Media Matters for America summary, May 09, 2007
 
Date: Wed, 09 May 2007 22:03:06 -0400


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<p>Here are today's news items from <i>Media Matters for America</i>, 
click on the title or 'read more' to read the entirety of each story.</p>
<h1><a href="http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/2008_elections?src=other">2008 Elections</a></h1>
<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090011?src=other"><em>Wash. Post</em> asserted as fact that critics are unable to attack Giuliani "on national security"</a></b><br />
A May 9 <i>Washington Post</i> <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/08/AR2007050801892_pf.html" title="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/08/AR2007050801892_pf.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/08/AR2007050801892.html?hpid=topnews">article</a> asserted that former
New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani&#39;s (R) "critics" have been
"[u]nable to attack Giuliani on national security." In fact, <i>Media Matters for America</i> has documented
numerous criticisms of
Giuliani&#39;s national security record by <i>Village
Voice</i> senior editor Wayne Barrett and CBSNews.com senior producer
Dan Collins in their book <i><a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780060536602/Grand_Illusion/index.aspx" title="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=other&http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780060536602/Grand_Illusion/index.aspx">Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and
9/11</a></i> (HarperCollins, 2006), by HBO host Bill Maher, and
seemingly by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
The <i>Post</i> article also stated that
"McCain, who has clashed
with conservatives on other issues, is hoping that his consistent antiabortion
credentials will help him win over party activists." In fact, McCain has made inconsistent
statements on the issue of abortion, leading
some conservatives to accuse him of waffling.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090011?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090010?src=other">CNN's <em>Situation Room</em> asks: "[C]an what happened in the French election mimic our own race for president?"</a></b><br />
CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Carol Costello drew an analogy between the French
presidential election and a possible 2008 matchup between Hillary Clinton and
Rudy Giuliani, misleadingly suggesting that the victory of "law-and-order,
plain-talking conservative" Nicolas Sarkozy in France bodes well for
Giuliani -- whose actual record on security issues has come under considerable
criticism -- and referring to Clinton as a "liberal woman" who is
similar to Sarkozy's opponent, the socialist S&eacute;gol&egrave;ne Royal.

<br />
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090010?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090009?src=other">Matthews likened position of "hawk" Clinton on war to Bush and Giuliani, contrasted with Hagel</a></b><br />
On the May 8 edition of
MSNBC&#39;s <i>Hardball</i>, host
Chris Matthews asked <i>Washington Post</i>
reporter Lois Romano, "Do you think the Democrats -- do you
think we&#39;re going to have a third-party candidate who&#39;s anti-war,
like [Sen. Chuck] Hagel [R-NE], if [Sen.] Hillary [Rodham Clinton (D-NY)]
is the nominee? If that means two hawks running? Do you think the American
people will be looking for a dove to run somewhere?" When
Romano responded "everybody is kind of a dove right now," Matthews
asserted that Clinton
is "a hawk. I&#39;m sorry, she&#39;s a hawk. The president&#39;s a
hawk. Rudy&#39;s a hawk." In reality, Clinton
has consistently supported Democratic efforts to limit the Iraq war that both President Bush
and Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani have strongly opposed. Her voting record in 2007 on significant Iraq
legislation has also been
the same as Hagel&#39;s, except for two votes in which Hagel sided with Bush
and took the more "hawkish" position.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090009?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090003?src=other">Dick Morris saw a Chris Matthews-<em>Politico</em> debate conspiracy to "hurt Rudy"</a></b><br />
On <em>Hannity &amp;
Colmes</em>, Dick Morris claimed that "MSNBC biased [the Republican
candidates] debate against" Rudy Giuliani, and that Chris Matthews, who
was one of the debate's moderators, had participated in "a deliberate
act by Politico.com and MSNBC ... to hurt Rudy." Morris also stated
that Matthews "decided to gut Rudy Giuliani because he's the one
that can most likely beat the Republicans." At no point did Morris
mention that Matthews has previously showered praise on Giuliani and other
Republican presidential hopefuls.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090003?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<h1><a href="http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/propaganda_noise_machine?src=other">Propaganda/Noise Machine</a></h1>
<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705100003?src=other">Hannity hyped baseless GOP allegations against Pelosi concerning waterfront project</a></b><br />
On the May 8 edition of Fox News&#39; <i>Hannity &amp;
Colmes</i>, while discussing baseless Republican <a href="http://mediamatters.org//items/200705080007?f=h_latest" title="blocked::http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070507/D8OVPQHO0.html">accusations</a> that
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
included a provision in the <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR1495:">Water Resources
Development Act</a> of 2007 that benefits property owned by her husband, Paul Pelosi, co-host <a href="http://mediamatters.org//issues_topics/people/seanhannity?src=other">Sean Hannity</a>
asserted: "[T]he Pelosi camp says she added the provision at the city&#39;s
request and that her husband&#39;s holdings had nothing to do with it." But
it is not just "Pelosi&#39;s camp" saying that Pelosi added the
provision at the city&#39;s request --
Port of San Francisco officials reportedly <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/horsesmouth/2007/05/pelosi.php">confirmed</a> it hours
before <i>Hannity &amp; Colmes</i> aired.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705100003?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090008?src=other">Bill O'Reilly declares end to his France boycott in wake of Sarkozy victory</a></b><br />
As the weblog News Hounds <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.newshounds.us/2007/05/08/partisan_oreilly_lifts_boycott_of_france_now_that_neocon_elected.php">noted</a>,
on the May 7 edition of Fox News&#39; <i>The O&#39;Reilly Factor</i>, host Bill
O&#39;Reilly declared that "<i>The
Factor</i> is lifting the boycott of France"
due to the recent <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/06/AR2007050600216.html">election</a> of conservative candidate Nicolas Sarkozy as France&#39;s
next president. O&#39;Reilly called for the boycott in March 2003 because of France&#39;s
opposition to the Iraq
war, as <i>Media Matters for America</i> has repeatedly <a href="http://mediamatters.org//items/200609220010#20070509?src=other">noted</a>.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090008?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090002?src=other"><em>Wash. Times</em> op-ed expanded on O'Reilly's false attacks on Soros and <em>Media Matters</em></a></b><br />
In a <em>Washington
Times</em> op-ed, conservative media consultant Phil Kent made a series
of false claims about the sources of <em>Media
Matters</em>' funding, some of which had been debunked previously,
including the incorrect assertion that George Soros has given money to <em>Media Matters</em>.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090002?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<h1><a href="http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/war_in_iraq?src=other">War in Iraq</a></h1>
<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705100002?src=other"><em>NewsHour</em> hosted Melanie Morgan on Iraq war despite her history of misinformation and smears</a></b><br />
PBS' <em>The</em> <em>NewsHour
with Jim Lehrer </em>hosted a segment on grassroots groups seeking to
influence Iraq policy that included conservative radio host and Move America
Forward chairman Melanie Morgan, whose history of false, misleading and
unsubstantiated claims regarding the Iraq war went unmentioned during the
segment, as did her numerous smears.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705100002?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090005?src=other"><em><em>Spinonymous sources: </em></em><em><em>Wash.</em></em><em><em> Post</em></em> cited "State Department official" who bashed Dems' war funding plan</a></b><br />
In a May 9 <i>Washington
Post</i> <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/08/AR2007050801991.html">article</a>
reporting on a new House Democratic proposal that would give President Bush
half of the emergency funds he has requested for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
staff writers Karen DeYoung and Jonathan Weisman granted anonymity to "a
State Department official" who denounced the plan as a "moral
hazard." The official also mocked the Democrats&#39; plan, claiming:
"Now we&#39;re in Excedrin headache No. 1," adding, "How do you fight a war two months at a
time?" DeYoung and Weisman did not explain to readers why this official
was granted anonymity.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090005?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<h1><a href="http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/immigration?src=other">Immigration</a></h1>
<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090007?src=other">Hosting segment from Hazleton, Pa., Dobbs did not acknowledge fundraising for the embattled town</a></b><br />
During his <em>Lou
Dobbs Tonight</em> "special report" on the efforts of the
city of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, to combat illegal immigration, Lou Dobbs
praised a controversial anti-immigrant ordinance passed by the city, but he did
not mention that, during the segment, he was promoting, on the show's CNN
website, a website soliciting money for Hazleton's legal fund.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090007?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<h1><a href="http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/terrorism?src=other">Terrorism</a></h1>
<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090004?src=other">ABC's Gibson uncritically reported claim that "we dodged a bullet" by foiling terror plot on Fort Dix</a></b><br />
On ABC's <em>World
News</em>, while introducing a report on the foiled Fort Dix plot,
Charles Gibson uncritically repeated an FBI official's claim that
"[t]oday, we dodged a bullet. In fact, when you look at the type of
weapons this group was trying to purchase, we may have dodged a lot of
bullets." But neither Gibson nor ABC News' Brian Ross, in his
subsequent report, noted that no attack was alleged to be imminent and that Fort Dix
officials have reportedly claimed that the base was not, at any point, in
immediate danger.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090004?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<h1><a href="http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/national_security_foreign_policy?src=other">National Security/Foreign Policy</a></h1>
<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090006?src=other">NBC's Gregory lumps together several GOP senators as "moderates on the war" without noting key differences</a></b><br />
On <em>Today</em>,
David Gregory referred to
Republican Sens. Gordon Smith (OR), Chuck
Hagel (NE), Susan Collins (ME), and Olympia Snowe (ME) as "[m]oderates on the war"
without noting that they have split
on key votes related to the war, with Collins and Snowe siding with the majority of Republicans
on those votes.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705090006?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<h1><a href="http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/natural_disasters?src=other">Natural Disasters</a></h1>
<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705100001?src=other">On MSNBC, Hadlock reported Snow's tornado-relief claim but not his correction of it</a></b><br />
During the 9 a.m. ET hour of the May 9 edition of <i>MSNBC Live</i>, NBC News correspondent Charles
Hadlock reported that following a severe <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/us/09guard.html?em&amp;ex=1178856000&amp;en=39f5a7dc8de97247&amp;ei=5087%0A" title="blocked::http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/us/09guard.html?em&amp;ex=1178856000&amp;en=39f5a7dc8de97247&amp;ei=5087">tornado</a>
that hit Greensburg, Kansas, on May 4, "Governor Kathleen Sebelius of
Kansas had said that [because of National Guard deployments to Iraq] there is a
lack of manpower and equipment to deal with emergency disasters in her own
state." He added: "The White House has said the state has not asked
for any more equipment other than FM communication radios. If they need more
equipment, we&#39;ll
send it." But Hadlock&#39;s report was based solely on comments White
House press secretary Tony Snow made on the morning of May 8. Hadlock did not
report Snow&#39;s acknowledgement during the White House <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070508-2.html">press
briefing</a> later that day that Sebelius had actually asked for
much more than just "FM communication radios."
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200705100001?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>




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