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 now blaming Obama for job losses that occurred before he was elected Fox & Friends twice falsely reported that Ohio has lost 400,000 jobs "under the Obama administration," and advanced the claim that as a result, Obama "has a lot of 'splaining to do." In fact, the 400,000 figure includes job losses that occurred for two years before Obama took office in the midst of a deep recession. Read More Fox lobs falsehoods to attack BP escrow account as "Chavez-like" On Fox & Friends, Steve Doocy and Stuart Varney falsely claimed Obama's proposal for a BP escrow account amounts to "seizing private assets" and letting the administration "run the money." In fact, the escrow account would reportedly be established through negotiations with BP and it would be managed by an "independent trustee." Read More Go figure: McCaughey falsely smears CMS nominee Berwick In a New York Post op-ed, serial health care misinformer Betsy McCaughey attacked Obama nominee Donald Berwick as a "radical" and an "ideologue." Unsurprisingly, her piece was filled with false claims and misinformation. Read More When media attack: The "details" edition Media are criticizing President Obama's address on the Gulf oil spill as lacking specifics. MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski described such criticism as "drivel" and argued that they would criticize his speech no matter what he says; indeed after past speeches and press conferences, the media attacked him for being too professorial, lecturing, boring, or arrogant. Read More Beck and Limbaugh join forces to mock little girls Rush Limbaugh today mocked President Obama's 11-year-old daughter Malia. Rush's mockery comes on the heels of Glenn Beck's attack on the Obama girls' intelligence, and recalls a past incident in which Limbaugh reportedly referred to then-13-year-old Chelsea Clinton as the "White House dog." Read More As oil execs admit their spill plans are "embarrassing," right-wingers slam moratorium Conservative media figures have attacked President Obama's moratorium on new offshore drilling in the aftermath of the BP oil spill. However, the oil spill response plans for all five major oil companies drilling in the Gulf were written by the same consulting firm, and oil executives have admitted aspects of their plans are "an embarrassment." Read More Fox News distorts facts to attack election of first Latino to NY village's legislature Fox News' Gregg Jarrett suggested that an election "scheme" which resulted in the election of the first Latino member of the Board of Trustees of Port Chester, NY is unconstitutional. In fact, the system used in Port Chester is in use elsewhere and was mandated in this case by a judge appointed by George W. Bush. Read More You can help support our work; become a volunteer media monitor, or donate to Media Matters for America.