Are Media Wisely Running Away From Bogus Rush ‘Phony Soldiers’ Story?

News Busters ^ | October 2, 2007 | Noel Sheppard

[libstripper]

On Monday, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) stepped onto the floor of the Senate and strongly denounced talk radio host Rush Limbaugh for what have proven to be out of context statements made by the conservative personality on his program last Wednesday.

Yet, with the exception of a CNN segment aired Monday, and articles by Fox News, USA Today's On Politics blog, The Hill, NewsMax, and the New York Post, virtually no major media outlets covered Reid's statements.

Not the New York Times. Not the Washington Post. Ditto all three broadcast network evening news programs Monday, and the Associated Press.

This raises an important question:

Have most major press outlets correctly concluded that the leftwing organization Media Matters did indeed cherry-pick and misrepresent Limbaugh's statements thereby making earlier reports on the subject erroneous?

[weegee]

Nice to hear Joe Scarborough and Willie Geist denounce this bogus attack on Rush, on MSNBC’s Morning Joe show.

"I found it interesting Scarborough mentioned he reads Media Matters ‘daily’ this morning."

post #123 from yesterday: Rush Limbaugh is under attack. Your immediate action is needed (1 OCT 2007)

Did Joe denounce Media Matters today? What was the exact nature of his comment?

[weegee]

Some people still believe that it was just a coincidence a few years back when there were tabloid scandals on Rush Limbaugh, Bill Bennett, Bill O’Reilly, Michael Savage, and if I recall attempts to smear Sean Hannity.

[zerosix]

Yes, good ole Sen. Reid, isn't he the one who claimed that the war in Iraq was "lost?"

He was stumped for an answer, when Sen. John McCain asked, "If we lost, who won?"

[NavyCanDo]

Actually I havn’t thought about this before, but the headline here seems to be right. I have seen nothing in my Newspaper, the news being broadcast over the radio and on TV News about this. All the news I have been hearing is from web-based media, and public forums, blogs, and on some of Fox’s shows like Hannity & Colmes.
Outside of us political junkies on the Left and Right not many people are even aware of this story.

[N. Theknow]

Harry Reid, armed with Media Matters Manure, just tried to throw a pile of it into the rear end of an airboat engine.

[OldYank1]

One reason they are backing away could be that someone has had the sense to figure out the story on the other side of what Harry said.

Listen to what he actually said. His condemnation of Rush’s comment puts him squarely on the opposite side of the discussion. Harry put himself in a position of supporting those who Rush referred to as “phony soldiers”. According to Harry, they have the right to say what they have said. We, as Americans, have no right to challenge them or their claims. Harry, his resolution, and those who supported it have actually come out on the side of the “phony soldiers”.

There is no way the media wants to get caught up in that.

[period end of story]

No, but I’m dying to find out about the sex of Halle Berry’s baby.

[Tarpon]

They should expose the phony patriots for what they are.

[Doc Savage]

The Fox segments yesterday and this morning were sickening. Rather than come right out and tell the truth that MM purposely took Rush out of context, that this is only part of a HC / MM hit strategy to shut down Conservative Talk Radio, and that it is simply a continuance of MM plots against O'Reilly, Savage, Bennett etc. Instead, they posed the question as though MM might actually be teeling the truth!!!

I can't stand to watch the Fox and Friends AM Show anymore. Pathetic!

[SoFloFreeper]

Meredith V. and her good friend Weasley Clark rammed it down their viewers’ throats today.

[tobyhill]

In Vietnam the anti-war crowd held up hundreds of phony soldiers for their cause, some served and some didn’t, but the thing in common was that they all lied or exaggerated to make their point. The lies that Kerry told about Vietnam and Harkin told about his true service, not in Vietnam, makes them a phony, not the fact that they served. We are no longer controlled by 3 media stations, we have hundreds that we find out the truths and so we can call out the phonies.

[Badeye]

‘Did Joe denounce Media Matters today? What was the exact nature of his comment?’

He’s ‘evolving’ as the week progresses. Initially he was all in an uproar just as CBS and NBC and the evening shift at MSNBC was.

Now, he’s noting how stupid Harkin looked with his rant on the floor of the Senate.

[eyedigress]

What’s the latest on Britney?

I think she supports Rush on this. :^)

[BBell]

Did Britney steal O.J.’s watch?

[BBell]

She stole O.J.’s watch I think

[kevkrom]

He was stumped for an answer, when Sen. John McCain asked, "If we lost, who won?"

While I think McCain is too unstable to be President, every once in a while he makes me want to stand up and cheer.

[pbear8]

She stole O.J.’s watch I think

Which she took to Thailand.

[Billthedrill]

Thailand?

[zerosix]

Amen to that!

[davidlachnicht]

Folks, it’s very, very simple: follow how the coverage goes...
MSNBC = Obama
CNN, ABC = Hillary