Media Matters Daily Summary

Here are today's news items from Media Matters for America, click on the title or 'read more' to read the entirety of each story. O'Reilly, Dobbs wrong that undocumented immigrants don't pay taxes On the March 9 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly and former CNN host Lou Dobbs suggested that undocumented immigrants "dodge taxes," with O'Reilly asserting that the notion that they pay taxes is "crap." In fact, according to the Congressional Budget Office and the Social Security Administration, undocumented immigrants pay all kinds of taxes, including individual income, sales, property, and social security taxes. Read More Thiessen brings "shameful" attacks on DOJ lawyers to Fox Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen appeared on Fox & Friends to promote his attacks on Department of Justice lawyers who previously represented or advocated for terror suspects and other detainees. Thiessen claimed the lawyers were "trying to spring terrorists out of Guantanamo" and again distorted DOJ lawyer Jennifer Daskal's past legal arguments. Read More Right-wing media eagerly spread absurd claim that Obama plans to "ban sport fishing" Following the lead of an ESPNOutdoors.com opinion writer, who provided no evidence for his claim that a federal strategy "could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing," right-wing blogs have advanced the outlandish charge that Obama "wants to ban sport fishing." These media outlets cited the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force's interim report on coastal and marine planning, but the task force has proposed nothing of the sort. Read More Thiessen falsely claims all Senate Judiciary Republicans echoed Cheney's DOJ attack ad Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen falsely claimed that "all the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee" were asking questions similar to those posed by Liz Cheney's controversial ad campaign attacking Justice Department attorneys who previously represented terrorism detainees. In fact, Sen. Lindsey Graham -- a Republican member of the Judiciary Committee -- has joined numerous conservatives in criticizing the ad's attacks. Read More Hannity latest Fox News employee to defend Beck's claim that Obama is "racist" On his Fox News show, Sean Hannity became the latest Fox News personality to defend Glenn Beck's statement that President Obama is "a racist," joining News Corp. owner Rupert Murdoch and Fox News president Roger Ailes. Discussing Beck's comments, Hannity stated, "When the president hangs out with Jeremiah Wright for 20 years, I'm -- can one conclude that there are issues with the president?" Read More Fox smears appeals court nominee as "biased in favor of sex offenders" Fox & Friends co-host Gretchen Carlson stated that appeals court nominee Judge Robert Chatigny "gained notoriety" for "fight[ing] the execution of convicted serial killer and rapist Michael Ross," adding that "[s]ome are concerned he may be biased in favor of sex offenders." However, an appeals court panel -- which included former Bush Attorney General Michael Mukasey -- found that Chatigny's actions in the case were "reasonable" and "not motivated by any bias." Read More Beck absurdly claims that alternative poverty measurement would classify him as poor Glenn Beck claimed that President Obama was drastically changing the poverty scale in a way that would effectively classify Beck as "in poverty" because other people in his community are wealthier than he is. In fact, the measurement would supplement, not replace, the poverty measurement currently in use, and it would not count Beck as poor. Read More Beck echoes absurd claim that Obama wants to ban fishing Seizing on an absurd claim spread by right-wing blogs that President Obama wants to ban sport fishing, Glenn Beck stated on his Fox News program that Obama is attempting to prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing on some of the nation's oceans, coastal areas, and great lakes "by executive order." In fact, there is no evidence of any such order, but rather a task force which seeks to "better manage" -- not ban -- recreational fishing alongside other uses of ocean, coasts, and lakes. Read More You can help support our work; become a volunteer media monitor, or donate to Media Matters for America.