Media Matters for America : Wind Power , Reagan and the Economy

Fox Touts Failed Fiscal Austerity Measures Fox’s Stuart Varney claimed that the result of the French presidential election showed that French voters “want to go backwards” because they are saying “no more austerity.” But experts have said that European austerity measures have not improved the economic situation and have warned against similar measures in the United States. Read More

Fox’s Flawed Solution To The Economy: What Would Reagan Do? Fox has attacked the economic recovery under President Obama by claiming that if Obama just adopted the policies of former President Ronald Reagan, there would be a stronger recovery. But as economists have pointed out, the Reagan recession ended not because of Reagan’s fiscal policies but because the Federal Reserve drastically cut interest rates. Because interest rates are already at zero, such a rate cut is not a possible option now. Read More

Journal Miffed By Bipartisan Support For U.S. Wind Power A Wall Street Journal editorial criticizes Republicans who support extending the federal Production Tax Credit, a key tax break supporting the U.S. wind power industry. The Journal suggests that wind energy will not become competitive with fossil fuels, but energy analysts say wind is approaching that point and that the expiration of the tax credit would slow or halt that progress. Read More

Media Matters for America : Fox slams Food Stamp Program,Gas Prices and more

Fox’s Varney Attacks “Feel Good” Food Stamp Program As Hunger Reaches Elevated Levels
Fox’s Stuart Varney dismissed the federal food stamp program as an “entitlement” that “make[s] you feel good” and attacked an outreach program intended to ensure that people know whether they are eligible for benefits, suggesting it was being used by the Obama administration to “buy votes.” But the food stamp program — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — is effective and necessary as the number of hungry Americans has reached elevated levels, and the SNAP outreach program goes back at least to President George W. Bush. Read More

The Rush From Limbaugh
Media Matters has compiled the following list of 56 companies who have issued public statements confirming that they are excluding their ads from running on the The Rush Limbaugh Show. Read More

STUDY: Media Missing The Mark On Gas Prices

A Media Matters analysis of print and television coverage of rising gasoline prices between January 1 and February 29 finds that news outlets often provided a shallow and shortsighted treatment of the issue. For instance, several outlets largely overlooked fuel economy standards — a key policy solution that mitigates U.S. vulnerability to price spikes — while promoting increased U.S. drilling and the Keystone XL pipeline, which would likely move gas prices by only a few cents, if at all. In addition, cable news outlets primarily hosted political figures rather than energy experts or economists to comment on gas prices. Fox News, which covered gas prices far more frequently than any other outlet, regularly blamed President Obama for the recent price increase, a claim in line with Republican strategy but not with the facts.

Bret Baier Ignores Fox News’ Role In Fueling Obama Muslim Myth

Fox News anchor Bret Baier responded to a new book reporting that in 2010, President Obama criticized the network for pushing the myth that Obama “is a Muslim” by saying: “For the record, we found no examples of a host saying President Obama is a Muslim.” In fact, Fox has repeatedly questioned and promoted falsehoods about Obama’s faith, including pushing the false claim that Obama attended a “madrassa.”

How State Media Turned A Blind Eye To ALEC’s Influence On The Voter ID Debate

Dozens of voter ID laws have been introduced in state legislatures over the past two years, including particularly strict measures passed in seven states in 2011 — Alabama, Kansas, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee and Wisconsin. There is widespread evidence that this surge of voter ID laws stems from model legislation crafted in 2009 by a conservative group called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). But a Media Matters analysis has found that the largest newspapers in the seven states that enacted voter ID laws in 2011 have largely ignored ALEC’s influence. Indeed, of the newspapers examined, only Rhode Island’s Providence Journal mentioned any connection between the state’s voter ID bill and ALEC

Reality need not apply

Reality need not apply: Fox continues to deny aid to poor is stimulative

http://mediamatters.org/research/201010070027

Fox News hosts and contributors have recently dismissed estimates of food stamp programs’ stimulative effect on the economy as “some strange multiplier effect study,” “liberal math” and a “complicated economic multiplier theory.” In fact, economists agree that food stamps are one of “the most effective ways to prime the economy’s pump.”

Malkin, Gingrich and Varney all dismiss economic theory to continue attacking food stamps

Malkin falsely claims “the only thing that these programs stimulate, of course, is a bigger government.” On the October 7 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, co-host Steve Doocy stated that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said of food stamps: “It is the biggest bang for the buck when you do food stamps and unemployment insurance.”  Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin replied by saying she would “like to know which economist [House Speaker Nancy Pelosi] is talking to. Of course, she’s promoting some strange multiplier effect study to argue this.” Malkin concluded by falsely claiming “the only thing that these programs stimulate, of course, is bigger government.”

Varney dismisses economic consensus regarding stimulative nature of food stamps as a “complicated economic multiplier theory.” Earlier on Fox & Friends, Fox Business Network anchor Stuart Varney dismissed Pelosi’s statement as “the complicated economic multiplier theory that they’re bringing in here.” Varney claimed “the evidence that’s before us” showing that a high proportion of the unemployed are on food stamps and unemployment is still high shows “it would seem you don’t get bigger bang for the buck.”

Varney hosts Santorum to attack food stamps and claim that “the numbers are phony.” On the October 7 edition of Fox Business Network’s Varney & Company, contributor Tracy Byrnes attributed Pelosi’s claim to “the health care calculator that they use…the keys are not working correctly if she’s thinking this is the best bang for our buck.” Fox News contributor Rick Santorum then stated of Pelosi’s claim: “So if that’s the case, why don’t we turn the whole economy over to the government have them pay out all of this money and have a great multiplier effect. It doesn’t work and in fact there have been studies done show just the opposite.” Santorum further claimed “I don’t know where she’s getting the funny numbers, the calculator is not working as Tracy said, but the numbers are phony.”

Gingrich: “I don’t understand how liberal math turns one dollar into $1.79.” On the October 6 edition of Fox News’ On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich said:

I carry around a bumper sticker that says two plus two equals four, so I’d be very curious how a dollar given to somebody becomes $1.79. And I think if we could get that to work at the U.S. Treasury, so if people gave the treasury $1,000, it became $1,790, we could pay off the federal debt and never worry about spending or anything. Somehow, I don’t understand how liberal math turns one dollar into $1.79.

Economists widely acknowledge stimulative nature of food stamps

Elmendorf: “Nutrition assistance” would “have a significant impact on GDP.” In January 27, 2009, written testimony before the House Budget Committee, CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf stated that “[t]ransfers to persons (for example, unemployment insurance and nutrition assistance) would … have a significant impact on GDP.” He added: “Because a large amount of such spending can occur quickly, transfers would have a significant impact on GDP by early 2010. Transfers also include refundable tax credits, which have an impact similar to that of a temporary tax cut.”

Zandi: “[E]xtending food stamps are the most effective ways to prime the economy’s pump.” In his July 24, 2008, written testimony before the House Committee on Small Business, economist Mark Zandi, who advised John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, stated that “extending food stamps are [sic] the most effective ways to prime the economy’s pump.” Zandi further explained: “People who receive these benefits are very hard-pressed and will spend any financial aid they receive within a few weeks. These programs are also already operating, and a benefit increase can be quickly delivered to recipients.” Zandi included with his testimony a table stating that a “Temporary Increase in Food Stamps” had the highest “Fiscal Economic Bank for the Buck” of any other potential stimulus provision he analyzed, providing a $1.73 increase in real GDP for every dollar spent.

Attack is the latest in Fox’s ongoing assault on aid to poor and unemployed

Fox regularly ignores economic consensus to attack unemployment insurance. As Media Matters has noted, Fox regularly ignores economic consensus and analysis to baselessly attack unemployment insurance. For example:

• On February 22, Hannity falsely suggested the Federal Reserve said unemployment benefit extension increased unemployment.
• During the May 15 edition of Fox News’ Bulls & Bears, host Brenda Buttner claimed Americans were “turning down good paying jobs to stay on unemployment. I wish I were kidding.” During the tease, the on-screen graphic said “Cut off freeloaders?”
• On July 2, Fox & Friends guest host Alisyn Camerota didn’t understand the “logic” behind Pelosi’s claim that unemployment insurance “injects demand into the economy” and “is a job creator.” Guest co-host Clayton Morris said that “would love to know what economists say that.” Co-host Dave Briggs claimed there were a “few holes in that logic to say the least.”
• On the July 15 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade hosted Partnership Staffing Inc. CEO Bill Auchmoody, who claimed that unemployment benefits prevent unemployed workers from searching for jobs. During the segment, Kilmeade played Pelosi’s comments and asked Auchmoody to comment. Auchmoody stated: “I don’t know how an unemployment check creates jobs. You know, businesses create jobs. The economy and the government getting out of the way, in my opinion, helps create jobs.”  Kilmeade concluded the interview by telling Auchmoody that “maybe”  the elimination of “unemployment benefits will get people to sober up and take some of your offers.”
• On the August 10 edition of Glenn Beck, Beck said “Nancy Pelosi actually made the point that unemployment payment stimulate [sic] the economy.” After playing the clip, Beck suggested Pelosi was wrong that unemployment insurance creates jobs by saying “have you ever worked for a guy who was saying ‘hang on just a second, I’m going to pay you out of my unemployment check.”
• On the August 31 edition of Fox & Friends, Fox Business host Stuart Varney cited a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Harvard economics professor and Hoover Institute senior fellow Robert Barro to claim that, in Varney’s words, “If we had not extended unemployment benefits to 99 weeks from the standard 26 weeks, [Barro] says, unemployment would be at 6.8%, not the 9.5%.” According to Varney, Barro argued that “you extend benefits like this and it discourages people from going out to look for work especially, you know, the start of the benefit period because it’s nearly two years.”
• On the September 16 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Stuart Varney attacked the unemployed by falsely claiming that rises in disability were due to the unemployed committing fraud. In fact, what led to the increase in claims from 2008 to 2009 was legislation that President Bush signed into law in 2008, which changed the ways that the requirements for being disabled could be interpreted. The growth in the program was expected and is the result of intentional changes to policy which make it easier to qualify.
• During the September 29 edition of Fox & Friends, co-host Gretchen Carlson asked “when will the government turn off government spending and extend tax cuts to stimulate the private sector.” Carlson was referring to a program that ”directly paid the salaries of unemployed people so they could get jobs in government, at nonprofit organizations and at many small businesses.

Media Matters Daily Summary

Here are today’s news items from Media Matters for America, click on the title or ‘read more’ to read the entirety of each story.

Glenn Beck’s anti-gay army of God
As he attempts to rebrand himself as a spiritual leader, Glenn Beck has surrounded himself with religious and secular figures who share a fervent opposition to the “homosexual agenda.” Read More

Right-wing media respond to Obama’s jobs plan by rehashing tired stimulus falsehoods
The right-wing media responded to Obama’s new six-year jobs plan by rehashing the tired falsehood that the 2009 stimulus “failed.” In fact, the stimulus has been estimated by both the White House and independent analysts to have increased employment by about 2 million jobs relative to a baseline estimate of what jobs levels would have been without the stimulus. Read More

Fox calls for repeal of the 20th century
Since President Obama’s election, Fox personalities have expressed opposition to or called for the repeal of virtually every progressive achievement of the 20th century, including Social Security, Medicare, the Americans with Disabilities Act, portions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the 16th and 17th Amendments to the Constitution. Read More

Why is Fox carrying water for Sheriff Joe?
Fox News has forwarded Sheriff Joe Arpaio‘s claim that he is cooperating with a Department of Justice investigation into charges of racial profiling, and that the investigation is politically motivated. However, Arpaio’s own lawyer has reportedly acknowledged that they have not fully cooperated, and the inquiry began during the Bush administration.
Read More

Stuart Varney: Fox News’ “very clearly partisan” economic analyst
Fox News regularly uses Fox Business host Stuart Varney as their primary analyst of business and economic news. However, Varney has frequently advocated for Republican electoral victories and has described himself as “very clearly partisan.” Read More

Fox’s Napolitano regurgitates myths to smear Obama as “in tight” with New Black Panthers
Andrew Napolitano smeared the Obama administration as being “in tight” with the New Black Panther Party, citing the myth that the Obama Justice Department would not prosecute a party member for “[i]ntimidating voters with a weapon.” In fact, the decision to not pursue criminal charges was made by the Bush DOJ, and the Obama administration won an injunction against the party member who carried a weapon. Read More