Media Matters Daily Summary 04-05-11

Fox News Uses Anniversary Of Martin Luther King's Slaying To Misrepresent King's Views On Unions
Fox News hosts Glenn Beck and Neil Cavuto attacked unions who cited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s support for labor rights on the anniversary of his assassination. In fact, King was shot while in Memphis to support striking municipal workers, and that was just one example of King's support for organized labor. Read More

GOP Turns To News Corp. To Sell Ryan's Budget Plan
In recent days, News Corp. has been a welcome host for the GOP to roll out Rep. Paul Ryan's budget plan, with Fox News Sunday hosting Ryan to tout his proposal; The Wall Street Journal publishing an op-ed by Ryan hyping his "GOP Path to Prosperity"; and Sean Hannity hosting Ryan to discuss his plan to "save America," among other Fox News appearances. Indeed, according to Politico, the GOP "choreographed" their rollout of Ryan's proposal with these News Corp outlets. Read More

"Voice Of The Opposition": Fox Kicks Off 2012 Campaign Against Obama
On April 4, President Obama officially announced his 2012 re-election campaign. Fox News predictably responded by acting as the "voice of the opposition," renewing its attacks on Obama. Read More

Media's Responsible Budget Grown-Up Paul Ryan Helped Create Massive Deficits
Media figures have been quick to portray Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), chairman of the House Budget Committee, as "courageous" "genius" for introducing an "adult plan" for the 2012 budget. Ryan's current role as the lone "adult" on budget issues is belied by his support for policies - including the Bush tax cuts - that created massive federal deficits. Read More

Hypocrites: Fox Attacks GE Over Tax Dodge, But News Corp. Did The Same
Fox News has repeatedly attacked General Electric (GE) for paying "no taxes" in 2010, using G.E.'s actions to attack Obama. However, records show that News Corporation, Fox News' parent company, also paid no federal taxes for at least several years in the past two decades. Read More

Right-Wing Media Tout Ryan's "Serious" Budget Plan As Economists Point Out Serious Flaws
Right-wing media figures are trumpeting Rep. Paul Ryan's budget proposal as "serious" and "necessary" and an "adult plan." But noted economists have condemned the proposal, saying it contains ideas that have "been tried and failed." Read More