Thursday, March 03, 2011

Media Matters Daily Summary 03-03-11

QUICK FACT: Big Peace Falsely Claims Obama Is "Making Us More Dependent On Foreign Oil"
A post on the conservative blog Big Peace falsely claimed that President Obama is "making us more dependent on foreign oil." However, statistics from the U.S. Energy Information Administration show that imports have declined faster than domestic production in the past several years, and current projections show that our dependence on foreign oil will continue to decrease through 2035. Read More

Washington Times Pushes Falsehood That Planned Parenthood Didn't Report Possible Sex Trafficking
A March 2 Washington Times op-ed accused Planned Parenthood of "not fulfill[ing] their obligation to report to authorities these potential cases of child abuse" shown in Live Action's bogus Planned Parenthood stings. In fact, before any of the hoax videos were released, Planned Parenthood contacted the FBI to report the possibility that sex trafficking was occurring. Read More

No, Glenn Beck, A "Pentagon Report" Does Not Back Up Your "Perfect Storm" Theory
Glenn Beck mischaracterized a study assessing the vulnerability of the United States to economic warfare to falsely suggest that a "Pentagon report" backed up his theory of a "perfect storm" involving "all of the forces in the world that want to take America down." In fact, the report's disclaimer states that its conclusion is not the view of the government. Read More

Fox & Friends Falsely Portray WI Protesters As "Violent"
Fox & Friends used a video of Wisconsin protesters confronting a GOP state senator to attempt to portray the protesters as a "violent" "mob", while also advancing the falsehood that Gov. Walker "campaigned on" ending collective bargaining. In fact, the video shows no evidence that violence occurred during the incident; further, Politifact has rated the claim that Walker campaigned on collective bargaining "false." Read More

Conservative Media Go Ballistic Over Holder's Civil Rights Lesson
The right-wing media have repeatedly mischaracterized Attorney General Eric Holder's recent reference to "my people" to claim that he is a "black nationalist" or that the Obama Justice Department is motivated by "racial bias." In his statement, Holder actually took issue with the suggestion that a 2008 incident involving the New Black Panther Party was a more "blatant form of voter intimidation" than what occurred in the 1960s; Holder said the suggestion "does a great disservice to people who put their lives on the line, who risked all." Read More

Fox Completely Fabricates Report That TSA Will Screen Passengers' DNA
A Fox & Friends segment reported that the Transportation Security Administration will begin testing airline passengers' DNA at airports. In reality, the Department of Homeland Security is planning to test a portable DNA screener for use in certain immigration cases; the TSA is not testing the device and says it has no plans to test DNA. Read More

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