Media Matters - Wall Street Journal

Media Matters - Wall Street Journal http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/tag_rss/wall_street_journal This link is for use by RSS-enabled software to retrieve Media Matters items matching the term: Wall Street Journal en-US Copyright 2009, Media Matters for America Media cite Japan's "lost decade" to criticize Obama's economic stimulus plan, but economists disagree http://mediamatters.org/items/200812220005 Numerous media figures have cited Japanese fiscal policy during the "lost decade" of the 1990s to criticize President-elect Barack Obama's plan to undertake a large-scale stimulus program. These media figures ignore evidence that, according to prominent economists, economic conditions were improving in Japan before the Japanese government temporarily abandoned stimulus spending in an attempt to reduce the deficit. http://mediamatters.org/items/200812220005 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:03:11 EST Media's glowing reports on Bush's AIDS-relief program ignore criticism by the officials responsible for implementing it http://mediamatters.org/items/200812030018 Several media outlets have praised or uncritically reported praise of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. However, none of those outlets noted criticism of PEPFAR's requirement that starting in fiscal year 2006, 33 percent of funds set aside for prevention under the act that created PEPFAR be spent on abstinence-until-marriage education. According to many of the government officials responsible for managing PEPFAR abroad, as well as the Institute of Medicine, this requirement hindered PEPFAR's effectiveness in preventing the spread of AIDS until it was removed when Congress reauthorized PEPFAR in 2008. http://mediamatters.org/items/200812030018 Wed, 3 Dec 2008 19:24:16 EST Rove repeatedly misstates Obama's vote increase over Gore in 2000 to downplay victory http://mediamatters.org/items/200812020017 Again downplaying President-elect Barack Obama's victory, Karl Rove claimed on Today that the "call for change gave Barack Obama the presidency of the United States with 2.1 percent more than Al Gore got." In fact, in 2000, Gore received 48.38 percent of the popular vote, and according to unofficial election results posted on National Public Radio's website, Obama has received 52.7 percent of the popular vote, which is a difference of 4.32 percentage points. http://mediamatters.org/items/200812020017 Tue, 2 Dec 2008 21:15:09 EST Media conservatives claim America is "center-right," but political scientists challenge reliance on voter self-identification http://mediamatters.org/items/200811100013 Several conservative commentators claim America is ideologically a "center-right" country, citing as evidence general election exit polls showing that 22 percent of respondents identify themselves as "liberal," 44 percent as "moderate" and 34 percent as "conservative." But political scientists dispute the reliability of voters' identification with political ideologies, and other polling has found that a strong majority favored the more progressive position on a number of issues. http://mediamatters.org/items/200811100013 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:01:34 EST WSJ editorial leaves out relevant information in smear of ACORN http://mediamatters.org/items/200810140021 The Wall Street Journal asserted that Sen. Barack Obama's "kind of organizers work at Acorn, the militant advocacy group that is turning up in reports about voter fraud across the country." The editorial cited as evidence reports that ACORN submitted allegedly false or duplicate voter registration applications this year in Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Florida, New Mexico, North Carolina, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, Connecticut, and Texas. But the editorial did not note that the statutes of at least nine of those 11 states require third parties registering prospective voters to submit to election officials all registration forms they received -- even those they believed to be false or duplicate applications. http://mediamatters.org/items/200810140021 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:46:03 EST WSJ blog reported that Rep. Feeney "re-paid the $5,643 cost" of Abramoff trip, but court docs say trip cost much more http://mediamatters.org/items/200809250015 A Wall Street Journal Washington Wire blog post reported that Rep. Tom Feeney, who, in a new ad, apologizes for a 2003 trip he took to Scotland financed by Jack Abramoff, "re-paid the $5,643 cost of the trip to the U.S. Treasury." But the blog post did not note that, according to a plea agreement by another trip attendee, the trip had "costs exceeding $160,000" for Abramoff and the seven other participants, or at least $20,000 per person. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809250015 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:36:11 EST Wall Street Journal uncritically quoted McCain ad without noting its distortions http://mediamatters.org/items/200809140002 A Wall Street Journal article uncritically quoted an ad by Sen. John McCain's campaign that accuses Sen. Barack Obama's campaign of being "disrespectful" to Gov. Sarah Palin without noting that the ad contains several distortions. The article also uncritically quoted an unnamed "McCain spokesman" as saying, "Barack Obama has no record of bipartisan legislative accomplishment, no history of bucking his party and no chance of bringing change," without noting that Obama has played key roles in the passage of bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809140002 Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:47:20 EST Rove mischaracterized Obama's, Palin's records on earmarks http://mediamatters.org/items/200809120009 In his Wall Street Journal column, Karl Rove falsely asserted that, in contrast with Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. Barack Obama has "ratchet[ed] up his requests [for earmarks] each year he's been in the Senate." In fact, Obama has reportedly requested no earmarks in 2008, while Palin has reportedly requested at least $197 million in earmarks in 2008, which, according to The Seattle Times, amounts to "more, per person, than any other state." Indeed, on a per-capita basis, Palin has requested more than 10 times the amount of earmarks per year than Obama has. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809120009 Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:26:39 EST WSJ's Chozick misrepresented Obama's "lipstick on a pig" comment http://mediamatters.org/items/200809090026 In a blog post, Wall Street Journal reporter Amy Chozick baselessly asserted that Sen. Barack Obama's statement that "[y]ou can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig" "played on [Gov. Sarah] Palin's joke during the Republican National Convention that the only difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom was lipstick." Chozick provided no evidence for this assertion, and, in fact, Obama did not mention Palin in at least the 65 words preceding his "lipstick on a pig" comment. Indeed, his preceding comments consisted of what he described as a "list" of Sen. John McCain's policies that Obama said were no different from President Bush's. http://mediamatters.org/items/200809090026 Tue, 9 Sep 2008 21:36:26 EST WSJ reported that Palin "highlighted her opposition" to "that bridge to nowhere" -- but not her previous reported support for it http://mediamatters.org/items/200808290023 A Wall Street Journal article asserted that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin "highlighted her opposition to a much-derided congressional earmark for her state," uncritically quoting her assertion, "I told Congress 'thanks but no thanks' on that bridge to nowhere." In fact, Palin reportedly had supported the project for the proposed bridge between Ketchikan, Alaska, and Gravina Island and suggested that Alaska's congressional delegation should continue to try to procure funding for it. http://mediamatters.org/items/200808290023 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:55:24 EST Noonan claimed Obama's DNC speech at Invesco Field "has every possibility of looking like a Nuremberg rally" http://mediamatters.org/items/200808280008 In her online column, The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan wrote that Sen. Barack Obama's DNC speech at Denver's Invesco Field "has every possibility of looking like a Nuremberg rally." Other conservative pundits have made references to Nazis when talking about Obama or discussing his speeches, including radio host Tom Sullivan, who once aired what he called a "side-by-side comparison" of an Adolf Hitler speech and an Obama speech. http://mediamatters.org/items/200808280008 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:23:07 EST Media don't challenge false claim that Obama vacationed on a "private beach in Hawaii" http://mediamatters.org/items/200808220016 Several media outlets have uncritically reported the false charge by Sen. John McCain's campaign that Sen. Barack Obama "just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii." In fact, according to the Hawaii Department of Land and Resources, all beaches in Hawaii are public. http://mediamatters.org/items/200808220016 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:00:28 EST Print reports ignore tension between McCain's assertion that human rights begin at conception and support for stem cell research http://mediamatters.org/items/200808200006 The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post all reported Sen. John McCain's assertion at a forum hosted by Pastor Rick Warren that he believes "a baby [is] entitled to human rights" "[a]t the moment of conception." But none of the articles raised the question of how McCain reconciles this statement with his support for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and certain exceptions to a ban on abortion. http://mediamatters.org/items/200808200006 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:41:05 EST WSJ omits facts about McCain's voting record, reversal on immigration http://mediamatters.org/items/200808130001 The Wall Street Journal reported that the RNC "made note of Sen. Obama's party-line votes. During the 109th Congress, which was in session in 2005-2006, Sen. Obama voted along party lines 97% of the time. Sen. McCain voted with his party 81% of the time, according to Congressional Quarterly." But in citing only the CQ 2005-2006 "party unity" scores provided by the RNC, the Journal failed to note that according to a 2008 CQ study, McCain voted in support of the Bush administration's position 95 percent of the time in 2007, making McCain the administration's most reliable supporter in the Senate that year. http://mediamatters.org/items/200808130001 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:52:32 EST Ignoring Obama's proposed tax cuts and McCain's Social Security remarks, Rove claimed McCain "opposes tax increases and Obama favors them" http://mediamatters.org/items/200808070005 In a Wall Street Journal column, Karl Rove claimed that "[Sen. John McCain] opposes tax increases and [Sen. Barack] Obama favors them." In fact, Obama has proposed cutting taxes for low- and middle-income families, and McCain's own chief economic adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, has reportedly said that it is inaccurate to say that "Barack Obama raises taxes." Moreover, McCain himself recently suggested he would be open to raising Social Security payroll taxes. http://mediamatters.org/items/200808070005 Thu, 7 Aug 2008 15:01:00 EST