The Schiavo Slant, Part 6 Topic: WorldNetDaily
Diana Lynne's bias is much more explicit today in her article on advance-directive laws. Lynne describes any law that allows "refusing or withdrawing medical care and treatment" as "pro-death," while laws that give the "opportunity to request life-sustaining procedures be utilized, not avoided" are described as "pro-life." No one on the "pro-death" side is quoted, while Lynne quotes three people on the "pro-life" side, including Terri Schiavo's brother.
If you quoting only one side, how can your book be "comprehensive," as WND claims Lynne's book to be?
More on NewsMax's Lie Topic: Newsmax
I have an item up at Media Matters expanding on my ConWebBlog post on NewsMax's lie that it never claimed that U2's Philadelphia concert was a benefit for Rick Santorum. Read it.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that she has no interest whatsoever in running for president.
But Dick Morris, whose new book, "Condi vs. Hillary," makes the case for a Rice presidential campaign in 2008, tells NewsMax, "Unlike in dating, 'no' doesn't always mean 'no' in politics."
The lesson we can learn from this? Don't go on a date with Dick Morris.
The Schiavo Slant, Part 5 Topic: WorldNetDaily
In today's installment, Diana Lynne asks the question, "Will there be another Terri Schiavo?" The article seems to be mostly straightforward balanced, but there is some subtle bias in quoting a dig at Michael Schiavo attorney George Felos from a so-called "hospice watchdog."
The Daily Les, 10/17 Topic: The Daily Les
For the first time in a while, Les Kinsolving serves up a full version of his questions to Scott McClellan in his WorldNetDaily article as he continues to do WND's bidding by asking about supposed scandals involving Harriet Miers that WND has been hyping:
"On Wednesday, you encouraged me to look at news reports about scandals surrounding the Texas lottery when Harriet Miers was chairwoman of that commission. And it turns out there are hundreds of news reports from the late '90s covering problems with contracts and kickbacks involving the company GTECH and [former Lt. Gov. and GTECH lobbyist] Ben Barnes," stated WND.
"You and the president are aware of these hundreds of news reports, aren't you?"
Responded McClellan: "We're well aware of her time at the Texas Lottery Commission. There were problems that did occur there, and she helped clean up the Texas Lottery Commission. She was praised for her work as chairwoman of the Texas Lottery Commission."
WND then asked about allegations involving Barnes:
"What is the president's response to those allegations that he put Ms. Miers in charge of that lottery commission to be sure GTECH kept its lucrative contract, and its lobbyist, Ben Barnes, would not talk about his alleged influence concerning young George Bush and the National Guard?"
Said McClellan: "Our responses to those questions have already been addressed and disputed. And I think we don't need to rehash those issues."
NewsMax STILL Won't Admit Error Topic: Newsmax
Even with the New York Times calling it out, NewsMax continues to lie and obfuscate regarding its erroneous story claiming that U2 was holding a fund-raiser for Sen. Rick Santorum.
An Oct. 17 article notes that the New York Times called NewsMax out for its erroneous report linking U2 to Santorum. NewsMax's response: "NewsMax had never claimed that U2 or Bono were holding their concert for Santorum – though several liberal blogs claimed as much. Apparently, the New York Times has bought into the NewsMax-Santorum-Bono conspiracy theory."
That's a word-parsing defense. NewsMax's original article -- which it later changed without telling readers -- stated the following:
Teaming up with the legendary rock group U2 for a one-night only appearance will be Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penn.).
The thousand-dollar-a-seat concert has been put together by Sean and Ana Wolfington and will take place at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia in support of Santorum’s re-election, reports NewsMax's James Hirsen.
By clearly (and falsely) stating that the "concert has been put together" by a fund-raiser, it's reasonable to conclude what NewsMax now denies it said: that U2 was indeed "holding their concert for Santorum."
NewsMax again does not state that it later changed its original article to remove that statement and more accurately state that Santorum fund-raisers merely rented a luxury box, not booked the concert. NewsMax also does not repeat the claim, pointed out in the Times article, that U2 was "teaming up" with Santorum.
C'mon, NewsMax, just admit it: You wrote something false and got caught. Admit your error.
Distraction and Delusion Topic: Newsmax
According to an Oct. 15 article, NewsMax has decided that no matter what anyone else says (especially anyone Democrat), Republicans aren't crooks, and they should start busting Democrats to prove it.
In NewsMax's eyes, Tom DeLay faces "phantom campaign finance charges" and Patrick Fitzgerald is an "otherwise credible prosecutor" out to prove that "Karl Rove lied about a case where - as now seems likely - no initial crime was committed." Democrats are just "scandalmongering," NewsMax says, and the proper way to respond is "[a] little GOP scrutiny directed towards a myriad of alleged crimes perpetrated by Democrats," which could "easily neutralize their ability to wage the current investigative jihad."
Example: "the Sandy Berger scandal dwarfs by a factor of fifty anything currently being probed by Democrats and the prosecutors they're now cheering on"; NewsMax calls it "one of the most serious crimes in the history of the U.S. government." Likewise, NewsMax adds, "a Senate Intelligence Committee memo that surfaced in 2003 suggesting that Democrats were prepared to leak classified information in a bid to undermine President Bush's reelection chances bears some looking into."
Need to know just how in the tank NewsMax is for conservatives? Here's your answer.
Corsi Does It Again Topic: WorldNetDaily
In an Oct. 15 WorldNetDaily article promoting Jerome Corsi's likely upcoming run for John Kerry's Senate seat in Massachusetts, Corsi is quoted getting disingenuous about the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth:
During the 2004 campaign, Kerry supporters dismissed Corsi and the swiftboat veterans about whom he wrote as "stooges" of the Bush administration. But the author says his recent investigative stories for WND on Supreme Court justice nominee Harriet Miers and her role in Texas scandals in the 1990s, should put that to rest.
Our previous response to this claim still applies.
Corsi also claims that he anticipates being "severely and unfairly attacked," pointing out "intense criticism over remarks he made on the FreeRepublic.com forum, which 'detractors continue to take out of context.'" But WND has never reported the exact nature of Corsi's remarks and, indeed, acknowledged that he said them only after the 2004 presidential election. Unless Corsi and WND tell their readers what exactly Corsi said, they have no basis to judge their proper context.
WND Still Defends Bush Topic: WorldNetDaily
Just because Joseph Farah is retracting his endorsement of President Bush last fall is not reason for WorldNetDaily to stop defending the guy. An Oct. 13 WND article claims that Bush's low approval ratings "still remain higher than the low-point ratings of the last seven presidents, including his predecessor Bill Clinton." The article also quotes the blog Power Line as pointing out that "the Republican base is holding remarkably firm" despite what it claims is "a media onslaught against the Bush administration that has no parallel in modern history."
MRC vs. MRC Topic: Media Research Center
CNSNews.com's Susan Jones somehow managed to slip a story past her MRC overlords that actually included criticism of President Bush.
In her Oct. 13 article on Bush's via-satellite visit with troops in Iraq, Jones wrote: "Apparently disconcerted by the echo factor, President Bush's delivery was choppy and halting. He looked uncomfortable speaking to faces on a video screen -- and this at a time when polls indicate Americans are increasingly upset with his handling of the war in Iraq." Jones also noted the visit was, in reality, "a series of scripted questions."
That's probabaly not the message the MRC ultimately wants portrayed; in an Oct. 14 CyberAlert, Jones' MRC colleague Brent Baker was rushing to Bush's defense, pointing out that "the answers were not staged" and that "The soldiers, naturally nervous about appearing on live TV with the President of the United States, were simply told who should answer which question and to 'take a breath' before answering." Baker also insisted that any focus on the choreography of the visit advanced a "media-generated controversy."
New Article: NewsMax's Fiction Writer Topic: Newsmax
James Hirsen takes a break from plugging his new book to advance a couple of bogus claims. Incorporates the ConWebBlog posts about Rick Santorum and U2. Read more.
The Daily Les, 10/13 Topic: The Daily Les
Les Kinsolving threw in on today's fracas over Harriet Miers, but it's unclear from his WorldNetDaily article what he asked; he wrote only that "WND asked [Scott] McClellan earlier about Miers' religion, receiving a response devoid of the subject." But -- judging by the proximity of MeClellan's "Les, Les, Les" -- here is what Les asked, according to the transcript:
KINSOLVING: There was no -- there were no less than 18 questions all dealing with Supreme Court nominee Miers' religion. And I wanted to ask, does the President believe that she should and will adhere to the admonition rendered under Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and under God the things that are God's?
Kinsolving also got in a non-Miers question related to his other obsession, homosexuality:
KINSOLVING: Presuming that the President is grateful that Oprah Winfrey is giving $100,000 rewards for assisting in the capture of child molesters, could you tell us whether the White House has seen any evidence of support for Oprah's action from the nation's many homosexual organizations, or has there been silence or opposition?
McClellan's response: "All right, next question. I'm not going to dignify that."
The Schiavo Slant, Part 4 Topic: WorldNetDaily
Today, WorldNetDaily graces us with the preface of Diana Lynne's WND-published "Terri's Story," and it's the strongest sign yet that the book has a pro-Schindler slant.
Some sample quotes from the preface:
-- "What if the husband was mistaken? Or worse, what if he lied as some fear?"
-- "Even if Michael Schiavo would have realized in a quiet moment by himself over the last decade during which he sought to end her life that he was mistaken about Terri's wishes, the pro-death train had already left the station."
-- "While it was debated among family members, lawyers, lobbyists, lawmakers, bioethicists and news commentators as to whether Terri Schiavo would have wanted to live for the past 15 years in her brain-injured state, it is indisputable she never asked to not be fed. She never declared a desire to be dehydrated to death."
-- "At that point, the right-to-die case flashed across the radar screens of pro-life organizations such as Life Legal Defense Foundation, the Alliance Defense Fund, The Christian Defense Coalition, National Right To Life Committee and the American Catholic Lawyers Association, which entered the fray in various ways to bolster the efforts of Terri's parents and siblings to keep her from becoming a 'sacrificial lamb on the stage of the right-to-die movement.'"
That last statement would appear to the theme of Lynne's book: She portrays Terri Schiavo as the "sacrificial lamb on the stage of the right-to-die movement" and bashes anyone who doesn't agree.
We can assume that Lynne's book is biased and in no way "definitive" -- in other words, another "whole story" that's anything but.
Quote of the Day Topic: The ConWeb
Apparently, if you hurt Tom DeLay, you hurt foster children:
Just as Senator Jesse Helms had been portrayed negatively in the media so has DeLay. Recently a new home for foster children was dedicated in Houston. DeLay saw that it was built. Most people are unaware of what DeLay has done to get foster children out of often abusive situations. That doesn't fit with the image of "The Hammer."
By the way, Weyrich dubiously claims in this column that "The Hammer ... is what the national media has called DeLay because DeLay is the first Republican Leader in modern times to attempt to enforce party discipline." This implies that DeLay doesn't embrace the nickname; in fact, he does.
The Daily Les, 10/12 Topic: The Daily Les
Les Kinsolving does his master's bidding in asking Scott McClellan about WorldNetDaily-promoted claims regarding Harriet Miers' stint on the Texas Lottery Commission. From the transcript:
KINSOLVING: Scott, WorldNetDaily reported in 1995 Ben Barnes, Texas former lieutenant governor, secured a contract for a company called GTECH to run the Texas Lottery. And my first question: Did Harriet Miers continue the Texas Lottery's contract to GTECH without bid, so that Barnes received a $23 million payoff as part of the deal, authorized by Miers?
McCLELLAN: I would encourage you to go back and look at news reports at the time, because the governor's office at the time denied any connection that you may be asserting within your question. That's an issue that's already been discussed, and I think that Ben Barnes has said the same.
KINSOLVING: In 1999, a former executive director of the Texas Lottery, named Lawrence Littwin, filed a lawsuit alleging he lost his job as a result of political influence wielded by Barnes. And my question, since this Littwin suit was settled out of court for $300,000, what is the White House response?
MR. McCLELLAN: The allegations have been disputed previously by both the governor's office and -- by the governor's office at the time, and by Mr. Barnes. I would encourage you to go back and look at the comments that were made at the time. I'd be glad to provide those to you if you would like.
We wonder: Has Jerome Corsi or Joseph Farah reported that these allegations are disputed?
