http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/tag_rss/economy This link is for use by RSS-enabled software to retrieve Media Matters items matching the term: Economy en-US Copyright 2008, Media Matters for America http://mediamatters.org/items/200811260002 In recent weeks, several conservative media figures, echoed by Republican lawmakers, have responded to comparisons in the media of President-elect Barack Obama to FDR, or assertions in the media that a New Deal-level of government intervention will be necessary to resolve the current economic crisis, by asserting that the New Deal was a dismal failure, plunging the 1930s economy into a depression, an assertion that prominent progressive economists flatly reject. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811260002 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:07:47 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811250017 On all three network evening news programs, reports on the bailout of Citigroup included interviews with supporters of the deal, but only the <em>CBS Evening News</em> included any criticism of the bailout -- and that criticism came from a source who argued that the bailout was not large enough. None of the reports featured criticism of the bailout on the grounds that it is a poor deal for taxpayers, even though several economists have made that argument. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811250017 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:06:28 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811170016 On <em>Hannity &amp; Colmes</em>, Sean Hannity and Hugh Hewitt rehashed the discredited claim that President-elect Barack Obama is to blame for recent declines in the stock market. In fact, analysts have cited economic data on dropping retail sales, increasing unemployment, and other significant factors to explain recent stock-market declines. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811170016 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:35:51 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811160004 On <em>Fox News Sunday</em>, host Chris Wallace did not challenge the false assertion by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) that Republican economist "Marty Feldstein says we shouldn't" enact a new economic stimulus plan. But Feldstein wrote in an October 30 op-ed that "[t]he only way to prevent a deepening recession will be a temporary program of increased government spending." http://mediamatters.org/items/200811160004 Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:14:07 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200811070011 Conservative commentators have asserted that President-elect Barack Obama is to blame for the decline of the stock market since the election. But several analysts disagree, citing weak corporate reports and the release of unemployment statistics. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811070011 Fri, 7 Nov 2008 19:09:37 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200810100022 Conservative and other media figures -- echoing a reported strategy on the part of Republicans -- have attempted to lay blame for the financial crisis on proponents of the expansion of affordable housing. Those attacks are premised on several myths and falsehoods. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810100022 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:24:14 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200810100008 On <em>Hannity &amp; Colmes</em>, <em>The <em>Wall Street Journal</em></em>'s John Fund falsely claimed that ACORN "almost got a slush fund in the housing bailout bill a few weeks ago." In fact, neither the September draft proposal nor the final version of the bill contained any language mentioning ACORN. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810100008 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:39:40 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200810100004 On his radio show, Neal Boortz baselessly suggested that Rep. Barney Frank "was protecting Fannie Mae for about seven or eight years in the 1990s because his lover, his boyfriend was working for Fannie Mae, pushing out these subprime mortgage packages." Boortz provided no evidence to support his suggestion that Frank allowed his personal relationship to affect his work in Congress. In fact, Frank repeatedly took actions over the years to strengthen oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810100004 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:25:18 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200810070033 On the Fox News special <em>Saving Our Economy</em>, Bret Baier repeated or failed to challenge numerous false assertions about the role of affordable housing initiatives in the financial crisis and Democratic responses to the crisis. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810070033 Tue, 7 Oct 2008 23:23:02 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200810010019 Media figures have recently accused Democrats of attempting to direct millions of dollars in government money to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in the financial bailout bill. The accusation is false. Neither the draft proposal nor the version of the bill that was voted down in the House contained any language mentioning ACORN. Those making the false claim were misrepresenting a provision -- since removed -- that would have directed 20 percent of any profits realized on troubled assets purchased under the plan into the Housing Trust Fund* and the Capital Magnet Fund. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810010019 Wed, 1 Oct 2008 22:15:09 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200810010018 In a blog post, Jay Carney claimed that Sen. John McCain's "campaign has released a 60-second ad that uses Bill Clinton's words to pin the blame for the mortgage crisis on Democrats" without noting that in the interview clipped in the ad, Clinton actually said that "the biggest mistake" was the SEC's repealing of a regulation on short selling, when President Bush was in office. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810010018 Wed, 1 Oct 2008 18:39:06 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200810010014 Fox News host Brit Hume and correspondent Bret Baier suggested that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were heavily involved in the subprime mortgage market "years ago," and falsely suggested that Rep. Barney Frank has opposed stricter regulation of Fannie and Freddie. Neither Hume nor Baier noted that Fannie and Freddie were not active in the subprime market in 2003, or that Frank has supported and authored bills to strengthen oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810010014 Wed, 1 Oct 2008 16:48:12 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200810010010 Conservative columnist Kathleen Parker asserted that Republicans "responded" to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's speech before the vote on the financial bailout plan "by voting against the bill," even after House Minority Whip Roy Blunt backed off a claim that a dozen Republicans who might have supported the bill were alienated by Pelosi's speech and several Republicans denied that Pelosi's speech swayed any votes. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810010010 Wed, 1 Oct 2008 13:30:00 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200809300017 A McClatchy article stated that Sen. John McCain "appeared before the press in Iowa ... and said: 'Our leaders are expected to leave partisanship at the door and come to the table to solve our problems. Senator Obama and his allies in Congress infused unnecessary partisanship in the process.' " But the article did not note that in the next sentence of the same speech, McCain contradicted himself on whether it was appropriate to affix blame, saying: "Now is not the time to fix the blame. It's time to fix the problem." http://mediamatters.org/items/200809300017 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:59:07 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200809300012 Several conservatives in the media have recently blamed the Community Reinvestment Act for the current financial crisis -- when, in fact, the CRA does not apply to institutions making the vast majority of troubled loans underlying the crisis. It applies only to depository institutions, such as banks and savings and loan associations. Experts have estimated that 80 percent of high-priced subprime loans were offered by financial institutions that are not subject to the CRA. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809300012 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:05:08 EST