Media Matters Daily Summary 07-22-09

Hannity falsely claimed Mayo Clinic "slam[med]" Obama's health proposal
Sean Hannity falsely claimed that the Mayo Clinic "slam[med]" President Obama's health care plan. In fact, the Mayo Clinic did not criticize Obama's health care proposal, and indeed applauded the administration's suggested revisions to the House bill to address Medicare payment rates. Read More

Fox News hosts advanced falsehood that Obama said he has not read health bill
Fox News hosts advanced the false claim that President Obama stated during a conference call that he has not read or is not familiar with provisions in the House health care reform bill. Read More

REPORT: On health care reform, networks highlight perceived setbacks far more than progress
In two studies, Media Matters documents that TV news networks have repeatedly given considerably more attention to perceived setbacks to progressive health care reform efforts than to events that signal progress for those efforts. Read More

Dobbs joins right-wing media promoting birth certificate conspiracy theories
Lou Dobbs has joined the ranks of right-wing media figures who have repeatedly advanced discredited conspiracy theories about President Obama's birth certificate. Read More

NBC's Almaguer offered no examples of wealthy "sharing" in the "pain" of CA budget deal
NBC's Miguel Almaguer stated that the proposed California budget deal is "a compromise, what some characterize as shared pain and sacrifice." But Almaguer did not provide examples of what the wealthy may have given up, nor note that the deal does not raise taxes. Read More

Scarborough forwards falsehood that TARP has "price tag of around $23 trillion"
Joe Scarborough advanced the falsehood that the total cost of TARP is "now coming in at a price tag of around $23 trillion." Read More

As Dobbs digs in, CNN rebuts, ridicules, distances itself from birth certificate claims
In the wake of Lou Dobbs' repeated claims that President Obama needs to "produce a birth certificate" and that Obama's birth certificate posted online has "some issues," several of Dobbs' CNN colleagues as well as other media figures have debunked Obama birth certificate theories. Read More

Unlike Dobbs, some conservative media think birthers are "nutburgers"
In contrast to Lou Dobbs, who recently promoted conspiracy theories about President Obama's birth certificate, numerous conservative media figures have dismissed and ridiculed the so-called "birther" claims. Read More

Matthews falsely claimed Obama called Gates arrest "an example of profiling, basically"
Chris Matthews falsely claimed that President Obama said the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. "was an example of profiling, basically." In fact, Obama said of the arrest: "I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that." Read More