Media Matters Daily Summary

Here are today's news items from Media Matters for America, click on the title or 'read more' to read the entirety of each story. NBC, ABC, Fox News advance false GOP accusation that recovery bill created right for AIG to pay bonuses Discussing the House vote to levy a 90-percent tax on executive bonuses, NBC, ABC, and Fox News all advanced the false Republican allegation that by passing the recovery bill, Democrats created the right for AIG to pay bonuses. In fact, the bill did not create the right for AIG -- or any company -- to pay bonuses; rather, it restricted the ability of companies receiving TARP money to award bonuses in the future. Read More Media crop Krzyzewski's comments on Obama's NCAA picks, leaving out his praise of Obama On Special Report, Bret Baier stated: "Following news Mr. Obama picked North Carolina to win the NCAA championship, rival coach [Mike] Krzyzewski responded: 'Somebody said that we're not in President Obama's Final Four, and as much as I respect what he's doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets.' " But Baier -- and other media figures -- did not report Krzyzewski's following comment in which he praised Obama, saying in part, "I love the guy, and I think he's gonna be great." Read More Fox News buries significance of its own scoop implicating Bush administration on AIG bonuses In reporting on emails obtained by Fox Business Network revealing discussions involving the Treasury Department about AIG bonuses, Fox News' Jon Scott at no point noted that the emails implicate the Bush administration in approving a $40 billion bailout for AIG without requiring AIG to nullify its employee bonus contracts. Read More Fox's Gallagher suggested Obama speech caused Dow to drop -- but Fox's own graphics show absurdity of suggestion On The Live Desk, Trace Gallagher cherry-picked numbers from the Dow Jones industrial average to suggest that President Obama's address to the National Conference of State Legislatures had caused the Dow to drop. But according to information posted on-screen on Fox News, the Dow actually went up slightly during Obama's speech. Read More Major media outlets yet to report IG testimony implicating Bush administration in AIG bonuses Despite jumping on -- and in some cases advancing -- false Republican claims that congressional Democrats are responsible for AIG executive bonuses, major media outlets have yet to report that a Bush-appointed special inspector general for TARP confirmed in congressional testimony that the Bush administration Treasury Department knew about the AIG bonus contracts and did not insist on their abrogation as a condition of AIG's receiving bailout money. Read More You can help support our work; become a volunteer media monitor, or donate to Media Matters for America.