Media Matters - MSNBC Live

Media Matters - MSNBC Live http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/tag_rss/msnbc_live This link is for use by RSS-enabled software to retrieve Media Matters items matching the term: MSNBC Live en-US Copyright 2008, Media Matters for America McClatchy's Thomma misrepresented Obama's tax plan http://mediamatters.org/items/200810110006 On MSNBC Live, McClatchy's Steven Thomma asserted that Sen. John McCain will likely attack Sen. Barack Obama "as a tax-raiser, someone who'll take money out of your pocket at the very moment you don't want it to happen." Neither Thomma nor Politico's David Mark, who agreed with Thomma's assessment, noted that claims that Obama will raise taxes and "take money out of your pocket" misrepresent Obama's tax plan. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810110006 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:40:39 EST Jansing, Halperin uncritically report Palin's false charge that Obama's "punished with a baby" comment was about abortion http://mediamatters.org/items/200810110004 On MSNBC Live, Chris Jansing uncritically aired Gov. Sarah Palin's false claim that Sen. Barack Obama was talking about abortion when he said of his two daughters: "I don't want them punished with a baby." However, Jansing did not note that Obama was discussing sex education, not abortion, when he made his comment. Time's Mark Halperin also uncritically reported Palin's attack without pointing out it was false. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810110004 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:12:46 EST Brewer falsely portrayed McCain as denouncing voter disenfranchisement in clip she aired http://mediamatters.org/items/200810100021 On MSNBC Live, after citing a New York Times article reporting that voters are being removed from rolls or being blocked from registering, Contessa Brewer asserted that at a campaign stop, Sen. John McCain "was talking about the importance of making sure that voters who register get a chance to go vote." But in the clip she aired, McCain was not talking about alleged voter disenfranchisement or allegations that people were being illegally barred from voting; rather, he was criticizing alleged efforts to register people who are not eligible to vote. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810100021 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:45:37 EST MSNBC's Witt falsely suggested Obama concealed Ayers event when referring to Ayers as "a guy who lives in my neighborhood" http://mediamatters.org/items/200810090020 MSNBC's Alex Witt falsely suggested that Sen. Barack Obama concealed the fact that William Ayers hosted an event for him when he referred to Ayers as "a guy who lives in my neighborhood" during an April Democratic primary debate. In fact, in those remarks, Obama was responding to a question about the "organizing meeting" that Ayers hosted for him, and did not deny that the event took place. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810090020 Thu, 9 Oct 2008 19:31:55 EST MSNBC's Hall said McCain was "cleared by a Senate committee" in Keating Five scandal, but not that the committee said he exercised "poor judgment" http://mediamatters.org/items/200810060014 MSNBC's Tamron Hall asserted that Sen. John McCain "was accused of corruption, although he was later cleared by a Senate committee" in the Keating Five scandal. But Hall did not note that the Senate ethics committee concluded that McCain's conduct "reflected poor judgment." http://mediamatters.org/items/200810060014 Mon, 6 Oct 2008 15:15:07 EST MSNBC's Witt did not challenge RNC official's mischaracterization of NY Times article on Obama and Ayers http://mediamatters.org/items/200810040006 On MSNBC Live, RNC press secretary Alex Conant claimed that "The New York Times today has a 2,000-word story about Barack Obama's friendship with an unrepentant terrorist." However, Alex Witt did not challenge Conant's claim that the article was about their "friendship" by pointing out that the Times in fact reported that Obama and Ayers "do not appear to have been close." http://mediamatters.org/items/200810040006 Sat, 4 Oct 2008 18:07:48 EST Media have repeatedly asserted Palin faces "low" or "lowered" expectations in debate, despite praise of her debate skills http://mediamatters.org/items/200810010015 Several media figures have asserted that Gov. Sarah Palin faces "low" or "lowered" expectations in the upcoming vice-presidential debate and that she therefore faces a lower bar for victory than Sen. Joe Biden. They have made these assertions despite criticism by at least one member of the media over the media's setting of a lower bar for Palin and despite praise of her performance in the Alaska gubernatorial debate by others in the media and by McCain campaign surrogate Mitt Romney. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810010015 Wed, 1 Oct 2008 16:49:52 EST Media falsely suggest that only Dems dismissed GOP accusation that Pelosi's speech cost GOP votes as "nonsense" http://mediamatters.org/items/200809300009 Several media outlets falsely suggested that only Democrats denied Republican claims that Speaker Nancy Pelosi's speech on the floor of the House of Representatives before a September 29 vote on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 "cost some GOP votes." In fact, several House Republicans also have denied the allegation. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809300009 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:11:56 EST Echoing Brewer, MSNBC's Mitchell aired cropped Bill Clinton interview, claimed it was "hardly an endorsement" of Obama http://mediamatters.org/items/200809290015 On MSNBC Live, Andrea Mitchell followed Contessa Brewer in airing a heavily cropped version of former President Bill Clinton's remarks on Meet the Press in which Clinton seemingly declined to respond in the affirmative when asked by Meet the Press host Tom Brokaw if he would say he "admire[s]" Sen. Barack Obama and "think[s] he's a ... great man." Mitchell called Clinton's comments "hardly an endorsement" of Obama and "not as effusive as you would expect." But Mitchell did not air or otherwise note Clinton's statements moments later that he "certainly admire[s]" Obama and that Obama's "greatness will ... become apparent" when he is elected president. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809290015 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:59:43 EST MSNBC's Brewer cropped Bill Clinton interview omitting remarks praising Obama http://mediamatters.org/items/200809290010 On MSNBC Live, Contessa Brewer asserted that President Clinton "seemed to give" Sen. Barack Obama "a half-hearted endorsement" during an interview broadcast on NBC's Meet the Press. She then aired a heavily cropped version of Clinton's remarks, falsely suggesting that Clinton had not said he "admires" Obama and omitting his statement that Obama's "greatness will ... become apparent" when he is elected. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809290010 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:03:13 EST Norah O'Donnell aired cropped "John is right" clips, but in nearly all instances, Obama was criticizing McCain http://mediamatters.org/items/200809270010 On MSNBC, Norah O'Donnell aired a montage of what she described as "the multiple times that Barack Obama said 'John [McCain] is right' " during the first presidential debate. Following the montage, O'Donnell commented, "I thought this was a debate." In fact, in nearly all instances, Obama was actually criticizing McCain after first noting a point of agreement on the topic Obama was discussing. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809270010 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:48:03 EST NBC's Mitchell repeated falsehood that McCain campaign manager "has not been at all involved in anything involving Fannie or Freddie" http://mediamatters.org/items/200809250005 NBC News' Andrea Mitchell falsely asserted that McCain campaign manager Rick Davis "has not been at all involved in anything involving Fannie or Freddie." In fact, Davis reportedly served as president of the Homeownership Alliance, a Washington-based advocacy group whose founding members included Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809250005 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:54:10 EST Contrary to RNC official, Politico's Javers said of debate: "McCain really benefits from low expectations" http://mediamatters.org/items/200809220018 On MSNBC Live, the Politico's Eamon Javers said, regarding the upcoming presidential debate, that "everybody assumes that Barack Obama is a better speaker than John McCain" and added: "[I]f Obama stumbles, on the flip-side, and doesn't appear as well-versed or as smooth a talker as we've come to expect of him, that could be a real disaster for the Obama camp. ... So, McCain really benefits from low expectations going in here." In fact, "everybody" doesn't "assume[]" that Obama is the better speaker in a debate setting and that McCain needs only to exceed low expectations -- several media figures, and even the deputy chair of the RNC, have suggested the opposite. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809220018 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:24:27 EST U.S. News' Pethokoukis falsely claimed McCain is not calling for carve-out Social Security accounts http://mediamatters.org/items/200809190019 On MSNBC Live, James Pethokoukis claimed that "Senator [John] McCain is not calling for privatizing Social Security. He's talking about perhaps separate accounts, but he's not actually talking about taking your Social Security payments and funneling them in the stock market." In fact, in a March Wall Street Journal interview, McCain reiterated his support for private Social Security accounts that would be funded through existing payroll taxes and could be invested in the stock market. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809190019 Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:00:07 EST MSNBC's Shuster falsely claimed Social Security "will run out of money unless we make some major changes, at least in the next several years" http://mediamatters.org/items/200809190008 On MSNBC Live, David Shuster stated that Social Security "will run out of money unless we make some major changes, at least in the next several years." In fact, according to the 2008 reports by the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees, Social Security will be able to pay full benefits until 2041, at which point it will be able to cover 78 percent of benefits if no legislative changes are made. It will not "run out of money ... in the next several years," or in 2041. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809190008 Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:58:44 EST