Media Matters for America - Research Items

Fox News Responds To London Attack With Islamophobia

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:54:45 EDT

Fox News figures scapegoated Islam and promoted Islamophobia following an attack in London reportedly perpetrated by radical extremists which has been denounced by Muslim organizations in Britain.

Man Killed In London Attack

NY Times: Man In London "Was Rammed By A Car And Then Hacked To Death By Two Knife-Wielding Assailants." The New York Times reported that a man was killed in London on May 22 by two men, one of whom reportedly was from Nigeria and who appeared on a cellphone video offering "what seems to be a political message":

In an attack that raised new fears of terrorism in Britain, a man walking near a military barracks in south London on Wednesday was rammed by a car and then hacked to death by two knife-wielding assailants, according to witness accounts carried by British news media.

[...]

Two suspects were shot and wounded by the police, officials said, and were in separate hospitals under police guard, one in serious condition. One of the men shouted "Allahu akbar," or "God is great," as the attack proceeded, government officials said.

[...]

ITV News showed a video taken with a cellphone at the scene in Woolwich in which a man who appears to be in his 20s or early 30s holds a cleaver in one of his bloodied hands. He offers what seems to be a political message before the police arrive.

"I apologize that women had to see this today, but in our lands women have to see the same thing," he says. "You people will never be safe. Remove your governments! They don't care about you."

He then refers to what appears to be a motive for the attack, saying it was carried out "because of what's going on in our own countries."

The BBC reported Wednesday night that British security officials had identified at least one of the two men as having family origins in Nigeria.

Organizations representing Britain's 2.5 million Muslims were quick to condemn the attack. "No cause justifies this murder," the Muslim Council of Britain said in a statement on behalf of the network of mosques, schools and charities it represents. It described the killing in Woolwich as "a barbaric act that has no basis in Islam," and added that the "vast majority of British Muslims acknowledge the armed forces for the work they do." [The New York Times, 5/22/13]

CNN: "UK Muslim Groups Condemn London Slaying." A CNN report headlined "UK Muslim groups condemn London slaying, urge leaders to act" reported that British Muslim groups had condemned the attack and that the Muslim Council of Britain described the attack as "a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam":

British Muslim groups voiced their horror and condemnation Thursday over the slaying of a soldier in a London street by attackers who said they were acting to avenge Muslim deaths overseas.

But Muslim commentators also suggested there is more that the country's leaders can do to address issues within the Muslim community, particularly among alienated young men.

[...]

The Muslim Council of Britain condemned what it called "a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam."

It urged Muslims and non-Muslims alike "to come together in solidarity to ensure the forces of hatred do not prevail." [CNN.com, 5/23/13]

Fox News Responds To Attack With Islamophobia

Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: "So They Looked At The Quran And Said Grab A Meat Cleaver And Hack Somebody Up. Fantastic." On Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade claimed the London attacker was inspired by the Quran, saying, "So they looked at the Quran and said grab a meat cleaver and hack somebody up. Fantastic." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/23/13]

Fox News' Bob Beckel Blames Attack On "High Percentage" Of Muslims "Who Are Terrorist By Training." Fox News co-host Bob Beckel claimed on The Five that the attack could be explained by the fact that "London has an extraordinary high percentage of Muslims that they allowed in":

BECKEL: London has an extraordinary high percentage of Muslims that they allowed in--

ANDREA TANTAROS (co-host): A lot of countries in Europe do.

BECKEL: Yeah, but I mean, London is particularly packed with Muslims and there's a lot of these elements that are unemployed who are terrorist[s] by training from their clerics. I think this probably is a terrorist attack. [Fox News, The Five, 5/22/13]

Fox News' Michelle Malkin: London Attacker Was "Quoting Chapter And Verse, Sura And Verse, From The Quran The Justification For Beheading An Innocent Solider." On Fox & Friends, Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin claimed it was "obvious" the attack was "Islamic jihad," and claimed the attacker was "ranting on the streets, quoting chapter and verse, sura and verse, from the Quran the justification for beheading an innocent solider":

MALKIN: There's no reason to second-guess, first-guess, pussy-foot around what exactly happened here. I mean what more do you need, I said last night, do you need it in big neon klieg lights, Islamic Jihad, Islamic Jihad? Do these people need to present their official Muslim jihad membership card before people can conclude the obvious?

[...]

They have these people who march around in the squares there, exercising their free speech rights to tell people to behead all infidels who insult them. Do you remember during the 2006 Mohammad cartoons that happened. And of course here's this -- one of those jihadist who was taped yesterday, ranting on the streets, quoting chapter and verse, sura and verse, from the Quran the justification for beheading an innocent solider there, and of course they've targeted civilians as well. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/23/13]

Fox News' Allen West Blames Violence On "Appeasement" Of "Islamists." Fox News contributor Allen West tweeted "Religion of peace: Somali Islamists behead UK solder on London street. See what appeasement gets you? Horrific":

[Twitter.com, 5/22/13]

Fox News' Todd Starnes: "Islamic Fanatics Butcher British Soldier ... Just Remember Folks - It's A Peaceful Religion." Fox News Radio reporter Todd Starnes tweeted, "Islamic fanatics butcher British soldier ... Just remember folks - it's a peaceful religion":

[Twitter.com, 5/22/13]

Fox News Has A History Of Pushing Islamophobia

Roger Ailes Biography Reveals Fox News' Islamophobia Goes Straight To The Top. As a Media Matters review of Zev Chafets' biography of Fox News president Roger Ailes noted, the book revealed Ailes hasn't donated to any Muslim charities, quoting Ailes as saying he would only support those organizations "if they disarm." [Media Matters, 3/18/13]

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly: "Muslims Killed Us On 9-11." In an appearance on ABC's The View, Fox host Bill O'Reilly declared "Muslims killed us on 9-11." O'Reilly used the claim to justify his opposition to a planned Islamic community center located two blocks away from New York City's ground zero. O'Reilly later said, "If anybody felt that I was demeaning all Muslims, I apologize." [ABC, The View, 10/14/10, via Media Matters]

Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: "Not All Muslims Are Terrorists, But All Terrorists Are Muslims." Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade defended O'Reilly's statement the next day by saying "there was a certain group of people that attacked us on 9-11. It wasn't just one person. It was one religion. Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims." On his radio show later in the day, Kilmeade asserted that it's a "fact" that "every terrorist is a Muslim." Following widespread criticism of his remarks, Kilmeade "clarified" his comments, saying "I'm sorry about that, if I offended ... or hurt anybody's feelings. But that's it." [Media Matters, 3/18/13]

Fox News' Eric Bolling: "Every Terrorist On American Soil Has Been A Muslim." On The Five, co-host Eric Bolling falsely claimed "every terrorist on American soil has been a Muslim." [Fox News, The Five, 6/6/12, via Media Matters]

Report: Fox News, CNN Underreport Anti-Gay Hate Crime While Obsessing Over Jodi Arias Trial

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:53:08 EDT

Fox News ignored the brutal murder of a gay man in New York City, which has been labeled a hate crime by local police, while CNN underreported the story. Even though the attack is part of a disturbing spike in anti-gay violence in New York, the cable networks instead focused on covering the proceedings in the trial against Jodi Arias.

Gay Man Murdered In New York City Subjected To Anti-Gay Slurs

Mark Carson, A Gay Man, Was Shot And Killed By Man Screaming Anti-Gay Slurs. According to The New York Times:

Mark Carson did not hide that he was gay, and when he went out on the town he would often head to Greenwich Village, where years before he was born, much of the struggle for gay liberation unfolded. Yet late Friday night, just blocks from the Stonewall Inn, among the most important landmarks of that struggle, he was confronted with a man screaming antigay slurs, who then stalked him before pulling out a silver revolver and fatally shooting him, the police said. [The New York Times, 5/18/13]

The Murder Has Been Labeled An Anti-Gay Hate Crime By Police. According to Slate:

A 33-year-old man with a criminal past was charged on Sunday with gunning down a gay man on a busy stretch of New York City's West Village, only blocks from what is considered to be the birthplace of the American gay rights movement. The alleged killer, police say, was motivated by only one thing: that his victim was gay.

"It's clear that the victim here was killed only because and just because he was thought to be gay," New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at a press conference. "There is no question about that. There were these derogatory remarks. The victim did nothing to antagonize or instigate the shooter in this case. It's only done because the shooter believed him to be gay."

Elliot Morales was charged Sunday with murder as a hate crime, along with weapons charges, in the death of Mark Carson. [Slate, 5/20/13]

Carson's Murder Sparked A Rally Against Anti-Gay Violence In New York City. According to Mother Jones:

Blinding afternoon sun lit the biggest gay rights demonstration in years in New York's West Village Monday. The LGBT community and its supporters, including a couple of mayoral candidates, marched in the wake of a murder that has capped a month-long spate of homophobic violence.

Demonstrators--police say 1,500, organizers say many hundreds more--marched through the leafy streets that gave birth to the gay rights movement to the corner where Mark Carson, 32, was shot in the face and killed Friday night as he walked with a friend. [Mother Jones, 5/21/13, emphasis added]

Analysis: Cable News Coverage Of Jodi Arias Trial Overshadowed Coverage Of Carson's Murder

Fox News, CNN Prioritized Jodi Arias Trial Over Ben Carson's Murder. According to an Equality Matters analysis, between May 19 and May 21, both Fox News and CNN underreported Mark Carson's murder, spending significantly more time covering the sentencing of Jodi Arias - a woman convicted of murdering her boyfriend:

Fox News Completely Ignored Carson's Murder But Spent More Than 30 Minutes Covering The Arias Trial.
CNN Devoted More Than 90 Minutes To The Arias Trial And Less Than One Minute Covering Carson's Murder.

CNN Mentioned Carson's Murder Only Once. According to an Equality Matters analysis, CNN mentioned Carson's murder only once, during the May 19 edition of Weekend Early Start:

MSNBC Was The Only Cable News Network To Devote A Full Segment To Covering Carson's Murder.

Anti-Gay Violence, Hate Crimes Are On The Rise

Carson's Murder Is The Latest In A Spree Of Anti-Gay Violence In New York. New York's police commissioner reported that anti-gay crimes in the city have spiked 70 percent this year. According to Business Insider:

There's been a spate of other anti-gay attacks in New York City recently. A man said he was gay bashed in the East Village just Monday. There were three other apparent anti-gay hate crimes in New York in May, Gothamist has reported.

On Tuesday, New York's police commissioner Ray Kelly said anti-gay hate crime in New York has spiked 70% this year. The New York City Anti-Violence Project -- which collects data on hate crimes against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people -- saw a 13% increase in hate crime reports from 2010 to 2011. [Business Insider, 5/21/13]

FBI Statistics: Anti-Gay Violence Is On The Rise, Even As Other Hates Crimes Are Decreasing. According to the Los Angeles Times, hate crimes based on the victim's sexual orientation are on the rise:

More than 6,000 hate crimes were reported to U.S. law enforcement agencies in 2011 -- a 6% decrease from 2010, the FBI said Monday. But crimes based on the victim's sexual orientation increased slightly.

[...]

"The increase in the number of reported hate crimes directed against gays and lesbians, now the second most frequent category of crime, is especially disturbing," the [Anti-Defamation League] said in a statement.

There were 1,508 reported sexual orientation hate crimes in 2011, up from 1,470 in 2010, an increase of about 2.6%. Overall, nearly 21% of hate crimes were motivated by sexual orientation bias, the FBI said, with men victimized the majority of the time. [Los Angeles Times, 12/10/12]

Methodology

Equality Matters searched news transcripts provided by TV Eyes for the words "Carson," "gay," "hate crime," "Jodi," and "Arias" between May 19 and May 21. Reruns and teases for upcoming segments were included. One mention of Carson's murder during the May 19 edition of MSNBC's Weekends with Alex Witt was excluded because it was brought up by a guest and not by the show's host.

Fox Dismisses Experts' Conclusion That Gitmo's Existence Helps Terrorists' Causes

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:00:44 EDT

Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade dismissed the assertions of interrogation experts and those familiar with the Guantánamo Bay military commission system that keeping the prison open and holding trials there help terrorist organizations recruit more members.

Fox Dismisses Idea That Guantanamo Is Helping Terrorists

Kilmeade Ridicules Idea That "Gitmo Makes Us Look Bad." Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade ridiculed the idea that the Guantánamo prison is a national security problem for the U.S.:

KILMEADE: They're going to go, "We're going to decide to change our policy on letting these Gitmo detainees go back to Yemen." You know when they go back to Yemen they go to prison, and suddenly they end up tunneled out and disappeared. So we're going to get the worst of the worst they wouldn't even take them back, and we're going to send them back to that prison where the bars are made of papier-mâché. And they're going to end up with us.

And the president is going to have an explanation to the next people that they kill: "Yeah, I let them go because Gitmo makes us look bad." Do you know anyone that's attacked us because we imprison the people that are trying to kill us? [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/23/13]

But Experts Say That Guantánamo Helps Terrorists' Causes, Hurts America's Image

Former Chief Prosecutor Of Military Commissions At Guantánamo Bay: Obama Is Right That Prison Serves As "Recruitment Tool For Extremists." In a May 2 Guardian op-ed, Morris Davis, who formerly served as the chief prosecutor of the military commissions at Guantánamo, agreed with President Obama that the prison is a recruiting tool for terrorists, calling it "a stain on America's reputation":

I am going to say something I have not said as often as I would have liked: I agree with President Obama. Despite indications to the contrary -- such as fighting me tooth and nail in court the past three years (and counting) over my firing by the Library of Congress for writing op-eds critical of his and President Bush's detainee policies - he apparently came to the same realization I had several years ago that, in his words, "we've got to close Guantánamo."

At a press conference on Tuesday, the president said that Guantánamo is unnecessary to keep America safe; it is expensive and inefficient; it diminishes the standing of the United States in the international community; it hampers cooperation with allies on counterterrorism efforts; and it serves as a recruitment tool for extremists. He is right on all counts. How, then, could anyone find an upside to perpetuating the Guantánamo fiasco? [The Guardian, 5/2/13]

Senior Air Force Interrogator: "The No. 1 Reason Foreign Fighters Flocked [To Iraq] Were The Abuses Carried Out At Abu Ghraib And Guantánamo." An Air Force interrogator who successfully tracked down Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, wrote in a 2008 Washington Post op-ed that abuses of prisons in Guantánamo Bay and other prisons contributed to the flow of terrorists fighting U.S. forces in Iraq:

Torture and abuse are against my moral fabric. The cliche still bears repeating: Such outrages are inconsistent with American principles. And then there's the pragmatic side: Torture and abuse cost American lives.

I learned in Iraq that the No. 1 reason foreign fighters flocked there to fight were the abuses carried out at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. Our policy of torture was directly and swiftly recruiting fighters for al-Qaeda in Iraq. The large majority of suicide bombings in Iraq are still carried out by these foreigners. They are also involved in most of the attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. It's no exaggeration to say that at least half of our losses and casualties in that country have come at the hands of foreigners who joined the fray because of our program of detainee abuse. The number of U.S. soldiers who have died because of our torture policy will never be definitively known, but it is fair to say that it is close to the number of lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001. [The Washington Post, 11/30/08]

Former Navy General Counsel: High-Ranking Officers Believed That Use Of Guantánamo Led To U.S. Deaths In Iraq. During congressional testimony on detainee interrogation in June 2008, former Navy general counsel Alberto Mora said:

MORA: [S]ome U.S. flag-rank officers maintain that the first and second identifiable causes of U.S. combat deaths in Iraq -- as judged by their effectiveness in recruiting insurgent fighters into combat -- are, respectively, the symbols of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. [ThinkProgress, 6/17/08]

Center For Strategic & International Studies: Guantánamo Bay Provided Terrorists With A "Propaganda Windfall That Enables Recruitment To Violence." In a September 2008 study on the Guantánamo Bay prison, the Center for Strategic & International Studies "concluded that the United States has been damaged by Guantánamo beyond any immediate security benefits. Our enemies have achieved a propaganda windfall that enables recruitment to violence." [Center for Strategic & International Studies, "Closing Guantanamo: From Bumper Sticker to Blueprint", September 2008]

Fox Has Previously Denied Gitmo's Effect As Terrorist Recruiting Tool

Fox's Hume On Gitmo As A Recruiting Tool: "Where's The Evidence Of That?" Responding to a suggestion that terrorist groups will no longer be able to point to U.S. interrogation techniques to boost recruitment if the torture at the Guantánamo Bay prison was stopped, Hume stated: "Oh, as a recruiting tool? Where's the evidence of that?" [Fox Broadcasting Co., Fox News Sunday, 4/19/09, via Media Matters]

Coulter Falsehood: "No Evidence" Guantánamo "Has Served As A Recruiting Tool." Appearing on Fox News' Hannity, Ann Coulter asserted that "all liberals are saying ... that Guantánamo has served as a recruiting tool for terrorists," but "they certainly have no evidence for it." [Fox News, Hannity, 5/21/09, via Media Matters]

Fox News Sunday's Wallace: "I Have Never Felt That Guantánamo Was This Huge Recruiting Tool." Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace said that "I'd love to know the specific proof that the Obama administration or anyone has that Guantánamo is a recruiting tool" for terrorists and added: "I have never felt that Guantánamo was this huge recruiting tool and the main reason for -- that -- the reason they hate us." [Fox News Radio's Brian & The Judge, 5/22/09, via Media Matters]

The Right-Wing Media's Failed White House Log Conspiracies

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:49:20 EDT

The American Spectator's Jeffrey Lord misrepresented White House visitor logs to suggest that President Obama knew about the IRS targeting of conservative nonprofits because he met with the president of a union that represents IRS employees shortly before the agency began its controversial actions. This is far from the first time a right-wing media conspiracy dependent on those records has fallen apart.

Does Obama's Meeting With IRS Union Chief Show He Directed Scandal?

Did Obama Meet With The Head Of The New Black Panthers Party?

Do Logs Show Obama Learned Of Botched ATF Operation In 2010?

Was There A White House Meeting Between Obama And ACORN's CEO?

Did A "Controversial Scholar" Visit Obama At The White House?

CONSPIRACY: Does Obama's Meeting With IRS Union Chief Show He Directed Scandal?

American Spectator's Jeffrey Lord: "Smoking Gun" In Logs Ties Obama To IRS Scandal Through Meeting With Union Head Kelley. Lord reported that according to the White House logs, President Obama met with Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents IRS employees, the day before IRS employees "set to work in earnest targeting the Tea Party and conservative groups around America." He concluded:

The obvious question instantly arises with the revelation that Kelley was meeting with the President personally -- the day before the IRS kicked into high gear with its "Sensitive Case Report on the Tea Party".

Were the President of the United States and the President of the NTEU meeting in the White House at 12:30 on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 -- and engaged in "collaboration" and "partnership"? A "collaboration" and "partnership" that was all about targeting the Tea Party?

And did that collaboration and partnership result in the IRS letting loose the hounds on the Tea Party and conservative groups -- the very next day after the Obama-Kelley meeting? [American Spectator, 5/20/13]

Lord's Conspiracy Spread Through The Conservative Media. The story was covered by Sean Hannity on his radio show, CNS News, Fox Nation, Jim Hoft, and Michelle Malkin's website. [The Sean Hannity Show, 5/20/2013 [link?]; CNS News, 5/20/2013; TheGatewayPundit.com, 5/20/2013; MichelleMalkin.com, 5/20/2013; Fox Nation, 5/20/2013]

But Logs Indicate Kelley Did Not Have A Personal Meeting With Obama. According to the database, Kelley was one of 117 visitors who came to the Old Executive Office Building for what the log describes as a "Workplace Flexibility Forum." [Data.gov, accessed 5/21/2013]

Kelley Attended And Spoke At A Forum On Workplace Flexibility. According to a contemporaneous report:

An expanded telework program is one of the best ways to bring real flexibility to the federal workplace, Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), said during a White House forum to examine the state of flexible work arrangements.

Kelley spoke at the March 31 White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility, hosted by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, which examined ways that the government might help American workers juggle the twin demands of work and family.

Telework "allows employees to avoid long, expensive and tiresome commutes, enables them to better balance work and family life and increases job satisfaction," Kelley said, noting that NTEU negotiates for flexibilities in every bargaining unit. Often, she said, there is real resistance among managers to implementing flexibilities. [FCW.com, 4/6/2010]

Union: Kelley Had "No Direct Contact" With Obama At The Forum. US News & World Report's Washington Whispers blog reported:

National Treasury Employees Union spokeswoman Dina Long tells Whispers that Kelley never met privately with Obama.

"Kelley attended the White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility at the Old Executive Office Building... [which] was attended by approximately 200 attendees including business leaders, workers, policy experts and labor representatives discussing telework and worklife balance issues," Long said in a statement. "The president made opening remarks. President Kelley did not have any direct contact with the president or the first lady." [USNews.com, 5/20/13]

CONSPIRACY: Did Obama Meet With The Head Of The New Black Panthers Party?

National Review's Andrew McCarthy: White House Won't Clarify Whether New Black Panthers Party Chief Visited. McCarthy, commenting on Andrew Breitbart's report that both Obama and New Black Panthers Party National Chairman Malik Zulu Shabazz had marched with thousands of others at the commemoration of the Selma civil rights march, wrote:

Andrew also notes that visitor logs indicate that a man identified as "Malik Shabazz" visited the White House two months after attorney general [Eric] Holder dismissed the Panthers case. The White House has refused to clarify whether that Malik Shabazz is the Panther national chief. [Media Matters, 10/3/2011]

White House Said Years Earlier That It Was A Different Shabazz. In a 2009 blog post introducing the database, Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform, identified "Malik Shabazz" as one of the "false positives" that came up in their visitor logs:

A lot of people visit the White House, up to 100,000 each month, with many of those folks coming to tour the buildings. Given this large amount of data, the records we are publishing today include a few "false positives" - names that make you think of a well-known person, but are actually someone else. In September, requests were submitted for the names of some famous or controversial figures (for example Michael Jordan, William Ayers, Michael Moore, Jeremiah Wright, Robert Kelly ("R. Kelly"), and Malik Shabazz). The well-known individuals with those names never actually came to the White House. Nevertheless, we were asked for those names and so we have included records for those individuals who were here and share the same names. [WhiteHouse.gov, 10/30/09]

WhitePages.com Has 46 Listings For "Malik Shabazz." [WhitePages.com, accessed 5/21/2013]

Shabazz Visited For A Group Tour. According to the log, the Malik Shabazz who visited the White House went for a group tour with a total of 311 people. [Data.gov, accessed 5/21/2013]

CONSPIRACY: Do Logs Show Obama Learned Of Botched ATF Operation In 2010?

RW Media: Obama Met With DOJ Official Who Had Been Briefed On Operation Fast And Furious Four Times In 2010. In late 2011, several right-wing bloggers suggested that President Obama might have been lying about not knowing about the ATF's botched Operation Fast and Furious, citing as evidence White House logs that they said indicated that Obama had repeatedly "met with" then-Deputy Attorney General Gary Grindler, who they described as aware of the tactics used during that operation. [Media Matters, 12/1/2011]

Logs Actually Indicated DOJ Official Had Been At Widely-Attended State Events.

The three May 19, 2010, listings the bloggers were referring to actually indicate that Grindler was one of President Obama's many guests for the widely attended events related to Mexican President Felipe Calderon's state visit. The May 10, 2010, visit is listed in the visitor logs as a "Large Event With POTUS and Community Leaders" that took place in the East Room, apparently President Obama's announcement of Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court. [Media Matters, 12/1/2013]

CONSPIRACY: Was There A White House Meeting Between Obama And ACORN's CEO?

Breitbart's BigGovernment.com Claimed ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis Visited White House. A December 30, 2009, BigGovernment.com "exclusive" noted that according to White House visitor logs, a "Bertha E. Lewis" had visited the White House on September 5, 2009. The piece alleged that "Bertha E. Lewis" was, in fact, ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis. The story further stated: "Ms. Lewis doesn't seem to have returned to the White House after this visit. Of course, just 5 days after this visit, James O'Keefe would release the first video of his undercover journalism on the systemic corruption within ACORN." [Media Matters, 7/21/2010]

White House Reportedly Said It Was A Different Bertha Lewis. Politico reported in response to Breitbart's report: "An administration official tells me that, indeed, this is a different Bertha Lewis, an ordinary visitor who came in through the White House visitor's office." [Politico, 12/31/2009]

ACORN: Our CEO Has A Different Middle Initial. Politico further reported: "One clue: The ACORN official's middle initial, according to her New York voter registration record on Nexis, is "M." An ACORN spokesman says her middle name is 'Mae.'" [Politico, 12/31/2009]

WhitePages.com Has More Than 100 Listings For "Bertha Lewis." [WhitePages.com, accessed 5/21/2013]

The Bertha Lewis Who Visited The White House Came For A Tour. According to the logs, Lewis was part of a group of more than 1,000 who visited on September 5 for a "staff tour." [Data.gov, accessed 5/21/2013]

CONSPIRACY: Did A "Controversial Scholar" Visit Obama At The White House?

Heritage Blog: Logs Show Two White House Visits For "Controversial Scholar" Derrick Albert Bell. In a March 2012 post, the Heritage Foundation's blog The Foundry reported:

Visitor logs show that Derrick A. Bell visited the White House twice since President Obama took office. The logs show two visits by an individual of that name on January 29 and 31, 2010.

Derrick Albert Bell, the late Harvard professor and controversial scholar in the field of Critical Race Theory has been thrust into national headlines after conservative bloggers at Breitbart.com posted video of Obama lauding his work at a 1991 rally at Harvard. [The Foundry, 3/8/2012]

ABC News: White House Says It's A Different Bell. ABC News' Jake Tapper reported of the Foundry post:

There are two problems with the Heritage post. One: it excludes some details from the visitors' logs. There are 28 columns on the publicly released records, the Heritage blog lists seven. The data they omit includes a description of what the visit was for: in this case, for both visits: TOURS. A White House tour - not MEETING or APPOINTMENT. Another data point: TOTAL PEOPLE. This is a reference to how many people were present for the tour, meeting or appointment - in this case 304 people and 282 people.

But Bell surely could have taken a tour or two and then met with President Obama, right? Sure, it's possible - and I asked the White House about it. The answer from a White House official: this was not the same Derrick A. Bell. He had a different birthday than the late law professor, whose birthday was November 6, 1930. That would seem to undermine the significance of this visit. [ABCNews.com, 3/9/2012]

Report: Fox News Underreported Sexual Assault In The Military

Mon, 20 May 2013 04:14:22 EDT

While Fox News has devoted extensive airtime to pushing scandals that have since begun to fall apart, it has largely ignored new allegations of sexual assault in the military.

Three Service Members In Charge Of Sexual Assault Prevention Programs Are Under Investigation For Sexual Assault

Air Force Officer In Charge Of Sexual Assault Prevention And Response Office Charged With Sexual Battery. On May 6, the officer in charge of the Air Force's sexual abuse prevention department was arrested for drunkenly groping a woman. From ABC News:

Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek confirmed to ABC News that Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski, chief of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, was arrested this weekend in Arlington, Va.

The Arlington County Police Department's crime report said that shortly after midnight on Sunday "a drunken male subject approached a female victim in a parking lot and grabbed her breasts and buttocks."

"The victim fought the suspect off as he attempted to touch her again and alerted police," the crime report said said. [sic] "Jeffrey Krusinski, 41, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with sexual battery." [ABC News, 5/6/13]

Ft. Hood Sexual Assault Prevention Coordinator Under Investigation For "Abusive Sexual Contact." The Army announced on May 14 that a soldier assigned to coordinate a Texas sexual assault program has been suspended from his duties for "abusive sexual contact." From KWTX-TV News:

The coordinator of a sexual assault prevention program at Fort Hood under investigation for "abusive sexual contact" and other alleged misconduct was identified Thursday as Sgt. 1st Class Gregory McQueen.

McQueen has been suspended from all duties, the Army said earlier this week, but has not been charged.

The Army said McQueen is accused of pandering, abusive sexual contact, assault and maltreatment of subordinates.

He was assigned as an equal opportunity adviser and coordinator of a sexual harassment-assault prevention program at III Corps headquarters at Fort Hood when the allegations arose.

On Wednesday, a defense official said the allegations involve three women including one for whom the unnamed soldier arranged to have sex for money, The Associated Press reported. [KWTX-TV News, 5/16/13]

Head Of Ft. Campbell Sexual Harassment Program Charged With Stalking, Removed From Position. On May 15, Lt. Col. Darin Haas, the manager of Fort Campbell's sexual harassment program, was arrested and charged with stalking and violating the order of protection of his ex-wife. From USA Today:

Lt. Col. Darin Haas, Fort Campbell's sexual harassment program manager, has been removed from his position after an arrest this week involving a dispute with his ex-wife.

At about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Clarksville (Tenn.) Police responded to a complaint from Haas' ex-wife, who said Haas had sent her threatening texts in violation of an order of protection, according to a court affidavit.

Haas, 42, was arrested that night and charged with stalking and violating the order of protection. He was booked into Montgomery County (Tenn.) Jail on a $15,000 bond.

Thursday afternoon, Fort Campbell officials said Haas has been removed from his position as Sexual Harassment and Assault Response Prevention/Equal Opportunity program manager. [USA Today, 5/16/13]

Analysis: Fox News Underreported Recent Cases Of Military Sexual Assault

Fox News Spent Less Than Nineteen Minutes Covering Sexual Assault In The Military. According to a Media Matters analysis, Fox News devoted 18 minutes, 42 seconds to covering military sexual assault since May 6, when the month's first sexual assault case was reported. CNN and MSNBC spent 1 hour, 36 minutes and 4 hours, 56 minutes on military sexual assault stories, respectively.

Military Leaders Have Described The Increase In Sexual Assault Cases As A "Crisis"

Department Of Defense Report Estimated 26,000 Cases Of Sexual Assault Within The Military In 2012. The Department of Defense (DOD) released its annual report on sexual assault in the military, which documented a marked increase in reported and estimated cases of sexual assault. From The Daily Beast:

[T]he Department of Defense released its annual report on sexual assaults within the ranks, announcing that there were nearly 3,400 reported incidents of sexual assault in 2012 alone, up 6 percent from 2011. But the report also included the results of a survey--conducted every two years--that found that the actual number of assaults was far greater: an estimated 26,000, up from 19,000 in 2010. By Thursday, outrage over the skyrocketing figures had reached such a fever pitch that the White House convened a group of lawmakers to meet with senior-level staffers, including Valerie Jarrett and the first lady's chief of staff, who reportedly asked for immediate executive-level changes that could be made to address the ongoing problem. [The Daily Beast, 5/13/13]

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel Decried Increase Of Sexual Assault In The Military. During a May 7 press conference, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel called upon leaders to take sexual assault within the ranks seriously, and outlined steps to prevent further abuse. From DOD's American Forces Press Service:

Hagel called sexual assault "a despicable crime" and said it is a serious challenge to the department. "It's a threat to the safety and the welfare of our people and the health, reputation and trust of this institution," he said.

He shifted to the annual report on sexual assault within the military the department delivered to Congress today. "This department may be nearing a stage where the frequency of this crime and the perception that there is tolerance of it could very well undermine our ability to effectively carry out the mission and to recruit and retain the good people we need," he said. "That is unacceptable to me and the leaders of this institution. And it should be unacceptable to everyone associated with the United States military."

Hagel called for a cultural change in the military with respect to sexual assault. He announced initiatives so "every service member is treated with dignity and respect, where all allegations of inappropriate behavior are treated with seriousness, where victims' privacy is protected, where bystanders are motivated to intervene and where offenders know that they will be held accountable by strong and effective systems of justice." [American Forces Press Service, 5/7/13]

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey: Sexual Assault Constitutes "Crisis" In The Military. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, cited the increase in military sexual assault as a major cause for concern. From the DOD's American Forces Press Service:

"We're losing the confidence of the women who serve that we can solve this problem," Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told reporters as he returned from NATO meetings in Brussels. "That's a crisis."

Dempsey has actively been researching this issue since he became the Army's Training and Doctrine Command chief in 2008. He continued the research as Army chief of staff, and now as chairman.

"I tasked those around me to help me understand what a decade-plus of conflict may have done to the force," he said. "Instinctively, I knew it had to have some effect."

The chairman still cannot articulate what 10 years of war has done to the force, but he does think the increase in sexual assaults, the rise in suicides, and the increase in instances of misconduct and indiscipline are in some way related.

"This is not to make excuses," he said. "We should be better than this. In fact, we have to be better than this." [American Forces Press Service, 5/15/13]

Methodology

Media Matters searched internal TV archives and closed captioning as well as the TVEyes database for the terms "sexual assault" and "military" between May 6 and May 19 on all Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC shows.

Reruns and teases for upcoming segments were excluded.

Network Sunday Shows Give Credence To Absurd IRS-Watergate Comparison

Sun, 19 May 2013 06:20:45 EDT

Sunday talk shows on NBC, CBS, and ABC compared reports that the Internal Review Service (IRS) applied extra scrutiny to conservative groups to President Nixon's Watergate scandal, a comparison which people who worked on both sides of the Watergate scandal agree is baseless.

IRS Inspector General Report Found Agency Used "Inappropriate Criteria" For Some Tax-Exempt Applicants

IG Report: "IRS Used Inappropriate Criteria" For Some Conservative Applicants. On May 14, the IRS' Inspector General released a report on how the IRS applied additional scrutiny to some conservative applicants for federal tax-exempt status. As CNN reported, the IG report found "lax oversight at the Internal Revenue Service allowed for the singling out of some conservative groups, resulting in lengthy delays in the processing of their applications for federal tax-exempt status, according to a report by the agency's inspector general released Tuesday." CNN went on:

The report found that for more than 18 months beginning in early 2010 the IRS developed and followed a faulty policy to determine whether the applicants were engaged in political activities, which would disqualify the groups from receiving tax-exempt status.

"The IRS used inappropriate criteria that identified for review Tea Party and other organizations applying for tax-exempt status based upon their names or policy positions instead of indications of potential political campaign intervention," according to the report. [CNN.com, 5/15/13]

President Obama Deemed IRS' Actions "Intolerable And Inexcusable" And Ordered That Corrective Action Be Taken. The White House released a statement on May 14 condemning the IG report's findings as "intolerable and inexcusable," as the "federal government must conduct itself in a way that's worthy of the public's trust, and that's especially true for the IRS." From the White House statement:

I have now had the opportunity to review the Treasury Department watchdog's report on its investigation of IRS personnel who improperly targeted conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status. And the report's findings are intolerable and inexcusable. The federal government must conduct itself in a way that's worthy of the public's trust, and that's especially true for the IRS. The IRS must apply the law in a fair and impartial way, and its employees must act with utmost integrity. This report shows that some of its employees failed that test.

I've directed Secretary Lew to hold those responsible for these failures accountable, and to make sure that each of the Inspector General's recommendations are implemented quickly, so that such conduct never happens again. [WhiteHouse.gov, 5/14/13]

Network Sunday Shows Invoked Nixon's Watergate Scandal Amid IRS Discussions

CBS' Schieffer: "I Do Not Think This Is Watergate By Any Stretch," But Obama's Response Is "Exactly The Approach That The Nixon Administration Took." On the May 19 edition of CBS' Face The Nation, host Bob Schieffer asserted that he didn't want to invoke a Watergate comparison to the IRS' actions, but then told Obama adviser Dan Pfeiffer that the Obama administration took "exactly the approach that the Nixon administration took":

PFEIFFER: This is a Republican playbook here. Which is, try -- when they don't have a positive agenda -- try to drag Washington into a swamp of partisan fishing expeditions, trumped-up hearings, and false allegations. We aren't going to let that distract us and the president from actually doing the people's work and fighting for the middle class.

SCHIEFFER: You know, I don't want to compare this in any way to Watergate. I do not think this is Watergate by any stretch. But you weren't born then, I would guess, but I have to tell you that is exactly the approach that the Nixon administration took. They said, "These are all second-rate things, we don't have time for this, we have to devote our time to the people's business." You're taking exactly the same line that they did. [CBS News, Face the Nation, 5/19/13]

WSJ Columnist Noonan Defends Claim That "We Are In The Midst Of The Worst Washington Scandal Since Watergate." On NBC's Meet The Press, Peggy Noonan discussed her May 17 Wall Street Journal column in which she claimed that "[w]e are in the midst of the worst Washington scandal since Watergate." When host David Gregory asked Noonan if her Watergate comparison was an overstatement, Noonan defended her claims, saying, "This IRS thing is something I've never seen in my lifetime." [NBC News, Meet The Press, 5/19/13]

Wash. Post Columnist George Will: IRS Evokes Watergate As "It's The Use Of The Federal Machinery To Punish Enemies Of The Administration." On the May 19 edition of ABC's This Week, host George Stephanopoulos asked panelist George Will if he still believed that the IRS scandal evoked "echoes of Watergate," as Will had written in his Washington Post column last week. Will responded, "Sure, in the sense, it's the use of the federal machinery to punish enemies of the administration." [ABC News, This Week, 5/19/13]

But Those Familiar With Watergate Say There Is "No Evidence" That The IRS' Actions Are Comparable To The Nixon Scandal

Carl Bernstein: "We Have No Evidence" That Obama Used The IRS For Retribution. Politico reported that Carl Bernstein, one of the Washington Post reporters who broke the Watergate scandal, deflated the idea that the IRS targeting was comparable to Watergate. From Politico:

But Bernstein said that conservatives who are eager to equate the IRS scandal to Watergate should hold their horses.

While the Nixon-era IRS investigated his political enemies and subjected them to audits, it did so at the direction of the president and his aides. No evidence has emerged linking Obama or the White House to the IRS scandal.

"In the Nixon White House, we heard the president of the United States on tape saying 'Use the IRS to get back on our enemies,'" said Bernstein, whose reporting helped lead to Nixon's eventual resignation. "We know a lot about President Obama, and I think the idea that he would want the IRS used for retribution -- we have no evidence of any such thing." [Politico, 5/13/13]

Former Nixon White House Counsel: Anyone Comparing Obama To Nixon Is "Challenged In Their Understanding Of History." John Dean, a former top aide to President Nixon, told The Boston Globe that "[t]here are no comparisons" between the IRS' actions and Watergate. The Boston Globe reported:

As startling as the reports have been in recent days -- from the IRS targeting of conservative groups to the Justice Department seizing phone records of the Associated Press -- one Nixonian element so far is missing: There has been no evidence that Obama himself ordered or knew about the actions.

"I find the comparison -- that whoever is making the analysis is challenged in their understanding of history," John Dean, who was White House counsel during the Nixon administration, said in an interview. "There are no comparisons. They're not comparable with any of the burgeoning scandals."

And Dean is in a position to know. Nearly 41 years ago, Dean was with Nixon in the Oval Office on a Friday afternoon when the president wondered aloud about utilizing the powers of the IRS to target his political opponents. [The Boston Globe, 5/17/13]

Wash. Post On Watergate: "Mr. Obama Has Done Nothing Of The Kind." The Washington Post editorial board wrote on May 16 that with regards to Watergate, "Mr. Obama has done nothing of the kind," in an editorial headlined "Obama a new Nixon? Oh, get serious." The editorial board said of the IRS reports:

We still don't have a full picture of how the practice originated, how high in the administration knowledge of it rose and how members of Congress came to be repeatedly misinformed on the subject. But there is so far no evidence of White House knowledge or instigation of the practice. [The Washington Post, 5/16/13]

Associate Academic Director, University Of California: "The Comparisons To Nixon Are Hyperbolic." In a May 17 op-ed for The Washington Post, Matthew Dallek, associate academic director at the University of California Washington Center, wrote that Watergate "remains a scandal unlike any other in modern times":

[L]et's be clear: The comparisons to Nixon are hyperbolic. Watergate, with its unique depth of criminality, remains a scandal unlike any other in modern times, and the echoes today reveal far more about the culture of Washington than about the supposed similarity between Obama's troubles and Nixon's crimes. [The Washington Post, 5/17/13]

Grasping For New Scandals, Fox Fearmongers That Obamacare Will Allow IRS To Deny Medical Treatment

Fri, 17 May 2013 05:07:05 EDT

Fox continued its effort to target the Obama administration with manufactured scandals, fearmongering that IRS commissioner Sarah Hall Ingram will use the IRS' authority under the Affordable Care Act to discriminate against conservatives by denying or postponing approval for medical procedures.

IRS Commissioner Who Oversaw Tax-Exemption Approvals Now Heads Healthcare Office

ABC News: "IRS Official In Charge During Tea Party Targeting Now Runs Health Care Office." In a May 16 report headlined "IRS Official in Charge During Tea Party Targeting Now Runs Health Care Office," ABC News reported that Sarah Hall Ingram, the IRS commissioner previously in charge of the office that oversaw the approval of tax-exempt organizations had been moved to an IRS office in charge of some aspects of the new health care legislation:

The Internal Revenue Service official in charge of the tax-exempt organizations at the time when the unit targeted tea party groups now runs the IRS office responsible for the health care legislation.

Sarah Hall Ingram served as commissioner of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations between 2009 and 2012. But Ingram has since left that part of the IRS and is now the director of the IRS' Affordable Care Act office, the IRS confirmed to ABC News today. [ABC News, 5/16/13]

Fox Fearmongers That Health Care Reform Gives The IRS Power To Discriminate Against Conservatives

Fox News' Steve Doocy Suggests The IRS Could Use Health Records To Interfere With Conservatives' Healthcare. Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy suggested that the IRS would be able to access Americans' private health information and meddle in specific health procedures:

DOOCY: Well, this is a little scary. Just think about the nexus of IRS with healthcare and the fact that she -- keep in mind, one of the things from the IG report was, one of the problems with the IRS, was they blamed ineffective management. Well, she was the management, and now she's running Obamacare at the IRS? Going forward, just imagine: okay, so you go in and you're, you're trying to get a doctor's appointment; right? And they go, we see from your tax records -- how would that possibly be possible? -- We see from your tax records that you support the Tea Party or conservative groups. You want a doctor's visit? Three weeks. You want hip replacement? Four years.

Fox displayed this graphic during the segment:

[Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/17/13]

In Fact, The IRS Will Only Have Power To Verify Health Coverage

Politico: "The Agency Will Verify Insurance Coverage, But Nothing More." A May 16 Politico article disputed the suggestion that the IRS would have the power to stand between conservatives and their doctors, quoting former IRS Acting Commissioner Steven Miller who explained during a September 2012 House hearing that the insurers will only provide insurance coverage information to the IRS:

In reality, the IRS is just supposed to verify that people have health coverage -- which means collecting records from employers and insurers, but not doctors.

And in September, then-IRS Acting Commissioner Steven Miller testified at a House hearing that the agency will verify insurance coverage, but nothing more. "It is important to note that the information that insurers provide to the IRS will show the fact of insurance coverage, and will not include any personal health information," he said in his prepared testimony. [Politico, 5/16/13]

Reuters: IRS Deputy Commissioner Steven Miller Testified Agency Will Not Audit Health Coverage. A September 11, 2012 Reuters article reported then-IRS Deputy Commissioner Steven Miller clarification of the agency's role in implementing the Affordable Care act to a subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, pointing out that "[i]n most cases, taxpayers will file their tax returns reporting their health insurance coverage, and-or making a payment, and there will be no need for further interactions with the IRS":

The Internal Revenue Service on Tuesday assured congressional lawmakers that agents would play no role in enforcing the controversial requirement that Americans buy insurance under President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul.

"IRS revenue agents will not be involved. There will not be audits," IRS Deputy Commissioner Steven Miller told a subcommittee of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

[...]

"In most cases, taxpayers will file their tax returns reporting their health insurance coverage, and-or making a payment, and there will be no need for further interactions with the IRS," Miller said. [Reuters, 9/11/12]

The New Republic: Idea That Obamacare Gives IRS Control Over Individuals' Health Care Is "Beyond Laughable." In a May 17 New Republic article, Jonathan Cohn called the idea that the Affordable Care Act would "meaningfully" expand the power of the IRS "beyond laughable." He highlighted the minor role that the agency would play in implementing the law and contrasted it with the agency's existing power:

[T]he notion that Obamacare meaningfully expands the power of the IRS, let alone that it will give its bureaucrats control over how people get medical care, is beyond laughable.

It's true that the IRS performs several of Obamacare's critical functions. Starting next year, the IRS will be distributing the tax credits that will make insurance affordable for millions of Americans. The IRS will also be responsible for enforcing the "personal responsibility requirement"--a.k.a., the individual mandate. To do that, it must figure out who has insurance, and then, under certain circumstances, impose a tax penalty on people who do not.

[...]

The medical privacy nightmare is a figment of the libertarian imagination. The IRS will never see an actual medical record, let alone meddle with decision-making by doctors and hospitals. The agency will deal entirely with financial matters--how much money you make and whether you have insurance.

[...]

[I]f you're worried about the IRS discriminating against individuals, selective application of a modest, non-enforceable tax penalty seems like a trivial matter given the other options the agency has at its disposal. After all, the IRS has the power to conduct audits, which can be brutal, and dial income tax penalties way up or down. [The New Republic, 5/17/13]

Media Hardly Notice Deficit Drop

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:39:16 EDT

Following months of media calls for deficit reduction, cable news channels spent just over 7 minutes reporting on a revised Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projection that the 2013 deficit will decline by more than previous estimates. Broadcast network news evening shows did not cover the new report.

CBO Announces New Report: Deficit Projections Lower For 2013

CBO: "The Budget Deficit Will Shrink This Year To $642 Billion." According to the Congressional Budget Office's most recent analysis, assuming current law remains unchanged, "the budget deficit will shrink this year to $642 billion ... the smallest shortfall since 2008":

If the current laws that govern federal taxes and spending do not change, the budget deficit will shrink this year to $642 billion, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates, the smallest shortfall since 2008. Relative to the size of the economy, the deficit this year--at 4.0 percent of gross domestic product (GDP)--will be less than half as large as the shortfall in 2009, which was 10.1 percent of GDP. Because revenues, under current law, are projected to rise more rapidly than spending in the next two years, deficits in CBO's baseline projections continue to shrink, falling to 2.1 percent of GDP by 2015. [Congressional Budget Office, May 2013]

Wonkblog: CBO Has "Cut Their Prediction For 2013 Deficits By More Than $200 Billion." At The Washington Post's Wonkblog, Ezra Klein explained that the new CBO report cuts previous predictions of the 2013 deficit by more than $200 billion:

Washington's most powerful budget nerds have cut their prediction for 2013 deficits by more than $200 billion. They've cut their projections for our deficits over the next decade by more than $600 billion. Add it all up and our 10-year deficits are looking downright manageable. [The Washington Post, Wonkblog, 5/14/13]

Media Largely Ignores CBO's Lowered Deficit Projection

Network And Cable News Largely Ignore CBO's Revised Projection Of Lower Deficits. According to a Media Matters analysis, the May 15 ABC, CBS, and NBC evening news programs did not cover the CBO's announcement that deficits are projected to shrink more than previously estimated. On cable news, CNN devoted less than one minute to the announcement, while Fox News devoted 1 minute 44 seconds of coverage. MSNBC covered the announcement the most, with 4 minutes and 53 seconds of coverage.

Previously, Media Focused On Deficit Reduction More Than Other Economic Issues

In April News Coverage, Calls For Deficit Reduction Beat Out Mentions Of Other Economic Issues. A Media Matters analysis of economic news coverage in the month of April found that media continued their long-established focus on deficit reduction. In 45 of 123 total segments discussing policy impacts on the economy, guests or hosts on network and cable news advocated for deficit reduction as a priority. Calls for deficit reduction beat out mentions of other economic issues, most notably the need for economic growth and job creation, and economic inequality.

[Media Matters for America, 5/14/13]

In April Economic Coverage, Calls For Deficit Reduction Made Up Significant Portion Of Economic Coverage. A Media Matters analysis of economic news coverage in the month of April found that with the exception of CBS News, cable and network news organizations all devoted a significant amount of coverage to calls for deficit reduction. ABC News devoted the most, with a vast majority of their economic coverage focusing on deficit reduction.

Falling Deficits Absent From Segments Calling For Deficit Reduction. While 45 segments on the economy in April discussed the need for deficit reduction, only four total segments mentioned previous CBO estimates that deficits are projected to fall in coming years.

[Media Matters for America, 5/14/13]

Methodology

For the mentions of the May 2013 CBO report on revised deficit projections, Media Matters reviewed closed captioning transcripts and internal video archives for May 15, 2013, from 6 a.m. to midnight for MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, and the evening news broadcasts of NBC, CBS, and ABC News. We identified and reviewed all mentions of the word "deficit," and included any discussion of the CBO report.

For the review of deficit reduction as a percentage of total economic coverage, Media Matters conducted a Nexis search of transcripts of evening (defined as 5 p.m. through 11 p.m.) programs on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and network broadcast news from April 1 through April 30. We identified and reviewed all segments that included any of the following keywords: econom!, jobs, growth, debt, and deficit. When transcripts were incomplete, we reviewed video.

The following programs were included in the data: World News with Diane Sawyer, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Evening News (CBS), Face the Nation, Nightly News with Brian Williams, Meet the Press with David Gregory, Fox News Sunday, The Situation Room, Erin Burnett OutFront, Anderson Cooper 360, Piers Morgan Live, The Five, Special Report with Bret Baier, The O'Reilly Factor, Hannity, On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Politics Nation with Al Sharpton, All In with Chris Hayes, The Rachel Maddow Show, and The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell. For shows that air re-runs (such as Anderson Cooper 360 and Hardball with Chris Matthews), only the first airing was included in data retrieval.

Media Matters only included segments that had substantial discussion of policy implications on the macroeconomy. We did not include teasers or clips of news events, and re-broadcasts of news packages that were already counted on their initial broadcast in the 5p.m.-11p.m. window.

We define segments that call for deficit reduction as a priority as those where either the host or guest mentions deficit and debt reduction as a pressing need.

REPORT: Fox News Spent One Minute Covering Marriage Equality In Three States

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:10:37 EDT

Fox News spent one minute covering the historic legalization of same-sex marriage in Rhode Island, Delaware, and Minnesota over the past several weeks. According to an Equality Matters analysis, the network completely ignored the passage of marriage equality legislation in Delaware and made only passing mentions of Rhode Island and Minnesota's new marriage laws.

Analysis: Fox News Underreported The Passage Of Marriage Equality In Three States

Fox News Made Just Three Mentions Of The Passage Of Marriage Equality In Rhode Island, Delaware, And Minnesota. According to an Equality Matters analysis, Fox News mentioned the marriage equality victories in Rhode Island, Delaware, and Minnesota a total of three times. CNN and MSNBC made 13 and 35 mentions of the stories, respectively:

Fox News Mentioned Rhode Island's Marriage Equality Law Only Once. Fox News dedicated just sixteen seconds to covering Rhode Island's marriage equality legislation during the May 1 edition of Fox Report with Shepard Smith. CNN and MSNBC spent about one minute and 10 minutes covering the story, respectively:

Fox News Ignored The Passage Of Marriage Equality In Delaware. No Fox News program mentioned the passage of marriage equality legislation in Delaware. Both CNN and MSNBC covered the story:

Fox News Mentioned Minnesota's Marriage Equality Law Twice. Fox News devoted 44 [seconds to covering Minnesota's marriage equality legislation during two mentions on the May 14 editions of Special Report with Bret Baier and Fox Report with Shepard Smith. CNN and MSNBC spent about two and 37 minutes covering the story, respectively:

The Bulk Of MSNBC's Minnesota Coverage Came From Multiple Segments During The May 12 Edition Of Up with Steve Kornacki, Which Devoted More Than 20 Minutes To The Story.

Methodology

Equality Matters searched news transcripts provided by TV Eyes and internal TV databases for any mention of the passage of marriage equality legislation in Rhode Island, Delaware, and Minnesota.

For Rhode Island, which approved marriage equality on May 2, we searched for the terms "Rhode," "island," and "marriage" between May 1 and May 3.

For Delaware, which approved marriage equality on May 7, we searched for the terms "Delaware" and "marriage" between May 6 and May 8.

For Minnesota, which passed its marriage equality measure through the House on May 9 and signed the measure into law on May 14, we searched for the terms "Minnesota" and "marriage" between May 8 and 12:00 p.m. on May 15.

Reruns and teases for upcoming segments were excluded.

Gosnell Conviction Revives False Abortion Analogies

Tue, 14 May 2013 01:43:33 EDT

Since Kermit Gosnell's conviction of the murder of three infants, right-wing media have dismissed existing laws and the context of Gosnell's case as part of their ongoing campaign to connect his horrific crimes to legal abortion procedures.

Gosnell Was Convicted Of Three Counts Of First-Degree Murder

CNN: Gosnell Was Found Guilty Of Three Counts Of First-Degree Murder. CNN reported:

A Philadelphia abortion provider who killed babies by cutting their spinal cords with scissors was found guilty of first-degree murder on Monday.

The conviction on three counts of first-degree murder means Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, could be sentenced to death. [CNN.com, 5/14/13]

Right-Wing Media Equate Gosnell's Crimes To Legal Abortion

Fox's Kimberly Guilfoyle: You Can't Listen To This "And Not Rethink Abortion." On May 13, The Five co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle said that the Gosnell case would force people to "rethink abortion":

BOB BECKEL (co-host): Do you think this reignites the issue of right to life versus abortion as a public policy issue?

GUILFOYLE: Bob, great question. I think it does. It puts a spotlight on it. It brings it into the forefront of discussion and especially the media outlets that were brave enough to cover it like Fox News has been. Because you can't have sat in that courtroom, heard the evidence, listened to this and what happened to these babies and not rethink abortion and choice and all of it. [Fox News, The Five, 5/13/13]

The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin: "Gosnell Verdict Will Force A Rethinking About Abortion." The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin suggested in her Right Turn blog that the "implications" for legal abortion in the wake of Gosnell's case "are now unavoidable." She added:

In pulling back the curtain on a practice many Americans consider barbaric, the Gosnell trial will, I believe, have long-term implications for the abortion debate. It's about time. [The Washington Post, Right Turn, 5/13/13]

National Review Online: "Gosnell's Murders Are Not An Aberrant Abuse Of The Abortion License But An Inevitable Result Of It." From a National Review Online May 13 editorial:

Gosnell's human abattoir is the logical endpoint of our morally fraudulent national approach to abortion, the proponents of which maintain that they wish the procedure to remain "safe, legal, and rare," in Bill Clinton's cynically triangulating formulation, while at the same time resisting any and all restrictions upon the procedure. Gosnell's murders are not an aberrant abuse of the abortion license but an inevitable result of it.

[...]

We may be disgusted and horrified by Kermit Gosnell, but we should not be shocked by his crimes. Thanks to the misguided social entrepreneurship of the Supreme Court, abortion is protected as a constitutional absolute, and late-term abortions, grisly as they are, enjoy substantial protection as well. What that looks like in practice is Gosnell's slaughterhouse. We should not pretend that this evil does not extend past the Philadelphia city limits. If you would have an unlimited abortion franchise, then you will have all that goes with it, including the pitiless knife of Kermit Gosnell. [National Review Online, 5/13/13]

Gosnell's Crimes Bear No Resemblance To Safe And Legal Abortions

Philadelphia Grand Jury: Breaking The Law Was Gosnell's "Competitive Edge." The grand jury in Gosnell's case found that "Gosnell's approach was simple: keep volume high, expenses low - and break the law. That was his competitive edge." The grand jury report elaborated:

Pennsylvania, like other states, permits legal abortion within a regulatory framework. Physicians must, for example, provide counseling about the nature of the procedure. Minors must have parental or judicial consent. All women must wait 24 hours after first visiting the facility, in order to fully consider their decision. Gosnell's compliance with such requirements was casual at best. At the Women's Medical Society, the only question that really mattered was whether you had the cash. Too young? No problem. Didn't want to wait? Gosnell provided same-day service. [Gosnell Grand Jury Report, 1/14/11]

Dr. Tracy Weitz: Gosnell's Actions Have Nothing To Do With "The Way In Which Later Abortion Procedures Are Performed In The United States." University of California reproductive health professor Dr. Tracy Weitz pointed out that the procedures Gosnell was accused of performing have "nothing to do with the way in which the standard of care and later abortion procedures are performed in the United States," and that his actions are "nowhere in the medical literature." [The Washington Examiner via Media Matters, 4/17/13]

The "Overwhelming Majority" Of Abortions In The U.S. Are Safe, Early In Pregnancy

Guttmacher Institute: "The Overwhelming Majority Of Abortions In The United States ... Are In The First Trimester." A Guttmacher Institute report stated that "[t]he overwhelming majority of abortions in the United States, 88% in 2006, are in the first trimester, occurring at or before the 12th week of pregnancy." [Guttmacher Institute, 12/16/11]

Guttmacher Institute: Most States Prohibit Abortion After Viability. According to the Guttmacher Institute, the vast majority of states prohibit abortions after a fetus reaches "viability," except primarily in cases when the procedure is "necessary to protect the woman's life or health." [Guttmacher Institute, 5/1/13]

RH Reality Check's Amanda Marcotte: Third Trimester Abortions Are About 1 Percent Of All Abortions Performed. RH Reality Check reported that drawing attention to late-term abortion is a longstanding tactic of the anti-choice movement:

Third trimester abortions are about 1% of all abortions performed, and frankly, the anti-choice movement only focuses on them because they are especially disgusting, and therefore make a good cudgel to attack all abortion rights. And since they are so emotionally fraught, they have a great deal of appeal to the ghouls that populate the anti-choice movement, the ones who spend obscene percentages of their lives dwellling on graphic pictures of dead fetuses. [RH Reality Check, 6/8/09]

Gratuitous Restrictions To Abortion Can Push Women Toward Unsafe Procedures

American Journal Of Public Health: Access Barriers To Abortion Push Women Toward Unsafe And Unlawful Operations. According to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health:

Several studies indicate that the factors causing women to delay abortions until the second trimester include cost and access barriers, late detection of pregnancy, and difficulty deciding whether to continue the pregnancy. In part because of their increased vulnerability to these barriers, low-income women and women of color are more likely than are other women to have second-trimester abortions. [American Journal of Public Health, April 2009]

Salon's Irin Carmon: "The Abortion Rate Is Higher In Countries Where It's Illegal." Salon's Irin Carmon wrote that "[t]he abortion rate is higher in countries where it's illegal, and around 47,000 women die every year from unsafe abortions in clinics that likely look a lot like Gosnell's." [Salon, 4/17/13]

Gynuity Health Projects: "Legal Induced Abortion Is Markedly Safer Than Childbirth." A 2012 study found that women face fewer complications during legal abortion procedures than during childbirth: 0.6 deaths per 100,000 abortions compared to 8.8 deaths per 100,000 live births. [Gynuity Health Projects, February 2012]

Major Newspapers Whitewash Obama's "Act Of Terror" Assertion

Tue, 14 May 2013 01:17:06 EDT

The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal provided incomplete reporting of GOP criticism that President Obama downplayed the role of terrorism in the attacks on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. None of these newspapers provided their readers with Obama's actual comments labeling the attacks an "act of terror," thereby giving undue weight to Republican attacks.

Obama: "I Acknowledged That This Was An Act Of Terrorism"

Obama Reminds Press Of His Initial Comments On Benghazi. After Associated Press reporter Julie Pace asked President Obama at a May 13 press conference if he stood by his administration's assertions "that the [Benghazi] talking points were not purposely changed to downplay the prospects of terrorism," Obama responded by noting he referred to Benghazi as an "act of terrorism" the day after the attacks [emphasis added]:

OBAMA: With respect to Benghazi, we've now seen this argument that's been made by some folks primarily up on Capitol Hill for months now. And I've just got to say -- here's what we know. Americans died in Benghazi. What we also know is clearly they were not in a position where they were adequately protected. The day after it happened, I acknowledged that this was an act of terrorism. And what I pledged to the American people was that we would find out what happened, we would make sure that it did not happen again, and we would make sure that we held accountable those who had perpetrated this terrible crime. [WhiteHouse.gov, 5/13/13]

Media Run With GOP Critique But Don't Report Obama's Comments That Address GOP Critique

NYT: Republicans Accused Obama Administration Of Trying To "Cover Up The Fact That The Benghazi Attacks Were Linked To Terrorism." The New York Times' report on President Obama's May 13 remarks ignored Obama's comments during the press conference that he referred to an act of terror following the attacks, and instead highlighted Republican claim that the administration sought to downplay terrorism. From The New York Times:

Responding to Republican accusations that the administration had tried to cover up the fact that the Benghazi attacks were linked to terrorism, Mr. Obama noted that he sent the head of the National Counterterrorism Center to brief lawmakers three days after Susan Rice, the ambassador to the United Nations, appeared on Sunday-morning talk shows.

"Who executes some sort of cover-up or effort to tamp things down for three days?" he said. "This whole thing defies logic." [The New York Times, 5/13/13]

Wash. Post: Republicans Say Editing Of Talking Points Is "Evidence That Obama Sought To Downplay" Link To Terrorism In Benghazi Attacks. From The Washington Post's report on President Obama's May 13 press conference:

The final version did not include earlier references to a specific terrorist group involved in the attacks, an omission Congressional Republicans have pointed to as evidence that Obama sought to downplay the link during a then-close presidential race.

"The whole issue of talking points throughout this process has been a side show," Obama said Monday. "Suddenly three days ago this gets spun up as if there is something new to the story. There's no there there."

Obama continued, "The whole thing defies logic, and the fact that this keeps getting churned out frankly has a lot to do with political motivations." [The Washington Post, 5/13/13]

WSJ: Republicans "Charge The Administration Withheld The Truth About The Assault Because It Showed Terrorism Remained A Threat." From a Wall Street Journal article on President Obama's May 13 press conference:

Congressional Republicans are seeking to make more headway on the investigation into the Sept. 11, 2012, assault on U.S. posts in Benghazi, which claimed the life of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

They charge the administration withheld the truth about the assault because it showed terrorism remained a threat, counter to a key message in Mr. Obama's re-election campaign last year.

The investigation gained new momentum last week when longtime diplomat Gregory Hicks, the second-ranking official in the U.S. embassy in Tripoli during the attack, gave a detailed narrative to a congressional committee. [The Wall Street Journal, 5/13/13]

Obama Repeatedly Called Benghazi An "Act Of Terror" In The Days Following The Attacks

Sept. 12: Obama Said Of Benghazi: "No Acts Of Terror Will Ever Shake The Resolve Of This Great Nation." On September 12, the day after the attack on the U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi which resulted in the deaths of four Americans, President Obama gave a speech in the Rose Garden. He said, "No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for. Today we mourn four more Americans who represent the very best of the United States of America. We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake, justice will be done." [WhiteHouse.gov, 9/12/12]

Sept. 12: In Nevada, Obama Said Of Benghazi: "No Act Of Terror Will Dim The Light" Of American Values. Later on September 12, Obama again labeled the Benghazi attacks an "act of terror." He told a crowd in Las Vegas, Nevada, "As for the ones we lost last night: I want to assure you, we will bring their killers to justice. And we want to send a message all around the world -- anybody who would do us harm: No act of terror will dim the light of the values that we proudly shine on the rest of the world, and no act of violence will shake the resolve of the United States of America." [WhiteHouse.gov, 9/12/12]

Sept. 13: Obama Again Referred To The Benghazi Attack As An "Act Of Terror" In Colorado. Campaigning in Golden, Colorado, on September 13, Obama again classified the Benghazi attack as an "act of terror." He told the crowd, "So what I want all of you to know is that we are going to bring those who killed our fellow Americans to justice. I want people around the world to hear me: To all those who would do us harm, no act of terror will go unpunished." [WhiteHouse.gov, 9/13/12]

REPORT: How Network And Cable News Covered Economic Issues In 7 Charts

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:48:59 EDT

Evening news coverage throughout April touched upon several economic issues, including income inequality, deficit reduction, and entitlement cuts. A Media Matters analysis of this coverage reveals that many of these segments lacked proper context or necessary input from economists, while some networks ignored certain issues entirely.

Economic Inequality Largely Unmentioned

Economic Inequality Mentioned In Only 12 Segments. Of the total 123 segments discussing policy effects on the economy, only 12 -- slightly less than 10 percent of economic news coverage -- mentioned income and wealth inequality and current policy's disproportionate impact on low-income earners.

MSNBC Led All Networks In Inequality Coverage. MSNBC devoted about 25 percent of its economic coverage to discussing the disparity between the rich and poor, leading the coverage of news networks on the issue. CNN devoted about 10 percent of its coverage to economic inequality, and Fox News devoted 4 percent. ABC, CBS, and NBC provided no mentions of inequality.

Deficit Reduction Still In Spotlight

Calls For Deficit Reduction Outnumber Calls For Economic Growth. Of the total 123 segments discussing the economy, 35 mentioned that economic growth and job creation are a priority, while 45 discussed the need for cutting government spending to reduce the deficit.

Fox News Most Vocal In Calls For Deficit Reduction. When mentions of economic priorities are broken down by network, it is clear that Fox News' coverage drives talk of deficit reduction. The network had the largest disparity in calls for deficit reduction over economic growth, mentioning it 30 times in the period analyzed.

Falling Deficits Absent From Segments Calling For Deficit Reduction. While 45 segments on the economy discussed the need for deficit reduction, only four total segments mentioned that deficits are projected to fall in coming years.

Supposed Need For Entitlement Cuts In Focus

Rising Healthcare Costs -- The Main Driver Of Deficits -- Overshadowed By Calls For Entitlement Cuts. A total of 27 segments focused on the perceived need for entitlement cuts, while zero noted that the main driver of long-term entitlement costs are largely due to rising healthcare costs.

Economists Still Underrepresented In Coverage

Economists Account For Four Percent Of Guests. Of the total 196 guests brought on to talk about the economy, only eight were identified as economists. Political guests and journalists accounted for the majority of guests, with 75 guests from each group.

Methodology

Media Matters conducted a Nexis search of transcripts of evening (defined as 5 p.m. through 11 p.m.) programs on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and network broadcast news from April 1 through April 30. We identified and reviewed all segments that included any of the following keywords: econom!, jobs, growth, debt, and deficit. When transcripts were incomplete, we reviewed video.

The following programs were included in the data: World News with Diane Sawyer, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Evening News (CBS), Face the Nation, Nightly News with Brian Williams, Meet the Press with David Gregory, Fox News Sunday, The Situation Room, Erin Burnett OutFront, Anderson Cooper 360, Piers Morgan Live, The Five, Special Report with Bret Baier, The O'Reilly Factor, Hannity, On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Politics Nation with Al Sharpton, All In with Chris Hayes, The Rachel Maddow Show, and The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell. For shows that air re-runs (such as Anderson Cooper 360 and Hardball with Chris Matthews), only the first airing was included in data retrieval.

We defined segments that discuss economic inequality as those which mention the disparity in economic gains between high- and low-income individuals, including disproportionate effects of sequestration.

We define segments that call for deficit reduction as a priority as those where either the host or guest mentions deficit and debt reduction as a pressing need.

We define segments that call for economic growth as a priority as those where either the host or guest mentions economic growth and job creation as pressing needs.

We define segments that call for entitlement cuts as those where either the guest or host mentions the need for benefit cuts to Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid.

We counted all guests that appeared in relevant segments, using bios, profiles, resumes, and news stories available online to determine as best we could each guest's educational background and professional experience.

We defined an economist as someone who either holds an advanced degree in economics or has served as an economics professor at the college or university level. In cases where it was unclear whether or not the guest held an advanced degree, they were classified in the next most descriptive cohort.

Media Matters defined a political guest as any former or current elected government official or political appointee, any political strategist, or any former or current political party official (such as former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele).

We defined a journalist as a guest whose main profession is associated with a media outlet, such as contributors, correspondents, or columnists.

Todd Starnes' 5 Fake "Culture Wars"

Mon, 13 May 2013 01:00:01 EDT

Fox News reporter Todd Starnes claims to offer "culture war news," but several of his recent stories have turned out to be false or misleading.

Starnes' Story: Military Undergoing "Christian Cleansing" Under Obama

Starnes' Story: Lesbian Role Play At Middle School

Starnes' Story: Pentagon Blocks Access To Southern Baptist Website

Starnes' Story: Track Team Disqualified For Praising God

Starnes' Story: "Saudi National" Involved In Boston Bombing

Starnes' Story: Military Undergoing "Christian Cleansing" Under Obama

Starnes: Christians "Under Significant Attack" By Obama Administration. Discussing the military's anti-proselytization policy, Starnes said that Christians were "under significant attack" by the Obama administration, under which "we have seen a Christian cleansing of the United States military." [Fox News, Hannity, 5/3/13, via Media Matters]

Fact: Military's Anti-Proselytization Policy Is Longstanding, Applies To All Religions. Pentagon spokesman Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen told a Tennessee newspaper that there is a difference between evangelization, which is permitted, and proselytization, which is not:

"Service members can share their faith (evangelize), but must not force unwanted, intrusive attempts to convert others of any faith or no faith to one's beliefs (proselytization)," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a Pentagon spokesman, in an email.

"If a service member harasses another member on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, or disability, then the commander takes action based on the gravity of the occurrence. Likewise, when religious harassment complaints are reported, commanders take action based on the gravity of the occurrence on a case-by-case basis."

Christensen said there are no plans to single out evangelical Christians for punishment, despite claims of activists.

"The U.S. Department of Defense has never and will never single out a particular religious group for persecution or prosecution. The Department makes reasonable accommodations for all religions and celebrates the religious diversity of our service members," he said. [The Tennessean, 5/2/13]

Fact: Air Force Anti-Proselytization Policy Reflects That Of Military. Starnes also claimed that Air Force guidelines against proselytization conflicted with the military's policy. In fact, the Air Force merely clarified its guidelines for the treatment of religion consistent with Department of Defense policy, specifying that personnel "should confidently practice [their] own beliefs while respecting others whose viewpoints differ from [their] own." The guidelines specifically prohibit both discrimination against and preferential treatment toward any religion. [U.S. Air Force, Air Force Culture, 8/7/12]

Starnes' Story: Lesbian Role Play At Middle School

Starnes: "Angry Parents" Say Students "Were Instructed To Ask One Another For A Lesbian Kiss." Starnes highlighted claims of parents in a New York School district alleging various acts taking place during an anti-bullying presentation:

Young girls at a New York middle school were instructed to ask one another for a lesbian kiss and boys were given guidance on how to tell if women are sluts during an anti-bullying presentation on gender identity and sexual orientation, angry parents allege.

[...]

Parents are especially furious after their young daughters were told that it was perfectly normal for 14-year-old girls to have sex and there was nothing their parents could do to intervene.

The boys and girls were also given a sexual vocabulary primer - that included words like "pansexual" and "genderqueer."

"I am furious," said Mandy Coon, whose daughter was in the class. "I am her parent. Where does anyone get the right to tell her that it's okay for her to have sex?"

Coon told Fox News that her daughter was upset by the classroom lecture and was confused about why she had to ask another girl for a kiss.

"She told me, 'Mom, we all get teased and picked on enough - now I'm going to be called a lesbian because I had to ask another girl if I could kiss her,'" Coon said.

She said the school told her that the purpose of the lesson was to "teach girls boundaries and how to say no."

"They also picked two girls to stand in front of the class and pretend they were lesbians on a date," Coons said. [Fox News Radio, 4/18/13]

Fact: School District Says No "Lesbian Kissing" Occurred. The New York school district in which the purported incidents occurred stated that during the presentation -- which was designed to "encourage students to treat one another (and all marginalized groups) with more respect as well as to further develop an appreciation for personal dignity" -- "female students were not forced to engage in any lesbian kissing," "male students were not told to carry condoms," and "sexual activity among young adolescents was not condoned or promoted in any way":

During the week of April 9, eighth grade communication sessions were held at Linden Avenue Middle School. These sessions were designed by building leadership and the guidance department. The goals of these sessions were to encourage students to treat one another (and all marginalized groups) with more respect as well as to further develop an appreciation for personal dignity.

In response to parental concerns about these sessions Dr. Zahedi, the middle school principal, held an evening informational forum on April 16. This session was well attended and the subsequent feedback has been positive. In addition, the Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools, Paul Finch, addressed the community at the April 24 board meeting on the topic of these sessions. Here again, feedback from the community and students was overwhelmingly positive. [Red Hook Central Schools, accessed 5/9/13]

Fact: School District Asked Starnes To Correct His Article. Red Hook school superintendent Paul Finch sent an email to Starnes asking him to "update" his article with the "facts":

These sessions were designed by the building leadership in an effort to have eighth graders treat each other with respect and to develop in our young adolescents an appreciation for personal dignity. To suggest that we would condone or promote sexual activity among teenagers is absurd. It is equally absurd to suggest that an activity, designed to have young women feel more confident saying no to unwanted advances from boys, is in some way promoting a lesbian lifestyle. It is my understanding that the role playing activity is part of a program supported by conservatives such as Laura Bush.

The definitions given to students, while overly granular in my opinion, were put forth to make sure that students understand that all gender identities and/or sexual orientations are protected in law in New York State as part of an effort to curb harassment, discrimination, and bullying. It is our intent to adjust this document and be less granular in future lessons.

Please also know that the two college students who helped facilitate these sessions were guided and supervised by the principal and guidance counselors. They were not acting without direction. And, there is no evidence to suggest that they were inappropriately interacting with the students. Reports indicate the opposite is true. I have read both their written accounts of the sessions and written feedback from students. It was all very positive.

We acknowledge that better communication from the building leadership is necessary for future sessions of this nature. We pride ourselves in Red Hook on working with parents to do what is in the best interest of all the students. Having attended the parent information session last week, I can speak with absolute certainty that the parents present at the meeting appreciated the District's intent and left knowing that the middle school principal will adjust for any implementation weaknesses moving into the future.

Again, I hope you will update your article to more accurately reflect what actually occurred. [Red Hook Central Schools, accessed 5/9/13]

Starnes' Story: Pentagon Blocks Access To Southern Baptist Website

Starnes: Website Blockage Part Of "Religious Hostility Within The Pentagon." Starnes wrote that "The U.S. Military has blocked access to the Southern Baptist Convention's website on an unknown number of military bases because it contains 'hostile content.'" Starnes called the alleged action "censorship" and cited an official of a conservative group to portray the incident as an example of "religious hostility within the Pentagon." [Fox News Radio, 4/24/13]

Fact: Site Was Blocked Due To Malware. A Tennessee newspaper reported that the reason the Southern Baptist website was blocked was due to malware that could potentially harm computers that accessed the site:

Conservative Christian activists had accused the Defense Department of blocking www.SBC.net intentionally. They claim the military has become hostile to their view of faith.

But the culprit turned out to be more mundane.

Lt. Col. Damien Pickart, a Defense Department spokesman, said the military has software filters to ban pornography and gambling sites and to detect malware, malicious software that can harm other computers. One of those filters caught the malware on the Baptist site.

"The Department of Defense is not intentionally blocking access to this site," he said in an email. "The Department of Defense strongly supports the religious rights of service members, to include their ability to access religious websites like that of the SBC."

That malware has since been removed, said Pickart, and the Baptist site was unblocked Thursday afternoon. [The Tennessean, 4/26/13]

Starnes' Story: Track Team Disqualified For Praising God

Starnes: Student Was "Thanking The Lord For Winning The Race," Caused His Disqualification. Starnes wrote that a Texas high school track team was disqualified from a race after the anchor runner crossed the finished line and "raised his finger to the sky -- thanking the Lord for winning the race that would send them to the state finals":

Derrick Hayes, the anchor of the Columbus High School 4×100 relay team had just crossed the finish line when he raised his finger to the sky -- thanking the Lord for winning the race that would send them to the state finals.

But a judge with the University Interscholastic League, the governing body for high school athletics in Texas, ruled that the gesture was a violation of the taunting rule - and the Cardinals were stripped of their victory.

"I think it's a travesty," said K.C. Hayes, Derrick's dad. "It's a sad deal. Those kids worked hard." [Fox News Radio, 5/4/13]

Fact: Student Disqualified For Disrespectful Behavior Toward Meet Official. The University Interscholastic League (UIL), which governs extracurricular school activities in Texas, investigated the incident and found that the student "reacted disrespectfully" to a meet official's warning of a possible disqualification "should that behavior continue," and the student was disqualified based on that reaction:

Over the course of the investigation, the UIL interviewed several eyewitnesses and reviewed video of the race. Additionally, the UIL spoke to the involved parties. The UIL has concluded the investigation and has found no evidence to suggest that the disqualification took place as a result of the student-athlete expressing religious beliefs. The basis for the disqualification was due to the student-athlete behaving disrespectfully, in the opinion of the local meet referee.

Based on the UIL's investigation, the student athlete raised his hand and gestured forward at the conclusion of the 4x100-meter relay. The meet official approached the student-athlete in an effort to warn him of a possible disqualification should that behavior continue. In the opinion of the official, the student reacted disrespectfully. Based on his reaction, the student-athlete was subsequently disqualified. Any decision to disqualify a student-athlete at any track meet must be upheld by the head meet referee. The meet official and the meet referee conferred, and the disqualification was upheld on-site. At no point during the discussions surrounding the disqualification at the meet was the issue of religious expression raised by any parties. [University Interscholastic League, 5/6/13]

Fact: Student And His Parents Admitted Religious Rights Weren't Violated. The UIL also included statements from the student as well as his parents, in which they admitted the student's religious rights were not violated:

To assist the UIL in its investigation, the student-athlete's parents submitted a letter stating that their son's religious freedoms were not violated. "In looking back at the conclusion of the 4x100 race, we realize that Derrick could have handled the win in a different manner," KC and Stacey Hayes said in the letter. "It was not our intention to force the issue that our son's religious freedom was violated. Nor do we feel that way now. After discussing this with our son, we have come to the conclusion that his religious rights were not violated."

The student-athlete who was disqualified also submitted a letter during the investigation stating: "Although I am very thankful for all God has given me and blessed me with, on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at the Regional Track Meet in Kingsville, TX, my actions upon winning the 4x100 relay were strictly the thrill of victory. With this being said, I do not feel my religious rights or freedoms were violated." [University Interscholastic League, 5/6/13]

Starnes' Story: "Saudi National" Involved In Boston Bombing

Starnes: The "Saudi National" Detained After Bombing Was On Terrorist Watch List. Starnes wrote that "sources have told me" that Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi, who had been briefly detained then cleared following the Boston Marathon bombings, "had been flagged on a terror watch list and was granted a student visa without being properly vetted," and that Alharbi "had been deemed inadmissible under the section of the Immigration and Nationality Act which declares ineligible for a visa -- any alien who is engaged in or is likely to engage after entry -- in terrorist activity." [Fox News Radio, 4/22/13, via Scribd]

Fact: Fox's Bret Baier Reported That Saudi National Was Never A "Person Of Interest" In Bombings. In a video on his Fox News blog, Special Report host Bret Baier stated that according to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, the Saudi national was briefly put on the federal no-fly list while he was being questioned by authorities, but that "he really was never a person of interest" and had been cleared of any wrongdoing. Baier added that when a person is placed on the no-fly list, a visa revocation process automatically begins, which was stopped when the Saudi national was removed from the list. [FoxNews.com, 4/23/13]

Starnes' Article Scrubbed From Website Without Explanation. After Starnes' article was promoted by The Blaze and the Drudge Report, it was removed from the Fox News Radio website. Neither Starnes nor Fox News gave any explanation for its removal. [ViralRead, 4/23/13]

REPORT: Diversity On Evening Cable News In 13 Charts

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:19:44 EDT

A review of guests on 13 evening cable news shows on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC during the month of April 2013 reveals that these networks overwhelmingly host male and white guests.

Evening Cable News Guests Were Overwhelmingly White And Male

Men Dominated Guest List On Cable News. Out of 1,677 total guests, CNN had the largest proportion of men -- 76 percent -- during the month of April. Women did not make up more than 33 percent of guests on any network.

White Guests Hosted Most Often On Cable News. Fox News had the largest proportion of white guests -- 83 percent. African-Americans were the largest non-white group on all networks, representing 19 percent, 10 percent, and 5 percent of guests on MSNBC, Fox, and CNN, respectively.

Cable News Guests Were Largely White Men. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, white men make up only 31 percent of the U.S. population. On evening cable news, they represented a much larger percentage of guests -- 62 percent of guests on CNN, 60 percent on Fox, and 54 percent on MSNBC.

White Men Were Vastly Overrepresented On Cable News. While white men enjoyed representation on cable that was nearly double that of their representation in the U.S. population, white women, who represent 32 percent of the population, were only 21 percent of guests on cable. Non-white women fared even worse. While they make up 19 percent of the population, they were only 8 percent of all guests on cable. Non-white men were also underrepresented; only 13 percent of guests on cable were non-white men while they make up 18 percent of the population.

CNN's Guest Lineup Was Primarily White And Male

Erin Burnett Outfront Hosted The Smallest Proportion Of Women On CNN. Out of 109 on Outfront guests during the month of April, 81 percent were men. No evening show on CNN hosted women more than 29 percent of the time.

Piers Morgan Live Guest Lineup Was 91 Percent White. CNN's most ethnically diverse show was Outfront, which still hosted white guests 71 percent of the time. Similar to The Situation Room, the higher proportion of non-white guests on Outfront can be attributed in part to a couple of regular commentators: CNN correspondents Christiane Amanpour and Fareed Zakaria on The Situation Room and conservative political commentator Reihan Salam and political comedian Dean Obeidallah on Outfront.

White Men Dominated CNN's Evening News. Every evening CNN show studied hosted white men significantly more often than all other guests combined. Piers Morgan Live was the worst offender with 66 percent of its guest lineup being white men.

Fox News Hosted The Largest Proportion Of White Guests

On The Record Hosted The Smallest Proportion Of Women On Any Evening Cable News Show. Out of 128 On the Record guests in April, only 22 were women, representing the smallest proportion of women on any evening cable news show studied. The O'Reilly Factor and Hannity hosted women more often than On the Record or Special Report with Bret Baier; however, men still dominated guest lineups at 64 and 66 percent, respectively.

89 Percent Or More Of Guests On Three Fox News Evening Shows Were White. Special Report, The O'Reilly Factor, and On the Record all hosted white guests near or above 90 percent of the time -- Special Report had the largest proportion of white guests at 93 percent. Hannity's ethnic diversity was better in comparison; however, a large portion of that program's diversity came from a single episode when Hannity hosted 22 of its 58 non-white guests.

On The Record's Proportion Of White Men Larger Than Any Other Show Studied. On the Record hosted white men an astounding 77 percent of the time -- much more than twice the proportion of white men in U.S. Census data. Hannity was the only Fox show to host white men less than all other guests combined.

MSNBC Led Evening Cable In Diversity But Was Still Largely White And Male

MSNBC Overall Hosted More Women Than The Other Networks. All In with Chris Hayes and The Rachel Maddow Show had a higher proportion of women than any of the other programs included in this study. By contrast, Hardball with Chris Matthews hosted women only 21 percent of the time.

The Rachel Maddow Show Was Least Ethnically Diverse. Although The Rachel Maddow Show hosted fewer guests than other shows on MSNBC, those who were invited were most likely to be white. Out of 65 total guests, only 7 were non-white.

All In With Chris Hayes Was The Most Diverse Show In Evening Cable News. All In had both the largest proportion of women and the largest proportion of non-white guests -- both 41 percent. All In also had the lowest proportion of white men -- again 41 percent. Hayes' show was the only evening cable news program to obtain such diversity.

Methodology

Media Matters recorded all guests who appeared during evening cable news programming on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC for the month of April 2013. We reviewed raw video of all news shows airing between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., Monday through Friday.

While CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer begins at 5 p.m., we only included guests appearing after 6 p.m. We included the 7 p.m. rebroadcast of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews instead of its initial 5 p.m. broadcast. We excluded Fox News' Fox Report with Shepard Smith since the show's format is primarily straight news with hardly any guests at all. This is in contrast to Special Report with Bret Baier, another Fox show that is primarily straight news, because Special Report has a regular guest panel at the end of every broadcast. MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell only airs Monday through Thursday; all other shows air Monday through Friday.

We did not count news correspondents providing updates to ongoing stories or presenting prerecorded news packages. We did not count any individuals briefly clipped during prerecorded news packages; however, we did count prerecorded interviewees as guests. Guests who appeared in multiple segments during a news show were only counted once for that show and date. Foreign nationals were excluded from the results.

For guests who appeared during a phone interview and were otherwise unidentifiable and for the few guests where we were unsure of ethnicity, we omitted them from the data.

Figures on population come from the U.S. Census population estimates, the most recent of which is July 2011.

Sunday Shows Rehash Debunked Benghazi Myths

Sun, 12 May 2013 05:01:00 EDT

Broadcast and cable Sunday political talk shows featured previously debunked myths about the September 11, 2012 attacks on diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya.

Were Benghazi Talking Points Edited For Political Purposes?

Was President Obama Engaged During The Attacks?

Was The Military's Response To The Attacks Negligent?

MYTH: White House And State Department Edited References To Terrorism Out Of Talking Points For Political Purposes

Fox News' Dennis Kucinich: "Of Course" Talking Points Were "Politically Scrubbed." Fox News contributor Dennis Kucinich claimed that "of course" the talking points were edited for political reasons, because the attacks took place "on the eve of an election." From Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday:

CHRIS WALLACE (HOST): Do you think those talking points were politically scrubbed?

KUCINICH: Of course they were, come on, are you kidding? You know, this is one of those things that you have to realize we're in the circumference of an election, and when you get on the eve of an election, everything becomes political. Unfortunately, Americans died and people who believe in America who put their lives on the line, they weren't provided with protection. They weren't provided with a response. They and their families had a right to make sure that they were defended. Look, we went into Benghazi with -- under the assumption that somehow there was going to be a massacre in Benghazi. So we went there to protect the Libyan people. We couldn't go in to Benghazi to protect our own Americans who were serving there? I'm offended by this, and there has to be real answers to the questions that are being raised. [Fox Broadcasting Co., Fox News Sunday, 11/16/12]

President Obama Had Already Referred To The Attacks As An Act Of Terror. On September 12, President Obama referred to the attacks as an act of terror when he spoke from the White House Rose Garden. One day later, Obama again referred to acts of terror at a campaign event. These comments undermine the myth that edits to a document that were made on September 14, after Obama had already labeled the attack an act of terror, demonstrate that the administration was trying to downplay the role that terrorism played. [Media Matters for America, 5/10/13]

MYTH: President Was "Absent" During Attack

Fox News' Bill Kristol: President Was "Absent The Whole Night Of The Crisis." Fox News contributor and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol claimed President Obama was "absent the whole night of the crisis" during an appearance on Fox News Sunday. [Fox Broadcasting Co., Fox News Sunday, 5/12/13]

FACT: Military Leaders Testified That Obama Was Fully Engaged Throughout The Attack

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Testified That The President Was In Contact And "Well-Informed" During The Attack. Then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testified during a February 7 congressional hearing that he had personally spoken to President Obama following the initial attack and that the White House was in contact with military officials and keeping the president "well-informed" throughout the attacks. [Media Matters, 2/7/13]

Gen. Martin Dempsey: Obama's Staff "Was Engaged With The National Military Command Center Pretty Constantly" Throughout The Attack. Dempsey testified during a February 7 congressional hearing that the president's staff was engaged with the military command center constantly during the attack, "which is the way it would normally work" (emphasis added):

SEN. KELLY AYOTTE (R-NH): But just to be clear, that night he didn't ask you what assets we had available and how quickly they could respond and how quickly we could help those people there -

PANETTA: No. I think the biggest problem that night, Senator, is that nobody knew really what was going on there.

AYOTTE: And there was no follow up during the night, at least from the White House directly?

PANETTA: No. No, there wasn't.

DEMPSEY: I would, if I could just, to correct one thing. I wouldn't say there was no follow-up from the White House. There was no follow-up, to my knowledge, with the president. But his staff was engaged with the national military command center pretty constantly through the period, which is the way it would normally work.

AYOTTE: But no direct communication from him?

DEMPSEY: Not on my part, no. [C-SPAN, 2/7/13, via Media Matters]

Huffington Post: "The President Told Them To Deploy Forces As Quickly As Possible." The Huffington Post reported that Panetta and Dempsey were meeting with President Obama when they learned of the attack and the president responded immediately:

Several committee Republicans pressed Panetta and Dempsey about their discussions with President Barack Obama on that fateful day and his level of involvement, suggesting that after the initial conversation the commander in chief was disengaged as Americans died.

Panetta said he and Dempsey were meeting with Obama when they first learned of the Libya assault. He said the president told them to deploy forces as quickly as possible. [The Huffington Post, 2/7/13]

MYTH: The Military's Response To Benghazi Was Negligent

ABC's Martha Raddatz Suggested Military Could Have Sent More Troops To Benghazi. Martha Raddatz cited the testimony of Gregory Hicks, deputy chief of mission in Libya at the time of the attacks, to suggest that, contrary to the claims of the military, more military assets might have been available to repel the attack. She did not dispute guest Sen. John McCain's claims that the military could have moved assets in the region in time. From ABC's This Week:

RADDATZ: Just quickly I want to go back to the testimony of Gregory Hicks. And he talked about bringing military assets in, bringing planes in. The military says that wasn't possible. Do you agree with the fact that it wasn't possible?

JOHN MCCAIN: I cannot find, I find it impossible to comprehend why on September 11^th, the day we all know is so important, when there have been numerous warnings about the security at that consulate, that we didn't have forces that were capable of doing so. And over a seven and a half hour period, with all the assets we have in the region, we couldn't have an F-16 at low altitude fly over those people who were attacking our consulate? And another question is, why weren't there forces capable of going to defend that consulate? [ABC News, This Week, 5/12/13]

FACT: Additional Forces Would Not Have Been Able To Get To Benghazi Before The Second Attack Was Concluded

Additional Reinforcements Would Not Have Been Able To Get To Benghazi Before The Second Attack Was Concluded. Transcripts of an interview Gregory Hicks gave to congressional investigators show that he while he said that a team of Special Forces had been told not to travel from Tripoli to aid U.S. personnel in Benghazi, the flight these Special Forces were scheduled to take, but did not, was scheduled to take off after 6:00 a.m., local time -- approximately 45 minutes after the attack at the CIA annex that killed two people. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), a member of the House Oversight Committee who has actively pursued investigations into the Benghazi attacks, also told The Washington Post that the Special Forces team that Hicks was referring to "would have arrived after the attack." [Media Matters, 5/7/13; The Washington Post, 5/6/13]

Decision To Not Send Second Force Was Made By The Head Of The Military's Africa Command, Who Was Concerned About Embassy Security In Tripoli. Diplomats on the ground the night of the attacks were concerned about threats to the Tripoli embassy complex, and a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed that the assessment of Special Operations Command Africa leadership at the time was that "it was more important for those guys to be in Tripoli" for embassy security. [Media Matters, 5/09/13]

Pentagon: Fighters Would Not Have Been Able To Get To Benghazi Due To Lack Of Fuel Tanker Support. Top military officials have said that fighter planes in the area could not have reached Benghazi because they lacked necessary refueling tankers. From Wired.com:

Dempsey and other top Pentagon officials have previously testified that they could not get commandos or fighter planes into Benghazi in time to save the lives of Amb. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. There was an unarmed surveillance drone over Benghazi, but Air Force fighters in Italy's Aviano air base lacked refueling tankers to allow them to get to the scene. Special-operations teams in the U.S. and Croatia were initially told to prepare for Benghazi, for a possible hostage-rescue mission, but they ultimately didn't get closer than a staging base in Europe before the attacks ended. [Wired.com, 5/8/13, via Media Matters]