Media Matters Latest

NY Post headline on Richardson's presidential plans: "N.M. Gov Throws Sombrero Into Ring."
A January 22 Associated Press article reporting on New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's (D) decision to form an exploratory committee to run for president in 2008 appeared in the New York Post under the headline: "N.M. Gov Throws Sombrero Into Ring." By contrast, the AP ran the following "N.M. governor enters White House race." Read more

Fox's Juan Williams repeated NY Times' misrepresentation of Clinton approval rating
On the January 21 edition of Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday, National Public Radio senior correspondent and Fox News contributor Juan Williams repeated The New York Times' misrepresentation of a new Washington Post/ABC News poll, in which 54 percent of respondents said they had a favorable impression of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY). On a different question, as The Washington Post reported on January 21, "[t]he poll showed her the favorite of 41 percent of Democrats, giving her more than double the support of any of her potential rivals." Williams incorrectly stated, as the Times itself did on January 21, that the poll shows Clinton with a 41-percent approval rating. Read more

Wash. Post's Kornblut focused on politics of Clinton health proposal, ignored substance
A January 22 Washington Post article by staff writer Anne E. Kornblut reported on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-NY) announcement of a new health-care bill but largely ignored the substance of Clinton's proposal, focusing instead on how Clinton "gave her first public glimpse of how she will run" for president in 2008. Kornblut also cited "fears among some Democrats of being perceived as the 'Mommy Party,' " without attributing these "fears" to any specific individual. Read more

Ignoring Democratic opposition, ABC's Morrell claimed Bush is "reaching out" with health care tax increase
On the January 21 edition of ABC's World News Sunday, ABC News White House correspondent Geoff Morrell stated that President Bush is "reaching out to Democrats" with a new health care policy he will reportedly announce during his State of the Union address on January 23. In saying that Bush is "reaching out," however, Morrell mischaracterized Bush's plan and ignored the fact that Democrats oppose Bush's proposal specifically because it would raise taxes on certain workers. Read more

Russert failed to challenge McCain claims on Lieberman, Gulf War, McCain's plan for Iraq
Tim Russert did not challenge Sen. John McCain's dubious claim that it is not "clear-cut" that the war is unpopular nationally because, if it were, Sen. Joe Lieberman "would not have been re-elected in the state of Connecticut." McCain also falsely claimed that "[a]t the time of the first Gulf War, only 15 percent of the American people thought we ought to go to Kuwait and get rid of Saddam Hussein there" and was not challenged by Russert about his changing positions on the number of additional troops he would like to see sent to Iraq. Read more

CNN's Roberts cites Lieberman as a "Democrat" who does not "oppose the president"
On the January 21 edition of CNN's This Week at War, contrary to Sen. Joe Lieberman's (CT) own reported preference, CNN senior national correspondent John Roberts called Lieberman a "Democrat from Connecticut" in claiming that "not all Democrats oppose the president" on the question of a U.S. troop increase in Iraq. Read more

On Fox News Sunday, Williams claimed Obama's Muslim father "presents a problem"
On the January 21 edition of Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday, National Public Radio senior correspondent and Fox News contributor Juan Williams noted that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) "comes from a father who was a Muslim" and added that "given that we're at war with Muslim extremists, that presents a problem." Read more

WSJ editorial falsely claimed warrantless wiretaps' legality "was not really in question"
Accusing the Bush administration of "surrender," a Wall Street Journal editorial falsely claimed that the "legality" of the administration's warrantless domestic wiretapping program "was not really in question." However, aside from the August 2006 U.S. District Court ruling that the program was unconstitutional -- a ruling the editorial dismissed -- senators from both parties have criticized the administration for flouting the law. Read more

Limbaugh suggested caller visit site of Foster suicide: "See if you get out alive"
On the January 19 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh advised a caller to "go to Fort Marcy Park" on the caller's upcoming visit to Washington, D.C., and "[s]ee if you get out alive." Fort Marcy Park is the Northern Virginia location where Clinton Deputy White House Counsel Vincent Foster committed suicide on July 20, 1993. Read more