Simon Maloy
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Senior writer, @mmfa. You've also seen me in @TheWeek, @RollingStone, @Salon, @TheProspect -- tweets are my own etc. smaloy@mediamatters.org 202-772-0102
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Articles by Simon Maloy
Breitbart.com, "Friends Of Hamas," And Enemies Of Accountability
On February 7, Breitbart.com's Ben Shapiro reported that Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel (according to “Senate sources” ) received money from a group called “Friends of Hamas.” The report spread quickly through the conservative media as damning of Hagel, until Dave Weigel at Slate.com pointed out a salient fact -- there's no evidence that “Friends of Hamas” exists.
O Tannen-Mao? The right-wing's White House Christmas tree freak-out
Breitbart's BigGovernment.com posts WH Christmas tree “exlcusive” BigGovernment.com: “Transvestites, Mao And Obama Ornaments Decorate White House Christmas Tree.” In a December 22 BigGovernment.com entry, “Capitol Confidential” posted photos of the three ornaments, writing: Why let a holiday season come between the White House and making some political statements? The White House pegged controversial designer Simon Doonan to oversee the Christmas decorations for the White House.
Jeanine Pirro calls for Jeff Sessions’ head (because she wants his job)
The key to understanding how Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro operates is to realize that she is single-minded in her personal ambition while completely unencumbered by anything resembling shame, dignity, or professional integrity. As it stands, Pirro is one of the more influential pundits in the country by virtue of her close relationship with President Donald Trump.
Right-wing radio hosts suggested "damn good" Ayers question to Stephanopoulos day before Dem debate
During the April 16 Democratic presidential debate in Philadelphia, ABC News chief Washington correspondent and co-moderator George Stephanopoulos asked Sen. Barack Obama to explain his “relationship” with former Weather Underground Organization member William Ayers and to “explain to Democrats why it won't be a problem.” Stephanopoulos stated that Ayers “was part of the Weather Underground in the 1970s. They bombed the Pentagon, the Capitol, and other buildings.
The perfectly incoherent Trumpism of Charlie Kirk's Campus Battlefield
Melissa Joskow / Media Matters It's ridiculous that I even have to write this review. Campus Battlefield: How Conservatives Can Win the Battle on Campus and Why It Matters, by Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk: Why does anyone have to know anything about this book, or about Charlie Kirk?
Steve Bannon’s self-immolation
Sarah Wasko / Media Matters Steve Bannon, we’re told, is a “street fighter.” That’s what Bannon told us, anyway, when he went on 60 Minutes earlier this year shortly after his brief tenure in the Trump administration came to an end.
Eric Bolling Finally Learns Birtherism Is Stupid
Fox News' Eric Bolling was perhaps the saddest of all the birthers. It wasn't until after President Obama released his long-form birth certificate and put the final shovel of dirt onto birtherism's grave that Bolling jumped on board with the conspiracy and all but accused Obama of releasing a fabricated document. But now that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has found himself in the birthers' crosshairs, Bolling has at long last come to the belated realization that birtherism is a ridiculous waste of time.
The Bureaucrat Whisperer
As of this writing, there is no indication that the IRS's inappropriate targeting of conservative political groups has any connection whatsoever to the White House. And some conservative talking heads are even acknowledging as much. But they're not letting that stop them from naming Barack Obama as the culpable party, arguing that the president is responsible due to his preternatural ability to bend the average bureaucrat to his maleficent will from afar.
Glenn Beck's Top 5 Conspiracy Theories
In his two and a half years on Fox News, Glenn Beck found time to dream up a seemingly endless number of incomprehensibly intricate, impossibly vague, and comically implausible conspiracy theories to explain what was happening in the world and how everything was connected and nothing happened by accident. Media Matters offers a run down of the craziest, most convoluted conspiracies of Glenn Beck. 5. Land-Backed U.S. Currency. Beck doesn't like debt.
There is no bottom
Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico almost a year ago and created a humanitarian catastrophe that continues to this day. The storm obliterated the U.S. territory’s already dilapidated infrastructure, causing an islandwide blackout that still isn’t completely fixed. With many residents denied access to electricity, fresh water, medical care, and other basic services, the death toll from the storm climbed.
"Go ahead, Jeff": Talon News "reporter" Jeff Gannon is McClellan's lifeline during briefings
Talon News “reporter” Jeff Gannon's softball questions often steer White House press secretary Scott McClellan away from more difficult inquiries raised during White House press briefings; on several occasions, McClellan has turned to Gannon for his questions after other press corps members have asked pointed questions on controversial topics.
Beck: No apologies for promoting an anti-Semite Nazi sympathizer
This morning on his radio program, Glenn Beck responded to the general outcry over his approving comments last week for the work of Elizabeth Dilling, a virulent anti-Semite who actively supported Hitler and the Nazis during World War II. Beck's response contained neither an apology nor a disavowal nor any indication whatsoever that he was at all contrite over using his considerable media presence to promote a discredited and hateful woman's writings.
Jennifer Rubin: Criticizing Bush = "Apologizing For This Nation"
Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin is fast approaching some higher plane of hackdom far enough removed from the gravitational centers of logic and sense that the fundamental laws of punditry no longer apply. This morning she joins the chorus of conservatives defending Mitt Romney's false claim at last night's debate that President Obama went on an “apology tour,” arguing that Obama, in the very act of criticizing the foreign policy of his predecessor George W.
On CNN, Jennifer Rubin Flat-Out Lies About Obama's Benghazi Statement
Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin joined the transcript truther crowd on CNN's Reliable Sources this morning,claiming that President Obama was not referring to the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi when he used the term “acts of terror” in his September 12 Rose Garden statement on the attack. Specifically, Rubin claimed Obama's use of “acts of terror” was “not in the same paragraph with Benghazi.” That is flatly untrue.
Rush Limbaugh's Decades Of Sexism And Misogyny
Rush Limbaugh's recent barrage of sexist attacks on Sandra Fluke are being described as a “new low” for the radio host, which is a remarkable feat given Limbaugh's decades-long resume of misogynistic smears and attacks on women.
The sinister pro-Trump propaganda of Lou Dobbs
Sarah Wasko / Media Matters At his New Year’s Eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump grabbed a microphone and gave thanks to the guests who paid him several hundred dollars each for the privilege of attending. As he spoke, the president singled out one attendee for some especially fulsome praise: Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs. “The great Lou Dobbs is here, by the way,” Trump said. “Boy, I tell you, I’ve loved him for years, but now I really love him. And you know what?
Breakthrough: James O'Keefe Saves The World
At various points throughout Breakthrough, the new memoir/manifesto by conservative “sting” video auteur James O'Keefe, the reader is informed that O'Keefe's mission is to “save democracy,” “save the 2012 election,” “revive investigative journalism,” and, most ambitiously, “change the world.” It's an outsized view of what one can accomplish with some silly costumes and cameras concealed in neckties.
Cheney biographer Hayes' pattern of falsely defending the Bush administration's Iraq policy
On the July 23 broadcast of NBC's Today, co-host Matt Lauer interviewed Weekly Standard writer Stephen F. Hayes, author of the forthcoming biography Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President.
Glenn Beck smears Obama's 11-year-old daughter
Glenn Beck, who repeatedly and angrily tells his alleged persecutors to “leave the families alone,” spent a good chunk of his radio program this morning mocking and attacking the intelligence of President Obama's 11-year-old daughter, Malia.
Beck and Limbaugh join forces to mock little girls
Limbaugh, Beck mock Obama's daughters Limbaugh imitates Malia Obama: “Daddy, did you shake down BP yet?” On the June 16 edition of his nationally syndicated radio program, Rush Limbaugh mocked Malia Obama, imitating her voice and asking: “Daddy? Did you shake down BP yet, Daddy?
No more secrecy -- Christmas must be destroyed!
This is both a confession and a call to arms. For the past several years, I have been secretly involved in a secret scheme to secretly force religion -- Christianity, in particular -- from the public square.
Noonan on New Orleans: "I hope the looters are shot"
In her September 1 OpinionJournal.com column, Wall Street Journal contributing editor Peggy Noonan commented on the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and advocated killing looters in New Orleans, writing: “I hope the looters are shot.” Noonan's September 1 column, titled “After the Storm,” carried the subtitle, “Hurricane Katrina: The good, the bad, the let's-shoot-them-now.” Noonan wrote: As for the tragic piggism that is taking place on the streets of New Orleans, it is not unbelievable but...
A kinder, gentler Erick Erickson
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› Earlier today on CNN's Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz spoke to newly minted CNN contributor Erick Erickson about the controversy his new job with the network has fueled, and confronted Erickson with several of the inflammatory things Erickson has written in his capacity as editor of RedState.com.
Glenn Beck and the paranoid style
"The modern right wing ... feels dispossessed: America has been largely taken away from them and their kind, though they are determined to try to repossess it and to prevent the final destructive act of subversion.
Jonah Goldberg falsely claimed Obama "dodg[es] the word and concept of patriotism"
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› Jonah Goldberg claimed that Democrats, and specifically Sen. Barack Obama, "cannot credibly talk of love of country while simultaneously dodging the word and concept of patriotism." In fact, Obama has not "dodg[ed] the word and concept of patriotism" -- invoking them in numerous speeches going back to at least 2002. In his March 11 Los Angeles Times column, National Review Online editor-at-large Jonah Goldberg claimed that Democrats, and specifically Sen.
The Fox Cycle: From bogus right-wing attack to mainstream news
As more and more media outlets follow Fox News' lead in covering the manufactured New Black Panther Party/Department of Justice (DOJ) scandal, Media Matters offers three case studies of previous bogus right-wing attacks that, with help from Fox News, went mainstream before being debunked. The New Black Panthers and the pattern Fox News aggressively promoting spurious allegations against DOJ.
So They're Just Calling Michelle Obama Fat Now
First Lady Michelle Obama is in the midst of a nationwide anti-obesity campaign aimed at shrinking America's collectively expanding waistline. The conservative media are striking back against Mrs. Obama's message of fitness and nutrition by decrying what they see as government intrusion into our pantries. At least, that's what they're doing when they're not calling Michelle Obama fat.
Sean Hannity: Media Matters' 2008 Misinformer of the Year
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› As Media Matters for America has demonstrated time and again, Fox News' Sean Hannity has been a prolific and influential purveyor of conservative misinformation. But never has he so enthusiastically applied his talents for spreading misinformation as he did to the 2008 presidential race, focusing his energies primarily on President-elect Barack Obama.
Hating On The Welfare State While Pushing Taxpayer-Funded Vacations
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› A not insignificant portion of movement conservatism involves pundits and activists scamming credulous readers/viewers/donors out of their money. RedState's Erick Erickson hawks transparently fraudulent "Instant Millionaire" schemes to his email list subscribers. Dick Morris raised funds for a super PAC which then turned around and funneled money right back to Dick Morris.
CNN’s new political editor championed Jeff Sessions’ war on leaks
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› At DOJ, Sarah Isgur defended the seizure of a reporter’s communications Blog ››› 10 sec ago ››› SIMON MALOY Melissa Joskow / Media Matters CNN’s decision to hire former Trump official, longtime Republican operative, and journalism neophyte Sarah Isgur as its new political editor is shaping up as quite a public relations disaster for the network.
CNN Hires Former Trump Administration Flack Sarah Isgur As Political Editor
Early on in the Trump administration, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions ran into a staffing problem as he took over the Department of Justice.
Right-wing radio hosts suggested "damn good" Ayers question to Stephanopoulos day before Dem debate
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› Research ››› April 17, 2008 7:13 PM EDT ››› SIMON MALOY & BRIAN LEVY During the April 16 debate, George Stephanopoulos asked Sen.
CNN’s baffling, self-sabotaging hire of Sarah Isgur
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› The network’s new political editor is a former Trump official who has never worked in journalism Blog ››› February 19, 2019 3:24 PM EST ››› SIMON MALOY Melissa Joskow / Media Matters Early on in the Trump administration, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions ran into a staffing problem as he took over the Department of Justice.
A Comprehensive List Of The Problems With 60 Minutes' Benghazi Segment
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› Blog ››› November 15, 2013 12:51 PM EST ››› SIMON MALOY & MATT GERTZ On October 27, CBS' 60 Minutes aired a segment anchored by correspondent Lara Logan and featuring the results of her year-long investigation into the September 11, 2012, attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya.
Howard Schultz’s Cable News Fantasy Campaign
Reprinted with permission from MediaMatters. Howard Schultz might be running for president and nobody knows why. No one asked him to run for president, and there was no existing political movement to recruit the billionaire former Starbucks CEO into a presidential campaign. The Schultz 2020 experiment just materialized out of nothingness, and in its short, cursed existence it has commanded outsized media attention despite the fact that pretty much everyone seems to hate it.
Howard Schultz’s cable news fantasy campaign
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› The billionaire “centrist” has a powerful constituency in America’s green rooms Blog ››› 3 min 28 sec ago ››› SIMON MALOY Melissa Joskow / Media Matters Howard Schultz might be running for president and nobody knows why. No one asked him to run for president, and there was no existing political movement to recruit the billionaire former Starbucks CEO into a presidential campaign.
Chris Cuomo’s extremely bad birther-coddling tweet
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› Melissa Joskow / Media Matters Early this morning a famously thick-witted right-wing troll authored an inflammatory and ignorant tweet arguing that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) is not a natural-born citizen and is thus ineligible to run for the presidency.
Everything You Need To Know About Being A "Natural-Born Citizen"
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› Were you born within the territorial boundaries of the United States? Were your parents not in the service of a foreign government at the time of your birth? If so, then congratulations! You're a natural-born citizen of the United States of America. If you're over 35 and have been a resident of the U.S. for 14 years, then you also meet the basic requirements to run for the presidency, as laid out in Article II of the Constitution.
Christie's Awful Book Smacks Down Kushner, But Sucks Up To Trump
Reprinted with permission from MediaMatters. Chris Christie, the scandal-plagued former governor of New Jersey who left office with historic disapproval ratings, has a new book coming out later this month detailing his life in politics.
Chris Christie and the new Trump mythology
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› Trump cannot fail; he can only be failed Blog ››› 20 min 19 sec ago ››› SIMON MALOY Melissa Joskow / Media Matters Chris Christie, the scandal-plagued former governor of New Jersey who left office with historic disapproval ratings, has a new book coming out later this month detailing his life in politics.
Ocasio-Cortez Exposes Our Warped Discourse On Taxation
Reprinted with permission from MediaMatters. It’s been several days since CBS News tweeted out a clip of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) floating a 70 percent marginal tax rate on income over $10 million to finance a Green New Deal program, and her comments are still generating news stories, commentary, and bluntly dishonest attacks from the right. It’s unusual to see such a media frenzy surrounding a proposal from a newly elected member of the House.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and our warped discourse on taxation
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› Media coverage of tax policy privileges GOP extremism while marginalizing progressives Blog ››› January 8, 2019 4:04 PM EST ››› SIMON MALOY Melissa Joskow / Media Matters It’s been several days since CBS News tweeted out a clip of Rep.
Breitbart writer Kevin Pezzi's sockpuppet MySpace harem
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› If you haven't yet become acquainted with Kevin Pezzi, the racist doctor/sex "expert"/robot chef builder who now writes for Andrew Breitbart's BigGovernment.com, you'd be well served to click over to Media Matters' profile and explore the many bizarre and disturbing facets of Pezzi's background. The man is quite clearly a huckster, and basically everything he does is aimed at selling copies of his e-books, which deal largely with sex.
"Don't tease the panther": An exclusive look at Glenn Beck's The Overton Window
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› Blog ››› June 11, 2010 1:57 PM EDT ››› SIMON MALOY & BEN DIMIERO The opening lines of Glenn Beck's yet-to-be-released novel, The Overton Window, read as follows: "Most people think about age and experience in terms of years, but it's really only moments that define us." In a quirk of convenience, this line also describes the best way to deconstruct The Overton Window, a copy of which Media Matters obtained and read -- nay, devoured -- with great relish.
Eric Bolling Finally Learns Birtherism Is Stupid
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› Fox News' Eric Bolling was perhaps the saddest of all the birthers. It wasn't until after President Obama released his long-form birth certificate and put the final shovel of dirt onto birtherism's grave that Bolling jumped on board with the conspiracy and all but accused Obama of releasing a fabricated document. But now that Sen.
Bret Stephens’ 2018 midterm analysis is quietly getting worse
xADVANCED SEARCH Keyword(s) Date Range ››› The NY Times updates Stephens’ bad post-election column to make it even wronger Blog ››› November 30, 2018 8:46 AM EST ››› SIMON MALOY Melissa Joskow / Media Matters In the aftermath of election night 2018, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens wrote a column arguing that the Democrats had kind of blown it.
Bret Stephens’ 2018 midterm analysis is quietly getting worse
In the aftermath of election night 2018, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens wrote a column arguing that the Democrats had kind of blown it.
O Tannen-Mao? The right-wing's White House Christmas tree freak-out
Breitbart's BigGovernment.com posts WH Christmas tree "exlcusive" BigGovernment.com: "Transvestites, Mao And Obama Ornaments Decorate White House Christmas Tree." In a December 22 BigGovernment.com entry, "Capitol Confidential" posted photos of the three ornaments, writing: Why let a holiday season come between the White House and making some political statements? The White House pegged controversial designer Simon Doonan to oversee the Christmas decorations for the White House.
Investigating Trump is not “harassment”
This morning, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell made a point of warning House Democrats not to use the powers of executive oversight and investigation they won in yesterday’s midterm elections. He said the incoming House Democratic majority’s plans for investigating Donald Trump’s corruption are tantamount to “presidential harassment,” and he warned that the strategy will backfire on the party in the same way it stung congressional Republicans during the Bill Clinton years.
The perfectly incoherent Trumpism of Charlie Kirk's Campus Battlefield
Melissa Joskow / Media Matters It's ridiculous that I even have to write this review. Campus Battlefield: How Conservatives Can Win the Battle on Campus and Why It Matters, by Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk: Why does anyone have to know anything about this book, or about Charlie Kirk?
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