Friday, July 24, 2009

Media Matters Daily Summary 07-24-09

Dobbs advances falsehood that $24 trillion represents "the cost of the bailouts"
Lou Dobbs advanced the falsehood that "$24 trillion" represents "the latest estimate on the cost of the bailouts." Dobbs previously claimed that "all the government bailouts, loans, and rescues could ultimately cost taxpayers a staggering $23 trillion." In fact, that number "do[es] not represent a current total" and was not intended to "provide an estimate of likely net costs to the taxpayer." Read More

Hannity relies on falsehoods and distortions in "nightmare" health special
In what was billed as a "Universal Nightmare" special edition of Hannity, Sean Hannity relied on distortions and falsehoods to raise the specter of "socialized medicine." Read More

Cramer and Scarborough out of touch with Americans' views on taxing wealthy to finance health care
Joe Scarborough and Jim Cramer both claimed that because Americans aspire to being rich themselves, they would not support proposals to finance health care reform by raising the taxes of upper-income people. But recent polls do not support their thesis. Read More

Conservative media ignore reality in invoking "rationing" bogeyman
Reading from GOP playbooks, media conservatives are invoking the specter of "rationing" in arguing against health care reform efforts. Read More

Privileging opposition to abortion
Most people waiting anxiously for real health care reform probably haven't thought much about whether insurance covers abortion. They're too busy thinking about how great it would be to have insurance in the first place, or to not have to worry about losing it if they change jobs, or if their premiums stopped skyrocketing. Read More

CNN president emails Dobbs pronouncing birther story "dead," but Lou won't let it go
After CNN President Jon Klein reportedly emailed information to the staff of Lou Dobbs Tonight that Klein said shows the "story" about President Obama's birth certificate "is dead," Lou Dobbs noted that evidence on air, but then asked Roland Martin: "When this could be dispelled so quickly, and -- and simply by producing [the birth certificate], why not do it?" Read More

Knee-jerk word association watch: Conservative media link Obama's Gates comments to ... ACORN
Repeating a pattern of invoking ACORN to attack progressives, conservative media figures have brought up the organization in their discussions of President Obama's July 22 prime-time press conference, in which he took a question regarding the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. Read More

Media figures single out Dobbs for "fanning" flames of birther theories
Numerous journalists and other media figures -- running the gamut from conservative to liberal, local to national, and television to print and Internet -- have criticized Lou Dobbs for giving "credence," "legitimacy," and a "platform" to birther theories. Read More

Who's in charge at CNN? Klein capitulates, allows Dobbs' birther coverage to continue
Apparently contradicting a statement he reportedly made the day before pronouncing the birther story seemingly "dead," CNN president Jonathan Klein has reportedly said that CNN would allow Lou Dobbs to continue airing conspiracy theories about President Obama's birth certificate. Read More

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