Media Matters Daily Summary 03-09-11

Fox Continues Cheerleading For King's Anti-Muslim Hearings
Fox figures and guests have continued their aggressive promotion of Rep. Peter King's (R-NY) upcoming hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims. Read More

Limbaugh Delusion: Smart Meters Allow Government To Control Your A/C
Rush Limbaugh claimed that smart meters give "the government the power to wirelessly control your heat, your air conditioning, your water flow, your electricity all from the cozy central office." In fact, smart meters simply collect information on energy use for the benefit of consumers and utility companies; governments do not receive this information and have "neither the authority nor the capability to control consumers' heat, air conditioning or other in-home appliances," according to a major electric and gas utility consulted by Media Matters. Read More

Fox Changes Stance On Town Hall Protesters When Republicans Are Targeted
Fox & Friends responded to a video of Wisconsin union supporters protesting at a town hall hosted by GOP lawmakers by calling the protesters a "mob" and complaining that they weren't "civil." But Fox & Friends promoted and encouraged similar protests by opponents of health care reform at Democrats' town hall meetings in August 2009. Read More

Doocy Echoes Bachmann's New, False Claim That $105 Billion Was "Hidden" In Health Care Law
Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy falsely claimed that Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) "found billions of dollars hidden in the health care bill." In fact, The Washington Post's Fact Checker blog found that Bachmann's claim that money was "hidden" in the health care law "does not have credibility." Read More

Fox Uses O'Keefe Video As Excuse To Host Chorus Of Anti-NPR Guests
Since discredited conservative activist James O'Keefe released a video of an NPR Foundation executive, Fox has played host to numerous attacks on public radio, led by Dick Morris, Juan Williams, and Monica Crowley, as well as Fox News host Bill O'Reilly. Read More

Conservative Media Push For Government Shutdown While Claiming Any Shutdown Would Be Dems' Fault
The conservative media has steadily advocated for Republicans to force a government shutdown, with a recent piece in the Washington Examiner saying that a shutdown "doesn't sound that bad." At the same time, however, conservative media figures are pushing the talking point that a shutdown would be the Democrats' fault. Read More

Newsmax Donates To Politicians, Then Gives Them Soft-Focus Coverage
For at least the third time in the past year, right-wing website Newsmax has provided positive coverage to a Florida politician whose campaign or political committee has received money from Newsmax or its CEO, Christopher Ruddy. This financial support has not been disclosed in campaign endorsements or other articles about these politicians at Newsmax. Read More

Expert Calls Claim That 85 Percent Of Mosques Are Radicalized "Nonsense"
Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum granted legitimacy to the claim that 85 percent of U.S. mosques are led by extremists. This claim has been spread throughout the conservative media, but studies of the Muslim community have debunked the claim and an academic who has studied Muslims in America called the it "nonsense." Read More