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. Fox & Friends crops economic adviser's comments to claim "mixed messages" on recession On Fox & Friends, guest host Peter Johnson Jr. said there is an "amazing disconnect" between White House economic advisers Christina Romer and Larry Summers over whether or not the recession is over, after he aired clips of Summers saying that "everybody agrees that the recession is over" and Romer saying that, in her mind, "of course" the recession is not over. However, Fox & Friends omitted the part of Romer's comments in which she said we've "reached" the end of the recession according to "the official definition," "at least in terms of GDP" -- a statement that is consistent with Summers' remarks. Read More Fox & Friends off the rails on claim that stimulus money went to "save" Napa wine train Trumpeting a report by Sen. John McCain and Sen. Tom Coburn on "wasted" stimulus funds, Fox & Friends hosts Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson, and Peter Johnson Jr. repeatedly claimed that $54 million in stimulus money went to "save" a wine-tour train in Napa Valley, when in fact, the funds are for an Army Corps of Engineers project "designed to minimize flooding of downtown Napa," which requires the relocation of the Wine Train. Read More In return to Jennings beat, FoxNews.com's Lott rehashes book smear In an article headlined "Obama's Safe Schools Czar Tied to Lewd Readings for 7th Graders," FoxNews.com's Maxim Lott reported that Department of Education official Kevin Jennings "is under fresh attack after it was revealed that the pro-gay group he formerly headed recommends books his critics say are pornographic." But Lott did not note until the 13th paragraph of his article that the list of books recommended by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) for grades 7-12 included the disclaimer that they "contain mature themes" and the recommendation that "adults selecting books for youth review content for suitability"; moreover, at least two of the "critics" cited by Lott have a history of anti-gay bigotry. Read More Quick Fact: Rove baselessly claims stimulus package "impeded" the economic recovery On The O'Reilly Factor, Fox News contributor Karl Rove baselessly claimed that "the stimulus bill was not stimulative" and that he thought Obama's policies "impeded the recovery." But the Congressional Budget Office estimated that stimulus spending through September had saved or created as many as 1.6 million jobs and added as much as 3.2 percent to U.S.gross domestic product. Read More You can help support our work; become a volunteer media monitor, or donate to Media Matters for America.