Media Matters Daily Summary 07-17-09

The real story of the Sotomayor hearings
The news media have been so fixated on the question of whether Sonia Sotomayor's much-distorted "wise Latina" comment was racist, they have missed the real story of this week's confirmation hearings: a pattern of inappropriate comments and double standards that highlight the biases of her critics. Read More

Conservative media run with false IBD claim that health bill outlaws private coverage
Sean Hannity and David Asman echoed false claims from an Investor's Business Daily editorial, which stated that the House health care reform bill includes "a provision making individual private medical insurance illegal." Read More

Buchanan falsely suggests Sotomayor has "never written" law review articles
Pat Buchanan claimed that Sonia Sotomayor has "never written anything that I've read in terms of a law review article or a major book or something like that on the law." In fact, Sotomayor has published several law review articles. Read More

On Fox, Rove, Hannity spread falsehood that Summers promised jobs right away
Echoing his Wall Street Journal editorial, Karl Rove, along with Sean Hannity, falsely suggested that White House adviser Larry Summers promised that the economic recovery plan would "create jobs right away." Read More

Hannity smears Franken, falsely alleging he asked Sotomayor about Perry Mason "instead" of "her judicial philosophy"
Sean Hannity falsely claimed that during Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing, Al Franken talked about Perry Mason "instead" of questioning Sotomayor about her "judicial philosophy." In fact, Franken asked Sotomayor numerous questions about her "judicial philosophy." Read More

Noonan falsely claimed CBO said health bill will harm the "economy" during recession
Peggy Noonan falsely claimed that "Congress' own budget office is saying" that the health care reform bill "is gonna have a very bad effect on the American economy." In fact, Congressional Budget Office director Douglas Elmendorf has said the CBO has not yet evaluated "the broad economic effects" of the bill. Read More

Dobbs repeatedly makes Obama birth certificate claims his CNN colleagues call "total bull"
Addressing an issue promoted by the far-right "birther" movement, Lou Dobbs repeatedly said on his radio show that President Obama needs to "produce a birth certificate" and that Obama's birth certificate posted online has "some issues" -- claims that have been dismissed and even ridiculed by his CNN colleagues. Read More