ConWebBlog: The Weblog of ConWebWatch

your New Media watchdog

ConWebWatch: home | archive/search | about | primer | shop

Tuesday, July 12, 2011
MRC's Strange Idea of MSNBC's 'Journalism'
Topic: Media Research Center

A July 7 Media Research Center item by Geoffrey Dickens marks MSNBC's 15th anniversary by highlighting a cliip from each year to prove "the Lean Forward network's decade-and-a-half long devotion to advancing the cause of liberalism under the guise of journalism."

Just one little problem: At least 10 of those clips appear to be from opinion shows, not news segments. We're treating "Internight," which aired in the late 1990s, as "news," but we haven't seen the show enough to say for sure whether it is.

In other words, Dickens and the MRC aren't really criticizing liberal journalism -- they're criticizing the fact that liberal opinions were uttered. Is that "media research"? Not really. Is that partisan bashing due to disagreement with the point of view being expressed? Absolutely.


Posted by Terry K. at 9:51 AM EDT
Obama Derangement Syndrome Watch, Supersize WorldNetDaily Edition
Topic: WorldNetDaily

On the heels of a new economic forecast showing that the domestic and international economy is tanking, and with new turmoil in the oil-dependent Middle East, both President Barack Hussein Obama and the minions of Democrats and Republicans who spend their time feathering their own nest continued to dis-serve the American people with gamesmanship, intellectual dishonesty and outright treasonous behavior – all designed to further their re-election efforts.

[...]

Then there was President Obama's decision to "cleverly" force an end to the budget talks with Republicans – talks obviously designed to reduce the huge and life-threatening federal deficit. Obama and his socialist allies in Congress demanded huge tax increases as a quid pro quo to deficit reduction. This tact, taken to again appease Obama and his fellow Democrats' left-wing base, necessary for their re-election in 2012, would further damage the economy, stifle job growth and put a bigger dent in family incomes during what is in effect an economic depression. And, Republicans reacted quickly to take the bait for political ends, calling off any further talks to make them look strong to tea-party voters who had forecast correctly that the GOP would overly compromise during the talks. Tea-party votes are necessary for the Republicans to win control of the White House and total control of Congress in 2012.

Last but not least, President Obama ordered last Thursday that the nation's strategic petroleum reserves be drawn down to put more oil on the market, just temporarily lowering the price of gasoline for the summer months. Americans are overwhelmingly upset with Obama at his failure to curb the increase in gasoline prices. This executive order would jeopardize our emergency reserves at a crucial time when the Middle East is in turmoil, Libyan oil has stopped flowing to world markets, and the region may explode in war – cutting off oil supplies almost totally. While most Republicans objected, none to date has taken a strong stand against this reckless outrage. Obama's executive order was designed, again, to boost his chances of re-election.

Yes, Norman Mailer, a leftist, was "right" almost 40 years ago. That it took this long for the corrupt political pygmies of Washington, D.C., to bring the nation to the brink of disaster is the only miracle that is apparent.

Before my book "Whores" was published, I tried to contact Mailer to ask him to proudly write its foreword. Sadly, Mailer had died, just a few years before we Americans may soon experience the death of our nation.

-- Larry Klayman, June 25 WorldNetDaily column

When Constitutional scholar Barack Hussein Obama and the assortment legal advisers that surrounds him decided that the Commerce Clause authorized the federal government to force private citizens to purchase a product, freedom vanished from America.

With this newly declared authority, the federal government can force its citizens to do anything the government wishes. This omnipotent power is the same power exercised by the governments of Hitler, Stalin and all other despots who have denied freedom to their citizens.

-- Henry Lamb, June 25 WorldNetDaily column

I always find it amusing when Americans look down their noses at the English royals, as so many did on the occasion of Prince William's recent marriage to Kate Middleton.

We Yanks can trumpet our democratic ways all we like, but at the end of the day it's all so much idle chatter. We have our own form of royalty, but unlike England's, where the lineage goes back centuries and where they usually know how to carry it off with some dignity and panache, we're stuck with brain-addled actors, brain-fried rock stars, felonious athletes and the Obamas.

Even to the casual onlooker, it's obvious that Barack and Michelle have confused an election victory with winning the super grand prize on "American Idol."

-- Burt Prelutsky, June 29 WorldNetDaily column

It defies reason that elected officials should be arguing about whether or not to raise the debt ceiling, given where their borrowing has brought us. (This line of reasoning does not factor in the intentional economic sabotage of uber-radicals in the Obama administration, so bear with me.) Common sense would dictate that advocates of raising the debt ceiling would be too ashamed to admit it and that those in opposition would summarily refuse even to hear arguments in its favor, let alone negotiate the point.

-- Erik Rush, June 30 WorldNetDaily column

As we celebrate Independence Day, the nation's birthday, a day marked by fireworks, flags, patriotic speeches, parades and reflections about a document that gives it all legitimacy and purpose, I can't help contrast our past traditions with our present attitudes.

The man occupying the highest office in the land has never been required to prove his constitutional eligibility to serve there. And recently, in a desperate bid to quell the growing controversy about that failure, he released a fake birth certificate – an obvious fraud.

We obviously have a different attitude about historical documents today than we once did. I can't understand why more Americans – especially the so-called watchdogs in the media – aren't curious about all this. I can only imagine some are afraid of what they might find.

But what bothers me most about our attitude toward historical documents today is our disrespect for the most important one for all for Americans – the Constitution, which set three simple eligibility requirements for presidents of the United States, one of which has never been proven in the case of the current occupant of the White House. In fact, as of now, all available evidence strongly suggests he is not.

-- Joseph Farah, July 4 WorldNetDaily column


Posted by Terry K. at 12:02 AM EDT
Monday, July 11, 2011
Essential Birther Reading Material
Topic: WorldNetDaily

Loren Collins, a lawyer who did some of the most notable research debunking the birther claims peddled by WorldNetDaily and others, is writing a book on the birther movement, called "Birth of a Notion." He has published an excerpt from the book on his website.

Read it here. After all, you can't expect that Jerome Corsi will be all that eager to interview him about it.


Posted by Terry K. at 9:02 PM EDT
CNS Misleadingly Cherry-Picks Employment Numbers
Topic: CNSNews.com

A July 8 CNSNews article by Matt Cover states:

There were approximately 2.4 million fewer Americans working in June 2011 than there were when President Barack Obama signed the economic stimulus bill on Feb. 17, 2009, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

According to the BLS, there were approximately 141.68 million people counted as “employed” in America back in February 2009. By June of 2011, that number had fallen to approximately 139.33 million, yielding a net reduction in jobs of approximately 2.4 million.

But Cover is cherry-picking numbers to make Obama look bad. He ignores that at the depth of the recession in October 2009, the total number of employed according to BLS was 138.27 million. That means the number of people employed in June is up more than a million people since October 2009.

Meanwhile, we're still waiting for Cover to explain why he flip-flopped from reporting that campaign videos President Obama  filmed inside the White House were not illegal to asserting that they were.


Posted by Terry K. at 4:10 PM EDT
WND Still Lying To Its Readers That Nobody's Defending Obama Birth Certificate
Topic: WorldNetDaily

A July 9 WorldNetDaily article goes to absurdly dishonest means to discredit anyone -- like WND -- who claims that nobody has come forward to defend President Obama's long-form birth certificate:

On the Obamaconspiracy site, forum participants blasted those who want information about Obama's qualifications.

"The people who have expertise and used it objectively to look at the document have found no signs of tampering," wrote one, although there was no citation to support it.

Another, however, raised some concerns about the adequacy of the certificate.

"I have looked at the evidence … All experts unanimously agree that it is fake. This was not even a good forgery."

WND doesn't explain that the Obama Conspiracy website is an anti-birther site. Not only doesn't WND link to the site in general, it doesn't even link to the post in which those comments were made.

If you looked for that specific comment in the post, you would find that it was written by "Dr. Conspiracy," who runs the website. WND's claim that there "no citation to support" his comment since Obama Conspiracy has posted at least two analyses of the certificate's PDF file -- one of them conducted by "Dr. Conspiracy" himself. Anyone with any familiarity with the Obama Conspracy website -- as WND appears to demonstrate -- would know that.

As for the other comment cited by WND that "All experts unanimously agree that it is fake," "Dr. Conspiracy" directly responds to it in a later comment:

Brian Leffler: ALL experts unanimously agree that it is fake.

But of course that statement is false. The most technically competent person to have looked at the PDF file found no signs of tampering whatever:

http://www.hackerfactor.com/blog/index.php?/archives/428-After-Birth.html

WorldNetDaily itself quoted Jean Claude Tremblay (this is not Fox news, but WND who talked to Tremblay) as saying:

“For me, what I have seen does not prove that it is legit, nor that it is a fake, nor that there has been any tampering whatsoever,”

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=314041

And what about John Woodman? He didn’t find anything abnormal.

http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/2011/07/new-videos-debunk-long-form-detractors/

And what about the fellow at the National Review, Nathan Goulding?

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/265767/pdf-layers-obamas-birth-certificate-nathan-goulding

So when you say ALL experts, you just show your own lack of information. Now if somebody had fooled me like that, tricking me into embarrassing myself saying that “ALL” experts agree when in fact it’s not even close, I would seek out that person and buffet them about the head.

I have not seen any expert that demonstrates any expertise in his field saying that the White House long form PDF has been tampered with. I’ve seen a lot of hand waving, a lot of claims of expertise and ZERO science. It’s not a matter of quantity, but of quality, and not one certified document examiner has said there’s evidence of tampering.

WND curiously didn't mention this response.

WND is either so lazy that it can't be bothered to read the entire comment thread or lift a finger to poke around elsewhere in the website -- or it's deliberately hiding the truth from its readers for fear of undermining its birther crusade. We'll go with the latter, since WND is already on record as lying about the purported lack of document defenders.


Posted by Terry K. at 12:00 PM EDT
Michael Reagan Likens Gays to Serial Killers
Topic: Newsmax

Singling out a segment of the population for specific inclusion in school studies programs on the basis of their sexual preferences elevates what — rightly or wrongly — many see as a form of sexual perversion, to a civil right.

The bill, SB 48, passed on a party-line vote, adds lesbian, gay, bisexual, and so-called transgendered people as well as those with physical or mental disabilities to the list of groups that schools must include in the lessons. It also would prohibit material that reflects adversely on gays.

Unless I'm badly mistaken, what the legislature has done is to classify sexual preference as a form of disability, meaning that those who adopt the lifestyle are mentally or physically disabled though no fault of their own. Somehow I seriously doubt that gays or cross-dressers will appreciate being classified as disabled as a result of their sexual orientation or preferences.

This is just another example of the tendency of legislators sticking their noses into the personal lives of the citizenry.

It will prove instructive to see how the state's lawmakers go about the job of implementing this absurd legislation. Will they, for example, rule that textbooks must describe what the state classifies as acceptable behavior? Or exactly how?

Should the state require textbooks used in its schools to provide play-by-play descriptions of the behavior they sanction? Just where does this stop? Should not the "contributions" of convicted thieves be celebrated? Or those of serial killers? Or embezzlers?

-- Michael Reagan, July 8 Newsmax column


Posted by Terry K. at 8:32 AM EDT
Obama Derangement Syndrome Watch, Mychal Massie Edition
Topic: WorldNetDaily

Mychal Massie's full-blown case of Obama Derangement Syndrome seems to be getting worse. Massie howled in his July 5 WorldNetDaily column:

Democratic pollster Pat Caddell was less than gracious when he said: Obama is not "a true Democrat." Caddell is right; he isn't a true Democrat, he is a true Marxist – and that's what Caddell was dancing around, but actually saying. He is transpicuously dishonest and untruthful to the point of needing professional help. I am of the opinion that all politicians are liars, but even using that low standard, he makes Anthony Weiner look like less of a liar. He is an increasingly unstable, despotic narcissist, and that is becoming more apparent with every national speech he gives. It's important to again note that after each national speech the criticism from liberals becomes more pronounced.

Meanwhile, on Twitter, Massie is just as deranged. Here's one expanded tweet:

bho is dangerous as poisonous pit viper as corrupt and dishonest as judas iscariot himself - he is hateful he is common n he is determined 2 have his own way - he is also increasingly unstable - as I watch him come under the weight of his actions trying 2 force his agendas/policies thru it becomes increasingly apparent that he that we r looking at a man who is beyond redemption n worthy of rebuke - it is not just for the sake of the nation we must drive him out - it is for the sake of all we hold just

Here's another expanded tweet:

"I watched America's limp-wrist mack-daddy fairy princess in pink panties hip-hop his way to the teleprompter for his press conference. The I muted the sound, and watched it in closed captioning - because, the sound of his voice makes me sick to my stomach. His comments were more closely identified to that bodily function, which can be as either a noun or a verb and is accompanied by micturation - only in his case it comes out of his mouth and ears - and properly explains why his eyes are brown." (Read the rest of "I cannot lie, obama makes me sick" at http://mychal-massie.com)

And there's Twitter rage like this:

bho is a damnable liar who shud burn in hades 4 his misleading n intentional dishonesty put up posters "send bho to jail"

And this:

we'd better make sure bho is gone b4 iran gets nuke bomb b/c mao jr wont have clue wat 2 do whn we r attacked n dont tell me lie he got ubl

And yes, he's still childishly calling Michelle Obama "Buttzilla":

@icanttellyou46 serriously we shud start national poster campaign imprison bho n buttzilla cheap annoying n effective

And here too:

bho thinks its immoral 4 wrkg ppl 2 keep their $$ but sees nothing wrng w/ sending buttzila 2 africa on our dime he shud be dragged 2 prison

Massie's head will be exploding before long if he can't control his hate.


Posted by Terry K. at 12:10 AM EDT
Sunday, July 10, 2011
NewsBusters' Sheppard Ignores Economic Chaos Resulting From Failure to Raise Debt Limit
Topic: NewsBusters

Noel Sheppard writes in a July 5 NewsBusters post:

If you believe every word uttered by hysterical news anchors and political commentators lately, you would think the world ends August 2nd if the debt ceiling isn't raised.

Not only isn't this true, it's another indication of the press's total ignorance about our nation's budget and/or their willingness to lie to the American people in order to get taxes raised.

[...]

Consider that last August, we brought in $164 billion in receipts. As it should be equal to or greater than that this year, we will easily afford the roughly $35 billion of interest expense without raising the debt ceiling.

Our monthly Social Security and Medicare outlays in May were $51 billion. Assuming they're close to the same in August, we'd still be left with $78 billion to pay military members, and a variety of other things.

Will we have enough to meet all of our obligations?

Certainly not. Like what's happened in the past, many government employees and contractors would be given IOUs.

BUT, unlike what the Obama-loving media are telling people, we won't have to default on our debt, we won't have to forego payments to America's seniors, and we won't have to hold back the salaries of our military members in the field.

But Sheppard, in suggesting that there would be no consequences to handing out IOUs to people or to not paying, has chosen to ignore the consequences of doing so even if interest payments on the debt and other obligations continue to be paid. As Media Matters details:

  • Those IOUs Sheppard would so blithely hand out would come as part of an immediate 44 percent decrease in government spending -- a number that constitutes 10 percent of GDP.
  • A Standard & Poor's expert states that such a contraction of federal spending "would have a very sharp negative fiscal impulse to the economy, and that would be disruptive."
  • The global rating agency Fitch Ratings states that "Widespread and prolonged delay to suppliers of goods and services, including salary payments to federal employees, would damage perceptions of US sovereign creditworthiness," adding "extensive payment delays on other obligations would confirm that the US government was in severe financial distress and that a failure to make payments on rated Treasury securities (bills, notes and bonds) was potentially imminent. If it had not already done so, in such circumstances Fitch would place its sovereign rating of the US on RWN [Rating Watch Negative]."
  • Former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker said that the last time the U.S. delayed making some payments, interest rates went up, meaning that interest on the debt would become more costly.
  • Banking firm UBS points out that not only would there be a likely "sharp increase in interest rates" from failure to raise the debt ceiling, it would also keep the U.S. from paying interest on Treasury bills that have matured, an issue because investors are less likely to roll over their T-bills under such unstable conditions.

So who's expressing "total ignorance about our nation's budget" here? Looks like Sheppard is.


Posted by Terry K. at 10:16 AM EDT
Updated: Sunday, July 10, 2011 10:41 AM EDT
WND Lies About ACORN Funding
Topic: WorldNetDaily

A July 8 WorldNetDaily article begins:

President Obama quietly has been funding the notorious radical group ACORN, his former employer and legal client, possibly in violation of federal law, according to a new report.

Obama's Department of Housing and Urban Development gave a $79,819 grant to a Florida office of the largest branch of the ACORN tree, the massive conglomerate known as ACORN Housing Corp, or AHC. The grant, awarded in March, was recently discovered by the nonpartisan watchdog group Judicial Watch.

False. First, as Media Matters points out, ACORN no longer exists, having filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last November, so it is in no position to receive funding of any kind.

Second, WND deliberately gets the name of the group receiving money wrong. As WND itself notes later in the article, "ACORN Housing filed papers last year legally changing its name to Affordable Housing Centers of America, or AHCOA." So WND is lying to its readers by introducing AHCOA only as ACORN Housing Corp.

While WND goes on to state that "HUD considers AHCOA to be completely separate from ACORN," it failed to report that the Government Accountability Office has also determined that AHCOA "is not an affiliate, subsidiary, or allied organization of ACORN."

WND went on to claim that "a September 2010 report from HUD's inspector general found that the group may have concealed fraud by destroying or failing to produce records. The report said the group charged the government salary costs for employees after they were terminated and that ACORN may have corruptly funneled taxpayer dollars to its affiliates and engaged in money laundering." But WND curiously didn't report that the report also said that AHCOA states it has "completed many of the corrective measures suggested by the OIG," adding, "We commend AHCOA’s efforts to bring its operations into compliance with Federal requirements and its willingness to resolve the issues identified in the report."

WND also gave ACORN-hater Matthew Vadum plenty of space to rant about how much he hates ACORN while ignoring the fact that ACORN no longer exists -- thus undermining the entire premise of his rant.


Posted by Terry K. at 12:06 AM EDT
Saturday, July 9, 2011
CNS' Jeffrey Walks Back Kagan 'Investigation' Claim
Topic: CNSNews.com

In a July 6 CNSNews.com article, Terry Jeffrey had claimed that "the House Judiciary Committee is launching an inquiry to probe the involvement that Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan had in 'health care legislation or litigation' when she was serving as President Barack Obama’s solicitor general." It turns out that's false, and Jeffrey has been forced to correct it.

An new editor's note at the top of the article reads:

As originally posted, this story used the word “investigation” in three places to describe what the House Judiciary Committee was initiating with Chairman Lamar Smith’s letter to the attorney general which is cited in this report. In those three places, the word “investigation” has been changed to “inquiry.” The committee requested a correction of the story, saying Smith’s letter asking for four categories of documents from the Justice Department as well as “witness interviews” is a “request for additional information” and not the beginning of a “formal investigation.” “The Committee has contacted the Justice Department for additional information, but we have not launched a formal investigation at this time,” a Judiciary Committee aide told CNSNews.com in an emailed statement.

Jeffrey, meanwhile, devotes a separate July 8 article to an expansion of the editor's note.

Of course, in neither article does Jeffrey demonstrate any interest in inquring if the House Judiciary Committee will investigate an apparent conflict of interest on health care reform regarding Justice Clarence Thomas, whose wife has been involved in activism against the law. Jeffrey has long refused to report on this.


Posted by Terry K. at 10:45 AM EDT
WND Thinks Obama Is A Decepticon
Topic: WorldNetDaily

Drew Zahn writes in his WorldNetDaily review of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon":

As for the film's more significant worldview messages, there's very little depth beyond a few, throwaway lines about "believing in yourself" and the shameless objectification of the lead actress's physical assets.

But if you stick with me, we'll have a little fun at Obama's expense.

[...]

For starters, Witwicky receives a medal in the film from the president. And while the twenty-something Sam is literally gaga for Obama, reverently showing off his medal as though it represents great status, every other character who sees it … is simply not impressed.

Even more fun, however, is the coincidental likening of Obama to Decepticon leader Megatron.

At the opening of the film, the leader of the Autobots explains that on their planet, the Autobots fought for freedom, while the Decepticons fought for tyranny. Since no one could plausibly argue Obama is fighting for greater freedom, but a case could be made his policies are pushing us toward a more tyrannical federal government … clue No. 1, Obama is a Decepticon.

Later in the film, a human accomplice of the Decepticons proclaims, "You have to be on the side of progress if you want to be part of history": Hmmm, "progress," progressive, … yep, clue No. 2 Obama is a Decepticon.

The same accomplice also declares, "We all work for the Decepticons now." Given Obama's record government spending, attempted takeovers in the banking, auto and health industries and an ever-increasing percentage of the population working in the public sector … yep, clue No. 3 Obama is a Decepticon.

Finally, a reporter over at MSNBC recently got in a lot of trouble for turning aside after listening to Obama speak, when he thought the microphones were off, and calling Obama "kind of a dick."

In the film, the Decepticon's human accomplice listens to Megatron give yet another self-aggrandizing speech, turns aside where the Decpticons can't hear and pronounces of his robot leader, "What a dick!"

As I was already joking with myself about the idea of the Decepticons being like Obama, when I heard the same crude word used to describe the same, condescending, self-centered attitude … I just about fell out of my chair laughing! What are the odds of the film so paralleling real life?

In the end, the MSNBC host Mark Halperin got suspended for the insult. The human accomplice in "Dark of the Moon" doesn't fare any better.

If WND is willing to believe this about Obama, no wonder it's clinging to the birther conspiracy.


Posted by Terry K. at 12:02 AM EDT
Friday, July 8, 2011
MRC Loves Conservatives' Insults Hurled At NY Times Editor
Topic: Media Research Center

In a July 6 MRC TimesWatch post, Clay Waters reveled in the insults heaped upon New York Times editor Bill Keller in a recent letters section, touting how "The latest edition of the New York Times’ Sunday magazine gave conservatives a rare opportunity to repurpose Times Executive Editor Bill Keller as a pinata" in reaction to a Keller column about Sarah Palin.

Is it really "media criticism" to take such pleasure in seeing people insulted? Waters and the MRC seem to think so.


Posted by Terry K. at 3:17 PM EDT
WND's Klein Can't Stop Misleading About Group's Statements on Muslim Brotherhood
Topic: WorldNetDaily

Earlier this year, we detailed how WorldNetDaily's Aaron Klein deliberately cherry-picked a report on Egypt by the International Crisis Group in order to portray it as overly sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood. Klein asserted that the ICG report called for the Egypian government "to normalize ties with the Muslim Brotherhood" but failed to note that it also pointed out that "serious questions linger" about whether the Muslim Brotherood can "make a credible case that they embrace the rules of democratic politics, including the principles of citizenship, rotation of power and multiparty political life," particularly "concerning the role of women and the place of religious minorities, neither of whom, for example, the Muslim Brothers believe should be eligible for the presidency."

Six months later, Klein is doing the exact same misleading cherry-picking. From a July 7 WND article:

In a June 2008 report entitled "Egypt's Muslim Brothers Confrontation or Integration," Soros' ICG urges the Egyptian regime to allow the group to participate in political life.

The report dismisses Egypt's longstanding government crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood as "dangerously short-sighted."

The ICG report called on Mubarak's regime to "pave the way for the regularization of the Muslim Brothers' participation in political life," including by allowing for the "establishment of a political party with religious reference."

The ICG specifically stressed allowing the Brotherhood to serve as an Islamist party several times in its 2008 report.

Again, Klein failed to note that the ICG made numerous requests of the Muslim Brotherhood. From the ICG report:

To the Society of Muslim Brothers:

4.  Engage in a dialogue with members of the government, opposition and civil society, notably by:

(a) approaching officials and reform-minded NDP members to discuss conditions necessary for the Society’s peaceful political integration;

(b) engaging with secular opposition parties and movements to form a consensus on how the Society can best be integrated as well as wider issues of political reform;

(c) engaging with representatives of the Christian community in a frank dialogue on sectarian relations and the Society’s stance toward religious minorities;

(d) supporting comprehensive political reform clearly, as opposed to a bilateral arrangement between the Society and the regime; and

(e)   ensuring that consensus positions on these issues are formed within the Society in a democratic manner to avoid contradictory approaches by members.

5.  Finalise and amend the Society’s political program, in particular by:

(a) altering its position on the role of women and non-Muslims in public life;

(b) continuing to seek input from a wide range of its members as well as non-members; and

(c) clarifying relations between the Society and a future related political party.

Such shoddy, deliberately misleading reporting inspires no confidence whatsoever that anything Klein writes for WND can be trusted.


Posted by Terry K. at 12:23 PM EDT
AIM-WND-Loudon Attack on Panetta Was Ignored; Now It's Discredited
Topic: Accuracy in Media

We've previously detailed how Accuracy in Media's Cliff Kincaid teamed with foreigner Trevor Loudon, in an attempt to derail Leon Panetta's nomination as defense secretary, purportedly had a "close and personal relationship with a member of the Communist Party." WorldNetDaily's Aaron Klein also regurgitated the claims by the foreigner Loudon. We also pointed out that AIM's and WND's attacks were ignored, as evidenced by Panetta being unanimously confirmed by the Senate as defense secretary.

It turns out there was another reason the accusations by the foreigner Loudon and his American agents were so roundly ignored: they had no basis in reality.

Media Matters details how what Loudon and crew portrayed as a "close and personal relationship with a member of the Communist Party," Hugh DeLacy, was nothing more than a congressman responding to a constituent. Kincaid's claim that "Panetta promised DeLacy several apparently sensitive documents" is, again, nothing but typical constitutent correspondence.

Loudon, Kincaid, and Klein inflated the DeLacy-Panetta correspondence well beyond its significance -- thus falsely smearing Panetta. Don't expect any apologies, though; we're still waiting for Kincaid to admit that we were correct about the death penalty provisions in Uganda's proposed anti-gay legislation, or that he was wrong to defend Bruce Ivins, ultimately proven to have mailed several anthrax-laden letters shortly after 9/11 that killed several people.


Posted by Terry K. at 8:25 AM EDT
Why Won't Farah Report Existence of People Who Don't Think Birth Certificate Is Fake?
Topic: WorldNetDaily

Joseph Farah writes in his July 7 WorldNetDaily column:

Now that so many highly qualified graphics experts – seven by my count – have weighed in unequivocally in pronouncing Barack Obama's "long-form birth certificate" as an outright fraud, it's time to issue a challenge to other highly qualified experts to explain why they're wrong.

Isn't it curious that not a single media outlet has quoted even one such expert to proclaim the document valid?

[...]

Now, I can't say there are no experts out there who can explain the anomalies and contradictions that the seven experts say make it impossible for the White House document to be valid. But I can say they haven't been forthcoming.

So I am hereby issuing a challenge to them: Come forward and explain what the seven experts proclaiming Obama's birth certificate fraudulent are missing. Explain these anomalies in a way the American public can understand. Allay our fears that the biggest hoax in American political history is being perpetrated on us all by this White House.

[...]

Why are no other experts coming forward to answer the very public indictments of this document by highly qualified people?

Isn't the absence of evidence of authenticity in fact an indictment of a complacent, lapdog media with no interest in pursuing truth if it reflects poorly on Obama?

For heaven's sake, where are Obama's experts to explain what seven distinguished experts say cannot be explained away?

Farah is lying to you. At least two experts have come forward to "explain what seven distinguished experts say cannot be explained away": "Dr. Conspiracy" at the Obama Conspiracy blog, and computer expert John Woodman.

Thus, Farah's fallacious premise is utterly destroyed. The real question is why WND has hidden analyses that contradict its presumption that the birth certificate is fake from its readers. Then again, Jerome Corsi did promise during WND's Esquire lawsuit dog-and-pony show to try and discredit "Dr. Conspiracy" while downplaying his debunking of WND's so-called "experts."

Of course, that's not the way real journalism works. But Farah, Corsi and WND are interested only in information aimed at destroying President Obama, no matter how bogus and no much they discredit themselves in their Javert-esque pursuit.

If Farah and Corsi cared about the truth, they would ave reported on Dr. Conspiracy and Woodman by now. But they don't, so they haven't.

UPDATE: Here's a third defense of the long-form birth certificate that Farah and Corsi have chosen to ignore, from Neal Krawetz. Thanks, L.C., for the tip.


Posted by Terry K. at 12:09 AM EDT
Updated: Friday, July 8, 2011 11:15 AM EDT

Newer | Latest | Older

Bookmark and Share

Get the WorldNetDaily Lies sticker!

Find more neat stuff at the ConWebWatch store!

Buy through this Amazon link and support ConWebWatch!

Support This Site

« July 2011 »
S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31

Bloggers' Rights at EFF
Support Bloggers' Rights!

News Media Blog Network

Add to Google