For anyone interested in a compendium of the media’s failings in this election season, Media Matters has come through for you. Their article, “Top election falsehoods, myths, and talking points,” is a concise and useful compilation that vividly demonstrates the weaknesses in the conventional, corporate run press. Here is the list of shame. Click the Media Matters link above to see the detail.
- American voters favor Republicans on national security.
- The public favors Republicans on the issues of taxes and fiscal responsibility.
- Republicans had the “Contract with America” in 1994 to power their victory, but Democrats in 2006 have no agenda.
- Terrorists want the Democrats to win.
- Even if Americans don’t approve of the job Bush is doing, they like him personally.
- Once a “pro-Bush” state, always a “pro-Bush” state.
- Democrats will drown the Bush administration in investigations.
- A Democratic takeover of the House would put extreme liberals in leadership positions.
- Kuo’s claims regarding White House’s real views of religious conservatives have no precedent.
- Republicans and Democrats both equally guilty of “dirty tricks”.
In each of the items above, Media Matters has documented the rampant dishonesty by the media in fomenting these easily disprovable themes. This is another example of how an irresponsible and ethically compromised community of psuedo-journalists performs a disservice to the public and to the concept of a free and independent media.
