Media Matters for America summary, August 14, 2007
 
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 22:03:05 -0400


<x-html>
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/"><img src="http://mediamatters.org/static/images/logo_email.jpg" border="0" /></a>
<p><b></b></p>
<p><a href=""></a></p>

<style type="text/css"><!--
body    	{ font-family: verdana, sans-serif; margin: 20px}

#spread 	{ float: left; width: 560px; clear: both; }

#spread a	{ text-decoration: none; color: #003366 }            
#spread a:hover	{ text-decoration: underline }

#spread p	{ font-size: 0.9em; }

#spread h1	{ font-size: 100%; }
#spread h2	{ font-size:  90%; }
#spread h3	{ font-size:  85%; }

#spread a.read	{
	font-size: .8em;
	/*font-weight: bold;*/
	text-transform: uppercase;
}
--></style>
<div id="spread">
<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/200708140007?src=other"><em>NY  Times </em>fact-check  of Clinton ad  left out the facts</a></b><br />
In an August 14 "Ad 
Campaign" <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/us/politics/14adbox.html?ex=1344744000&amp;en=10874ac89618e976&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss" title="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/us/politics/14adbox.html?ex=1344744000&amp;en=10874ac89618e976&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss">analysis</a> of the first television <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/invisible/?sc=1282&amp;utm_source=1282&amp;utm_medium=email" title="http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/invisible/?sc=1282&amp;utm_source=1282&amp;utm_medium=email">commercial</a> produced by Sen. Hillary 
Rodham Clinton&#39;s (D-NY) presidential campaign, <i>New York Times</i> reporter Patrick Healy 
asserted in a section titled "Accuracy" that President Bush "would certainly 
disagree with Mrs. Clinton&#39;s accusation that he does not pay attention to single 
mothers, veterans or people who lack health care." Healy continued: "She does 
not offer facts in the advertisement to verify her claim." But, while Healy 
noted that the Clinton campaign "has a trove of statistics to 
illustrate unmet needs of the uninsured and of veterans," he did not provide any 
of them in his article.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708140007?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708140004?src=other">One  report Cameron  saw that  Clinton's  pastels are a new campaign tactic was apparently his -- and it was  false</a></b><br />
During the August 12 edition of Fox 
Broadcasting Co.&#39;s <i>Fox News 
Sunday</i>, Fox News chief political correspondent Carl Cameron asserted 
that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) is conducting a "charm offensive" in 
which she "has gone out of her way to be more likable." He added: "We&#39;ve seen 
stories about how she&#39;s brightening up the pastel colors 
and trying to put a little bit more of a smile on." However, the Daily Howler&#39;s 
Bob Somerby <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh081307.shtml" title="http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh081307.shtml">noted</a> the next day: "Using Nexis, we can find 
<i>zero</i> &#39;stories&#39; in the past three 
months about how Clinton is &#39;brightening up the pastel colors.&#39; 
(We searched on &#39;Clinton AND pastel OR pastels.&#39;)" Indeed, Cameron may have been 
referring to his own report slightly more than three months ago, in which, as 
<i>Media Matters for America</i> <a href="http://mediamatters.org//items/200705100008?src=other" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200705100008">documented</a>, 
Cameron himself claimed Clinton was "wearing bright colors, smiling constantly, 
as if to deal with what polls say is a likability problem." 
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708140004?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708140005?src=other">Matthews  on Romney: "Everything about him is perfect ... the tie always  tied"</a></b><br />
On the August 13 
edition of MSNBC&#39;s <i>Hardball,</i> 
during an interview with Republican presidential candidate Mike 
Huckabee, host Chris Matthews said: "Let me ask you about [Republican 
presidential candidate] Mitt Romney. You know, I watched him on the [NBC] 
<i>Today</i> show this morning. He looks 
like a million bucks. Everything is perfect. Everything about him is perfect." 
As examples, 
Matthews cited 
Romney&#39;s "look," his "manner," and his "shirt," with "never rolled-up sleeves" and "the tie always 
tied," and asked: "That perfection -- is that the Republican Party of 
the 21st century? Is that what we&#39;re looking for, the perfect efficiency expert?" Huckabee 
responded: "Well, if it is, I&#39;m not going to get the nomination, because I&#39;m far 
from perfect. ... I&#39;ve got a bald spot on the back of my head. My life has been 
one of nothing but struggle in many ways." 

<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708140005?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/200708140001?src=other">Gibson and radio producer mocked Jon Stewart's "sobbing" remarks after 9-11, called him a "phony"</a></b><br />
On his
radio show, John Gibson and his executive producer mocked Jon Stewart for emotional remarks he made shortly after 9-11. While airing a clip of
Stewart's remarks, Gibson mimicked Stewart and sarcastically interjected,
"Oh, God, Jon.
Just tell me it's not true," and, "Oh! That's
great. I'm --
God, I'm touched."

<br />
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708140001?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708140009?src=other">Morgan  made up military law,  calling  Soltz "a hypocrite and a liar"</a></b><br />
Melanie Morgan called VoteVets.org chairman Jon Soltz "a hypocrite and a liar" 
for criticizing Army Sgt. David Aguina's appearance in uniform at a YearlyKos 
convention panel but using a picture of himself in uniform on the VoteVets.org 
website and engaging in political activism while serving in the Army Reserve, 
which Morgan called "a violation of the U.S. Military's Uniform Code of Military 
Justice." In fact, military law does not 
prohibit reservists from engaging in political activity, and it does not address the 
use of a photo of oneself in uniform for political purposes.

<br />
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708140009?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<h1><a href="http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/social_security?src=other">Social Security</a></h1>
<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708140006?src=other"><em>USA Today</em> editorial suggested Bush's Social Security plan would have defused "underfunding time bomb"</a></b><br />
In an editorial, <em>USA
Today</em> suggested that President Bush's proposal to "partially
privatize Social Security" would have addressed the program's "underfunding
time bomb, set to detonate in about a decade." But as <em>Media
Matters for America </em>has repeatedly noted, even the administration has acknowledged that
its plan for private
Social Security accounts --
on their own -- will do nothing to address the "time bomb."
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708140006?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<h1><a href="http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/2006_elections?src=other">2006 Elections</a></h1>
<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708150001?src=other">On <em>Hardball</em>, Boyer claimed Webb "was not  exactly a Daily Kos  Democrat"</a></b><br />
On <em>Hardball</em>, <em>The New Yorker</em>'s Peter Boyer asserted that 
"Jim Webb was not exactly a Daily Kos Democrat in Virginia." In fact, Webb is a Daily 
Kos member who has a 
diary at the website. He has also repeatedly credited bloggers -- including Daily Kos -- and Internet support for his 2006 Senate election. Further, Webb was endorsed by 
Daily Kos and others as one of their "Netroots Candidates" during the 2006 
election cycle.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708150001?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/200708140008?src=other">Novak again  asserted that Armitage's role in leak case exonerates  Rove</a></b><br />
In a column discussing 
Karl Rove's resignation, Robert D. Novak asserted that 
"[a]lthough [special counsel Patrick] Fitzgerald knew from the start that not 
Rove but the politically nondescript Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage 
was my primary source in identifying Valerie Plame as a CIA employee, the 
prosecutor came close to indicting Rove for perjury or obstruction of justice." 
However, Rove confirmed 
the information Armitage divulged, as Novak himself has admitted.

<br />
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708140008?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<h1><a href="http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/media?src=other">Media</a></h1>
<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708140003?src=other">Matthews on  Burnett comments: "I was just kidding around"</a></b><br />
The 
<em>New York Post</em> reported that Chris Matthews said "he was 
only fooling around with [CNBC anchor 
Erin] Burnett because the camera 
lens had already made her appear closer than usual." The article then quoted 
Matthews saying, "It was this weird fishbowl look . . . I was just kidding 
around."
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200708140003?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>




<hr />
<p>This mail was sent by <i>Media Matters for America</i>
to 'news@energy-net.org'. Please visit us at
<a href="http://mediamatters.org">http://mediamatters.org</a></p>

<p>You can help support our work; become a 
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200407200002?src=other">volunteer media
monitor</a>, or 
<a href="https://mediamatters.org/donate?source=email">donate</a>
to <i>Media Matters for America</i>.</p>


<p>To change your email subscription preferences, visit <a href="http://mediamatters.org/users/prefs.html?src=other">http://mediamatters.org/users/prefs.html</a></p>

<p>If you'd like to unsubscribe from all <i>Media Matters for America</i> emails, you can just click on <a href="http://mediamatters.org/users/unsub/_TFiSm6WIkiaci7iLu6ZtH8gu6JaPh8t_vLvpt4dfhY">http://mediamatters.org/users/unsub/_TFiSm6WIkiaci7iLu6ZtH8gu6JaPh8t_vLvpt4dfhY</a>.</p>

<p>To contact us directly, reply to this mail or visit <a href="http://mediamatters.org/contact_us?src=other">http://mediamatters.org/contact_us</a></p>
</div><img src="http://mediamatters.org/static/images/tracker.gif?src=other" style="display: none;" />
</x-html>