Congress

CNN, NBC, AP continued to advance GOP conspiracy theory that Dems orchestrated Foley scandal
Media outlets that uncritically reported House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's recent claims -- that Democratic operatives knew "all along" of Rep. Mark Foley's alleged behavior toward underage congressional pages and have orchestrated the ongoing scandal -- ignored media reports that the source for Foley's emails was a Republican. Read More

CBS and Fox uncritically reported FBI's claims that CREW failed to provide enough info for Foley investigation
An article on CBS News' website and a segment on Fox News' Special Report reported the FBI's claim that it did not launch an investigation of former Rep. Mark Foley after the nonprofit group CREW provided the FBI copies of emails Foley allegedly sent to an underage former congressional page, because CREW refused to provide further information about the emails. Neither CBS nor Fox News, however, noted CREW's public statement that the FBI never followed up and never asked for further information. Read More

CNN's Bash repeated Hastert's conspiracy theory about Foley emails; ignored report that a "longtime Republican" gave emails to media
The Hill newspaper has just reported that a House Republican aide was responsible for giving Foley's emails to the media. Read More

In Foley scandal, conservatives find plenty of excuses and plenty of people to blame (other than the GOP)
Seeking to minimize the extent to which the House Republican leadership can be blamed for the scandal surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley, several congressional Republicans, media figures, and conservatives have posited various conspiracy theories and placed blame on just about everyone and everything else -- including liberals, Democrats, the media, "politically correct culture," gays in Congress, and congressional pages. Read More

Miami Herald news, editorial pages claimed Foley emails were "ambiguous" and "innocuous" but didn't note most suggestive content
Miami Herald executive editor Tom Fiedler stated that the newspaper didn't pursue a story on emails allegedly written by former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) to an underage male former page because they were "ambiguous" and "very innocuous" -- a claim similar to one made in a Miami Herald editorial. But in defending the decision not to do a story when the paper first obtained the emails, neither Fiedler nor the Herald editorial provided their full content. Read More

Despite numerous rebuttals from conservatives, media continue to describe Foley emails as "over friendly"
Several conservatives and Republicans have since objected to the "over friendly" characterization of the emails and have argued that they should have provoked deeper scrutiny from the GOP House leadership when they first came to light. Read More

Media conservatives obsess over Foley's sexuality
In making the connection between Foley's homosexuality and his alleged misconduct involving underage male pages, Chris Matthews and NBC's Mike Viqueira joined several conservative media figures and outlets that have taken special notice of Foley's reported homosexuality and even linked Foley's sexual orientation to pedophilia. Read More

CNN didn't air purported "advocate for children" Reynolds refusing to ask kids to leave press conference on Foley scandal

More coverage

• Latest Items
• Clips
• Popular
• Topic

Thursday, October 5, 2006

• Weyrich, Robertson used Foley scandal to spread falsehood about gay men

• Savage accused former page of "gay-baiting" Foley and added: "Maybe he's a Democrat"

• NPR's Inskeep let Yoo slide with false and misleading statements on detainee bill

• CNN, NBC, AP continued to advance GOP conspiracy theory that Dems orchestrated Foley scandal

• CBS and Fox uncritically reported FBI's claims that CREW failed to provide enough info for Foley investigation

• CNN's Bash repeated Hastert's conspiracy theory about Foley emails; ignored report that a "longtime Republican" gave emails to media

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

• O'Donnell failed to correct GOP strategist's false claim that Rep. Frank was "running a prostitution ring out of his townhouse"

• After suggesting Woodward's new book was not "reporting spin-free," O'Reilly refused to allow Woodward to answer those charges

• CNN host and MSNBC analyst suggested Democrats' own past scandals should prevent them from highlighting GOP leadership role in Foley scandal

• Bill Donohue to Foley: "[M]ost 15-year-old boys wouldn't allow themselves to be molested. So why did you?"

• Hannity & Colmes gave lopsided coverage to anti-Murtha rally

• MSNBC's Buchanan described Foley as sending "valentines over the email," said Foley is "a sexual predator ... who's posturing as a conservative"

• Perkins claimed that "homosexual men are more likely to abuse children than straight men"; experts disagree

• Limbaugh and Hastert baselessly suggested that Democrats orchestrated Foley scandal

• Buchanan linked DC age of consent to gay rights movement

• CNN didn't air purported "advocate for children" Reynolds refusing to ask kids to leave press conference on Foley scandal

• In Foley scandal, conservatives find plenty of excuses and plenty of people to blame (other than the GOP)

• Letter to The Miami Herald

• CNN's King again claimed "pro-family voters" are "conservatives"

• On Fox, Kristol blamed "voters in Florida" for Foley debacle: "[M]aybe they should have known better"

• More items »

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

• MSNBC's Buchanan described Foley as sending "valentines over the email," said Foley is "a sexual predator ... who's posturing as a conservative"

• On Fox, Kristol blamed "voters in Florida" for Foley debacle: "[M]aybe they should have known better"

• Beck on Foley: "Is he going to get away with -- is he going to pull a Cynthia McKinney on us?"

• Matthews on Foley scandal: Republicans have "blow[n] it" on one of their strongest issues, "moral behavior"

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

• Kondracke: Foley scandal "the sexual equivalent of cash in your freezer"

• In response to Pennsylvania school shooting, CBS' "Free Speech" featured Columbine father attacking evolution, abortion

Monday, October 2, 2006

• Bruce: "All I want, frankly, is a gay person in office who is not a sexual compulsive"

Sunday, October 1, 2006

• Gingrich: House GOP would have "been accused of gay bashing" if it "overly aggressively reacted" to Foley's emails in 2005

Friday, September 29, 2006

• Savage lauds Wash. Times employee allegedly soliciting girl for sex as a "normal pervert" who "should get a reward that it wasn't a boy"

• Blitzer described Senate passage of detainee bill as a "critical victory for President Bush in the war on terror"

Thursday, September 28, 2006

• Olbermann named Savage second "Worst Person in the World" for saying "average prostitute" is "more reliable and more honest than most U.S. senators wearing a dress"

• Echoing Fox News, CNN's O'Brien claimed Clinton had "meltdown" during interview with Wallace

• On MSNBC's Tucker, radio host Mark Williams claimed "people have made up their mind" that voting Democratic "hastens the day we disappear in a nuclear holocaust"

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

• Savage claimed the "average prostitute" is "more reliable and more honest than most U.S. senators wearing a dress"

• Beck to Mexico: "We're taking rapists out of your country ... and you're shipping killers to us"

• O'Reilly on Iraq: I "[c]ouldn't care less about the country"

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

• Fox News' Wright claimed Dems want to "cut and run" from Iraq, appeared to adopt White House assertion that leaked NIE finding is "cherry-picked information"

Monday, September 25, 2006

• Carlson back on "retarded cousin" Canada

• Newsweek on O'Reilly's examples of Dems who deserve title of "traditionalist": "two deceased Democrats and one who lost his party's primary"

Thursday, September 21, 2006

• During interview with Boehlert, Miami radio host noted MRC "will not spar" with "anybody from Media Matters"

• More clips »

• On Fox, Kristol blamed "voters in Florida" for Foley debacle: "[M]aybe they should have known better"

• Perkins claimed that "homosexual men are more likely to abuse children than straight men"; experts disagree

• CNN, NBC, AP continued to advance GOP conspiracy theory that Dems orchestrated Foley scandal

• Savage accused former page of "gay-baiting" Foley and added: "Maybe he's a Democrat"

• Weyrich, Robertson used Foley scandal to spread falsehood about gay men

• Limbaugh: Democrats "set Foley up ... it's all coordinated"

• In Foley scandal, conservatives find plenty of excuses and plenty of people to blame (other than the GOP)

• In response to Pennsylvania school shooting, CBS' "Free Speech" featured Columbine father attacking evolution, abortion

• Couric fails to challenge "scary smart," " 'girly' and fun" Rice on a host of issues

• After suggesting Woodward's new book was not "reporting spin-free," O'Reilly refused to allow Woodward to answer those charges

• CNN's Bash repeated Hastert's conspiracy theory about Foley emails; ignored report that a "longtime Republican" gave emails to media

• O'Donnell failed to correct GOP strategist's false claim that Rep. Frank was "running a prostitution ring out of his townhouse"

• Media conservatives obsess over Foley's sexuality

• NPR's Inskeep let Yoo slide with false and misleading statements on detainee bill

• CBS and Fox uncritically reported FBI's claims that CREW failed to provide enough info for Foley investigation

• CNN host and MSNBC analyst suggested Democrats' own past scandals should prevent them from highlighting GOP leadership role in Foley scandal

• Drudge on Foley: "This wasn't coerced," "the kid was having fun with this"

• Coulter spinning on Foley scandal

• CNN didn't air purported "advocate for children" Reynolds refusing to ask kids to leave press conference on Foley scandal

• Bill Donohue to Foley: "[M]ost 15-year-old boys wouldn't allow themselves to be molested. So why did you?"

• Limbaugh and Hastert baselessly suggested that Democrats orchestrated Foley scandal

• *These items are listed according to their popularity (number of readers) within the last hour.

Ethics

• In Foley scandal, conservatives find plenty of excuses and plenty of people to blame (other than the GOP)

• CNN's Bash repeated Hastert's conspiracy theory about Foley emails; ignored report that a "longtime Republican" gave emails to media

• On Fox, Kristol blamed "voters in Florida" for Foley debacle: "[M]aybe they should have known better"

• Bill Donohue to Foley: "[M]ost 15-year-old boys wouldn't allow themselves to be molested. So why did you?"

• CNN didn't air purported "advocate for children" Reynolds refusing to ask kids to leave press conference on Foley scandal

• MSNBC's Buchanan described Foley as sending "valentines over the email," said Foley is "a sexual predator ... who's posturing as a conservative"

• CNN host and MSNBC analyst suggested Democrats' own past scandals should prevent them from highlighting GOP leadership role in Foley scandal

• CNN, NBC, AP continued to advance GOP conspiracy theory that Dems orchestrated Foley scandal

• CBS and Fox uncritically reported FBI's claims that CREW failed to provide enough info for Foley investigation

LGBT Issues

• Weyrich, Robertson used Foley scandal to spread falsehood about gay men

• Savage accused former page of "gay-baiting" Foley and added: "Maybe he's a Democrat"

• Perkins claimed that "homosexual men are more likely to abuse children than straight men"; experts disagree

• Buchanan linked DC age of consent to gay rights movement

Propaganda/Noise Machine

• O'Donnell failed to correct GOP strategist's false claim that Rep. Frank was "running a prostitution ring out of his townhouse"

• Hannity & Colmes gave lopsided coverage to anti-Murtha rally

• After suggesting Woodward's new book was not "reporting spin-free," O'Reilly refused to allow Woodward to answer those charges

• CNN's King again claimed "pro-family voters" are "conservatives"

2006 Elections

• Limbaugh and Hastert baselessly suggested that Democrats orchestrated Foley scandal

Detainees/Abu Ghraib/Guantanamo Bay

• NPR's Inskeep let Yoo slide with false and misleading statements on detainee bill

• Letter to The Miami Herald

Colorado Media Matters

Post's Knight distorted governors' arguments against judicial term limits