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. CNN's Ferré advances claim that Obama is "joining Bolivia, Venezuela, and Nicaragua" on Honduras CNN's Ines Ferré advanced the conservative claim that President Obama is siding with Latin American leaders in opposing Manuel Zelaya's ouster in Honduras, without noting that the European Union and the UN secretary-general have also condemned the ouster. Read More CQ ignores Sessions' previous call for speedy Supreme Court confirmation process CQ Today reported that Sen. Jeff Sessions said Republicans "might throw up procedural roadblocks to delay" Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing, but did not note that Sessions reportedly called for fast action on Justice Samuel Alito's confirmation process. Read More Palin, the press, and her "no más" moment Like frustrated welterweight Roberto Duran, who stunned the sporting world by walking away, mid-bout, from his 1980 prize fight against Sugar Ray Leonard with the memorable, muttered Spanish phrase for "no more," Sarah Palin's decision last week to walk away, mid-term, from her governorship stunned Beltway spectators and left bewildered Alaskans scratching their heads in amazement. Read More Wash. Post column cites inapplicable CBO assessment to claim public plan option has "huge cost, minor benefit" Geoff Colvin falsely suggested that a CBO estimate of the Senate HELP Committee's health care bill demonstrated that a public option would come at a "huge cost" for a "minor benefit" in the number insured. Read More Scarborough, Bartiromo falsely inflate WH economic growth assumptions Joe Scarborough and Maria Bartiromo falsely claimed that the Obama administration is predicting that the economy will grow at a rate of 4 percent in 2010 and, Scarborough added, "over the next decade." In fact, the administration predicted a 3.2 percent growth rate in 2010 and 2.6 percent from 2015 through 2019. Read More REPORT: Cable news largely ignores new CBO health care score CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC aired at least 15 segments to discussing the Congressional Budget Office's preliminary analysis of an incomplete version of the Senate health committee's draft health reform bill, but they have aired only one segment to the CBO's analysis of the updated bill. Read More To New York-centric Hannity, a cool June in Central Park means Gore is wrong about global warming Sean Hannity claimed, "This is the coolest June on record, the eighth coolest, and they're going back to the 1800s." But Hannity appeared to be referring to a National Weather Service statement about the weather in June in New York's Central Park -- not about the entire planet. Read More CNN.com joins Republican fear-mongering about Canadian-style health care CNN.com reported that Republicans are using "accounts from Canada to warn against government involvement in the health care system" without noting that Democrats have ruled out moving toward a Canadian-style system. Read More After just four months, media figures ignore economists to declare stimulus a failure Media figures have used a recent comment by Vice President Biden -- that the Obama administration "misread how bad the economy was" -- to suggest that the economic recovery package is a complete failure, rather than noting the assessment by economists then and now that the legislation does not go far enough and that further stimulus spending may be necessary. Read More You can help support our work; become a volunteer media monitor, or donate to Media Matters for America.