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. Palin's book and Obama's bow: a media week to forget Ugh, what a gruesome week it was for news consumers as the "serious" press showered time and attention on two GOP-friendly stories that defined "trivial pursuits": a book release and a bow. Sadly, this is what the Beltway press corps now voluntarily -- eagerly -- reduces itself to: chasing pointless, vacuous "news" stories that are literally of no consequence. Read More Fox & Friends hosts falsely suggest Organizing for America director compared Palin to a terrorist On Fox & Friends, co-hosts Gretchen Carlson, Brian Kilmeade, and Steve Doocy falsely suggested that Organizing for America director Mitch Stewart compared Sarah Palin to a terrorist when he wrote in a fundraising letter that her book tour is "dangerous." In fact, Stewart wrote that her tour is "dangerous" because Palin uses it as a platform to make false attacks on Democrats, and then the falsehoods are "widely covered by the media, then constantly echoed by right-wing attack groups." Read More Quick Fact: Fox's Johnson falsely claims that Senate health care bill prevents payment for some screenings While discussing U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on medical screenings, Fox News' Peter Johnson Jr. stated on Fox & Friends that "what we see now in the Senate bill is the Senate saying that if you get an A or a B, then it's gonna be paid for. If you get a C, it's not gonna be paid for." In fact, the bill requires only that insurers provide coverage for screenings that receive A or B recommendations from the task force; it says nothing about whether insurers may or may not cover other categories of recommendations. Read More Wash. Times, FoxNews.com falsely claimed Justice IG report found that "ACORN mismanaged grant money" The Washington Times and FoxNews.com falsely reported that a review by the Justice Department's inspector general of Justice Department grants to ACORN revealed that ACORN "mismanaged" grant funds. In fact, the IG report -- which identified one direct Justice grant to an ACORN affiliate and four subgrants to ACORN or ACORN affiliates between 2002 and 2009 -- did not address how ACORN or its affiliates managed these funds. Read More Fox News promotes GOP comparison of Senate health plan to a "Ponzi scheme" The Fox Nation and FoxNews.com advanced the suggestion that Democrats' health care plans are, in Fox Nation's words, a "Ponzi scheme," a charge presumably based on Sen. Jon Kyl's (R-AZ) claim that "[w]hen they claim a savings ... in the first 10 years, that's because they start collecting taxes in 2010 they don't start spending money till 2014." In fact, contrary to Kyl's suggestion that savings would not extend past the first 10 years, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that the Senate health care bill would continue to reduce the deficit beyond the first 10 years by as much as $650 billion in the decade beginning after 2019. Read More Quick Fact: Limbaugh includes election winners Begich and Franken while listing senators who he claims received "no votes" On his radio show, Rush Limbaugh mentioned Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) and the "senator who replaced Ted Stevens" -- Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) -- while listing senators who he said joined the Senate despite having received "no votes" and who also voted on November 21 to begin debate on the health care reform bill. In fact, both Begich and Franken won their Senate seats in general elections in 2008. Read More Quick Fact: O'Reilly claims health bill would "force all Americans... to fund, through their taxpayer dollars, abortions" Bill O'Reilly claimed that the House and Senate versions of the health care bill contain an "abortion option" that "so many Democrats want it go through, which would force all Americans... to fund, through their taxpayer dollars, abortions." Read More You can help support our work; become a volunteer media monitor, or donate to Media Matters for America.