original Daily Kos Post Did Not Contain Image Of Bull's Eye

Original Daily Kos Post Did Not Contain A Picture Of Giffords Or A Bull's Eye. In a January 10 Daily Kos post, blogger Jed Lewison wrote that the Tea Party Express fundraising letter “actually goes so far as to suggest that a 2008 post written by Markos was somehow equivalent to Sarah Palin's use of the gunsight imagery and her exhortations to 'RELOAD” in the conservative battle against Democrats. Instead of linking to the actual post, the letter links to a photoshopped version, which ads an image of Rep. Giffords and a bullseye, neither of which were in the original post." Lewison links to the original Daily Kos post which indeed does not contain an image of Rep. Giffords with a bull's eye. [Daily Kos, 1/10/11]