Media Matters for America summary, September 06, 2007
 
Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2007 22:03:03 -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/200709060007?src=other">Media figures tout Thompson's "presidential" appearance</a></b><br />
During the September 6 edition of CNN International&#39;s <i>Your World Today</i>, discussing former Sen. Fred Thompson&#39;s (R-TN) announcement that he is running for president, co-host Jim Clancy stated: "We heard a mention by other candidates, &#39;He looks presidential. He sounds presidential.&#39; Is that what has his rivals in the Republican Party worried?" CNN&#39;s chief national correspondent John King replied: "That certainly is part of it, Jim. And don&#39;t undervalue the idea of looking the part, if you will. Fred Thompson is known for his roles on TV and in Hollywood in the movies. He now wants to look the part of president and appeal to a conservative Republican base that his campaign believes has yet to settle on one front-runner among the eight Republicans -- eight other Republicans running -- because of different questions about those candidates."
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060007?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060008?src=other"><em>Newsweek</em> ignored evidence that Thompson overlooked GOP wrongdoing in Senate inquiry</a></b><br />
An article in the latest issue of <em>Newsweek</em> reported on Fred Thompson's
leadership of a 1997 investigation into campaign finance irregularities,
asserting that "Thompson wound up losing control of the investigation, and the
support of his own party," and that "Thompson has said he wanted to make sure
the inquiry was fair, and not just a Republican hunting party that would be
viewed with suspicion by the public." But
Thompson reportedly shut
down the investigation before Democrats were able to introduce evidence linking
Republican lawmakers to a fundraising group that was found to have skirted
campaign finance laws.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060008?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060005?src=other">Kinsolving's  evolving Castro endorsement falsehood</a></b><br />
In a WorldNetDaily.com 
"exclusive commentary," Les Kinsolving defended his false assertion 
that Fidel Castro 
"endorse[d]" a 
potential presidential 
ticket consisting of 
Democratic candidates 
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama by pointing out that "endorse" can also mean 
"[t]o give approval to; support; [and] sanction." In fact, while Castro described a potential 
Clinton-Obama presidential ticket as "seemingly invincible," he also attributed to Clinton and Obama a pro-democratic view that 
he called an "error" and wrote of them: "They are not making politics: they are 
playing a game of cards on a Sunday afternoon."

<br />
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060005?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060012?src=other"><em>Wash.  Times</em> again suggested  without evidence that Hsu illegally funneled donations to  Dems</a></b><br />
For the second time in a week, <em>The Washington Times</em> 
asserted in an article 
that "[f]ugitive businessman Norman 
Hsu ... donated more 
than $1 million to senior Democrats" and that "some of his donations were made 
through several people." However, Hsu 
himself has donated only "$260,000 to Democratic Party groups and 
federal candidates since 2004," 
as the article itself later noted, and the <em>Wall Street Journal</em> article that first 
suggested Hsu had orchestrated illegal campaign contributions provided no 
evidence that he had actually done so.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060012?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060011?src=other">Beck  falsely claimed William Paw gave Clinton "$200,000 in  donations"</a></b><br />
Glenn Beck -- apparently referring to Democratic donor William Paw -- falsely 
stated that Paw, who Beck said 
had an income of 
$46,000, sent Clinton "I think $200,000 
in donations." In fact, according to the Federal Election Commission's donor 
database, William Paw himself donated $4,200 to Hillary Clinton's campaign and 
$11,800 to all Democratic candidates beginning in October 2005, while, according 
to the <em>Los Angeles Times</em>, the 
seven members of the Paw family "gave $213,000, including $55,000 to Clinton and 
$14,000 to candidates for state-level offices in New York." Beck's guest, 
<em>American Spectator</em>'s R. Emmett 
Tyrrell Jr., stated that Norman Hsu, a businessman and Clinton 
"bundler," is one of several 
"shadowy Asian figures" who have been involved with campaign finance violations 
associated with the Clintons.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060011?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/200709060003?src=other"><em>Wash. Times</em> sees a "sign[] of U.S. military success" in Bush's surprise visit to heavily fortified base</a></b><br />
A
September 6 <i>Washington Times</i> <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070906/NATION/109060064/1001&amp;template=printart">article</a> by reporter
S.A. Miller claimed that "[d]espite continued bloodshed in Iraq,"
President Bush&#39;s unannounced September 3 visit to Al-Asad Airbase was
"one of several recent signs of U.S. military success" in Iraq.
Miller did not note, as <i>The Washington Post</i>
reported in a September 4 <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/03/AR2007090300333_pf.html" title="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/03/AR2007090300333_pf.html">article</a>, that
"[a]lthough Bush touted the substantial political and security progress
made in Anbar, he did not leave the safety of the base Monday to see those
changes firsthand." Further, Bush has made two previous secret trips to Iraq,
on <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/11/20031127.html">November 27, 2003</a>, and
on <a href="http://mediamatters.org//rd?http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/06/20060613.html">June 13, 2006</a>.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060003?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060013?src=other"><em>Wash.  Post</em>'s Romano touted  Petraeus Iraq testimony as "the only report  that matters now on the Hill"</a></b><br />
During a washingtonpost.com online chat, Lois Romano asserted that "the 
only report that matters now on the Hill ... is the greatly anticipated report 
by General [David] Petraeus -- which will give assessment of the conflict" in 
Iraq, despite the fact that her own newspaper published a report noting 
challenges to the U.S. military's recent assertions -- and scrutinizing a specific claim Petraeus is expected to 
make -- that sectarian violence in Iraq is 
declining.

<br />
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060013?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060009?src=other">Fox News' Wilson,  CBS affiliate misrepresented Couric's claims about Fallujah,  Anbar</a></b><br />
An article posted on wcbstv.com (the online website of New York CBS affiliate 
WCBS-TV) claimed that, during an interview with WCBS, Katie Couric "sa[id] she 
has already seen dramatic improvements in the country" and that "incidents [of 
violence] in Iraq have gone down dramatically." 
Similarly, Fox News' Brian Wilson reported that Couric "says she has seen major 
improvements during her visit to Iraq." But Couric was talking about 
the city of Fallujah and Anbar province when she 
referred to progress, not Iraq as a whole.

<br />
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060009?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>

<p><b><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709070001?src=other">Media repeat GOP  mischaracterization of Mahoney's Iraq comments</a></b><br />
The <em>Politico</em> and <em>The Washington Post</em> 
selectively quoted remarks by 
Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-FL) in a manner that suggested he supports 
continuing 
President Bush's escalation strategy in Iraq.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709070001?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/200709060006?src=other">O'Reilly on "assassins who work for <em>Media Matters</em> and Move On"</a></b><br />
Bill O'Reilly repeated his
previous attacks on <em>Media Matters </em>and
MoveOn.org, calling the two organizations "the most vicious element in
our society today" and referring to their employees as
"assassins." He also stated that that the Democratic Party is
"afraid of its fringe element," which "is centered around an
outfit called <em>Media Matters</em>,"<em> </em>and
continued to falsely assert a connection between the philanthropist George
Soros and <em>Media Matters. </em>In fact,
<em>Media Matters</em> has never received
funding from Soros, either directly or indirectly.
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200709060006?src=other" class="read">Read more</a></p>




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