Media Matters for America launches Activism Network. Read about this new project in a letter from David Brock.

Media Matters for America requests equal air time on CNN following solo appearance by conservative Media Research Center

Anatomy of a smear: Sandy Berger "socks" shocker

Lies, blind quotes, and innuendo rampant in Berger coverage

You've seen Outfoxed; now check out MMFA's outing of FOX misinformation and get involved

• Rep. Sanders circulates Murdoch letter for congressional signatures

Media Matters for America Asks Secretary Rumsfeld to Remove Limbaugh's Radio Show from Taxpayer-Funded American Forces Radio

• Sign the petition
• Limbaugh still confused over Harkin Amendment calling for balance on American Forces Radio: "I've got Ted Stevens on my side"
• Macon Telegraph op-ed defended Limbaugh, mischaracterized Harkin amendment

Conservative misinformation on Edwards pick

• Conservatives continue to misrepresent Edwards's voting record
• Savage accused Edwards of telling "a Goebbels lie"
• Not to be outdone, Scarborough called Edwards second most liberal member of the Senate

Daily Ror-shocked: Is CNBC's Dennis Miller funny?

On July 7, former tennis champion John McEnroe will debut on CNBC in a "primetime talker" called McEnroe, about which a July 4 New York Times headline asked, "Surely He Cannot Be Humorous?" On the day of McEnroe's premiere, Media Matters for America poses the same question about another of the cable network's hosts: Dennis Miller, producer and host of CNBC's Dennis Miller.

Novak in the Crossfire for distortions

• Begala busted Novak
• Stephanopoulos busted Novak
• Barry Lynn busted Novak

"The Democrats want Saddam back" and other Coulterisms

In her July 1 column, titled "Saddam In Custody -- Moore, Soros, Dean Still At Large," right-wing pundit Ann Coulter asserted, "[T]he Americanization of Iraq proceeds at an astonishing pace, the Iraqis are taking to freedom like fish to water. ... It's hard to say who's more upset about these developments: the last vestiges of pro-Hussein Baathist resistance in Iraq or John Kerry's campaign manager." Coulter's third paragraph? "The Democrats want Saddam back."

Tuesday July 6, 2004

O'Reilly challenged on lies

• O'Reilly defended old lies exposed by Jack Mathews and MMFA, told new ones
• O'Reilly wrong about PBS, Bill Moyers
• O'Reilly cited phony stats to argue that taxes on rich are excessive
• Cole on Capital Report: O'Reilly cuts out "anything that contradicts his point of view"

PBS's Tucker Carlson distorted Gray Lady report on black-and-white issues at Harvard

During the opening monologue of the June 25 edition of PBS's Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered, host Tucker Carlson, a conservative pundit and a co-host of CNN's Crossfire, misrepresented the contents of a New York Times article by Sara Rimer and Karen W. Arenson and the opinions of those quoted within.

My Life media frenzy

• New York Times ombudsman on Kakutani controversy: Was critic's "invective" fit for page one?
• Kendall letter to Washington Post: when will Post "confess its own journalistic mistakes...?"
• The letter the Washington Post has not run: MMFA took Kurtz to task

CBS to air new "anti-Clinton ad"?

Citizens United ad would apparently violate CBS's stated policy not to run "advocacy" ads on "controversial issues of public importance"

PBS's new weekly standard: Tucker Carlson

An unfiltered Media Matters for America analysis of the new PBS host

Carlson doctored Gore quotes; told lies about Wellstone memorial service

Chris Matthews echoed right-wing pundits; said Bill Clinton hopes Kerry loses

On the same day The New York Times reported that former President Bill Clinton is planning to "lend a political hand" to Senator John Kerry as Clinton tours the country to promote his forthcoming book and that Clinton is "going out of his way not to overshadow" Kerry, Chris Matthews -- host of NBC's Sunday-morning program The Chris Matthews Show and of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews -- asserted that Clinton would "rather keep that [presidential] seat warm for Hillary [Clinton] than have it filled by that guy from Massachusetts [Kerry]."

Conservatives resuscitated 1988 Kerry quote on Reagan years

On the day of former President Ronald Reagan's funeral, conservative media outlets circulated a quote by Senator John Kerry from a speech he gave at the 1988 Democratic National Convention in which he called the Reagan-Bush administration a period of "moral darkness." The New York Post followed on June 12 with articles quoting the Kerry speech. On the June 13 edition of FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol recommended that the Bush campaign use Kerry's quotation in advertisements.

Don't know much about history (or economics)

Many media outlets get the facts wrong on Reagan expansion

In the days since the death of former President Ronald Reagan, many media outlets have falsely credited him with presiding over "the longest economic expansion in history"; in fact, Reagan should be credited with presiding over only the third-longest expansion in American history.

Savage on "Billionaire George Goebbels Soros": "a money changer in the temple of truth"

Savage on MoveOn.org: "rat-bastard Communists"

Following progressive financier, philanthropist, and political activist George Soros's June 3 speech at the Campaign for America's Future "Take Back America" conference, radio host Michael Savage dedicated the majority of the June 4 broadcast of his three-hour nationally syndicated radio show, Savage Nation, to blasting Soros.

Conservative media true to Republican message; revived old Kerry criticisms of Reagan

In the wake of former President Ronald Reagan's death, some of the most aggressive attempts to publicize criticism of Reagan are coming from ... Republicans. On June 7, The New York Times reported: "[I]n one sign of what may lie ahead, Republicans circulated old quotes from Mr. [Senator John] Kerry in which he criticized Mr. Reagan." Kerry's prior criticisms of Reagan found their way into conservative news outlets, including The Weekly Standard, NewsMax.com, The Washington Times, and FOX News Channel.

E-mail Bill O'Reilly

E-mail Bill O'Reilly and ask him to grant Media Matters for America President David Brock's request to appear on The O'Reilly Factor to respond to right-wing attacks on philanthropist George Soros.

OREILLY@FOXNEWS.COM

Please cc: mm-actions@mediamatters.org on your letter to let us know what you sent to O'Reilly

RNC: Attack Kerry by attacking Soros right-wing media falls in line

As first reported by Roll Call -- and then by the New York Post in a June 3 article headlined, "GOP HAS SOROS IN ITS SIGHTS" -- the Republican National Committee has launched a campaign to discredit Senator John Kerry by attacking progressive financier, philanthropist, political activist George Soros.

Right-wing pundits play doctor; diagnose Gore as "insane"

Following are some responses to former Vice President Al Gore's May 26 speech (sponsored by MoveOn.org and delivered at New York University), in which Gore called for the resignation of six top Bush administration officials.

There's something about Mary: Bucking up Rush, Matalin gushed "you're my hero"

Just one week after two Republican members of Congress repudiated remarks by radio host Rush Limbaugh (Limbaugh compared U.S. guards' abuse of Iraqi prisoners to a college fraternity prank and suggested that the U.S. guards involved were "blow[ing] some steam off"), Mary Matalin -- Bush-Cheney '04 campaign adviser, former assistant to President George W. Bush, and former counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney -- spoke as a guest on the May 21 broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show, calling Limbaugh her "hero"; mischaracterizing coverage in The New York Times; and telling Limbaugh that, from his show, "I get all the information I need."

It's not just the cable guys: conservative misinformation on Sunday morning

On May 23, conservative misinformation flooded the four major Sunday broadcast news shows -- NBC's Meet the Press and The Chris Matthews Show; ABC's This Week; and CBS's Face the Nation.

Ann Coulter's slander on FOX, MSNBC: She smeared Bill Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, and Michael Moore

Ann Coulter, right-wing pundit and author of Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right and Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism, appeared on the May 20 editions of FOX News Channel's Hannity & Colmes and MSNBC's Scarborough Country to accuse leading Democrats of rape, molestation, slander, and treason. Host Joe Scarborough asked Coulter if she thought that a letter written by documentary filmmaker and author Michael Moore is "treasonous"; before Coulter could conclude "Yes" -- which she eventually did -- Scarborough answered his own question: "I don't know how that is not treasonous."

David Bossie: embraced by his posse

Conservative media organizations are giving David N. Bossie -- a man whom fellow Republicans Newt Gingrich, Representative Dan Burton (R-IN), and former President George H. W. Bush have excoriated -- a forum to promote his new book, Intelligence Failure: How Clinton's National Security Policy Set the Stage for 9/11, which, according to its publisher, World Net Daily Books (WND Books), reveals, "The truth ... that the attacks of September 11, 2001 will remain Bill Clinton's legacy." On May 19, The Washington Times published an op-ed by Bossie, which the newspaper bolstered with an editorial in support of his book's conclusions. On May 20, Bossie appeared on FOX News Channel's morning show, FOX & Friends, in which co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade were a receptive audience.

NewsMax's Poe on O'Reilly Factor: George Soros is a "madman"

O'Reilly on Radio Factor: George Soros is "a real sleazoid"

Host Bill O'Reilly invited Richard Poe -- contributing editor for the right-wing NewsMax Magazine, a monthly publication with a history of publishing baseless conspiracy theories about Democrats -- to the May 18 edition of FOX News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor to discuss Poe's investigation of financier, philanthropist, and political activist George Soros (an investigation that Poe detailed in an article, titled "George Soros' Coup," in the May 2004 issue of NewsMax Magazine). During his O'Reilly Factor appearance, Poe called Soros "somewhat loony" and "a madman."

Rush Brought to Tears as Right Rallies 'Round Him

A day after Media Matters for America launched a television ad campaign spotlighting radio host Rush Limbaugh's statements comparing the torture of Iraqi prisoners to a college fraternity prank and people "having a good time," Limbaugh opened his May 14 broadcast by directing listeners to National Review Washington editor Kate O'Beirne's National Review Online column, which defended Limbaugh against the ad. Limbaugh told listeners that O'Beirne e-mailed him her column the night before and urged "every journalist in America" to read it. Limbaugh was moved by the column and shared his response to O'Beirne with listeners: "I wrote her back -- I said if I could include teardrops in email, I would do it, but I can't." He also posted a link to O'Beirne's column as the lead item on his website.

Savage Nation: It's not just Rush

Talk radio host Michael Savage: "I commend" prisoner abuse; "we need more"

"[T]ake their deepest fear, the pig, the dog, the woman with the leash, and use it on them to break them!"

Limbaugh attacked "this new website"

Decried use of his quotes "out of context"

On his May 11 nationally syndicated radio show, host Rush Limbaugh renewed his attack on the "Lib media" and appeared again to be accusing Media Matters for America of printing excerpts of his program out of context.

Limbaugh mimicked barking in describing photo of Iraqi prisoner terrorized by guard dogs

On May 10 -- while President George W. Bush, during his visit to the Pentagon, reacted with "deep disgust and disbelief" to new photos and video clips of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. guards -- radio host Rush Limbaugh continued to downplay the severity of the prison abuse; suggested it was "decent punishment"; and questioned the sincerity of the outrage expressed by Democrats, the media, and the public. Limbaugh also once again referred to a "new website that's supposedly chronicling" what he says -- apparently Media Matters for America -- and called it "a central clearinghouse for out-of-context quotes."

NY POST MUM ON "DOC" DOCS

On May 6, New York Post Washington bureau chief Deborah Orin repeated Dr. Louis Letson's claims that Senator John Kerry got his first Purple Heart for a non-combat wound -- despite reports in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times one day earlier that, according to the Kerry campaign, Letson was not the medical official who signed Kerry's medical records for the wound.

Limbaugh: "I laughed myself to tears" reading Media Matters for America's report on his sexist, racist remarks

On his May 5 radio show, Rush Limbaugh commented on Media Matters for America's May 3 report "Meet the New Rush, Same as the Old Rush." Limbaugh said that the 77 comments we cited -- including his claim that women "actually wish" for sexual harassment -- were "funny."

FOX exposed anti-Kerry vets' flip-flopping

FOX's Linda Chavez: "I misspoke"

Appearing on Al Franken's radio show on May 4, FOX News contributor Linda Chavez admitted that she "misspoke" when she denied having called Senator John Kerry a "communist apologist." Chavez denied having called Kerry a "communist apologist" during an interview on FOX & Friends on May 2, just four days after her nationally syndicated column calling Senator John Kerry a "communist apologist" appeared in newspapers and on The Heritage Foundation's website Townhall.com. Chavez appeared on The O'Franken Factor in response to a May 3 Media Matters for America report titled "FOX's Chavez called Kerry a 'communist apologist' -- and then lied about it."

Dick Morris triangulates Dick Morris:

A Media Matters for America Analysis of Rewriting History

Who is John O'Neill?

CNN's Blitzer failed to probe partisan ties of Kerry critic

Plurality of Voters Say Conservatives Have More Influence in the Media Than Liberals

Findings of a National Survey Conducted for Media Matters for America

Meet the New Rush, Same as the Old Rush

A Media Matters for America Analysis of The Rush Limbaugh Show

Limbaugh: Women "Actually Wish" for Sexual Harassment
Limbaugh: "A Chavez is a Chavez. We've Always Had Problems with Them"

Backdating the Recession: A Report by Media Matters for America

Release date: May 3, 2004

Letter from David Brock, Founder of Media Matters for America