Friday, January 28, 2011

Media Matters Daily Summary 01-28-11

Wash. Times Misrepresents Glacier Study To Attack Global Warming Science
The Washington Times attacked global warming science by citing a recent study that showed some Himalayan glaciers are stable or expanding. But the study did not cast doubt on global warming, as the study's lead author noted, "Overall in the Himalayas, the glaciers are retreating," while the ones that weren't were protected by a shield of debris; additionally, other studies have showed that glaciers are melting all over the world. Read More

Fox Helps Right-Wing Radio Shill Re-Invent Self As Global Warming Expert
Fox & Friends hosted right-wing radio host Brian Sussman to cast doubt on global warming science by, in part, misrepresenting Arctic sea ice and temperature data. Fox & Friends portrayed Sussman as a credible expert on climate change despite his history of using misinformation to attack global warming science. Read More

Who is Fox's Latest Global Warming Expert Brian Sussman?
As Media Matters has previously noted, recently Fox & Friends presented right-wing radio host Brian Sussman as a climate expert so that he could peddle misinformation to cast doubt on global warming. However, Sussman, a former radio show meteorologist, has a history of making inflammatory comments and is a frequent promoter of "birther" and other conspiracy theories. Read More

Varney Fearmongers About Social Security's Solvency
On Fox & Friends, Fox Business host Stuart Varney bizarrely claimed that the Social Security "trust fund is empty" because it "is full of IOUs from the Treasury" that won't be "IOUs any longer, by the year 2037." In fact, without any changes, Social Security will be fully funded through 2037, and the trust fund holds a $2.5 trillion surplus, funded by Treasury bonds, which are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government and are widely considered to be the safest investment around. Read More

Right-Wing Civil Rights Commission Trumps Up Report On Phony New Black Panther Party Scandal
On January 27, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission released a report on the Department of Justice's investigation into the New Black Panther Party case. USCCR's report largely adopts the right-wing media's bogus allegations that President Obama's Justice Department engaged in racially charged corruption in the case. This is unsurprising; the USCCR is dominated by conservative activists, and the witnesses they rely upon are J. Christian Adams, a longtime GOP activist deeply tied to the Bush-era politicization of the DOJ, and Christopher Coates, who reportedly became "a true member of the team" during that administration. Read More

WSJ Falsely Claims Cap And Trade Is An "Economy Killer"
In her Wall Street Journal column, Kimberly Strassel claimed "the public now understands that cap and trade is an economy killer." In fact, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said the cap and trade bill passed by the House in 2009 would have had a "modest" impact on GDP and "only a small effect on total employment in the long run." Read More

"Taking Liberties," Indeed: Fox Presents Parental Dispute As Battle Over Religious Freedom
Fox News has debuted a new segment called "Taking Liberties" in which it purports to investigate "challenges to the individual's constitutional rights." In its first installment, Fox took the side of a right-wing activist group that is representing a mother in a divorce dispute, repeating its false claim that she was deemed "too religious" to home-school her daughter; Fox all but ignored the father's side of the case. Read More

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