Friday, January 08, 2010

Media Matters Daily Summary 01-08-10

QUICK FACT: Pruden falsely claimed Obama described attempted Christmas attack as "an isolated incident."
In his January 8 Washington Times column, Washington Times' editor emeritus Wesley Pruden accused President Obama of "first treating" the attempted attack on a Northwest Airline flight as "merely an amusing story" and falsely claimed Obama described the event as "an isolated incident." Read More

Giuliani falsely claims "[w]e had no domestic attacks under Bush"
On Good Morning America, Rudy Giuliani falsely claimed that "[w]e had no domestic attacks under Bush. We've had one under Obama." In fact, while Giuliani and other conservative media figures have recently downplayed the number of attacks on the United States under former President Bush, there were numerous terrorist attacks attempted during the Bush administration, including the September 11, 2001, attacks, the attempted detonation of an explosive device on an airplane by shoe bomber Richard Reid, and the anthrax attacks. Read More

Word fixation: Pundits claim Obama "finally noticed" we are "at war" with terrorists
Following President Obama's January 7 remarks on the attempted Christmas Day airline bombing -- during which he stated, "We are at war. We are at war with al Qaeda" -- numerous conservative media figures have falsely suggested that prior to that speech, Obama had not characterized the fight against terrorists as a war. In fact, in his inaugural address, Obama stated that "[o]ur nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred," and he has repeatedly discussed terrorism as the rationale for U.S. military action abroad. Read More

Myths and falsehoods surrounding the Christmas Day terrorist attack
Conservative media figures have politicized the failed Christmas Day terrorist attack to criticize President Obama's handling of national security matters. But their assertions about Obama's and former President Bush's handling of terrorism and national security are replete with myths and falsehoods. Read More

Conservative media accuse Obama of not taking attempted terrorist attack seriously
Numerous right-wing media figures have attacked the Obama administration's response to the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight by baselessly accusing the administration of not having initially been "serious" in its response. However, President Obama took several immediate actions following the incident, including ordering a review of national security measures and increasing airline security measures. Read More

Fox & Friends, NY Post complain about Obama press conference delay, which was due to document declassification
Fox & Friends' hosts and the New York Post editorial board complained that the "near-five-hour delay" (or "three-and-a-half hour delay") of President Obama's press conference addressing the intelligence review of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's alleged attempt to set off a bomb on a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas day was "disconcerting," "strange and eerie," "dysfunctional," and "not what the White House should be doing." In fact -- as Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy at one point acknowledged -- administration officials stated that the delay was required to declassify the summary of a report on the attempted attack which was released following the conference. Read More

Fox's Napolitano falsely claims Senate bill would tax all health insurance benefits from employers
While guest-hosting Fox News' Glenn Beck, Andrew Napolitano claimed that under "the Senate version of the health care bill," "everyone who receives health care from their employer" would have to "pay an income tax on the value of that health care." In fact, the Senate bill would tax benefits provided by employers only above a certain level; the provision has been referred to as a tax on "Cadillac plans." Read More

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