Conservatives' perpetual dishonesty machine

[Nbadan]

Media Matters: Conservatives' perpetual dishonesty machine
July 30, 2010 3:37 pm ET


Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh regularly tout their supposed accuracy and often claim their critics never prove them wrong. Fittingly, this in itself is a complete falsehood. Limbaugh and Beck are wrong for a living, but have been rewarded for their perpetual wrongness by assuming the role of the two most important cogs in the conservative media.

Every day, the conservative noise machine -- Fox News, Beck, Limbaugh, and other prominent conservative talk radio hosts and bloggers -- hurl false accusations with the hopes of damaging the Obama administration, Democrats, and progressives politically. Make no mistake: this is the primary motivation for the majority of the stories they promote. Pesky things like "facts" and "reality" are, at best, a trivial concern.

Often, these attacks are baseless, easily debunked, and laughably absurd -- yet conservative media outlets rarely (if ever) offer corrections when they are proven wrong. Instead they either double down on their attacks or simply ignore that they were wrong in the first place and move on to the next overhyped bit of nonsense.

While it may seem like a minor story in the grand scheme of things, one example from this week perfectly exemplifies the utter lack of journalistic standards endemic to conservative media.

Early this week, conservatives were in their usual panic mode over what they claimed was evidence that the Obama administration "backed" or "preferred" the release of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the terrorist better known as the Lockerbie bomber. As we pointed out, reports -- often the same reports these conservatives were linking to in order to make their arguments -- indicated that the administration wanted Megrahi to "remain imprisoned in view of the nature of the crime."

Fox News twisted reality to claim that the "U.S. Backed Freedom, Not Prison, for Bomber." Matt Drudge splashed a huge headline across his website announcing that the "White House Backed Release Of Lockerbie Bomber." Pam Geller -- whose deranged rantings have earned her frequent appearances on Fox News and bylines on Andrew Breitbart's "Big" websites, Tucker Carlson's Daily Caller, and the American Thinker -- called for a "special investigation" and a "charge of treason" for Obama.

Rush Limbaugh -- while bragging, as he often does, that he was "executing assigned host duties flawlessly" with "zero mistakes" --claimed that Obama "backed the release" of the Lockerbie bomber because he wanted to "make nice with the Muslim world."

Late Monday, when the State Department released the administration's correspondence with the Scottish Ministry of Justice, it confirmed in unambiguous terms that the administration was "not prepared to support Megrahi's release on compassionate release or bail," and that "it would be most appropriate for Megrahi to remain imprisoned for the entirety of his sentence." They stipulated if he were to be released, he should remain in Scotland rather than risk him receiving an "extremely inappropriate" "welcoming reception" upon being transferred to Libya.

So, after this story completely fell apart, did conservative media figures correct the record and let their readers/listeners/viewers know that the administration did not "support" or "prefer" the release of the Lockerbie bomber?

Of course not.

Conservative blogger Jim Hoft -- whose ongoing popularity and influence in conservative media says a lot about their complete indifference to accuracy and credibility -- linked to the letter and proclaimed that the administration "preferred" his release. This was akin to pointing at the ground and saying "this is the sky."

Fox Nation, almost 48 hours after the story had completely fallen apart, still had the following headline and image on their front page:

And you can be sure that in a few months, whenever Sean Hannity or anyone else in the noise machine decides to twist a news story to claim that the Obama administration is "weak on terror," they'll point to the time the administration supposedly "preferred the release of the Lockerbie bomber" in order to buttress their point.

It's a perpetual dishonesty machine.

If this were an isolated incident, perhaps it would be possible to (partially) excuse conservative media outlets for their shameless performance "covering" this story. But as we detailed this week, the right-wing media routinely promote fake stories (for example, the epic freak-out over the imaginary Obama proposal to "ban sport fishing.")

For another good example of how the perpetual dishonesty machine works, have a look at this segment from Tuesday's Fox & Friends. In it, Glenn Beck, Steve Doocy, and Peter Johnson Jr. seized on reports of the U.K. supposedly "admit[ting] its socialized health care is a mess" in order to attack health care reform. They rehashed some old favorites from conservatives' misinformation campaign about health care reform, claiming that we "modeled" reform on the British system and fear mongered about imaginary "death panels." Neither of these attacks were true when they appeared last year, they weren't true this week, and they won't be true the next time Fox's hosts bring them up.

This pattern is undeniable, and at this point is just expected behavior for the conservative media. The larger problem is that "mainstream" outlets still frequently treat garbage from conservative media figures as newsworthy, and ombudsmen at major newspapers like The Washington Post regularly chastise their colleagues for not seizing on conservative nonsense faster.

It says a lot about the state of the media when Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge, and other prominent media conservatives can be caught pushing a blatantly false story, offer no correction, and have their behavior met with a collective shrug. Conservative media outlets retain their unfortunate power and influence over the public discourse because they are able to lie largely without consequence.

They did it all this week, they did it all last week, and they'll do it again next week.

More: Media Matters (http://mediamatters.org/columns/201007300026)

Why aren't conservative liars like Breitbart ever get called out by the wing-nut media when they are caught lying? Instead, Breitbart is invited to a State dinner with the head of the RNC - WTF?

[George Gervin's Afro]

well duh..

[DarrinS]

LOL. Media Matters

[boutons_deux]

"LOL. Media Matters"

A dickless, chickenshit right-winger fails to respond.

[EVAY]

Media Matters: Conservatives' perpetual dishonesty machine
July 30, 2010 3:37 pm ET



More: Media Matters (http://mediamatters.org/columns/201007300026)

Why aren't conservative liars like Breitbart ever get called out by the wing-nut media when they are caught lying? Instead, Breitbart is invited to a State dinner with the head of the RNC - WTF?

Doesn't your question answer itself? Wingnut media, by definition, are unlikely to challenge wingnuts. Invitations to state dinners are incentives, not disincentives.

[angrydude]

oh noes. Rush Limbaugh is going to take over the world!!!

[Wild Cobra]

So which of you are in the barrel of this circle jerk?

[George Gervin's Afro]

the right wing media lies alot...that's nothing new..

[RandomGuy]

LOL. Media Matters

Ad hominem.

Either they make a valid point or not. Since you have nothing other than a logical fallacy, I can only assume the former.

[RandomGuy]

Personally, I think the OP has pretty much hit it on the head.

Conservative media in this country have really lost touch with both integrity and reality.

Getting your viewpoint out is one thing, but doing it in such a blatantly dishonest and logically fallacious manner is another.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Ad hominem.

Either they make a valid point or not. Since you have nothing other than a logical fallacy, I can only assume the former.

I like Media Matters ..the only people who don't like them are those who are constantly being shown that they are liars..

my favorite is when the chronic out-of-context-statement-abusers complain that Media Matters takes them out of context.:lmao


The highest form of hypocrisy..

[TeyshaBlue]

I guess Beck, and Limbaugh represent the totality of Conservatism?



I think not.


The OP gives little thought to the subject as well.


Implicitly from the myopic OP: Conservatives own and operate a Dishonesty Machine. It's the only one in existance!

Beck , Limbaugh, Drudge are the only conservative mouthpieces.

I fucking hate dishonesty on this level. 's why I never take in Limbaugh et al. And then here is the mirror universe: the dystopic creation of a Media Matters OP where they bravely emulate those they despise most.
Meh.

[TeyshaBlue]

I like Media Matters ..the only people who don't like them are those who are constantly being shown that they are liars..

my favorite is when the chronic out-of-context-statement-abusers complain that Media Matters takes them out of context.:lmao


The highest form of hypocrisy..

Dude, MM has it's off days too. Get up off your knees, fanboi.:lol

[George Gervin's Afro]

Dude, MM has it's off days too. Get up off your knees, fanboi.:lol

it doesn't take brain surgeon to point out hypocrisy...

[TeyshaBlue]

it doesn't take brain surgeon to point out hypocrisy...

It's myopic to only find it in one place.....


And I use mypoic as a weak place holder for hypocritical.

[George Gervin's Afro]

It's myopic to only find it in one place.....


And I use mypoic as a weak place holder for hypocritical.

I never said democrats weren't hypocrites..I find it funny that the people who make a living taking statements out of context complain when they are called on it.. to then make the charge that thye are being taken oput of context..

I don't take people's statements out of context so I can criticize away...:lmao

[TeyshaBlue]

I never said democrats weren't hypocrites..I find it funny that the people who make a living taking statements out of context complain when they are called on it.. to then make the charge that thye are being taken oput of context..

I don't take people's statements out of context so I can criticize away...:lmao

I just think you're cheating yourself out of a big, plateful of irony. You're missing the delicious sauce!

[George Gervin's Afro]

I just think you're cheating yourself out of a big, plateful of irony. You're missing the delicious sauce!

When I am being hypocrtical feel free to call me on it.. in the meantime keep to using dime store logic.

[TeyshaBlue]

When I am being hypocrtical feel free to call me on it.. in the meantime keep using your dime store logic.

Does it not strike you as, at least mildly humorous, that MM is engaging in the same modus operandi that it's, obstensibly, striking out against?

I thought it was fucking hilarious. But, I also like the 3 Stooges.:lol

[George Gervin's Afro]

Does it not strike you as, at least mildly humorous, that MM is engaging in the same modus operandi that it's, obstensibly, striking out against?

I thought it was fucking hilarious. But, I also like the 3 Stooges.:lol

MM is a liberal website.....

that now I get what you are saying...:lmao

my bad!

[TeyshaBlue]

MM is a liberal website.....

that now I get what you are saying...:lmao

my bad!
You get no Bacon.:depressed

[jack sommerset]

When I am being hypocrtical feel free to call me on it.. in the meantime keep to using dime store logic.

Ring, Ring. You say don't like liars yet you suck ones kawk on a daily basis.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Ring, Ring. You say don't like liars yet you suck ones kawk on a daily basis.

show me where they lie...

[Wild Cobra]

I guess Beck, and Limbaugh represent the totality of Conservatism?



I think not.


The OP gives little thought to the subject as well.


Implicitly from the myopic OP: Conservatives own and operate a Dishonesty Machine. It's the only one in existance!

Beck , Limbaugh, Drudge are the only conservative mouthpieces.

I fucking hate dishonesty on this level. 's why I never take in Limbaugh et al. And then here is the mirror universe: the dystopic creation of a Media Matters OP where they bravely emulate those they despise most.
Meh.
Do you think the same of Randi Rhodes, Al Frankin, Robert Kennedy Jr, Rachel Maddow, Thom Hartmann, Ron Reagan, and other liberal pundits who have (or have had) radio programs?

[FromWayDowntown]

Everybody's a liar!

[jack sommerset]

show me where they lie...

LOL. It would be harder to find where he tells the truth. You are so fucking stupid and a HUGE hypocrite. Show some fucking humility once in awhile and stop sucking on his kawk so much, faggot.

Earmarks

kV0Grra3QHs

C-Span

kPMf6kW_1Nw

Bunch of lies in this one.

o5t8GdxFYBU

[Wild Cobra]

Was that necessary?

Everyone knows that he's the Liar in Chief.

If there are any who don't, they are libtards.

[jack sommerset]

http://barackobamakoolaid.com/images/YesWeCan.gif

[ChumpDumper]

So the administration didn't support the release of the bomber.

OK.

[Blake]

I don't know who Snooki is


The following individuals shall be excluded from the indoor tanning tax within this bill: Snooki, J-WOWW, the Situation, and House Minority Leader John Boehner

Liar in Chief!

[George Gervin's Afro]

LOL. It would be harder to find where he tells the truth. You are so fucking stupid and a HUGE hypocrite. Show some fucking humility once in awhile and stop sucking on his kawk so much, faggot.

Earmarks

kV0Grra3QHs

C-Span

kPMf6kW_1Nw

Bunch of lies in this one.

o5t8GdxFYBU

hey dumbass I was referring to Media Matters... I forget sometimes what an idiot you are..

[jack sommerset]

hey dumbass I was referring to Media Matters... I forget sometimes what an idiot you are..

Hey dumbass, you said to give you a call (ring, ring motherfucker) when you were being a hypocrite. You say you hate liars yet you suck on his (Obongos) KAWK everyday. God you are fucking dumb.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Hey dumbass, you said to give you a call (ring, ring motherfucker) when you were being a hypocrite. You say you hate liars yet you suck on his (Obongos) KAWK everyday. God you are fucking dumb.

I have already acknowledged that Obama has broken campaign promises you moron..

[jack sommerset]

I have already stated that Obama has broken campaign promises you moron..

Hypocrite. We are talking about lies, not campaign promises. You fucking cockroach!

[George Gervin's Afro]

Hypocrite. We are talking about lies, not campaign promises. You fucking cockroach!

you just brought up campaign promises he didn't keep you dummy!

[TeyshaBlue]

Hypocrite. We are talking about lies, not campaign promises. You fucking cockroach!

lol @ fucking cockroach. Calm down, Beavis.:lol

[jack sommerset]

he lied about campaign promises you dummy!!!!!

And you are a hypocrite for sucking on his kawk.

[George Gervin's Afro]

And you are a hypocrite for sucking on his kawk.

what does fox news and the right wing machine purposefully reporting misleading news have anything to do with Obama?

Seriously what?

[Marcus Bryant]

No wonder why this country is going bankrupt. Fuck you all.

[RandomGuy]

I guess Beck, and Limbaugh represent the totality of Conservatism?



I think not.


The OP gives little thought to the subject as well.


Implicitly from the myopic OP: Conservatives own and operate a Dishonesty Machine. It's the only one in existance!

Beck , Limbaugh, Drudge are the only conservative mouthpieces.

I fucking hate dishonesty on this level. 's why I never take in Limbaugh et al. And then here is the mirror universe: the dystopic creation of a Media Matters OP where they bravely emulate those they despise most.
Meh.


"other prominent conservative talk radio hosts and bloggers"

"Matt Drudge splashed a huge headline..."

"Pam Geller -- whose deranged rantings..."

"on Andrew Breitbart's "Big" websites.."

"Tucker Carlson's"

"Conservative blogger Jim Hoft"

And you can be sure that in a few months, whenever Sean Hannity or anyone else in the noise machine decides to twist a news story to claim that the Obama administration is "weak on terror," they'll point to the time the administration supposedly "preferred the release of the Lockerbie bomber" in order to buttress their point.

They mentioned plenty other conservative journalists, and provided rather concrete examples of provably false groupthink.

The left has its own provably false memes on occasion, but I don't think the left or progressive movement has anywhere near the volume or influence among progressives that these conservative bloggers do among the right.

Sorry, but I really do see the conservative segment of the country as being waaay more aggregious when it comes to logical fallacies, shrill overstatments, and just plain factually misleading rhetoric.

Not that similar doesn't take place on the left, but the scope and magnitude is far and away less than the cumulative effect of the people they reference in the OP.

Quite frankly I never really read Media Matters' website until today. They have a definite viewpoint, but do a lot of fact checking of conservative arguments, seemingly a pretty valid exercise.

The volume of the material there would seem to suggest that there is no dearth of material from conservatives that is in need of fact-checking.

[jack sommerset]

what does fox news and the right wing machine purposefully reporting misleading news have anything to do with Obama?

Seriously what?

Seriously go brush your teeth, dickbreath.

[rjv]

the left has as many crackpots as the right, the difference being that some of the most popular political commentators today are the right crackpots. you don't see too many prime time slots on radio or cable allocated to the left extremists and so, in that regard, it is odd that the likes of rush and beck get so much attention. i guess the demographics suggest right crackpot followers have more money to spend on gold and whatever products rush pushes on his listeners.

[Marcus Bryant]

The ratio of political "discourse" in the US that deals with actual policy to that which is based on what some media personality uttered must be 1:20.

[TeyshaBlue]

They mentioned plenty other conservative journalists, and provided rather concrete examples of provably false groupthink.

The left has its own provably false memes on occasion, but I don't think the left or progressive movement has anywhere near the volume or influence among progressives that these conservative bloggers do among the right.
I've never understood the stranglehold that neocons have on the talk media, but they do. Which is a magnifier of scope, but not necessarily of numbers.


Sorry, but I really do see the conservative segment of the country as being waaay more aggregious when it comes to logical fallacies, shrill overstatments, and just plain factually misleading rhetoric.
Which is a direct result of the scope I was referencing above. Are they more aggregious (and what the hell is the metric for that anyway:lol), or are they simply more visible?


Not that similar doesn't take place on the left, but the scope and magnitude is far and away less than the cumulative effect of the people they reference in the OP.
Ok, I see you basically answered the question above. It is a function of scope and magnitude, which is sometimes independent of the actual number of actors, which I believe is closer to the reality. I don't believe that there are more neocon voices than there are progressive, but it is unquestionably the former that are being heard loudest by virtue of their market share.


Quite frankly I never really read Media Matters' website until today. They have a definite viewpoint, but do a lot of fact checking of conservative arguments, seemingly a pretty valid exercise.
Of course. Without the neocon media cannon, we'd likely never hear of MM.


The volume of the material there would seem to suggest that there is no dearth of material from conservatives that is in need of fact-checking.

There is no dearth of material from either party that is in need of fact-checking, sadly.

[rjv]

The ratio of political "discourse" in the US that deals with actual policy to that which is based on what some media personality uttered must be 1:20.

very true. or i may add, what was google searched or youtubed.

[Winehole23]

The ratio of political "discourse" in the US that deals with actual policy to that which is based on what some media personality uttered must be 1:20.Media coverage shoulders the "news" aside, the better to regard itself in the mirror.

[Marcus Bryant]

Much easier for fan and foe to hang on the word of a Limbaugh, Beck, Maddow, Olbermann, etc...than to actually form their own opinions. Meanwhile the welfare-warfare state continues to crumble.

[Wild Cobra]

Seriously go brush your teeth, dickbreath.
You think he talks like Barney frank, never able to get the cum out of his throat?

[ChumpDumper]

Why are the conservatives always the ones coming up with the graphic homosexual imagery?

[clambake]

i think jack may have finally found someone.

[Wild Cobra]

Why are the conservatives always the ones coming up with the graphic homosexual imagery?
I don't generally, but Barny Frank... His voice... Sound's like something is stuck in his throat.

Do you disagree?

[ChumpDumper]

I don't generally, but Barny Frank... His voice... Sound's like something is stuck in his throat.

Do you disagree?You didn't say "something."

[clambake]

I don't generally, but Barny Frank... His voice... Sound's like something is stuck in his throat.

Do you disagree?

this is a terrible deflection from your true thoughts.

[Wild Cobra]

this is a terrible deflection from your true thoughts.
If you say so.

You haven't been correct yet. I doubt you have a clue about me.

[Nbadan]

All the M$M outlets make mistakes - usually when they attach themselves with an unconfirmed Faux News propaganda piece, but that's besides the point.....the difference is, when they discover their error(s), they don't keep repeating the same lie over and over again...or they lose credibility....but Faux News and its wing-nut pundits do this all the time.....makes them look stupid in the eyes of anyone who gets their info from anyone else but Faux...

[George Gervin's Afro]

All the M$M outlets make mistakes - usually when they attach themselves with an unconfirmed Faux News propaganda piece, but that's besides the point.....the difference is, when they discover their error(s), they don't keep repeating the same lie over and over again...or they lose credibility....but Faux News and its wing-nut pundits do this all the time.....makes them look stupid in the eyes of anyone who gets their info from anyone else but Faux...

but,but,but Obama's a liar too!!!

[Winehole23]

All the M$M outlets make mistakes - usually when they attach themselves with an unconfirmed Faux News propaganda piece, but that's besides the point.....the difference is, when they discover their error(s), they don't keep repeating the same lie over and over again...or they lose credibility....but Faux News and its wing-nut pundits do this all the time.....makes them look stupid in the eyes of anyone who gets their info from anyone else but Faux...If the MSM got it wrong, it's because they were cheating off of Fox's exam.

Pathetic!

[George Gervin's Afro]

if the msm got it wrong, it's because they were cheating off of fox's exam.

Pathetic!

+1

[LnGrrrR]

No wonder why this country is going bankrupt. Fuck you all.

I would like to say that this forum isn't representative of American political thought, but it probably is. Sadly.

[johnsmith]

Isn't it weird how the right thinks the media has a left bias and the left thinks the media leans right?


Sort of like when you are watching your team get their asses handed to them in a game and you slowly become convinced that the announcers are rooting against your team so you just mute the rest of the game.

That's what I'd like to do with American politics and media........just mute these dumb motherfuckers.

[Nbadan]

The wing-nuts certainly have their ideology which they will fight tooth and nail for - they are, of course, almost always wrong, but they care enough to misinform themselves about important policies facing the U.S. - same goes for the Democrats whose best interest regularly get sold down the river by blue-dog democrats and reps who lose sight of whom put them in Washington in the first place....

.....the most dangerous constituents though are the independent voters.....regularly misinformed, uninformed, and dis-informed...making country changing decisions because they like a rep's mannerism, style, or whichever whim they fancy....ergo Sarah Palin...

[Spurminator]

The wing-nuts certainly have their ideology which they will fight tooth and nail for - they are, of course, almost always wrong, but they care enough to misinform themselves about important policies facing the U.S. - same goes for the Democrats whose best interest regularly get sold down the river by blue-dog democrats and reps who lose sight of whom put them in Washington in the first place....

.....the most dangerous constituents though are the independent voters.....regularly misinformed, uninformed, and dis-informed...making country changing decisions because they like a rep's mannerism, style, or whichever whim they fancy....ergo Sarah Palin...

So pick a side, then? You prefer wingnut Republicans to Independents?

More evidence that you're part of the problem.

[johnsmith]

.....the most dangerous constituents though are the independent voters.....regularly misinformed, uninformed, and dis-informed...making country changing decisions because they like a rep's mannerism, style, or whichever whim they fancy....ergo Sarah Palin...

Ergo Palin? Really?

Last I checked, she was on the losing side and the guy that won was who more Americans, "wanted to have a beer with".

[FromWayDowntown]

We should all know by now that one is better informed by listening to the ideologically-rooted banter of a single side than by listening to a variety of sources and forming an independent opinion.

Those who choose to listen to multiple sources with varying ideological tinges are invariably misinformed, uninformed, or disinformed.

Only those who are ardent ideologues can really know what needs to be known.

[George Gervin's Afro]

We should all know by now that one is better informed by listening to the ideologically-rooted banter of a single side than by listening to a variety of sources and forming an independent opinion.

Those who choose to listen to multiple sources with varying ideological tinges are invariably misinformed, uninformed, or disinformed.

Only those who are ardent ideologues can really know what needs to be known.


That about sums it up.

I guess this would inlcude anyone who goes to one website all of the time to provide as source material for their arguments. I'm just sayin..

[Nbadan]

Those who choose to listen to multiple sources with varying ideological tinges are invariably misinformed, uninformed, or disinformed.

It can be argued that ALL news sources have an 'ideological thing' even the single source you may rely on to get your news...what FAUX News wants is for everyone to start doubting what they hear on the M$M (not cable) is true until/unless there is a conservative spin to it....and the M$M is happy to oblige....if it was otherwise they would go after blatant lairs like Breitbart with more ferocity....