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. Post-Hutaree: How Glenn Beck and Fox News spread the militia message Reading last week's disturbing news accounts about the Midwestern arrest of nine alleged members of a Christian militia known as the Hutaree, a group whose members were reportedly planning to kill cops in order to spark a wider, armed revolt against the U.S. government, I noticed this nugget [emphasis added]: Read More WSJ's Stephens tortures science to claim "global warming is dead" Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens erroneously suggested recent scientific research supports his claim that "global warming is dead." In fact, the scientists themselves have explicitly rejected such a conclusion. Read More Gingrich pushes "wildly inaccurate" claim that IRS will need 16,000 to act as "health police" Newt Gingrich repeatedly claimed that the IRS will need to hire 16,000 "agents" to act as "health police" because of the health care reform law. However, as FactCheck.org has noted, that claim is "wildly inaccurate" and "stems from a partisan analysis based on guesswork and false assumptions, and compounded by outright misrepresentation"; moreover, the House GOP report that produced the figure noted that the number is likely overstated. Read More Myths and falsehoods from the assault on global warming science The conservative media have mounted an all-out attack on climate science in an attempt to discredit efforts to fight man-made global warming. Media Matters for America has debunked prominent myths and falsehoods associated with this smear campaign. Read More Doocy, Gingrigh falsely accuse Obama of a "scheme" to seize 401(k) assets Steve Doocy and Newt Gingrich falsely claimed that the Obama administration is considering "a scheme" to "abolish 401(k)s" and "migrate Americans to a government-run program so the politicians would then have your money." In fact, the administration has not proposed moving retirement savings to a government-run system -- it is considering ways to promote annuities sold on the private market as a voluntary alternative to lump-sum cash payments in retirement. Read More Witch hunt: Wash. Times publishes falsehood-filled op-ed attacking Obama appointees as "radical rulers" Continuing its campaign to paint members of the Obama administration as radicals, The Washington Times published an op-ed attacking eight Obama administration officials. The attacks are suffused with falsehoods that do not stand up to minimal scrutiny. Read More Quick Fact: Beck again distorts Wallis' remarks on "redistribution of wealth" to attack him as a "Marxist" Glenn Beck again distorted comments made by Rev. Jim Wallis to claim Wallis is a "Marxist." In fact, in the interview Beck selectively clipped, Wallis actually discussed individuals who "transformed" their lives to focus on charity, highlighting how Bill and Melinda Gates have been "doing a redistribution of wealth" through their philanthropy. Read More Experts, military brass reject right-wing media claims about Obama's nuclear policy review Media conservatives have criticized an Obama administration nuclear policy review provision that would limit the role that nuclear weapons play as a deterrent, claiming that Obama was "undermining our national defense" with a "dangerous" policy. These criticisms have been rejected by nuclear experts, scientists, and military brass, who support a limited and narrow role for nuclear weapons. Read More Beck pushes bogus "evidence of socialism" in Obama's policies Purporting to report "evidence of socialism" in President Obama's policies, Glenn Beck cited Obama "taking over" the auto industry, the banking industry, and AIG, as well as the supposed "total government control of our health care industry" and "control of the entire student loan industry" established through recent legislation. But aside from the fact that those policies are not socialist, many of them began under President Bush, while others retain significant involvement from private industry. Read More You can help support our work; become a volunteer media monitor, or donate to Media Matters for America.