With all the smears and misinformation put out by the conservative media against President Barack Obama and the Democrats in 2008, it would seem to be hard to choose just one person who has conveyed the most misinformation and smears. Not so says media watchdog Media Matters, and it chose Faux News talking head Sean Hannity as the 2008 Misinformer of the Year.
Hannity won the award hands down, despite many people to choose from; including numerous right-wing radio hosts, cable news pundits, major daily newspapers and online publications. Month after month, Media Matters shone the light of accountability on the media, which all too often pass along conservative spin, smears and distortions as fact. They did so by posting the actual video of misinformation and a transcript, defeating the claim that it took things out of contest.
It also documented the many lied and smears of fellow Faux talking head Bill O'Reilly's misinformation by actually posting the video, and it earned them his ire, calling them "the most dishonest website in the country." And how do they do that? By actually posting the audio and video of O'Reilly's misinformation.
Media Matters dug deep through the more than 3,500 detailed research items they released this year to select the annual "Misinformer of the Year." But Hannity's tactics left little doubt that the blow dried talking head deserved the dishonor. He left no smear of a progressive leader or issue unspoken, turning both of his cable television programs and his nationally syndicated radio show into cesspools of conservative misinformation.
His nightly show on Faux News was filled with examples of taking what Obama said and distorting it. His constant refrain was Obama'a alleged "radical associations," and that means if Obama and the alleged radical were in the same place at the same time once. Almost every long, convoluted question that was really a statement put out by Hannity always included the words, "Bill Ayers, Rev. Wright, Louis Farrakhan and Rezko." Even Obama's family have not been off-limits.
In addition to simply mouthing Republican talking points, Hannity has continued to use debunked smears against Obama and Democrats in general, give a platform to the most despicable smear merchants, defending Republicans and even raising money for them and failing to disclose that little fact.
Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit, progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media.
25 comments:
Media Matters is an ultra liberal group. No credibility.
Umm Barack is not quite yet the President..
And yet.. there we go.
Ayers used VIOLENCE to persuade.
Rezko Used Fraud to provide for BHO
Wright used Race baiting to rile the masses..
Farakhan has always been known as a racist..
Obama May not be a citizen, has family in at least three continents we know of.. NOT distant family, yet the "normal" news refused to seriously consider any of these points.
Yet foolish liberal tape recorded bloggers and activists screamed "foul" when for the briefest second the baby of Sarah Palin was thought to be her daughters.. ROFLMAO
pitiful.
No, Media Matters is a progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media, which, by the way, is conservative.
Who says they they have no credibility, other than some anonymous troll?
All Media Matters does is post the actual video, audio and transcripts of what your heroes say. No credibility? How?
I see you have a lot in common with your hero, Hannity, Mr.Gillman. Even if all this stuff was true about the people you listed, so what? I don’t se the relevance.
You are correct, Barack is the President Elect, but you should tell that to the idiots who are trying to label the economy Bush plunged us into the Obama recession.
I don’t believe Bill Ayers ever injured anyone. What he is, is a respected college professor with no connection to President-Elect Obama.
Rezko was never associated with any wrongdoing in connection with President-Elect Obama.
Farakhan is a racist, but he has never stopped a white man from voting, going to the school they want or living where they want. There also is no association with President -Elect Obama.
Wright never said anything different than Pat Buchanan about 9/11.
Obama may not be a citizen? Are you serious? Well, then you and I may not be citizens either. The only difference between my citizenship and President-Elect Obama’s is we were born in different states. I only know of Obama’s family in two continents. In a nation of immigrants like the U.S. what is the significant of that? I have seen all of those stories in the “normal” news. Haven’t you see where the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear that ridiculous citizenship case in the mainstream media?
What exactly is a “liberal tape recorded blogger?” I never read any liberal blog that said Sarah Palin’s baby was her daughter’s. Also, I’m an adult male, so you will have to explain to me what the hell “ROFLMAO” means.
Media Matters is a shill for the progressive left. you can pour honey on a pile of crap but it will still taste like a pile of crap as I am sure you can attest.
as for the relevance? matching your inability to recognize common current colloquialisms you place yourself on the edge of ignorance. This man who has been elected to what is the most important job on the planet by most reckoning, has connections that are shady, put a question to his judgment, and stand in the face of the (exclaimed) desired tenets of the left as to Racism.
The media as being conservative? Are you that completely off the edge of the flat earth you believe in? Really? Honestly?
Wow MR GURU.. your fallacious self annointment surely has led many a "younger than you" male to the wrong conclusions about life..
Get a clue.. no wonder this country is going to the dogs. There are a lot of messed up wannabe potentates in office with the same "feelings" as you.
Normally I save my best rants for the real mooncalfs out there. butt.. err well I guess you rate.
You said: I don’t believe Bill Ayers ever injured anyone. What he is, is a respected college professor with no connection to President-Elect Obama.
My Response: No connection to Obama? Facts don’t support your assertion: http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2169 In the mid-1990s, Ayers and his wife Bernardine Dohrn hosted meetings at their Chicago home to introduce Barack Obama to their neighbors during his first run for the Illinois Senate.
In 1995 Ayers -- whose stated educational objective is to "teach against oppression" as embodied in "America's history of evil and racism, thereby forcing social transformation" -- founded a "school reform organization" called the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC). He appointed Obama as the group's first chairman.
You can find more examples if you dare to read the link.
You said:
Wright never said anything different than Pat Buchanan about 9/11.
My Response: Maybe not. But Mr. Gillman didn’t say anything about Wright talking about 9/11. He said Wright riled the masses. For instance “Not God Bless America, but God Damn America.” Obama attended that church for 20 years and only became aware of this type of language after it was reported in the news? If he’s that ignorant, I fear for this country.
You said: Obama may not be a citizen? Are you serious? Well, then you and I may not be citizens either. The only difference between my citizenship and President-Elect Obama’s is we were born in different states.
My Response: There is a hearing set for January 9. While I expect nothing to come from it, your comments show you’re either unaware of the truth, or unwilling to state the truth.
You said: What exactly is a “liberal tape recorded blogger?” I never read any liberal blog that said Sarah Palin’s baby was her daughter’s.
My Response: I believe it was the Daily Kos a well known liberal blog that came out with the story of Sarah Palin’s baby actually belonging to the daughter. You may not have read it, but that only says that you’re not well read and don’t pay attention to the news. The fact is, the Daily Kos reported it as a fact when it was in fact false. You’ve only proven your ignorance of the news or your complete disregard for the idiotic statements made by others of your ilk.
You said: Also, I’m an adult male,
My Response: That is deeply in doubt.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/29/17933/7330/417/579267
There's your reference for the blog that reported that Palin's daughter actually had the baby that Palin recently had.
Just thought I'd save you the trouble of lying and being caught AGAIN.
Ya, I guess the truth would choke you, Mr. Gillman. How dare they use the actual words. It’s hard to deny the actual audio, video or transcript, but that hasn’t stopped people like you.
He has no associations with any of those men, other than a casual one at best. I don’t know if you are aware of this, but people like you and Hannity tried that associations BS ad nauseam, and as you can see, Mr. Gillman, it didn’t work very well; did it?
Yes, the media is conservative. It certainly isn’t liberal. That “liberal media bias” BS is nothing but an effective GOP political strategy that has been around since the Nixon administration. When was the last time you saw a media outlet that was not owned by a corporation?
I simply asked you what “ROFLMAO” meant. Unlike you, I am not a teenager, and that’s not language I normally use. I do agree with you on one thing: this country is going to the dogs. The good news is the country will be headed back in the right direction again in a few weeks when Bush steps down.
I’m honored you wasted a “rant” on me. Next, time, try some facts for a change.
I stand by my statement about Bill Ayers, anonymous troll. The coffee is common knowledge. The coffee was set up by the person Obama was taking over for in the Illinois Legislature. They are not friends like the Misinformer of the Year claimed ever night. So, who did he hurt, and is he not a respected professor?
Again, Rev. Wright did not say anything different than Pat Buchanan. He said it in a different way. As for riling the masses,” he’s a black preacher, for God’s sake.
President Obama was born in Hawaii, that is not in doubt, anonymous troll. Idiots like you will never let this die because any idiot can file a lawsuit. It’s a dead issue and false.
That is correct; I never read any liberal blog that said Sarah Palin’s baby was her daughter’s. I stand by that because it is true. It may have been written, but I didn’t read it. I don’t even care. It certainly can’t be any worse than the lies the right put out about the Clintons; like they murdered Vince Foster or Ron Brown. Wait, I’m idiot because I don’t read Daily Kos? Whatever, troll.
Yes, I am an adult male, anonymous troll. That’s easy to verify. You, on the other, hand are a coward who makes stupid charges and hides behind anonymity. That makes you a coward, but you know that. At least Mr. Gilliam has the courage to take ownership of that crap he puts out with a screen name.
Too bad you’re too much of a pussy to do the same.
No connection between Bill Ayers (who was never convicted and never condoned violence against people) and Barack Obama.
The lies the right wingers tell about the Democrats is nothing short of stunning.
It’s simply the old Republican strategy, bluzie, of if you tell a lie often enough people start to believe it.
Do they lack intellectual curiosity or do they honestly know that people would not follow them if they knew the truth?
I love to ask the question, what were they big lies told about John McCain?
I hear silence.
I have freinds who are Republican and while they will not become Democrats, they now are Independents.
They are tired of being in the party who dispells science and loves to dumb it down.
They do not want to take part in the the ridiculous banter of Rush, Sean and Bill. They will not be a part of the religous right who believe there is a war on Christmas and are paraniod about the United Nations.
So I see a politcal change coming. The Republicans will try to take back their party from the extreme right wing.
You've been presented with the facts and still deny them and commence with the namecalling. I'm not surprised. Liberals lie when it suits them and ignore the truth when presented to them if it doesn't make them look good. I'm sure that you do believe the media is conservative, that Obama is the messiah and that all will be good now that the "savior" has been elected.
I especially liked the racist comment where your excuse for the words stated by Reverend Jeremiah Wright are "As for riling the masses,” he’s a black preacher, for God’s sake."
I have now come to believe that you do live in Howell, which was one of the homes of the KKK. I just didn't expect that a Robert Byrd lookalike would still be spewing that crap.
If you presented any facts, I refuted them. Most of the name-calling has come from you. I have always responded in kind; if you respond with names, that’s how I respond. But it seems funny some guy who doesn’t even have the balls to take ownership of the stuff he writes is accusing me of name calling. If there are so many lies then why can’t prove any of them, anonymous troll?
President Obama is not the Messiah, and no one but people like you has ever said that. What he will do is get this country moving in the right direction again.
I’m not sure what racist remarks Wright said. Again, what he said was no different than what Pat Buchanon said about 9/11. Black churches have traditionally been more lively, and that’s what people have been trying to explain. Wright is a man who has actually experienced racial prejudice, going to college in Virginia in the 1950s and ‘60s and serving in the Marine Corps and Navy. I have never experienced racial prejudice, and I’m sure you haven’t either.
Yes, I live in Howell, so what? Howell was never “one of the homes of the KKK.” Some asshole who was a state grand dragon lived on a farm in a surrounding township in the ‘70s. Who is a Robert Byrd look-alike? Where do you live? Oh yea, you’re too much of a pussy to say.
The truth is, Ayres barely knows Barack Obama, they served on a board together.
So? Bill Ayres served on boards with lots of people and he is not a criminal! He is a professor.
Obama denounced Rev. Wright and his talk.
I think you are on the wrong side of truth and I feel sorry for you. It is because of people like you so many people want to steer clear of the republican party. There are many intelligent and thoughtful Republicans, you sir are not one of them!
Hey Happy New Year everyone!
I have to get ready for a party so I will not be here to defend all the leftists!
Yes, I am so proud to be a Democrat and I am glad we soon will have a President who is a Democrat in the White House!
Happy days are here again!
I couldn’t agree more, Bluzie. Happy New Year. See at the Brighton Inaugural event.
""I have now come to believe that you do live in Howell, which was one of the homes of the KKK.""
Horseshit. Howell never was the home of the Klan. It's bad enough when I hear that shit from the left. I don't need to hear it from the right as well.
I don’t think that perception is a partisan issue, unless you count the shenanigans from your buddies “LOVE” who continue to reinforce that false image.
Here's the problem. Guru is in favor of banning adults from partaking in a legal activity, which is smoking, but he doesn't care if those same adults blow smoke in their babies' faces.
I don't know if second hand smoke should be banned. But if it is so dangerous as to ban it in public places where adults can choose NOT to go, how can any moral person not also insist that he be banned in homes when defenseless infants are present.
Guru doesn't give a damn about the health of patrons and workers. He just wants to be able to tell businesses what to do.
If it's dangerous in a bar, then it sure as hell is dangerous in a home.
I have to wonder why some Republicans feel the need to lie about Democrats?
Do they honestly believe no one would follow them if they didn't lie about the motives and beliefs of Democrats?
Can't their agruments stand for what they believe in?
I can assure you no one wants to just tell businesses what to do. The fact is that second hand smoke is dangerous and many people are forced,due to economic conditions to work in restaurants. My kids for one have all worked in restaurants and years ago I was told by my doctor, and this was 26 years ago to not work in places with smoke due to asthama.
It is a discussion
Ataching false motives is not helpful to the discussion.
Here’s the problem: this is such a false argument. You will never ban smoking from the home, at least not in my lifetime. So because we can’t do the impossible, we can’t do anything? That simply makes no sense.
You have convinced me; we need to ban in-home smoking. But first, we need to ban smoking in workplaces, and then we will fight the uphill battle of banning smoking in the homes of only those adults who have children. Perhaps by that time you can come up with a way to enforce such a law.
“Guru doesn't give a damn about the health of patrons and workers? How did you reach that ridiculous conclusion? Don’t you mean Guru doesn't give a damn about the health of babies?
No...I don't think you give a damn about the health of patrons. I think this whole things is about:
a. Do-gooders who think they know best about how others should live their lives.
b. A chance for Big Government to get their foot further in the door.
c. People who want to trump up health issues so they don't have to smell smoke at their favorite restaurant.
a. You are wrong as usual, anonymous troll.
b. Who gives a crap what you think.
c. Where is your scientific evidence that supports your whacked out idea that secondhand smoke does not cause the health damage the CDC and the U.S. Surgeon General says it does.
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