Media Matters - The Situation Room

Media Matters - The Situation Room http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/tag_rss/the_situation_room This link is for use by RSS-enabled software to retrieve Media Matters items matching the term: The Situation Room en-US Copyright 2008, Media Matters for America CNN's Griffin suggested ACORN should not hire "recovering alcoholics" and "homeless people" http://mediamatters.org/items/200810150012 In a report on ACORN's voter registration drives, CNN's Drew Griffin asked an ACORN official: "[W]hy is the deputy city commissioner of Philadelphia telling me that ACORN is hiring recovering alcoholics, drug addicts, homeless people, who are so desperate to get money that they know that, if they don't make their quota, they just fill in any old name?" After the official responded, "That is not the point," Griffin asked: "But has it presented itself as a problem to ACORN? Wouldn't ACORN like to run a nice, clean, smooth voter registration drive?" http://mediamatters.org/items/200810150012 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:51:01 EST AP, CNN report that Obama represented ACORN, but not that DOJ was also a plaintiff in the lawsuit http://mediamatters.org/items/200810150003 The AP and CNN reported that Sen. Barack Obama represented ACORN in a 1995 lawsuit against the state of Illinois but did not mention that the Justice Department was also a plaintiff in the case, along with the League of Women Voters of Illinois and the League of United Latin American Citizens. The lawsuit sought to require that Illinois implement federal law on voter registration. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810150003 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:13:21 EST CNN's Toobin knocks media for "gullib[ility]," which Blitzer and Todd had just demonstrated http://mediamatters.org/items/200809260011 On CNN's The Situation Room, Jeffrey Toobin asserted that the media are "being kind of gullible in falling for" Sen. John McCain's announcement that he was going to suspend his campaign. Minutes earlier, however, Wolf Blitzer and correspondent Brian Todd had repeatedly asserted as fact that McCain "suspend[ed]" his campaign, without noting, as Toobin did, that McCain ads were running; that his surrogates repeatedly attacked Sen. Barack Obama on cable networks; or that McCain gave interviews with the three broadcast networks following his "suspension." http://mediamatters.org/items/200809260011 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:46:04 EST Media outlets scrutinizing Palin's "Bridge to Nowhere" statement haven't noted her claim that "I told the Congress 'Thanks, but no thanks' " is a lie http://mediamatters.org/items/200809100009 While media outlets reporting Gov. Sarah Palin's claim that "I told the Congress 'Thanks, but no thanks' on that 'Bridge to Nowhere' " have noted that Palin had previously supported the bridge, or that Palin did not refuse the funds previously allocated for the bridge or reimburse the federal government, they did not report that Palin's claim is false, because Congress abdicated responsibility for determining how the money would be spent a year before Palin was elected governor. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809100009 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:30:55 EST Media affix "maverick" label to Palin as well http://mediamatters.org/items/200808290022 Since Sen. John McCain named Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, media outlets including the Associated Press, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, the Detroit Free-Press, and the washingtonpost.com blog The Fix have taken the "maverick" label the media have frequently and uncritically applied to McCain and affixed it to Palin as well. http://mediamatters.org/items/200808290022 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:46:29 EST NPR, CNN repeat falsehood that Casey was denied speaking role at '92 Dem convention "because of his opposition to abortion rights" http://mediamatters.org/items/200808260018 Discussing Sen. Bob Casey's speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention, both NPR and CNN falsely asserted that late Gov. Bob Casey Sr. was not allowed to speak at the 1992 Democratic convention "because of his opposition to abortion rights." In fact, other Democrats who opposed abortion rights spoke at that convention and at every convention since, so Casey's opposition to abortion rights could not have been the sole reason he was not given a speaking role. http://mediamatters.org/items/200808260018 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:53:08 EST Feehery on Hillary Clinton's DNC roll call vote: "It kind of reminds me of Vladimir Putin invading Georgia" http://mediamatters.org/items/200808140009 On The Situation Room, Republican strategist John Feehery said of Sen. Hillary Clinton's having a roll call vote at the Democratic National Convention: "It kind of reminds me of Vladimir Putin invading Georgia." Feehery added: "Hillary Clinton is all over this convention. She's owning it. Barack Obama is out in the Safeco Field [sic] somewhere doing his speech." http://mediamatters.org/items/200808140009 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:06:00 EST NBC, CNN repeat McCain's criticism of Obama for 2005 energy bill vote, but neither report included Obama response http://mediamatters.org/items/200808060010 NBC and CNN uncritically reported Sen. John McCain's charge that Sen. Barack Obama voted for an energy bill in 2005 that was "full of goodies and breaks for the oil companies," while McCain voted against it. Neither provided a response from the Obama campaign, which says that Obama voted for the bill because it included extensive investments in renewable energy. Nor did either report note that the bill actually resulted in a net tax increase for the oil and gas industry. http://mediamatters.org/items/200808060010 Wed, 6 Aug 2008 18:22:00 EST Blitzer ignored facts undermining "tough" McCain attack ad, Castellanos' reported link to McCain campaign http://mediamatters.org/items/200807290005 On The Situation Room, Wolf Blitzer aired portions of an advertisement by Sen. John McCain's campaign without noting key facts undermining several of the ad's attacks on Sen. Barack Obama. Blitzer also solicited analysis of the ad from CNN political contributor Alex Castellanos without disclosing that Castellanos reportedly advises McCain on his campaign ads. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807290005 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:15:39 EST NY Times reported McCain's criticism of Obama plan without noting McCain recently said 16 months is "a pretty good timetable" http://mediamatters.org/items/200807280006 The New York Times reported that during an interview on This Week, Sen. John McCain criticized Sen. Barack Obama "for proposing to withdraw American forces from Iraq within 16 months," but did not mention that only days earlier, McCain told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that 16 months is "a pretty good timetable." The Times not only failed to mention McCain's comment about a timetable, it did not report that McCain denied having used the word "timetable" when asked about it by George Stephanopoulos. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807280006 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:44:43 EST CNN's Situation Room aired McCain's ad attacking Obama, but ignored McCain's own record on issues highlighted in ad http://mediamatters.org/items/200807180013 On CNN's The Situation Room, Dana Bash uncritically aired an ad by Sen. John McCain that states that Sen. Barack Obama "never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan. He hasn't been to Iraq in years. He voted against funding our troops -- positions that helped him win his nomination." Neither Bash nor host Wolf Blitzer noted that McCain himself "voted against funding our troops" when he voted against legislation that would have provided funds for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807180013 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:07:52 EST CNN's Roberts did not challenge McCain adviser's claim that McCain understands the economy by noting numerous dubious economic statements http://mediamatters.org/items/200807030010 On CNN's The Situation Room, Carly Fiorina asserted that Sen. John McCain is "extremely well qualified" on the economy and that he "understands how the economy works." John Roberts did not challenge Fiorina's assertion, and he concluded the interview without noting numerous statements by McCain on the economy that were false or disputed by economists -- including McCain's own economic adviser -- or that McCain has repeatedly acknowledged weakness on economic issues. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807030010 Thu, 3 Jul 2008 19:07:58 EST CNN's Roberts asserted that McCain is a "maverick" and "independent" from Bush, ignoring McCain's votes and statements http://mediamatters.org/items/200807030003 CNN's John Roberts asserted that Sen. John McCain "is a very different person, at least his record in terms of being a maverick and independent, than George Bush." But Roberts did not mention that, according to Congressional Quarterly, McCain was the Bush administration's most reliable supporter in the Senate in 2007, or that McCain said in 2005 that "on the transcendent issues, the most important issues of our day, I've been totally in agreement and support of President Bush." http://mediamatters.org/items/200807030003 Thu, 3 Jul 2008 13:44:45 EST Media continue to falsely claim Clark criticized McCain's service http://mediamatters.org/items/200807010005 Several media reports falsely claimed that Wesley Clark criticized Sen. John McCain's military service during a June 29 appearance on CBS' Face the Nation, including CNN anchor John Roberts, who said that "Clark took a weekend hit at McCain, targeting his history as a war hero and his possible future as president." In fact, Clark praised McCain as "a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands of millions of others in the Armed Forces as a prisoner of war." http://mediamatters.org/items/200807010005 Tue, 1 Jul 2008 16:42:51 EST Media figures continue to cite National Journal ranking of Obama as "most liberal" senator in '07 without noting subjectivity http://mediamatters.org/items/200806270010 NPR's Renée Montagne, MSNBC's Pat Buchanan, and CNN's Bill Bennett all referred to the National Journal's 2007 Vote Ratings, which ranked Sen. Barack Obama the most liberal senator that year, without noting the subjectivity of the ratings. The National Journal based its rankings not on all votes cast by senators in 2007, but on "99 key Senate votes, selected by NJ reporters and editors, to place every senator on a liberal-to-conservative scale." http://mediamatters.org/items/200806270010 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:21:07 EST