What Liberal Media, indeed?

Posted: 10/31/06 at 6:51pm

One of my favorite Liberal observers takes on the "Liberal Media" myth once again, this time analyzing the way Rush Limbaugh's shameful mocking of Micheal J Fox's TV commercials was covered by the news media.

Please take the time to read the article. It's always a joy to see Boehlert take a sitaution that everyone is familiar with and break it down to show you angles and biases that you had skipped right over.

For example, after Rush bragged that he owed no apology to Fox, repeated his false charges and capped it off with a smug "If I were wrong, I'd apologize," almost all the major US media reported it as an actual apology to Fox, including all the major networks, the AP and most papers of national stature.
Eric Boehlert on Rush VS Fox

Posted: 10/31/06 at 6:57pm

Some quick highlights for those who won't click the link:

"MATT LAUER: Rush Limbaugh started a lot of controversy when he said perhaps Michael J. Fox is exaggerating or faking these effects of Parkinson's Disease in that ad promoting stem cell research. Didn't Rush Limbaugh just say what a lot of people are privately thinking?"

"Lauer's former colleague Katie Couric was so anxious to make sure she got Limbaugh's side of the Fox story last week that she personally contacted the host. Limbaugh told Couric the point he had tried to make on his program was that Fox "is stumping for Democrats in the political arena and is, therefore, open to analysis and criticism as we all are." Of course, that was not the point Limbaugh made when he mocked Fox's disease, but Couric pretended not to know the difference."

"Just weeks after he took over the NBC Nightly News anchor chair in late 2004, Brian Williams told a C-SPAN interviewer that he felt it was his duty to listen to Limbaugh every day and hoped that Limbaugh would get his "due" as a broadcaster. "

"For instance, ABC erroneously described the Fox stem cell ad as "tough," insisted Fox had "blasted" Republicans, and that following Limbaugh's attack the actor had publicly "fired back." None of the characterizations was accurate."

Posted: 10/31/06 at 7:44pm

Gosh, another example! ABC (That Liberal Media!) has already run reports saying that John Kerry's comments on Iraq may have given the Republicans the election. Considering that the election is still a week away, that is pretty remarkable reporting!