Monday, September 01, 2008

Media Matters Daily Summary 09-01-08

Glenn Beck, Debra Saunders falsely claimed Palin supports benefits for same-sex partners of state employees
Syndicated columnist Debra Saunders and CNN Headline News host Glenn Beck both falsely claimed that Gov. Sarah Palin supports benefits for same-sex partners of state employees. In fact, while Palin did veto a bill that would have prevented state officials from granting spousal benefits to same-sex couples, she stated that she did so because the Alaska attorney general had advised her that the bill was unconstitutional, not because she supported spousal benefits for same-sex couples. She has also reportedly said that she would support a ballot question banning benefits for same-sex couples. Read More

AP noted criticism of Nagin and Brown for failed Katrina response, but not Chertoff
Despite noting that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was "widely criticized in 2005 for not evacuating his city before [Hurricane] Katrina" and that former FEMA director Michael Brown "was forced to resign shortly after the storm as the extent of the agency's failings became clear," an AP article that quoted DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff describing government efforts to prepare for Hurricane Gustav did not note that two congressional reports on the federal response to Hurricane Katrina specifically faulted Chertoff. Read More

Wash. Post editorial claimed McCain "insisted on his more humane approach" to immigration, but not that he no longer supports it
The Washington Post asserted in an editorial, "As opponents reversed long-held positions to appeal in ugly ways to anti-immigrant sentiment, Mr. McCain insisted on his more humane approach." But the Post did not point out that McCain reversed himself on a key component of immigration reform, now saying that "we've got to secure the borders first," or that McCain said he would not support the immigration reform bill he co-sponsored if it came to a vote on the Senate floor. Read More

NY Times' Kristol stressed need for foreign policy experience before Palin pick -- but now says "insiders ... overly value" it
In his New York Times column, Bill Kristol asserted that many of the Republicans who are "unhappy about John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin" as his vice-presidential running mate are "insiders who highly value -- who overly value -- 'experience.' " However, when he was making the case that Sen. Joe Lieberman could be McCain's best choice for running mate in a column one week earlier, Kristol cited the fact that "Palin has been governor for less than two years" as a possible reason for McCain not to pick her. Read More

Media continue to promote sexist notion that Biden must soften behavior during debate with Palin
Several media figures have echoed the sexist notion that Sen. Joe Biden will have to soften his tone and manner in a debate against Gov. Sarah Palin, in contrast with the tougher tone he could take if the Republican vice-presidential nominee were male. Read More

NBC, Fox didn't challenge McCain's false claim that Obama was community organizer when Palin was in office
During separate interviews on NBC's Nightly News and Fox News Sunday, Sen. John McCain falsely claimed that Sen. Barack Obama was a community organizer when Gov. Sarah Palin was in elected office. Neither NBC's Brian Williams nor Fox's Chris Wallace noted that McCain's claim is false. In fact, Palin was an undergraduate at the University of Idaho when Obama was a community organizer. Read More

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